Leviticus 18:6-18

PROHIBITED MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIPS 18:6-18
TEXT 18:6-18

6

None of you shall approach to any that are near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am Jehovah.

7

The nakedness of thy father, even the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

8

The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover; it is thy father's nakedness.

9

The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.

10

The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.

11

The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

12

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.

13

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.

14

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.

15

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter-in-law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

16

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.

17

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter; thou shalt not take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are near kinswomen: it is wickedness.

18

And thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival to her, to uncover her nakedness, besides the other in her lifetime.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 18:6-18

391.

What is the meaning of the phrase, to uncover their nakedness?

392.

Why not have sexual relations with near of kin?

393.

The nakedness of the mother is also the nakedness of the father. How so?

394.

Who is involved in the nakedness of thy father's wife?

395.

There can be no marriage of sister and brother even if they are only half-sisters or brothers, even if they were born far from you and you never saw them until you were both grown. Is this the thought of Leviticus 18:9? Discuss the reason behind this.

396.

A man may sin against his own body if he has intercourse with whom? Is marriage or simply sex relations being discussed here?

397.

Wasn-'t half-sister relationship covered in Leviticus 18:9?

398.

Why mention her again in Leviticus 18:11?

399.

No one should marry his aunt, on either his father's or his mother's side. Why?

400.

What about Cain and Abel who married their sisters? Compare Leviticus 20:17 as to the penalty for sexual intercourse with a half-sister. What is the penalty?

401.

How many relationships are covered in these verses (there are eleven. Can you find them all?)

402.

There is no prohibition for a daughter, a full sister, or a mother-in-law. Cf. Deuteronomy 27:23, Exodus 21:15.

403.

What was the penalty for the violation of these laws? Notice a difference between Numbers 1:2, Numbers 1:3, Numbers 1:8, Numbers 1:10 and 6, 7, 9. Cf. Leviticus 20:11-12; Leviticus 20:14; Leviticus 20:17; Deuteronomy 23:1; Deuteronomy 22:20; Deuteronomy 22:22-23)

PARAPHRASE 18:6-18

None of you shall marry a near relative, for I am the Lord. A girl may not marry her father; nor a son his mother, nor any other of his father's wives, nor his sister or half-sister, whether the daughter of his father or his mother, whether born in the same house or elsewhere. You shall not marry your granddaughterthe daughter of either your son or your daughterfor she is a close relative. You may not marry a half-sisteryour father's wife's daughter; nor your auntyour father's sisterbecause she is so closely related to your father; nor your auntyour mother's sisterbecause she is a close relative of your mother; nor your auntthe wife of your father's brother. You may not marry your daughter-in-lawyour son's wife; nor your brother's wife, for she is your brother'S. You may not marry both a woman and her daughter or granddaughter, for they are near relatives, and to do so is horrible wickedness. You shall not marry two sisters, for they will be rivals. However, if your wife dies, then it is all right to marry her sister.

COMMENT 18:6-18

Leviticus 18:16-18 These laws can hardly be considered national when the Egyptians and Canaanites have been condemned for their violation. Evidently God gave them in the beginning and therefore they have Patriarchal and not only Mosaic significance. These verses discuss but one law of the ten commandments, i.e. the seventh. It would seem God is to stop all channels in which lust might flow. Leviticus 18:6 gives the general prohibition and Leviticus 18:7 through 18 describe the specific applications. There are eleven in number. We shall consider each in order. Before we do we must point out the principles behind such laws. There are at least three obvious reasons we should not marry our near of kin: (1) How could society and the home exist if man was at the same time brother and husband, or a son and a husband; he could never fulfill the duties of such relationships at the same time; (2) By intermarrying with other families than our own the bonds of society are established between neighbors. In an intermarried family feuds and divisions of all kinds would be unavoidable; (3) The strength of the blood line is weakened by family intermarriage and deformity and weaknesses are found in the children and grandchildren.

(1) With mother. Leviticus 18:7 The meaning of the phrase uncover nakedness is found only by referring to its context. There are a total of 21 references to this act in the Old Testament. (Exodus 20:26; Isaiah 42:3; Ezekiel 17:36, 37; Ezekiel 22:10; Ezekiel 23:10; Ezekiel 23:18; Ezekiel 23:29; Leviticus 20:11; Leviticus 20:17; Leviticus 20:20-21 and the nine references in Leviticus 18:6-19.) In all the references in Ezekiel illicit sex relations are described, but in all other references the God-ordained physical relationship in marriage is involved. We believe the phrase was used both ways. In the verses under consideration we are discussing the wrong use of the sex act. Some commentators refer the nakedness of the father to relations of the daughter with the father and the nakedness of the mother to relations of the son with the mother. The paraphrase of this text so renders it; however it is probably more accurate to consider this from the son's viewpoint and see the nakedness of the mother to include that of the father, since the two are one.

Paul is repulsed at the thought of such a relationshipit is not even named among the pagansand yet it was practiced in the Corinthian church. Cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2.

The tragic consequences of such action can be seen in Lot and his daughters. The Moabites and the Ammonites were the unhappy children of such a union. Reuben was marked and punished because he had sexual relations with the handmaid of his father. Cf. Genesis 35:22.

(2) With a step-mother. Leviticus 18:8 Are we to conclude she is widowed and this is a marriage and not adultery? We believe so. Marriage and family relationship must not be violated even if there is no blood relationship. (Cf. Leviticus 20:11; Deuteronomy 27:20) Perhaps the father had died in the example cited in Corinth, but no such information was given and in the absence of it, we would conclude that he was still alive.

