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The Day of Atonement

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord[a] and died, and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the special curtain[b] in front of the atonement lid[c] that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement lid.

Day of Atonement Offerings

“In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary—with a young bull[d] for a sin offering[e] and a ram for a burnt offering.[f] He must put on a holy linen tunic,[g] linen leggings are to cover his body,[h] and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash[i] and wrap his head with a linen turban.[j] They are holy garments, so he must bathe[k] his body in water and put them on. He must also take[l] two male goats[m] from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. Next he must take the two goats[n] and stand them before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats,[o] one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel.[p] Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord,[q] and he is to make it a sin offering, 10 but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive[r] before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away into the desert to Azazel.[s]

The Sin-Offering Sacrificial Procedures

11 “Aaron is to present the sin-offering bull which is for himself, and he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. He is to slaughter the sin-offering bull which is for himself, 12 and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord[t] and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense,[u] and bring them inside the curtain.[v] 13 He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement lid which is above the ark of the testimony,[w] so that he will not die.[x] 14 Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the atonement lid,[y] and in front of the atonement lid he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger.[z]

15 “Aaron[aa] must then slaughter the sin-offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the curtain,[ab] and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement lid and in front of the atonement lid. 16 So[ac] he is to make atonement for the Holy Place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins,[ad] and thus he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities. 17 Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent[ae] when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel.

18 “Then[af] Aaron[ag] is to go out to the altar which is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take[ah] some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it all around on the horns of the altar. 19 Then he is to sprinkle on it some of the blood with his finger seven times, and cleanse and consecrate it[ai] from the impurities of the Israelites.

The Live Goat Ritual Procedures

20 “When Aaron[aj] has finished purifying the Holy Place,[ak] the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. 21 Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins,[al] and thus he is to put them[am] on the head of the goat and send it away into the desert by the hand of a man standing ready.[an] 22 The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land,[ao] so he is to send the goat away[ap] into the desert.

The Concluding Rituals

23 “Aaron must then enter[aq] the Meeting Tent and take off the linen garments which he had put on when he entered the sanctuary, and leave them there. 24 Then he must bathe his body in water in the Holy Place, put on his clothes, and go out and make his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. So he is to make atonement[ar] on behalf of himself and the people.[as]

25 “Then he is to offer up the fat of the sin offering[at] in smoke on the altar, 26 and the one who sent the goat away to Azazel[au] must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. 27 The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the Holy Place, must be brought outside the camp[av] and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up,[aw] 28 and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.

Review of the Day of Atonement

29 “This is to be a perpetual statute for you.[ax] In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves[ay] and do no work of any kind,[az] both the native citizen and the resident foreigner who lives[ba] in your midst, 30 for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you must be clean before the Lord.[bb] 31 It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves.[bc] It is a perpetual statute.[bd]

32 “The priest who is anointed and ordained to act as high priest in place of his father[be] is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33 and he is to purify[bf] the Most Holy Place,[bg] he is to purify the Meeting Tent and the altar,[bh] and he is to make atonement for[bi] the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 This is to be a perpetual statute for you[bj] to make atonement for the Israelites for[bk] all their sins once a year.”[bl] So he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.[bm]

The Slaughter of Animals

17 The Lord spoke to Moses, “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites, and tell them, ‘This is the word that the Lord has commanded, “Blood guilt[bn] will be accounted to any man[bo] from the house of Israel[bp] who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp,[bq] but has not brought it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent[br] to present it as[bs] an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord. He has shed blood, so that man will be cut off from the midst of his people.[bt] This is so that[bu] the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field[bv] to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent—to the priest—and sacrifice them there as peace-offering sacrifices to the Lord. The priest is to splash[bw] the blood on the altar[bx] of the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and offer the fat up in smoke for a soothing aroma to the Lord. So the people[by] must no longer offer[bz] their sacrifices to the goat demons,[ca] acting like prostitutes by going after them.[cb] This is to be a perpetual statute for them throughout their generations.”’[cc]

“You are to say to them: ‘Any man[cd] from the house of Israel or[ce] from the resident foreigners who live[cf] in their[cg] midst, who offers[ch] a burnt offering or a sacrifice but does not bring it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it[ci] to the Lord—that person will be cut off from his people.[cj]

Prohibition against Eating Blood

10 “‘Any man[ck] from the house of Israel or from the resident foreigners who live[cl] in their[cm] midst who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people,[cn] 11 for the life of every living thing[co] is in the blood.[cp] So I myself have assigned it to you[cq] on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life.[cr] 12 Therefore, I have said to the Israelites: No person among you is to eat blood,[cs] and no resident foreigner[ct] who lives among you is to eat blood.

