The big picture
Leviticus 18 opens in verse 1 with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”, reaches its middle movement near verse 15 with “Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son’s wife; thou…”, and closes in verse 30 with “Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable…” Repeated or prominent terms include nakedness, uncover, daughter, land, LORD. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Leviticus · King James Version · 30Leviticus 18:1-8
1–8: The LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Leviticus 18:1–8 opens with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” and reaches “The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Leviticus 18 develops its own movement around nakedness, uncover, daughter, land, LORD, with particular weight carried by nakedness, LORD, uncover.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” Naming Moses keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD .” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Leviticus 18:1-8
King James Version1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.
3After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
4Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.
5Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD .
6None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD .
7The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
8The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.
Leviticus 18:9-16
9–16: The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of…
Leviticus 18:9–16 opens with “The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she…” and reaches “Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Leviticus 18 develops its own movement around nakedness, uncover, daughter, land, LORD, with particular weight carried by nakedness, uncover, daughter.
Context that brings the passage to life
“The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or…” The line’s distinctive content terms include born, daughter, nakedness. Its relationship to verses 10 shows what work it does in this passage.
“The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her…” The line’s distinctive content terms include nakedness, begotten, daughter. Its relationship to verses 10 and 12 shows what work it does in this passage.
Leviticus 18:9-16
King James Version9The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
10The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.
11The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
12Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she is thy father’s near kinswoman.
13Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: for she is thy mother’s near kinswoman.
14Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.
15Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
16Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness.
Leviticus 18:17-24
17–24: Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter…
Leviticus 18:17–24 opens with “Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her…” and reaches “Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Leviticus 18 develops its own movement around nakedness, uncover, daughter, land, LORD, with particular weight carried by nakedness, uncover, daughter.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her…” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.” Naming Also keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Leviticus 18:17-24
King James Version17Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
18Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
19Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
20Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.
21And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD .
22Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
23Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
24Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
Leviticus 18:25-30
25–30: The land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it…
Leviticus 18:25–30 opens with “And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself…” and reaches “Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Leviticus 18 develops its own movement around nakedness, uncover, daughter, land, LORD, with particular weight carried by land, commit, abominations.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her…” The line’s distinctive content terms include land, defiled, inhabitants. Its relationship to verses 26 shows what work it does in this passage.
“Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Leviticus 18:25-30
King James Version25And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
26Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:
27(For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)
28That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.
29For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
30Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Leviticus 18:1 begins with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”
Where the chapter turns
Leviticus 18:3 forms a natural hinge: “After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do…”
The final note
Leviticus 18:30 leaves the reader with “Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words nakedness, uncover, daughter, land, LORD, father’s help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What responsibility accompanies Abraham's election?
Verse 19 connects his household's calling with keeping the Lord's way through justice and judgment.
What is the moral center of his intercession?
That righteous and wicked should not be treated indiscriminately.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- spake
- spoke
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.