God’s Word Translation
Leviticus 20:15
15A man who has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death. You must kill the animal, too.
Leviticus 20:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
- New International Version (NIV)“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal.
- English Standard Version (ESV)If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.
- New King James Version (NKJV)If a man mates with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.
Context of Leviticus 20:15
13When a man has sexual intercourse with another man as with a woman, both men are doing something disgusting and must be put to death. They deserve to die. 14When a man marries a woman and her mother, they have done a perverted thing. The man and the two women must be burned. Never do this perverted thing. A man who has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death. You must kill the animal, too. 16When a woman offers herself sexually to any animal, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They deserve to die. 17Whoever takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and has sexual intercourse does a shameful thing. They both must be publicly excluded from the people. He has had sexual intercourse with his sister and must be punished.
Read all of Leviticus 20Leviticus 20:15 word by word
וְאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִתֵּ֧ן שְׁכָבְתּ֛וֹ בִּבְהֵמָ֖ה מ֣וֹת יוּמָ֑ת וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָ֖ה תַּהֲרֹֽגוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Leviticus 20:15
- Leviticus 18:23Never have sexual intercourse with any animal and become unclean with it. A woman must never offer herself to an animal for sexual intercourse. It is unnatural.
- Exodus 22:19“Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.
- Deuteronomy 27:21“Whoever has sexual intercourse with any animal will be cursed.” Then all the people will say amen.
Commentaries on Leviticus 20:15
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-27Verses 10-27 These verses repeat what had been said before, but it was needful there should be line upon line. What praises we owe to God that he has taught the evil of sin, and the sure way of deliverance from it! May we have grace to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things; may we have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-27Pagan worship influenced ethics, so God has family rules follow those about pagan religious practices. Some laws in this section repeat parts from Leviticus 18:6–30, which come before the section on proper expressions of holiness (19:1–37). These issues connect. Proper worship of God leads to good behavior toward others, while improper worship leads to moral violations.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-197-19. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy--The minute specification of the incestuous and unnatural crimes here enumerated shows their sad prevalence amongst the idolatrous nations around, and the extreme proneness of the Israelites to follow the customs of their neighbors. It is to be understood, that, whenever mention is made that the offender was "to be put to death" without describing the mode, stoning is meant. The only instance of another…Read the comment
Topics related to Leviticus 20:15
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Leviticus 20
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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