13 “‘Any man from the Israelites[cu] or from the resident foreigners[cv] who live in their[cw] midst who hunts a wild animal[cx] or a bird that may be eaten[cy] must pour out its blood and cover it with soil, 14 for the life of all flesh is its blood.[cz] So I have said to the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any living thing[da] because the life of every living thing is its blood—all who eat it will be cut off.[db]

Regulations for Eating Carcasses

15 “‘Any person[dc] who eats an animal that has died of natural causes[dd] or an animal torn by beasts, whether a native citizen or a resident foreigner,[de] must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening; then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes[df] and does not bathe his body, he will bear his punishment for his iniquity.’”[dg]

Exhortation to Obedience and Life

18 The Lord spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘I am the Lord your God! You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living,[dh] and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to bring you;[di] you must not[dj] walk in their statutes. You must observe my regulations[dk] and you must be sure to walk in my statutes.[dl] I am the Lord your God. So you must keep[dm] my statutes and my regulations; anyone who does so will live by keeping them.[dn] I am the Lord.

Laws of Sexual Relations

“‘No man is to approach any close relative[do] to have sexual relations with her.[dp] I am the Lord.[dq] You must not[dr] expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual relations with your mother.[ds] She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her. You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness.[dt] You must not have sexual relations with your sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter,[du] whether she is born in the same household or born outside it;[dv] you must not have sexual relations with either of them.[dw] 10 You must not expose the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter by having sexual relations with them, because they are your own nakedness.[dx] 11 You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father; she is your sister. You must not have sexual relations with her.[dy] 12 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s flesh.[dz] 13 You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s flesh. 14 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must not approach his wife to have marital relations with her.[ea] She is your aunt.[eb] 15 You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. You must not have sexual relations with her. 16 You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness.[ec] 17 You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter; you must not take as wife either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to have sexual relations with them.[ed] They are closely related to her[ee]—it is lewdness.[ef] 18 You must not take a woman in marriage and then marry her sister as a rival wife[eg] while she is still alive,[eh] to have sexual relations with her.

19 “‘You must not approach a woman in her menstrual impurity[ei] to have sexual relations with her. 20 You must not have sexual relations[ej] with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her. 21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech,[ek] so that you do not profane[el] the name of your God. I am the Lord! 22 You must not have sexual relations with a male as one has sexual relations with a woman;[em] it is a detestable act.[en] 23 You must not have sexual relations[eo] with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual relations with it;[ep] it is a perversion.[eq]

