Leviticus 20:16
New International Version
“’If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

New Living Translation
“If a woman presents herself to a male animal to have intercourse with it, she and the animal must both be put to death. You must kill both, for they are guilty of a capital offense.

English Standard Version
If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

Berean Standard Bible
If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

King James Bible
And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

New King James Version
If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.

New American Standard Bible
If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they must be put to death. They have brought their own deaths upon themselves.

NASB 1995
If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

NASB 1977
‘If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

Legacy Standard Bible
If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

Amplified Bible
If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall most certainly be put to death; their blood is on them.

Christian Standard Bible
If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their death is their own fault.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If a woman comes near any animal and mates with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their own blood is on them.

American Standard Version
And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

English Revised Version
And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When 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.

Good News Translation
If a woman tries to have sexual relations with an animal, she and the animal shall be put to death. They are responsible for their own death.

International Standard Version
"If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual relations with it, both the woman and the animal are to be put to death. Their guilt will remain their responsibility.

Majority Standard Bible
If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

NET Bible
If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual intercourse with it, you must kill the woman, and the animal must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.

New Heart English Bible
"'If a woman approaches any animal, and lies down with it, you shall kill the woman, and the animal: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Webster's Bible Translation
And if a woman shall approach to any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman and the beast; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

World English Bible
“‘If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And a woman who draws near to any beast to mate with it—you have even slain the woman and the beast; they are certainly put to death; their blood [is] on them.

Young's Literal Translation
And a woman who draweth near unto any beast to lie with it -- thou hast even slain the woman and the beast; they are certainly put to death; their blood is on them.

Smith's Literal Translation
And a woman who shall come near to any quadruped to lie down with it, and didst thou kill the woman and the quadruped; dying, they shall die; their blood is upon them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The woman that shall lie under any beast, shall be killed together with the same: their blood be upon them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The woman who will have lain under any animal at all shall be destroyed together with it. So let their blood be upon them.

New American Bible
If a woman goes up to any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall both be put to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.

New Revised Standard Version
If a woman approaches any animal and has sexual relations with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And if a woman approaches any beast and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the beast; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And a woman who presents herself to a beast to be mounted by it: kill the woman, also the animal shall certainly be killed and their blood shall be upon them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And whatever woman shall approach any beast, so as to have connexion with it, ye shall kill the woman and the beast: let them die the death, they are guilty.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Punishments for Sexual Immorality
15If a man lies carnally with an animal, he must be put to death. And you are also to kill the animal. 16If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 17If a man marries his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he shall bear his iniquity.…

Cross References
Exodus 22:19
Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.

Deuteronomy 27:21
‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

Leviticus 18:23
You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.

Deuteronomy 22:22
If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

Romans 1:26-27
For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. / Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Timothy 1:9-10
We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, / for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching

Genesis 1:27-28
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. / God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

Genesis 2:24
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Matthew 5:17-19
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. / For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. / So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 7:21-23
For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, / greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. / All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”

Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:3-5
But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. / Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. / For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Colossians 3:5-6
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. / Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

Revelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”


Treasury of Scripture

And if a woman approach to any beast, and lie down thereto, you shall kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be on them.

And if a woman.

Leviticus 18:24,25
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: …

and the beast

Exodus 19:13
There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

Exodus 21:28,32
If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit…

Hebrews 12:20
(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

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Animal Approach Approaches Beast Blood Bloodguiltiness Death Draweth End Gender Goes Heads Kill Lies Mate Relations Sex Sexual Slain Surely Thereto
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Animal Approach Approaches Beast Blood Bloodguiltiness Death Draweth End Gender Goes Heads Kill Lies Mate Relations Sex Sexual Slain Surely Thereto
Leviticus 20
1. Of him who gives his seed to Moloch
4. Of him who favors such an one
6. Of going to wizards
7. Of sanctification
9. Of him who curses his parents
11. Of incest
13. Of sodomy
15. Of bestiality
18. Of uncleanness
22. Obedience is required with holiness
27. Wizards must be put to death














If a woman approaches
The phrase "If a woman approaches" indicates a deliberate action. In the Hebrew text, the word used for "approaches" is "קָרַב" (qarab), which means to draw near or come close. This implies an intentional act rather than an accidental occurrence. The context here is crucial, as it underscores the seriousness of the transgression. In ancient Israel, the community was called to uphold a standard of holiness, reflecting God's nature. The deliberate nature of the act highlights the willful rebellion against God's created order.

any animal
The term "any animal" is inclusive, indicating that no exceptions are made regarding the type of animal. The Hebrew word "בְּהֵמָה" (behemah) is used, which generally refers to beasts or cattle. This broad term underscores the unnaturalness of the act, as it crosses the boundaries set by God between humans and animals. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such acts were seen as abominations, violating the natural order established by God in creation.

to mate with it
The phrase "to mate with it" translates the Hebrew "לִרְבֹּעַ" (lirboa), which means to lie down with or to copulate. This explicit language leaves no ambiguity about the nature of the sin. The act is not merely inappropriate but is a direct affront to the sanctity of human sexuality as ordained by God. In the broader biblical narrative, sexual relations are intended to reflect the covenantal relationship between God and His people, and any deviation from this design is seen as a serious breach of covenant.

you must kill the woman and the animal
The command "you must kill the woman and the animal" is a directive for capital punishment. The Hebrew verb "מוּת" (muth) is used, meaning to put to death. This severe penalty reflects the gravity of the offense. In the theocratic society of ancient Israel, such laws were intended to maintain the purity and holiness of the community. The inclusion of the animal in the punishment underscores the complete eradication of the sin from the community, preventing any association with the act.

They must surely be put to death
The phrase "They must surely be put to death" uses the Hebrew construction "מוֹת יוּמָתוּ" (mot yumat), which is an emphatic form, reinforcing the certainty and necessity of the punishment. This repetition serves to emphasize the seriousness with which God views this transgression. It is a reminder of the holiness code that governed Israelite society, where the community was called to reflect God's holiness in every aspect of life.

their blood is upon them
The expression "their blood is upon them" signifies that the responsibility for the sin and its consequences lies with the perpetrators. In Hebrew, "דָּמָם בָּם" (damam bam) indicates that the guilt and the resulting punishment are self-inflicted. This phrase is a legal idiom used to denote that the individuals have brought the judgment upon themselves through their actions. It serves as a sobering reminder of the personal accountability each person holds before God for their actions.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If a woman
וְאִשָּׁ֗ה (wə·’iš·šāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

approaches
תִּקְרַ֤ב (tiq·raḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7126: To come near, approach

any
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

animal
בְּהֵמָה֙ (bə·hê·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal

to mate
לְרִבְעָ֣ה (lə·riḇ·‘āh)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7250: To squat, lie out flat, in copulation

with it,
אֹתָ֔הּ (’ō·ṯāh)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

you must kill
וְהָרַגְתָּ֥ (wə·hā·raḡ·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

both
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

the woman
הָאִשָּׁ֖ה (hā·’iš·šāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

and
וְאֶת־ (wə·’eṯ-)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

the animal.
הַבְּהֵמָ֑ה (hab·bə·hê·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal

They must surely
מ֥וֹת (mō·wṯ)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

be put to death;
יוּמָ֖תוּ (yū·mā·ṯū)
Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

their blood
דְּמֵיהֶ֥ם (də·mê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

[is] upon them.
בָּֽם׃ (bām)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Law: Leviticus 20:16 If a woman approaches any animal (Le Lv Lev.)
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