What is the meaning of Leviticus 20:20? If a man lies with his uncle’s wife • Scripture speaks with perfect clarity: sexual intimacy must stay within God-ordained bounds; here the boundary is an aunt by marriage. • Leviticus 18:14 echoes the same prohibition, underscoring that this is no minor guideline but a fixed command. • Such a union corrupts the covenant community, as Paul later laments in 1 Corinthians 5:1 when similar sin appears in Corinth. He has uncovered the nakedness of his uncle • To “uncover nakedness” is a solemn idiom for violating the marital union that rightfully belongs to another (see Leviticus 18:7-8). • Because husband and wife are “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), sleeping with an aunt dishonors the uncle directly; it is an assault on his covenant-protected intimacy. • God defends marriage so fiercely that any attack on it is treated as an attack on the family line and, by extension, on God’s holy order (Hebrews 13:4). They will bear their sin • Both offenders are held responsible; guilt is never transferable or excused (Ezekiel 18:20). • “Bear their sin” means they must carry the full consequence of the trespass, with no provision for shifting blame. • Divine justice is personal: God confronts each participant, just as He did with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:11-19. They shall die childless • The penalty is specific: God withholds offspring, effectively cutting the family line short. • In Israel’s culture, childlessness signified covenant curse (Deuteronomy 28:18) and removed the hope of a future heritage (Psalm 127:3-5). • The judgment is both temporal and spiritual: temporal in the loss of descendants, spiritual in the severing of blessing (Numbers 15:31). summary Leviticus 20:20 draws a clear, unwavering line: intimacy that violates the marital bond within the extended family is sin. God defends family integrity, holds both parties answerable, and enforces judgment by ending their lineage. The verse upholds marriage, protects family holiness, and warns that disregard for God’s order invites severe, tangible consequences. |
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