Warning against the Abominations of the Nations

24 “‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations that I am about to drive out before you[er] have been defiled with all these things. 25 Therefore[es] the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it,[et] so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants. 26 You yourselves must obey[eu] my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner[ev] in your midst, 27 for the people who were in the land before you have done all these abominations,[ew] and the land has become unclean. 28 So do not make the land vomit you out because you defile it[ex] just as it has vomited out the nations[ey] that were before you. 29 For if anyone does any of these abominations, that person who does them will be cut off from the midst of the people.[ez] 30 You must obey my charge not to practice any of the abominable statutes[fa] that have been done before you, so that you do not[fb] defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 16:1 tn Heb “in their drawing near to the faces of the Lord.” The rendering here relies on the use of this expression for the very “presence” of God in Exod 33:14-15 and in the Lev 9:24-10:2 passage, where the Nadab and Abihu catastrophe referred to here is narrated.
  2. Leviticus 16:2 tn Heb “into the holy place from house to the veil-canopy.” In this instance, the Hebrew term “the holy place” refers to “the most holy place” (lit. “holy of holies”), since it is the area “inside the special curtain” (cf. Exod 26:33-34). The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” or “curtain.” It seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place, and thus it formed a kind of canopy. (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).
  3. Leviticus 16:2 tn Heb “to the faces of the atonement lid.” The exact meaning of the Hebrew term כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet) here rendered “atonement lid” is much debated. The traditional “mercy seat” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) does not suit the cognate relationship between this term and the Piel verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to make atonement, to make expiation”). The translation of the word should also reflect the fact that the most important atonement procedures on the Day of Atonement were performed in relation to it. Since the Lord would “appear in the cloud over the atonement plate,” and since it was so closely associated with the ark of the covenant (the ark being his “footstool”; cf. 1 Chr 28:2 and Ps 132:7-8), one could take it to be the place of his throne at which he accepts atonement. See J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:1014; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 234-35; and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:691, 699. Cf. NIV “the atonement cover”; NCV “the lid on the Ark”; NLT “the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement.”
  4. Leviticus 16:3 tn Heb “with a bull, a son of the herd.”
  5. Leviticus 16:3 sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”
  6. Leviticus 16:3 sn For the “burnt offering” see the note on Lev 1:3.
  7. Leviticus 16:4 sn The term “tunic” refers to a shirt-like garment worn next to the skin and, therefore, put on first (cf. Exod 28:4, 39-40; 29:5, 8; 39:27). It covered the upper body only. For detailed remarks on the terminology for the priestly clothing in this verse (except the “linen leggings”) see the notes on Lev 8:7-9 and the literature cited there.
  8. Leviticus 16:4 tn Heb “shall be on his flesh.” As in many instances in Lev 15, the term “flesh” or “body” here is euphemistic for the male genitals (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1017, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 222; cf. the note on Lev 15:2), which the priest must be careful not to expose during such ritual procedures (see Exod 20:26 with 28:42-43).
  9. Leviticus 16:4 sn The sash fastened the tunic around the waist (Exod 28:4, 39; 29:9; 39:29).
  10. Leviticus 16:4 tn Heb “and in a turban of linen he shall wrap.” sn The turban consisted of wound up linen (cf. Exod 28:4, 37, 39; 29:6; 39:31; Lev 16:4). It is usually thought to be a “turban,” but it might be only a “turban-like headband” wound around the forehead area (HALOT 624 s.v. מִצְנֶפֶת).
  11. Leviticus 16:4 tn Heb “and he shall bathe….”
  12. Leviticus 16:5 tn Heb “And he shall take.”
  13. Leviticus 16:5 tn Heb “he-goats of goats”; CEV “two goats, both of them males.”
  14. Leviticus 16:7 tn Heb “the two he-goats,” referred to as “two he-goats of goats” in v. 5.
  15. Leviticus 16:8 tn Heb “and Aaron shall give lots on the two he-goats.” See the note on Lev 8:8 for the priestly casting of lots in Israel and the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 102, on Lev 16:8-9. J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:1019-20, suggests, however, that the expression here signifies that, the lots having been cast, the priest was to literally “place” (Heb “give”) the one marked “for the Lord” on the head of the goat to be sacrificed and the one marked “for Azazel” on the head of the one to be released in the wilderness in order to avoid confusing them later in the ritual sequence.
