Leviticus 20:4

Leviticus 20:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
• New International Version (NIV)If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,
• English Standard Version (ESV)And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him,

Context of Leviticus 20:4

2“Moreover, you are to tell Bnei-Yisrael: Anyone from Bnei-Yisrael or from the outsiders dwelling in Israel, who gives any of his children to Molech, should surely be put to death. The people of the land are to stone him with rocks. 3I also will set My face against such a person and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given his children to Molech, defiling My Sanctuary and profaning My holy Name. But if the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person, when he gives of his seed to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5then I will set My face against that man and against his family, and will cut him off, along with all who play the prostitute after him with Molech, from among their people. 6“The soul that turns to mediums or to soothsayers, prostituting himself with them, I will set My face against that soul and will cut him off from among his people.

Leviticus 20:4 word by word

וְאִ֡ם הַעְלֵ֣ם יַעְלִימֽוּ֩ עַ֨ם הָאָ֜רֶץ אֶת־עֵֽינֵיהֶם֙ מִן־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַה֔וּא בְּתִתּ֥וֹ מִזַּרְע֖וֹ לַמֹּ֑לֶךְ לְבִלְתִּ֖י הָמִ֥ית אֹתֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And if the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• of the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• do any waysעָלַם‛âlam · to concealH5956
• their eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• from the manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• when he givethנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• of his seedזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seed: childrenH2233
• unto Molechמֹ֫לֶךְmôlek · MolechH4432
• and killמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• him notבִּלְתִּיbiltîy · lestH1115

Cross-references for Leviticus 20:4

• Acts 17:30Although God overlooked the periods of ignorance, now He commands everyone everywhere to repent.
• Deuteronomy 13:8from among the gods of the peoples around you, near you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other.
• Deuteronomy 17:2Suppose there is found in your midst—within one of your gates that Adonai your God is giving you—a man or woman who does what is evil in the eyes of Adonai your God by transgressing His covenant.
• Joshua 7:12So Bnei-Yisrael cannot stand before their enemies. So they turn their necks before their enemies, because they have come under the ban. I will not be with you any more unless you destroy whatever is under the ban from among you.
• 1 Samuel 3:13For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity that he knew about, because his sons brought a curse on themselves yet he did not rebuke them.
• 1 Kings 20:42Then he said to him, “Thus says Adonai: ‘Because you have released out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life will be in place of his life and your people in place of his people.’”
• Revelation 2:14“But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who was teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before Bnei-Yisrael, to eat food sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.

Commentaries on Leviticus 20:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2-5Verses 2-5 Molech, literally, “the King”, called also Moloch, Milcom, and Malcham, was known in later times as “the abomination of the Ammonites” 1 Kings 11:5. He appears to have been the fire-god of the eastern nations; related to, and sometimes made identical with, Baal, the sun-god. The nature of the rite and of the impious custom called passing children through the fire to Molech is very doubtful. The practices appear to have been essentially…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. If the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, &c.--that is, connive at their countrymen practising the horrid rites of Molech. Awful was it that any Hebrew parents could so violate their national covenant, and no wonder that God denounced the severest penalties against them and their families.Read the comment

Topics related to Leviticus 20:4

• Collusion
• Idolatry
• Molech
• Offerings
• Punishment
• Sanitation

In the dictionaries

• Molech; Moloch
• Molech
• Accomplish
• Crucifixion
• Moloch
• Wizard
• Ammon; Ammonites
• Burial
• Clean
• Criticism

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