Leviticus 18:21

Leviticus 18:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And 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.
• New International Version (NIV)“ ‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

Context of Leviticus 18:21

19“‘You must not approach a woman in her menstrual impurity to have sexual intercourse with her. 20You must not have sexual intercourse with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her. You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, so that you do not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord! 22You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman; it is a detestable act. 23You must not have sexual intercourse with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it; it is a perversion.

Leviticus 18:21 word by word

וּמִֽזַּרְעֲךָ֥ לֹא־תִתֵּ֖ן לְהַעֲבִ֣יר לַמֹּ֑לֶךְ וְלֹ֧א תְחַלֵּ֛ל אֶת־שֵׁ֥ם אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And thou shalt notנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• let any of thy seedזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seed: childrenH2233
• passעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• to Molechמֹ֫לֶךְmôlek · MolechH4432
• neither shalt thou profaneחָלַלchâlal · to profane/begin: profaneH2490
• the nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• of thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for Leviticus 18:21

• Leviticus 20:2“You are to say to the Israelites, ‘Any man from the Israelites or from the foreigners who reside in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones.
• Deuteronomy 12:31You must not worship the Lord your God the way they do! For everything that is abhorrent to him, everything he hates, they have done when worshiping their gods. They even burn up their sons and daughters before their gods!
• Deuteronomy 18:10There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, anyone who practices divination, an omen reader, a soothsayer, a sorcerer,
• 2 Kings 16:3He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, a horrible sin practiced by the nations whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites.
• 2 Kings 21:6He passed his son through the fire and practiced divination and omen reading. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits, and appointed magicians to supervise it. He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
• 2 Kings 23:10The king ruined Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that no one could pass his son or his daughter through the fire to Molech.
• Psalms 106:37They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
• Jeremiah 7:31They have also built places of worship in a place called Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they can sacrifice their sons and daughters by fire. That is something I never commanded them to do! Indeed, it never even entered my mind to command such a thing!
• Jeremiah 19:5They have built places here for worship of the god Baal so that they could sacrifice their children as burnt offerings to him in the fire. Such sacrifices are something I never commanded them to make! They are something I never told them to do! Indeed, such a thing never even entered my mind!
• Ezekiel 20:31When you present your sacrifices – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me!
• Ezekiel 23:37For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and their sons, whom they bore to me, they have passed through the fire as food to their idols.
• 1 Kings 11:7Furthermore, on the hill east of Jerusalem Solomon built a high place for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom.
• Amos 5:26You will pick up your images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kiyyun, your star god, which you made for yourselves,
• Acts 7:43But you took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, the images you made to worship, but I will deport you beyond Babylon.’
• Leviticus 19:12You must not swear falsely in my name, so that you do not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
• Leviticus 21:6“‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the Lord’s gifts, the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy.

Commentaries on Leviticus 18:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Pass through the fire to Molech - The name of this idol is mentioned for the first time in this place. As the word מלח molech or melech signifies king or governor, it is very likely that this idol represented the sun; and more particularly as the fire appears to have been so much employed in his worship. There are several opinions concerning the meaning of passing through the fire to Molech. Some think that the semen humanum was offered on the fire to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Molech - See the note at Leviticus 20:2-5.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21Molech was the national god of the Ammonites (1 Kings 11:7). Later, Israel worshiped this god during times of turning away from their faith (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35). Molech worship probably appears here because it related to sexual sins and possibly included child sacrifice. profane (or blaspheme) the name of your God: This meant using the name of the Lord as if it were unholy, such as in a false oath or in the worship of a false god (Leviticus…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, &c.--Molech, or Moloch, which signifies "king," was the idol of the Ammonites. His statue was of brass, and rested on a pedestal or throne of the same metal. His head, resembling that of a calf, was adorned with a crown, and his arms were extended in the attitude of embracing those who approached him. His devotees dedicated their children to him; and when this was to be done, they…Read the comment

Topics related to Leviticus 18:21

• Abomination
• God
• Idolatry
• Molech
• Offerings

In the dictionaries

• God
• Molech; Moloch
• Molech
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Approach
• Live
• Mankind
• Moloch
• Near
• Atonement, Day of

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