  16. Leviticus 16:8 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲזָאזֵל (ʿazaʾzel, four times in the OT, all of them in this chapter; vv. 8, 10 [2 times], and 26) is much debated. There are three or perhaps four major views (see the summaries and literature cited in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1020-21; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 102; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 237-38; D. P. Wright, The Disposal of Impurity [SBLDS], 21-25; M. V. Van Pelt and W. C. Kaiser, NIDOTTE 3:362-63; and M. S. Moore, NIDOTTE 4:421-22). (1) Some derive the term from a combination of the Hebrew word עֵז (ʿez, “goat”; i.e., the word for “goats” in v. 5) and אָזַל (ʾazal, “to go away”), meaning “the goat that departs” or “scapegoat” (cf., e.g., the LXX and KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). This meaning suits the ritual practice of sending the so-called “scapegoat” away into the wilderness (vv. 10, 21-22, 26). Similarly, some derive the term from Arabic ʿazala (“to banish, remove”), meaning “entire removal” as an abstract concept (see BDB 736 s.v. עֲזָאזֵל). (2) Some see the term as a description of the wilderness area to which the goat was dispatched, deriving it somehow from Arabic ʿazazu (“rough ground”) or perhaps עָזָז, (ʿazaz, “to be strong, fierce”). (3) The most common view among scholars today is that it is the proper name of a particular demon (perhaps even the Devil himself) associated with the wilderness desert regions. Levine has proposed that it may perhaps derive from a reduplication of the ז (zayin) in עֵז combined with אֵל (ʾel, “mighty”), meaning “mighty goat.” The final consonantal form of עֲזָאזֵל would have resulted from the inversion of the א (ʾalef) with the second ז. He makes the point that the close association between עֵז and שְׂעִירִים (sheʿirim), which seems to refer to “goat-demons” of the desert in Lev 17:7 (cf. Isa 13:21, etc.), should not be ignored in the derivation of Azazel, although the term ultimately became the name of “the demonic ruler of the wilderness.” The latter view is supported by the parallel between the one goat “for (ל, lamed preposition) the Lord” and the one “for (ל) Azazel” here in v. 8. The rendering as a proper name has been tentatively accepted here (cf. ASV, NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV). Perhaps a play on words between the proper name and the term for “goat” has occurred so that the etymology has become obscure. Even if a demon or the demonic realm is the source for the name, however, there is no intention here of appeasing the demons. The goal is to remove the impurity and iniquity from the community in order to avoid offending the Lord and the repercussions of such (see esp. vv. 21-22 and cf. Lev 15:31).
  17. Leviticus 16:9 tn Heb “which the lot has gone up on it for the Lord.”
  18. Leviticus 16:10 tn The LXX has “he shall stand it” (cf. v. 7).
  19. Leviticus 16:10 tn Heb “to make atonement on it to send it away to Azazel toward the wilderness.”
  20. Leviticus 16:12 tn Heb “and he shall take the fullness of the censer, coals of fire, from on the altar from to the faces of the Lord.”
  21. Leviticus 16:12 tn Heb “and the fullness of the hollow of his two hands, finely ground fragrant incense.”
  22. Leviticus 16:12 tn Heb “and he shall bring from house to the curtain.”
  23. Leviticus 16:13 tn The text here has only “above the testimony,” but this is surely a shortened form of “above the ark of the testimony” (see Exod 25:22 etc.; cf. Lev 16:2). The term “testimony” in this expression refers to the ark as the container of the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them (see Exod 25:16 with Deut 10:1, 5, etc.).
  24. Leviticus 16:13 tn Heb “and he will not die,” but it is clear that the purpose for the incense cloud was to protect the priest from death in the presence of the Lord (cf. vv. 1-2 above).
  25. Leviticus 16:14 tn Heb “on the faces of the atonement lid toward the east.” Some have taken this to mean that the ark was stationed just behind the veil-canopy on the eastern side of the most holy place. Thus, the high priest would need to enter and walk toward the west end of the most holy place and then turn eastward in order to face the ark and sprinkle the blood in an eastward direction. The rendering here, however, requires that the ark was stationed on the western end, or perhaps in the middle of the area, so that as the priest entered he was already facing the ark and would sprinkle the blood on the eastern face of the atonement lid, in a westward direction (see, e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 239 versus J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1032).
  26. Leviticus 16:14 sn Presumably in this case the blood was sprinkled seven times on the ground in front of the ark on which the atonement lid was mounted.
  27. Leviticus 16:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  28. Leviticus 16:15 tn Heb “and he shall bring its blood into from house to the curtain.”
  29. Leviticus 16:16 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.
  30. Leviticus 16:16 tn Heb “to all their sins.”
  31. Leviticus 16:17 tn Heb “And all man shall not be in the tent of meeting.” The term for “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ʾadam; see the note on Lev 1:2) refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female.
  32. Leviticus 16:18 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) indicates the sequence of events here.
  33. Leviticus 16:18 tn Heb “he.”
  34. Leviticus 16:18 tn Heb “And he shall take.”
  35. Leviticus 16:19 tn Heb “and he shall purify it and he shall consecrate it.”
  36. Leviticus 16:20 tn Heb “he.”