(3) With sister or half-sister. Leviticus 18:9 Such description would infer the possibility of a former marriage by either the father or the mother. The father or mother could have children in another town or country. When such children come to visit, the present children must not imagine they are eligible for marriage. They are not. We have a sad example of this relationship in the son and daughter of David. When Amnon was about to commit adultery with his half-sister, Tamar, she cried out, I pray you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you. Cf. 2 Samuel 13:10-19. Evidently this law was not as effective as the example of Jacob reflected in the life of David and his children.

(4) With a granddaughter, the daughter of either son or daughter. Leviticus 18:10 Whereas marriage to a daughter is not plainly stated in any of these relationships we could say it is included in this law, i.e. if a man was not to marry his own granddaughter, how much more should he be shut out from his own daughter? It could be that the word granddaughter should be daughter, i.e. the text could read, the nakedness of thy daughter and of thy son's daughter. (Ginsburg)

(5) With the daughter of a step-mother. Leviticus 18:11 This refers to a half-sister by a second marriage, and the prohibition refers to the son by the first marriage, whereas Leviticus 18:9 treats of the son by a second marriage. The notion that the man's own mother is also included, and that the prohibition includes marriage with a full sister, is at variance, with the usage of the expression, thy father's wife. (Keil)

(6) With an aunt, the sister of either father or mother. Leviticus 18:12-13 Cf. Leviticus 20:19; Leviticus 21:2; Numbers 27:11. Moses might have thought more than twice when he heard this prohibition, since he himself was the offspring of such an alliance. The father of Moses was Amram, who married his own aunt, Jochebed, the sister of Amram's father. Cf. Exodus 6:20. Home can be a happy place. God tells us how. The fact that His grace and mercy covers our mistakes does not argue against His beautiful ideal pattern.

(7) The wife of an uncle on the father's side. Leviticus 18:14 A nephew was to have no marriage involvements with his aunt during the lifetime of his uncle, and he could not marry his aunt even when his uncle was dead. Leviticus 20:20 indicates the death penalty for the violation of this law.

We do have examples of the marriage of the niece to her uncle: Nahor married Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran (Genesis 11:29); Othniel, the son of Kenaz, married his grand-niece, Achsah, the daughter of Caleb, his father's brother. (Joshua 15:17; Judges 1:13)

(8) The daughter-in-law. Leviticus 18:15 The legislators in the time of Christ defined this prohibition as applicable not only to cases where marriage between them had actually been consummated, but to cases where the maiden had only been espoused, or when the daughter-in-law had been divorced by the son, or had become a widow. For an offense of this kind, both parties were punished by death. (Cf. Leviticus 20:12) Other nations regarded such alliances with the same abhorrence. (Ginsburg)

(9) The sister-in-law, or brother's wife. Leviticus 18:16 Deuteronomy 25:5 gives the exception to this regulation. Matthew 22:23-26 cites an example of the exception. If a brother dies and his wife has had no male children, the living brother is obligated to marry the widow. If the brother dies and leaves a male child, it would be wrong for the brother to marry the widow. It is of passing interest to note object of interest in the minds of the Sadducees. Our Saviour spoke to them as He does to usin the world to come there will be no sex (nor food, nor money).

(10) The woman and her daughter, or a woman and her granddaughter. Leviticus 18:17 Marriage with a woman and her daughter, whether both together or in succession, is described in Deuteronomy 27:20 as an accursed lying with the mother-in-law; whereas here it is the relation to the step-daughter which is primarily referred to, as we may see from the parallel prohibition, which is added, against taking the daughter of her son or daughter, i.e. the granddaughter-in-law. Both of these were crimes against blood relationship which were to be punished with death in the case of both parties (chapter Leviticus 20:14), because they were -wickedness,-' literally -invention,-' design, here applied to the crime of licentiousness and whoredom (Cf. Leviticus 19:29; Judges 20:6; Job 31:11). (Keil)

(11) Two sisters at the same time. Leviticus 18:18 We have read a good deal of discussion as to the possible permission of polygamy from this verse. We are unconvinced that any such possibility could exist. We are not discussing polygamy as cited in Exodus 21:7-11 or Deuteronomy 21:15-17; Deuteronomy 17:17 (please read our BIBLE STUDY TEXTBOOKS on these passages). We are satisfied with the American Standard translation of this verse, and thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival to her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her lifetime. As if this were not clear enough the Amplified translation says, You must not marry a woman in addition to her sister to be a rival to her, having sexual relations with the second sister when the first one is alive, or in the New English BibleYou shall not take a woman who is your wife's sister to make her a rival-wife, and to have intercourse with her during her sister's lifetime. This seems to be a law against the very circumstance in which Jacob found himself with Leah and Rachel.

FACT QUESTIONS 18:6-18

398.

Why should we consider the laws given here to be larger than the nation of Israel?

399.

Give the three reasons God gave these limitations on the marriage of near kin.

400.

What is meant by the phrase uncover nakedness?

401.

Sex relations with one's mother has tragic consequences. What biblical examples teach this?

402.

There is a New Testament example of illicit relations with a stepmother. Where? Discuss.

403.

Amnon and Tamar illustrate one of these prohibitions. Discuss.

404.

Why no law against marriage to a daughter?

405.

Show how the case in Leviticus 18:9 is different in the violation of Leviticus 18:11.

406.

Moses was involved personally in the violation of Leviticus 18:12-13. Discuss.

407.

What was the penalty for marriage to one's aunt?

408.

What about marriage to an uncle by a niece?

409.

The law was very strict on marriage between father-in-law and daughter-in-law. Discuss.

410.

There is an exception in the marriage of a brother's wife. Discuss.

411.

What does God call an accursed lying with the mother-in-law? Discuss the reason.

412.

Just what is involved in the marriage of two sisters? i.e. why the prohibition?