What is the meaning of Leviticus 18:17? You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter • The command is plain: any sexual involvement with both a woman and her daughter violates God-given family boundaries. • Leviticus 20:14 amplifies the warning—such behavior is called “wicked” and was punishable by death in ancient Israel, showing how seriously the Lord views the sanctity of family relationships. • Deuteronomy 27:23 extends the principle by pronouncing a curse on similar incestuous unions, emphasizing covenant community purity. • Ezekiel 22:11 lists this sin among the gross offenses that brought judgment on Jerusalem, reminding us that disregard for God’s standards erodes entire societies. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual relations with her • The verse widens the circle to granddaughters through marriage, forbidding any sexual claim on them. • Earlier in the chapter, Leviticus 18:10 already barred relations with one’s own grandchildren; verse 17 closes any perceived loophole when those grandchildren are step-relations. • God’s design is protective: grandchildren are to be nurtured, never exploited. The prohibition preserves generational trust and keeps marriage from becoming an opportunity for predation. • Leviticus 20:19 underscores that near-kin intimacy “exposes nakedness” and brings guilt—language that highlights both violation and accountability. They are close relatives • The Lord roots the ban in kinship, not in social custom. Near-blood or near-marriage ties create a God-recognized closeness that must never be sexualized. • Leviticus 18:6 sets the chapter’s tone: “None of you shall approach any close relative to uncover nakedness; I am the LORD.” Each specific case, including verse 17, flows from that foundational rule. • Genesis 2:24 defines marriage as two becoming “one flesh”; any attempt to unite sexually with additional kin fractures that exclusive bond and confuses family roles. • 1 Corinthians 5:1 shows that even among Gentile believers, incestuous behavior shocked outsiders—illustrating that God’s moral order is universally recognizable. It is depraved • “Depraved” translates a word for moral outrage; the act is not merely unwise but inherently corrupt. • Romans 1:26-27 links sexual perversion to a mind that has turned from God, reminding readers that distorted desire springs from spiritual rebellion. • Ephesians 5:3 commands that “sexual immorality or any impurity” must not even be named among believers, reflecting God’s heart for holiness. • Such depravity harms victims, scars consciences, and degrades the community, so the Lord labels it plainly to guard His people from its damage. summary Leviticus 18:17 draws a clear, fourfold boundary: no man may seek intimacy with a woman and her daughter, with her granddaughters, or with any female relative brought near by marriage. God grounds the rule in family closeness and calls any breach “depraved.” By upholding these limits, believers honor the Creator’s design for marriage, protect vulnerable family members, and model the purity that reflects God’s own holiness. |
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