  37. Leviticus 16:20 tn Heb “And he shall finish from atoning the holy place.” In this case, the “holy place” etc. are direct objects of the verb “to atone” (cf. v. 33a below). In this case, therefore, the basic meaning of the verb (i.e., “to purge” or “wipe clean”) comes to the forefront. When the prepositions עַל (ʿal) or בֲּעַד (baʿad) occur with the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper) the purging is almost always being done “for” or “on behalf of” priests or people (see the note on Lev 1:4 as well as R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:698, the literature cited there, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 110, for more details).
  38. Leviticus 16:21 tn Heb “transgressions to all their sins.”
  39. Leviticus 16:21 tn Heb “and he shall give them.”
  40. Leviticus 16:21 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term עִתִּי (ʿitti) is uncertain. It is apparently related to עֵת (ʿet, “time”), and could perhaps mean either that he has been properly “appointed” (i.e., designated) for the task (e.g., NIV and NRSV) or “ready” (e.g., NASB and NEB).
  41. Leviticus 16:22 tn The Hebrew term rendered “inaccessible” derives from a root meaning “to cut off” (cf. NAB “an isolated region”). Another possible translation would be “infertile land” (see HALOT 187 s.v. *גָּזֵּר and cf. NRSV “a barren region”; NLT “a desolate land.”
  42. Leviticus 16:22 tn Heb “and he [the man (standing) ready, v. 21] shall send the goat away.”
  43. Leviticus 16:23 tn Heb “And Aaron shall enter.”
  44. Leviticus 16:24 tn Heb “And he shall make atonement.”
  45. Leviticus 16:24 tn Heb “on behalf of himself and on behalf of the people.” After “on behalf of himself” the LXX adds the expected “and on behalf of his household” (cf. vv. 6, 11, and 17).
  46. Leviticus 16:25 tn Heb “And the fat of the sin offering he is to offer up.”
  47. Leviticus 16:26 tn For “Azazel” see the note on v. 8 above.
  48. Leviticus 16:27 tn Heb “he shall bring into from outside to the camp.”
  49. Leviticus 16:27 tn Heb “they shall burn with fire”; KJV “burn in the fire.” Because “to burn with fire” is redundant in contemporary English the present translation simply has “must be burned up.”
  50. Leviticus 16:29 tn Heb “And it [feminine] shall be for you a perpetual statute.” Verse 34 begins with the same clause except for the missing demonstrative pronoun “this” here in v. 29. The LXX has “this” in both places and it suits the sense of the passage, although both the verb and the pronoun are sometimes missing in this clause elsewhere in the book (see, e.g., Lev 3:17).
  51. Leviticus 16:29 tn Heb “you shall humble your souls.” The verb “to humble” here refers to various forms of self-denial, including but not limited to fasting (cf. Ps 35:13; Isa 58:3, 10). The Mishnah (m. Yoma 8:1) lists abstentions from food and drink, bathing, using oil as an unguent to moisten the skin, wearing leather sandals, and sexual intercourse (cf. 2 Sam 12:16-17, 20; see the remarks in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1054; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 109; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 242).
  52. Leviticus 16:29 tn Heb “and all work you shall not do.”
  53. Leviticus 16:29 tn The noun “foreigner” (גֵּר; ger) is based on the same verbal root as “lives” (גּוּר; gur), which means “to sojourn, to dwell as an alien.” On the Hebrew ger (גֵּר) “resident foreigner” see notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11.sn Exod 20:10; 23:12 and Lev 16:29 each require the Israelites and the ger (גֵּר) “foreign resident” to rest. The ger could participate in Israel’s religious festivals: Passover Exod 12:48; Day of Atonement Lev 16:29; Feast of Weeks Deut 16:10-14; Feast of Tabernacles Deut 31:12.
  54. Leviticus 16:30 tn The phrase “from all your sins” could go with the previous clause as the verse is rendered here (see, e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 109, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1011), or it could go with the following clause (i.e., “you shall be clean from all your sins before the Lord”; see the MT accents as well as J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 221, and recent English versions, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  55. Leviticus 16:31 tn See the note on v. 29 above.
  56. Leviticus 16:31 tn Cf. v. 29a above.
  57. Leviticus 16:32 tn Heb “And the priest whom he shall anointed him and whom he shall fill his hand to act as priest under his father.” Imperfect active verbs are often used as passives (see, e.g., v. 27 above and the note on Lev 14:4).
  58. Leviticus 16:33 tn Heb “to atone” (also later in this verse); see the note on “purifying the holy place” in 16:20.
  59. Leviticus 16:33 tn Heb “the sanctuary of the holy place.” Although this is the only place this expression occurs in the OT, it clearly refers to the innermost shrine behind the veil-canopy, where the ark of the covenant was located.
  60. Leviticus 16:33 tn Heb “and the tent of meeting and the altar he shall atone.” The repetition of the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to atone”) at the beginning and end of the sequence appears to be strange, but the MT accents suggest that only “the Most Holy Place” goes with the verb at the beginning of the verse. Of course, the purging of “the Most Holy Place” has been the main emphasis of this chapter from the start (see vv. 2-3 and 11-17).
  61. Leviticus 16:33 tn At this point in the verse the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to make atonement”) takes its object with the preposition עַל (ʿal, “for”; literally, “upon”; contrast the first part of the verse and cf. the notes on Lev 1:4 and 16:20 above).
  62. Leviticus 16:34 tn Heb “And this shall be for you to a statute of eternity” (cf. v. 29a above). cf. NASB “a permanent statute”; NIV “a lasting ordinance.”
