Leviticus 20:17

Lev 20:17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it [is] a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

Ver. 17. And see her nakedness.] In the Pope’s war against the Albigenses, those ancient French Protestants, when the bishops had taken a great town yielded to them, they commanded the inhabitants, both men and women, to depart stark naked, Partibus illis, quae honeste nominari non possunt, sanctorum illorum cruciatorum oculis expositis, saith Rivet, {a} not suffering them to hide from the impure eyes of those pope holy fathers those parts that nature would have covered. David that had faulted in looking lustfully on bathing Bathsheba, prays hard, after he had smarted for it, "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity," &c. {Psa 119:37}

“ Cur aliquid vidi, cur noxia lumina feci? ” - Ovid.

See Hab 2:15. Of looking comes lusting, especially when they do σκοτειν, which is the apostle’s word, {2Co 4:14} so look, as the archer at the mark.

It is a wicked thing.] Heb., An impiety or reproach: Chesed, it is called, per antiphrasin. That may have a good name, the nature whereof is so ill that it is not to be named.

{a} Jesuita Vapulans., p. 331.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lev 20:17. See her nakedness — In this and several of the following verses, uncovering nakedness plainly appears to mean not marriage, but fornication or adultery.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20:17 a shameful disgrace: Proper conduct brings honor both to individuals and to their households; improper conduct brings shame. • Both parties are cut off (see 7:20-21), but the man will be punished (see 5:1; 18:6).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Hebrew, in the eyes of the children of their people.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(17) Take his sister.—See Lev_18:9.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter,.... Take her to be his wife, or commit lewdness with her, whether she be his sister by both father and mother's side, or whether by one only, either way she is his sister, and it is not lawful to marry her, or lie with her, see Lev 18:9,

and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; which is not to be understood of an immodest view, exposing to each other what should not be seen, and pleasing themselves wills such obscene sights, but of the act of lying together, for so it is afterwards explained by a phrase frequently used to express that action by; and it denotes, as Aben Ezra observes, their mutual consent and agreement in it:

it is a wicked thing; and by no means to be done; it is a breach of a former law, it is a scandalous and reproachful thing, and the word is sometimes used for reproach, as in Pro 14:34,

and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people; by death, either by the hand of the civil magistrate, or by the hand of God, by the pestilence, as the Targum of Jonathan; Ben Gersom interprets it, of their dying childless, as in some following cases, Lev 20:20,

he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; or lay with her, which explains a preceding clause:

he shall bear his iniquity; the punishment of it, and he alone, as Aben Ezra observes.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Cut off ... - See Exo 31:14 note. The more full expression here used probably refers to some special form of public excommunication, accompanied, it may be, by expulsion from the camp.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

A crime. Hebrew chesed, commonly signifies an act of piety or goodness, as if Moses intended to insinuate that such marriages were at first lawful. (Thalmud; Selden, Jur. v. 8.) But a softer term is used to denote a great impiety, as the Hebrews say to bless, when they mean to curse, or to blaspheme; (Calmet) and the Greeks call the furies Eumenides, or "the good-natured." --- One another’s. Hebrew, "He hath uncovered his sister’s," &c. Whether they saw what was indecent or not, if they admitted of any unlawful commerce, they were to be stoned to death. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Seeing is here understood, either,

1. Properly, and so God would cut off the occasions of further filthiness. Or rather,

2. Improperly, for touching her or lying with her; for,

1. The sense of seeing is oft put for other senses, as for hearing, Gen 42:1, compared with Act 7:12; Exo 20:18 Rev 1:12; and for touching, as Joh 20:25,29.

2. That act is expressed by words parallel to this of seeing, as by uncovering, or discovering, and by knowing, Gen 4:1.

3. So it is directly explained in the following words,

he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness, which manifestly signifies lying with her.

4. It is not probable that an equal punishment would have been appointed to an immodest sight, and to the highest act of filthiness.

5. Nor seems there to be any reason why this crime should be restrained to this rather than to any other relations, when it was as great, yea, a greater crime in some other relations. In the sight of their people, i.e. publicly, for the terror and caution of others.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. Sister — See Lev_18:9; Lev_18:11, notes.

Wicked thing — Properly a disgrace.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See her nakedness - In this and several of the following verses, uncovering nakedness plainly appears to mean not marriage, but fornication or adultery.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

a man sleeps with

This is a polite way of saying that he had sex with his sister. Some languages use more direct phrases such as "a man had sex with." (See: Euphemism)

a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother

This means a man cannot sleep with his sister, even if she has a different mother or father. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "whether it is his full sister or half-sister" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

must be cut off from

A person being excluded from his community is spoken of as if he had been cut off from his people, as one would cut a piece of cloth or cut a branch from a tree. This can be translated in active form. See how you translated this idea in Leviticus 7:20. AT: "that person may no longer live among his people" or "you must separate that person from his people" (See: Metaphor and Active or Passive)

He must carry his guilt

This phrase means the man is responsibile for his sin. AT: "He is responsible for his sin" or "You must punish him" (See: Idiom)

menstrual period

the time when a woman bleeds from her womb

he has uncovered the flow of her blood, the source of her blood

This phrase compares having sex with a woman during her menstrual period to removing the cover off of something that should remain hidden. The fact that this was a shameful thing to do can be stated clearly. AT: "he has done a shameful thing by by uncovering the flow of her blood" (See: Metaphor and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Both the man and woman must be cut off

It can be stated clearly why this must be done. AT: "Because they have done this shameful thing, both the man and woman must be cut off" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

had relations with

sister

ancestor

shame

cut off

people group

guilt

blood

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

חסד הוא IT IS A WICKED THING — It is an Aramaic expression, the Hebrew חרפה (disgrace) being in that language חסודא (cf. Onkelos on Genesis 34:14). A Midrashic explanation of it (of חסד הוא) is; If you should say, "But Cain married his sister!" then I reply, Cain's case was an exceptional one; an act of kindness (חסד) was done by the Omnipresent in order that His world might be built up through him (i. e. He made the propagation of the human race possible through this union), as it is said (Psalms 89:3) "The world was built up through חסד, loving-kindness" (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 11 11; Sanhedrin 58b).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

AND IF A MAN ‘YIKACH’ (SHALL TAKE) HIS SISTER. Scripture mentions the term kichah [“taking,” which generally denotes the taking of a woman as a wife] in the case of a sister, although betrothal to her is not valid, because a brother and sister sleep together in one house, and when his desire overpowers him, he takes her and draws her to himself, and he does not have to come to her as one does to a woman who is a harlot. Similarly it is the way of Scripture to use the term “taking” in the case of all those with whom one remains alone, for a wife and her mother, [a wife] and her son’s daughter and her daughter’s daughter, a wife and her sister, Verse 18. and a brother’s wife are all [found] with him in one house [hence Scripture uses the term “taking” in each of these cases]. For a similar reason Scripture uses this expression in the following verse, A man shall not ‘take’ his father’s wife. The expression and he see her nakedness is an euphemism, since Scripture modifies its expression in speaking of forbidden relationships. Sometimes it calls sexual intercourse “uncovering of nakedness,” as it says in the case of most of the forbidden women, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness, for it is the way of those who commit fornication to uncover her skirts, similar to that which is said, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face; and at times it calls it “entering,” thus: If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her; to come in unto us; and he came in unto her, and she conceived by him., 38:18. Many times Scripture calls it “lying,” and here it refers to it as “seeing,” since brother and sister lodge together and there is no need for uncovering of skirts. Similarly Scripture uses the euphemism “knowing,” as in the following expressions: And the man knew Eve his wife;, 4:1. and he knew her again no more;, 38:26. a virgin, neither had any man known her., 24:16. And Scripture states [here in the verse before us] and she see his nakedness, meaning to say that she too desired his nakedness in her heart and consented thereto. Now it mentions these expressions only in the case of a sister, because in all forbidden relations when a man approaches a woman for the purpose of uncovering her nakedness, it is generally with her consent, and otherwise she can remove herself from him and cry for help, but in the case of a brother [and sister] who lodge together, it may be that it was done without her knowledge, and therefore Scripture mentioned that she too “saw his nakedness.”

IT IS ‘CHESED.’ In the opinion of the commentators ). chesed here means “shame,” because all people will naturally be ashamed of this ugly sin, this being used here as in the Aramaic language, for Onkelos translated, for that were ‘a disgrace’ unto us, “for that were chisudo unto us.” Yonathan ben Uziel also translated and I will lay it for ‘a reproach,’ “[and I will lay it for] chisudo.” And in the language of the Sages [we find]: “Because shechasdo (he shamed him) in public.” Similarly, lest he that heareth it ‘y’chasedcha’ means “lest he cause you shame upon your revealing the secret of another.”And they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. The intention thereof is as follows: “You have done this secretly, but G-d will reveal your sin by bringing upon you a punishment before all the children of your people.” He mentioned this with reference to a sin which is done in utmost secrecy, but it applies as well to all [sins punishable by] excision, as I have mentioned. He hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. This means that if he had uncovered his sister’s nakedness against her will, he alone shall bear his iniquity, as Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented. But in my opinion the expression he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity means that each one of those mentioned [will bear the iniquity], just like the expression for he hath made naked his near kin; they shall bear their iniquity. The correct interpretation of the word chesed [it is ‘chesed’] appears to me to be according to its plain sense [“goodness,” “kindness”]. So also is the opinion of our Rabbis. 11:9. “It is ‘chesed.’ And if you should say: ‘But Cain did marry his sister!’ It is for this reason that Scripture states, it is ‘chesed’ [an act of kindness — done by the Creator in order that the world be built up], for the world from its very start was created only by kindness, as it is said, The world was built up through kindness” (Psalms 89:3). The verse is thus stating that the brother’s kinship is kindness, and it is not proper for the uncovering of nakedness. Thus in the case of other relations Scripture mentions that the reason [for the prohibition of sexual intercourse] is because they are next of kin, but in the case of a brother [and sister] it mentions as the reason the kindness which should be among them. The word ish [and if ‘a man’ shall take his sister] thus draws along with it a similar word [so that the expression it is ‘chesed’ becomes “it is ish chesed,” meaning: “it is a man who should have acted kindly to her, but he did the contrary, and hence his punishment is severe”]. Or it may be that [the expression it is ‘chesed’] is like: and I am prayer [which means: “and I am ‘a man of’ prayer”; for thou art precious things [which means: “for thou art ‘a man of’ precious things”]; Behold, I am against thee, O arrogance [which means: “‘man of’ arrogance”], in all of which cases the word ish (man) is missing [and here too that word is omitted, as if it were to say: “it is ish chesed,” as explained above]. Or it may be that Scripture in these cases refers to these men by their qualities [as if to say, “kindness personifies the brother,” “I am all prayer,” “he is all preciousness,” or “arrogance personified”. Thus Scripture is stating, And if a man shall take his sister … and see her nakedness … he is [to have been] the man of kindness, and they shall be cut off, for he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. Thus He mentioned that the brother should have been the merciful man who doeth good to his own soul, but he was cruel and troubled his own flesh. For he should have done the kindness to her that brothers do, to give her in marriage to a husband, but he blemished and troubled her. Scripture ascribes the fault in such cases to the male, just as it is said, he hath uncovered his brother’s [wife’s] nakedness; they shall be childless [and likewise here too it states, ‘he’ hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness]. Similarly it is my opinion that the expression, lest he that heareth it ‘y’chasedcha’ means “lest he that hears it will remove from you all kindness, because you have not shown kindness to your friend who entrusted you with his secret.” [The word y’chasedcha here meaning “remove kindness”] is like: l’dashno [the root of which deshen in its primary sense means “to cover with ashes,” but also has the opposite meaning of “removing the ashes”]; and all mine increase ‘t’shareish’ [which, in its ordinary form, would mean “to take root,” but also has the opposite meaning of “rooting out”], and similar cases. [Likewise, y’chasedcha which is of the root chesed, kindness, means in the verse quoted “remove kindness,” and does not mean “shame.”] For it appears to me unlikely that the word chesed in the Sacred Language should bear such opposite meanings [as “kindness” and “shame”], when Scriptural texts abound in the praise of chesed and use it in prayers. The term chisudo, however, in Aramaic is another matter. Even that language differentiates between the two usages; “kindness” is translated chisdo, Onkelos translates: “and He showed him [Joseph] chisdo” (mercy, kindness). and “shame” is translated chisudo. Now Rabbeinu Chananel wrote that ‘chesed’ to any people is sin means “reproach” [i.e., that sin is “a reproach” to any people]. But in my opinion this too is an expression of contrast [as will be explained]. For “righteousness” and chesed are mentioned in that verse [thus: Righteousness exalteth a nation, but ‘chesed’ to any people is sin], these being twin terms mentioned in all places, as for example: he that followeth after righteousness and ‘chesed;’, 21:21. that I am the Eternal who exercises ‘chesed,’ justice, and righteousness in the earth. Rather, the meaning of the verse in my opinion is as follows: “Righteousness if practiced exalteth a nation, but ‘chesed’ (mercy, kindness) is a reproach to any people if it fails to practice it.” Thus the verse is stating that upon righteousness and mercy depends the elevation or the decline of any people. Or it may be [that the verse is] stating: “Righteousness exalts any individual nation that practices it, while many nations sin by their failure to do mercy.” A similar example of such a verse is the one immediately preceding it: In the heart of him that hath discernment, wisdom resteth; but in the inward part of fools it maketh itself known, the meaning of which is that “it makes itself known that [wisdom] is not there,” for all who see them recognize by their deeds that they are fools and there is no understanding in them. These two verses [thus express their thoughts in their second half] in a negative manner. if it does not practice it. In the inward part of fools it makes itself known that wisdom does not rest therein.Emor

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.