God’s Word Translation
Leviticus 18:7
7“Never have sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your own mother. Never have sexual intercourse with her.
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
5Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am the Lord. 6“Never have sexual intercourse with anyone related to you by blood. I am the Lord. “Never have sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your own mother. Never have sexual intercourse with her. 8Never have sexual intercourse with your stepmother. She is related to you through your father. 9Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house.
Read all of Leviticus 18Leviticus 18:7 word by word
עֶרְוַ֥ת אָבִ֛יךָ וְעֶרְוַ֥ת אִמְּךָ֖ לֹ֣א תְגַלֵּ֑ה אִמְּךָ֣ הִ֔וא לֹ֥א תְגַלֶּ֖ה עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Leviticus 18:7
- Leviticus 20:11Whoever has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife has violated his father’s marriage. Both he and his father’s wife must be put to death. They deserve to die.
- Ezekiel 22:10Men have sex with their father’s wives. They have sex with women when the women are having their periods and are unclean.
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
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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