  63. Leviticus 16:34 tn Heb “from”; see note on 4:26.
  64. Leviticus 16:34 tn Heb “one [feminine] in the year.”
  65. Leviticus 16:34 tn The MT of Lev 16:34b reads literally, “and he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” This has been retained here in spite of the fact that it suggests that Aaron immediately performed the rituals outlined in Lev 16 (see, e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 224 and 243; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1059; note that Aaron was the one to whom Moses was to speak the regulations in this chapter, v. 2). The problem is that the chapter presents these procedures as regulations for “the tenth day of the seventh month” and calls for their fulfillment at that time (Lev 16:29; cf. Lev 23:26-32 and the remarks in P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 237), not during the current (first) month (Exod 40:2; note also that they left Sinai in the second month, long before the next seventh month, Num 10:11). The LXX translates, “once in the year it shall be done as the Lord commanded Moses,” attaching “once in the year” to this clause rather than the former one, and rendering the verb as passive, “it shall be done” (cf. NAB, NIV, etc.). We have already observed the passive use of active verbs in this context (see the note on v. 32 above). The RSV (cf. also the NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT) translates, “And Moses did as the Lord commanded him,” ignoring the fact that the name Moses in the Hebrew text has the direct object indicator. Passive verbs, however, regularly take subjects with direct object indicators (see, e.g., v. 27 above). The NIV renders it “And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses,” following the LXX passive translation. The NASB translates, “And just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so he did,” transposing the introductory verb to the end of the sentence and supplying “so” in order to make it fit the context.
  66. Leviticus 17:3 tn The complex wording of vv. 3-4 requires stating “blood guilt” at the beginning of v. 3 even though it is not mentioned until the middle of v. 4. The Hebrew text has simply “blood,” but in this case it refers to the illegitimate shedding of animal blood, similar to the shedding of the blood of an innocent human being (Deut 19:10, etc.). In order for it to be legitimate the animal must be slaughtered at the tabernacle and its blood handled by the priests in the prescribed way (see, e.g., Lev 1:5; 3:2, 17; 4:5-7; 7:26-27, etc.; cf. vv. 10-16 below for more details).
  67. Leviticus 17:3 tn Heb “Man man.” The reduplication is a way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 15:2; 22:18, etc.). See the note on Lev 15:2.
  68. Leviticus 17:3 tn The original LXX adds “or the sojourners who sojourn in your midst” (cf. Lev 16:29, etc., and note esp. 17:8, 10, and 13 below).
  69. Leviticus 17:3 tn Heb “or who slaughters from outside to the camp.”
  70. Leviticus 17:4 tn Smr and LXX add after “tent of meeting” the following: “to make it a burnt offering or a peace offering to the Lord for your acceptance as a soothing aroma, and slaughters it outside, and at the doorway of the tent of meeting has not brought it.”
  71. Leviticus 17:4 tc Smr includes the suffix “it,” which is needed in any case in the translation to conform to English style.
  72. Leviticus 17:4 sn The exact meaning of this penalty clause is not certain. It could mean (1) that he will be executed, whether by God or by man, (2) that he will be excommunicated from sanctuary worship and/or community benefits, or (3) that his line will be terminated by God (i.e., extirpation). See also the note on Lev 7:20.
  73. Leviticus 17:5 tn Heb “So that which.”
  74. Leviticus 17:5 tn Heb “on the faces of the field.”
  75. Leviticus 17:6 tn For the translation “splash” see the note on Lev 1:5.
  76. Leviticus 17:6 tn The LXX adds “all around” (i.e., Hebrew סָבִיב [saviv, “all around”]), which is normal for this overall construction (see, e.g., Lev 1:5; 3:8, etc.).
  77. Leviticus 17:7 tn Heb “they.”
  78. Leviticus 17:7 tn Heb “sacrifice.” This has been translated as “offer” for stylistic reasons to avoid the redundancy of “sacrifice their sacrifices.”
  79. Leviticus 17:7 tn On “goat demons” of the desert regions see the note on Lev 16:8.
  80. Leviticus 17:7 tn Heb “which they are committing harlotry after them.”
  81. Leviticus 17:7 tn Heb “for your generations.”
  82. Leviticus 17:8 tn Heb “Man, man.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any [or “every”] man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2).
  83. Leviticus 17:8 tn Heb “and.” Here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has an alternative sense (“or”).
  84. Leviticus 17:8 tn The noun “foreigner” (גֵּר; ger) is based on the same verbal root as “lives” (גּוּר; gur), which means “to sojourn, to dwell as an alien.” On the Hebrew ger (גֵּר) “resident foreigner” see notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11.
  85. Leviticus 17:8 tc The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have “your” (plural) rather than “their.”
  86. Leviticus 17:8 tn Heb “causes to go up.”
  87. Leviticus 17:9 tn Heb “to make it,” meaning “to make the sacrifice.”
  88. Leviticus 17:9 tn For remarks on the “cut off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above.
  89. Leviticus 17:10 tn Heb “And man, man.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any (or every) man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2).
  90. Leviticus 17:10 tn The noun “foreigner” (גֵּר; ger) is based on the same verbal root as “lives” (גּוּר; gur), which means “to sojourn, to dwell as an alien.” On the Hebrew ger (גֵּר) “resident foreigner” see notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11.
  91. Leviticus 17:10 tc The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have “your” (plural) rather than “their.”
  92. Leviticus 17:10 tn Heb “I will give my faces against [literally “in”] the soul/person/life [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh, feminine] who eats the blood and I will cut it [i.e., that נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] off from the midst of its people.” The uses of נֶפֶשׁ in this and the following verse are most significant for the use of animal blood in Israel’s sacrificial system. Unfortunately, it is a most difficult word to translate accurately and consistently, and this presents a major problem for the rendering of these verses (see, e.g., G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 244-45). No matter which translation of נֶפֶשׁ one uses here, it is important to see that both man and animal have נֶפֶשׁ and that this נֶפֶשׁ is identified with the blood. See the further remarks on v. 11 below. On the “cutting off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above. In this instance, God takes it on himself to “cut off” the person (i.e., extirpation).
  93. Leviticus 17:11 tn Heb “the life of the flesh.” Here “flesh” stands for “every living thing,” that is, all creatures (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT “every creature”; CEV “every living creature.”
  94. Leviticus 17:11 tn Heb “for the soul/life (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) of the flesh, it is in the blood” (cf. the note of v. 10 above and v. 14 below). Although most modern English versions begin a new sentence in v. 11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (see, e.g., NJPS, NASB, NIV, NRSV), the כִּי (ki, “for, because”) at the beginning of the verse suggests continuation from v. 10, as the rendering here indicates (see, e.g., NEB, NLT; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 261; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 239).sn This verse is a well-known crux interpretum for blood atonement in the Bible. The close association between the blood and “the soul/life [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] of the flesh [בָּשָׂר, basar]” (v. 11a) begins in Gen 9:2-5 (if not Gen 4:10-11), where the Lord grants man the eating of meat (i.e., the “flesh” of animals) but also issues a warning: “But flesh [בָּשָׂר] with its soul/life [נֶפֶשׁ], [which is] its blood, you shall not eat” (cf. G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:151 and 193). Unfortunately, the difficulty in translating נֶפֶשׁ consistently (see the note on v. 10 above) obscures the close connection between the (human) “person” in v. 10 and “the life” (of animals, 2 times) and “your (human) lives” in v. 11, all of which are renderings of נֶפֶשׁ. The basic logic of the passage is that (a) no נֶפֶשׁ should eat the blood when he eats the בָּשָׂר of an animal (v. 10) because (b) the נֶפֶשׁ of בָּשָׂר is identified with the blood that flows through and permeates it (v. 11a), and (c) the Lord himself has assigned (i.e., limited the use of) animal blood, that is, animal נֶפֶשׁ, to be the instrument or price of making atonement for the נֶפֶשׁ of people (v. 11b). See the detailed remarks and literature cited in R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:693-95, 697-98.
  95. Leviticus 17:11 tn Heb “And I myself have given it to you.”
  96. Leviticus 17:11 tn Heb “for the blood, it by (ב, bet preposition, “in”] the life makes atonement.” The interpretation of the preposition is pivotal here. Some scholars have argued that it is a bet of exchange; that is, “the blood makes atonement in exchange for the life [of the slaughtered animal]” (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:694-95, 697 for analysis and criticism of this view). It is more likely that, as in the previous clause (“your lives”), “life/soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) here refers to the person who makes the offering, not the animal offered. The blood of the animal makes atonement for the person who offers it either “by means of” (instrumental bet) the “life/soul” of the animal, which it symbolizes or embodies (the meaning of the translation given here); or perhaps the blood of the animal functions as “the price” (bet of price) for ransoming the “life/soul” of the person.
  97. Leviticus 17:12 tn Heb “all/any person from you shall not eat blood.”
  98. Leviticus 17:12 tn The noun “foreigner” (גֵּר; ger) is based on the same verbal root as “lives” (גּוּר; gur). See note at 17:10.
  99. Leviticus 17:13 tc A few medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “from the house of Israel” as in vv. 3, 8, and 10, but the LXX agrees with the MT.
  100. Leviticus 17:13 tn Or “from the sojourner who sojourns.” See note at 17:10.
  101. Leviticus 17:13 tc The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain mss of Smr have “your” (plural) rather than “their” (cf. v. 10 above).
  102. Leviticus 17:13 tn Heb “[wild] game of animal.”
  103. Leviticus 17:13 tn That is, it must be a clean animal, not an unclean animal (cf. Lev 11).
