Leviticus 18:7

Leviticus 18:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
• New International Version (NIV)“ ‘Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.

Context of Leviticus 18:7

5So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which, if a person keeps them, he shall live; I am the Lord. 6‘No one shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness (have intimate relations). I am the Lord. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness. 8You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. 9You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, either the daughter of your father or of your mother, whether born at home or born elsewhere.

Leviticus 18:7 word by word

עֶרְוַ֥ת אָבִ֛יךָ וְעֶרְוַ֥ת אִמְּךָ֖ לֹ֣א תְגַלֵּ֑ה אִמְּךָ֣ הִ֔וא לֹ֥א תְגַלֶּ֖ה עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The nakednessעֶרְוָה‛ervâh · nakednessH6172
• of thy fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• of thy motherאֵם'êm · motherH517
• shalt thou not uncoverגָּלָהgâlâh · to reveal: uncoverH1540

Cross-references for Leviticus 18:7

• Leviticus 20:11The man who lies [intimately] with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall most certainly be put to death; their blood is on them.
• Ezekiel 22:10In you men have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness [the nakedness of mother or stepmother]; in you they have violated women who are [set apart as ceremonially] unclean during their menstrual impurity [or after childbirth].

Commentaries on Leviticus 18:7

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Or - It might be rendered “and”, or rather, even; that is, which belongs to both parents as being “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; compare Leviticus 18:8, Leviticus 18:14). These prohibitions are addressed to men.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7She is your mother: Incest was illegal because it disrupted families. The commands about this sin included close relatives, even if not related by blood. Incest was a serious crime because it caused competition and chaos in the family. It threatened home safety by breaking family intimacy and belonging. The Bible directs this command to men, even if the woman was older, like a mother. Men, especially household leaders or firstborns, had more power. This…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-302-4. I am the Lord your God--This renewed mention of the divine sovereignty over the Israelites was intended to bear particularly on some laws that were widely different from the social customs that obtained both in Egypt and Canaan; for the enormities, which the laws enumerated in this chapter were intended to put down, were freely practised or publicly sanctioned in both of those countries; and, indeed, the extermination of the ancient Canaanites is…Read the comment

Topics related to Leviticus 18:7

• Abomination
• Copulation
• Incest
• Marriage
• Mother

In the dictionaries

• Affinity
• Approach
• Live
• Mankind
• Near
• Atonement, Day of
• Bastard
• Clean
• Cornelius
• Criticism

Commentaries on Leviticus 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings