Leviticus 20:3

Lev 20:3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

Ver. 3. To defile my sanctuary.] Great sins do greatly pollute. See Lev 18:21.

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 20:3. I will set my face against that man — Deal with him as an enemy, and make him a monument of my justice. To defile my sanctuary — Because the sanctuary was defiled by gross abominations committed in that city or land where God’s sanctuary was: or because by these actions they declared to all men that they esteemed the sanctuary and service of God abominable and vile, by preferring such odious idolatry before it. And to profane my name — Partly by despising it themselves, partly by disgracing it to others, and giving them occasion to blaspheme it, and to abhor the true religion.

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

Read Lev. 17:10 and 18:21.

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

(3) And I will set my face against that man.—That is, make him feel my anger. (See Lev_17:10.)

And will cut him off.—As the preceding verse describes the offender as having been stoned to death by the people, the declaration on the part of God that He will cut off the sinner has occasioned some difficulty. Hence some take it simply to express the same thing—that the judicial execution is God’s mode of cutting off the sinner from his people. According to the administrators of the law during the second Temple, however, the legislator supposes a case where the man has been actually guilty of the crime, and that there has not been a sufficient amount of evidence to convict him. In that case God himself would interpose and cut the offender off. This is more in accordance with what follows.

To defile my sanctuary.—By sinning, the Israelites contracted defilement, and they defiled the sanctuary which was in their midst. (See Lev_15:31; Lev_16:16.) These very people, moreover, when they had sacrificed their children to Molech, afterwards came to the sanctuary to worship God (Jer_7:9-10; Eze_23:37-39).

Profane my holy name.—See Lev_18:21.

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

And I will set my face against that man,.... Express resentment, anger, wrath, and indignation at him, see Psa 34:16,

and will cut him off from among his people: that is, supposing him to have been guilty of the above horrid crime, and there being not sufficient evidence given of it by witnesses, or the magistrates negligent in doing their duty; and the matter being known to God the omniscient, he, according this declaration, would deal with him himself, and cut him off out of the land of the living, from among his relations, friends, and neighbours, by his own immediate hand; otherwise the law before provided a penalty, which is death by stoning, whereby he would be effectually cut off from his people, and deprived of all natural, civil, and religious privileges in this life, and sent into everlasting punishment in another, unless forgiving grace should be vouchsafed:

because he hath given of his seed to Molech; an iniquity to be punished by the judge, and deserving of everlasting wrath and destruction:

to defile my sanctuary; not by doing this horrid action in it, but by coming into it, having done it; or by offering sacrifice in another place than where God had commanded, as well as such a sacrifice as was abominable to him, sacrifice being to be offered nowhere but on the altar of the Lord in the sanctuary. Jarchi interprets this of the congregation of Israel, which was sanctified to the Lord, in the midst of which this wickedness was committed, and with which they were polluted:

and to profane my holy name: by sacrificing to an idol, when sacrifice should be offered to God; and such a sacrifice as would cause the name of God, and his holy laws, and true religion, to be blasphemed and evil, spoken of among the Gentiles, Rom 2:23.

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

I will thus execute vengeance upon him by the hands of his people; and, in case they neglect it, or the crime be secret, I will surely punish the guilty person, and all who may have consented to his wickedness, ver. 5. (Haydock) --- Face: Chaldean, "wrath," which manifests itself on the countenance. (Du Hamel)

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).

I will set my face against that man, i.e. deal with him as an enemy, and make him a monument of my justice, either by punishing him immediately and eminently, when the magistrate cannot or will not do it, or by adding to his corporal punishments my curse upon his soul and name. See Lev 17:10.

From among his people; from the number of his people, of what nation or kindred soever he was; or, from the land of the living.

To defile my sanctuary, which was done by this wickedness, either because such persons did, for the cover of their idolatry, come into God’s sanctuary, as the rest did; see Lev 15:31; or because the sanctuary was, and was said to be, defiled by gross abominations committed in that city or land where God’s sanctuary was; or because by these actions they did pronounce and declare to all men that they esteemed the sanctuary and service of God abominable and vile, by preferring such odious and pernicious idolatry before it.

And to profane my holy name; partly by despising it themselves, and partly by disgracing it to others, and giving them occasion to blaspheme it, and to abhor the true religion, because they saw it deserted and condemned by those that best knew it and once embraced it.

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

3. I will set my face — Should Israel connive at this horrible abomination, and through fear or motives of base and selfish policy refuse to execute my law, “I will be my own executioner,” says Jehovah.

Defile my sanctuary — It was not necessary to set up the service of Molech in the tabernacle in order to defile the abode of Jehovah, but any flagrant sin committed or permitted by Israel polluted the sanctuary.

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

I will set my face against that man - Deal with him as an enemy, and make him a monument of my justice. To defile my sanctuary - Because the sanctuary was defiled by gross abominations committed in that city or land where God's sanctuary was: or because by these actions they declared to all men that they esteemed the sanctuary and service of God abominable and vile, by preferring such odious idolatry before it. And to profane my name - Partly by despising it themselves, partly by disgracing it to others, and giving them occasion to blaspheme it, and to abhor the true religion.

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

By this punishment the nation only carried out the will of Jehovah; for He would cut off such a man (see at Lev 17:10 and Lev 18:21) for having defiled the sanctuary of Jehovah and desecrated the name of Jehovah, not because he had brought the sacrifice to Moloch into the sanctuary of Jehovah, as Movers supposes, but in the same sense in which all the sins of Israel defiled the sanctuary in their midst (Lev 15:31; Lev 16:16).

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

I also will set my face against that man

This idiom means he "firmly decided." AT: "I have made up my mind to oppose that man" (See: Idiom)

will set my face against

"will stare angrily at"

he has given his child

"he has sacrificed his child"

so as to defile my holy place and profane my holy name

"and by doing that, he has defiled my holy place and profaned my holy name"

profane my holy name

God's name represents God and his reputation. AT: "dishonor my reputation" or "dishonor me" (See: Metonymy and Metaphor)

close their eyes to

The phrase "to close their eyes" implies they "cannot see." This speaks of ignoring something as not seeing. AT: "disregard" or "ignore" (See: Metonymy)

who prostitutes himself in order to play the harlot with Molech

This phrase compares those who are unfaithful to Yahweh to prostitutes. AT: "who is unfaithful to Yahweh" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

face

cut off

people group

Molech

defile

holy place

profane

holy

name

die

clan

prostitute

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

אתן את פני ‎ is taken in the sense of, פנאי שלי, My leisure — I shall turn away from everything else that I am occupied with, and will busy Myself with him alone (Sifra, Kedoshim, Section 4 13; cf. Rashi on Leviticus 17:10).

באיש AGAINST THAT MAN — but not against the whole congregation if they thus sin (Sifra, Kedoshim, Section 4 13), for the community as a whole is never punished with excision.

כי מזרעו נתן למלך BECAUSE HE HATH GIVEN OF HIS SEED TO THE MOLECH — These words appear to be redundant since in v. 20 the nature of the sin is already mentioned, but because Scripture states (Deuteronomy 18:10) “[There shall not be found among you] any one that maketh his son or his daughter pass through the fire", one might think that this law applies only to ones children; whence do we know that it applies also to one’s son's son and one's daughter’s son? Because Scripture states here, “because he hath given of his offspring to the Molech". Whence do we know that illegitimate offspring are also included in this law? Because Scripture states again (v. 4) “when he giveth of his seed to the Molech” — whether legitimate or not (Sifra, Kedoshim, Section 4 6-7; Sanhedrin 64b).

למען טמא את מקדשי TO DEFILE MY מקדש — This means the “Congregation of Israel" which is sanctified to Me. The word מקדש does not imply the Sanctuary only but anything that is holy to God, as in the expression (Leviticus 21:23) “that he profane not my holy things (‎‎‏מקדשי‎).

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.

BECAUSE HE HATH GIVEN OF HIS SEED UNTO MOLECH, TO DEFILE MY SANCTUARY — “The congregation of Israel which is sanctified unto Me.” This is Rashi’s language. I have already hinted at this, how on account of one man’s sin the congregation of Israel which is sanctified to His Great Name can become defiled. And the Sages have [also] already hinted at this in their homiletic interpretations when saying: “He who enjoys anything of this world without saying a benediction, is considered as if he had robbed the Holy One, blessed be He, and the congregation of Israel, as it is said, Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith: ‘It is no transgression,’ the same is the companion of a destroyer. The expression his father refers only to the Holy One, blessed be He, and his mother refers only to the congregation of Israel. The same is the companion of the destroyer, he is a companion of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, against their Father in heaven.” For the purpose of Creation was that people should offer their benediction over [its bounties] to the Great Name, assuring thereby the existence of the world, but if that is not done, the Great Name is raised on high and the Divine Presence is removed from Israel, and surely this happens all the more so when a person offers his seed to the Molech, and thereby causes that He abhor the pride of Jacob and His dwelling place [i.e., the Sanctuary]. This is the meaning of the expression, the people of the Land shall stone him with stones, for He did not say: “he shall surely be put to death; they shall stone him with stones,” as is mentioned in all such cases,. Also ibid., 24:16. but instead mentions the people of the Land, meaning to say that all the people of the Land — all Israel — are obliged to precede to stone him, for [having given of his seed to Molech] he has harmed everybody, because he has caused that the Divine Presence be removed from Israel. It is for this reason that Onkelos translated [the expression, the people of the Land]: “the people of the house of Israel,” for the term the Land alludes to the whole Land of Israel, not merely the land wherein the worshipper [of the Molech] happens to reside, this being similar [to the expression], for all the earth is Mine. The secret thereof you will also be able to understand from that which Scripture mentions with reference to [the punishment of] excision for worshipping the Molech, I also will set My face against that man, and again, then will I set My face against that man, meaning that My Great and Fearful Name will cut him off. The word “I” He did not mention in the case of excision for practicing the sorcery of the ov or the yide’oni, nor in the case of any other such punishment. I have already stated the reason for all this to all who understand.

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.