  104. Leviticus 17:14 tn Heb “for the life/soul (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) of all flesh, its blood in its life/soul (נֶפֶשׁ) it is.” The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate leave out “in its life/soul,” which would naturally yield “for the life of all flesh, its blood it is” (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 261, 263). The present translation is something of an oversimplification, but the meaning is basically the same in any case. Cf. NRSV “For the life of every creature—its blood is its life.”
  105. Leviticus 17:14 tn Heb “of all flesh” (also later in this verse). See the note on “every living thing” in v. 11.
  106. Leviticus 17:14 tn For remarks on the “cut off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above.
  107. Leviticus 17:15 tn Heb “And any soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh).
  108. Leviticus 17:15 tn Heb “carcass,” referring to the carcass of an animal that has died on its own, not the carcass of an animal slaughtered for sacrifice or killed by wild beasts. This has been clarified in the translation by supplying the phrase “of natural causes”; cf. NAB “that died of itself”; TEV “that has died a natural death.”
  109. Leviticus 17:15 tn On the Hebrew ger (גֵּר) “resident foreigner” see notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11.
  110. Leviticus 17:16 tn The words “his clothes” are not in the Hebrew text, but are repeated in the translation for clarity.
  111. Leviticus 17:16 tn Heb “and he shall bear his iniquity.” The rendering “bear the punishment for the iniquity” reflects the use of the word “iniquity” to refer to the punishment for iniquity. This is sometimes referred to as the consequential use of the term (cf. Lev 5:17; 7:18; 10:17; etc.).sn For the interpretation of this verse reflected in the present translation, see the remarks on Lev 5:1 in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:292-97.
  112. Leviticus 18:3 tn Heb “As the work [or “deed”] of the land of Egypt, which you were dwelling in it, you must not do.”
  113. Leviticus 18:3 tn Heb “and as the work [or “deed”] of the land of Canaan which I am bringing you to there, you must not do.” The participle “I am bringing” is inceptive; the Lord is “about to” bring them into the land of Canaan, as opposed to their having dwelt previously in the land of Egypt (see the first part of the verse).
  114. Leviticus 18:3 tn Heb “and you shall not walk.”
  115. Leviticus 18:4 tn Heb “My regulations you shall do”; KJV, NASB “my judgments”; NRSV “My ordinances”; NIV, TEV “my laws.”sn The Hebrew term translated “regulation” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) refers to the set of regulations about to be set forth in the following chapters (cf. Lev 19:37; 20:22; 25:18; 26:46). Note especially the thematic and formulaic relationships between the introduction here in Lev 18:1-5 and the paraenesis in Lev 20:22-26, both of which refer explicitly to the corrupt nations and the need to separate from them by keeping the Lord’s regulations.
  116. Leviticus 18:4 tn Heb “and my statutes you shall keep [or “watch; guard”] to walk in them.”
  117. Leviticus 18:5 tn Heb “And you shall keep.”
  118. Leviticus 18:5 tn Heb “which the man shall do them and shall live in them.” The term for “a man, human being; mankind” (אָדָם, ʾadam; see the note on Lev 1:2) in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female. The expression וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living” so it is written וְחָיָה (vekhayah) in Smr, but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ʿayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 25:35).
  119. Leviticus 18:6 tn Heb “Man, man shall not draw near to any flesh (שְׁאֵר, sheʾer) of his body/flesh (בָּשָׂר, basar).” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any (or “every”) man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2). The two words for “flesh” are combined to refer to and emphasize the physical familial relatedness (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119).
  120. Leviticus 18:6 tn Heb “to uncover [her] nakedness” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), which is clearly euphemistic for sexual intercourse (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119). This expression occurs a number of times in the following context and is generally translated “have sexual relations with [someone],” although in the case of the father mentioned in the following verse the expression may be connected to the shame or disgrace that would belong to the father whose wife’s sexuality is violated by his son. See the note on the word “mother” in v. 7.
  121. Leviticus 18:6 sn The general statement prohibiting sexual relations between close relatives serves as an opening summary statement for the following section, which gives details concerning which degrees of relationship are specifically forbidden.
  122. Leviticus 18:7 tn The verbal negative here is the same as that used in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:4-5, 7, 13-17). It suggests permanent prohibition rather than a simple negative command and could, therefore, be rendered “must not” here and throughout the following section as it is in vv. 3-4 above.
  123. Leviticus 18:7 tn Heb “The nakedness of your father and [i.e., even] the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover.” sn Commentators suggest that the point of referring to the father’s nakedness is that the mother’s sexuality belongs to the father and is forbidden to the son on that account (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 120, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 294). The expression may, however, derive from the shame of nakedness when exposed. If one exposes his mother’s nakedness to himself it is like openly exposing the father’s nakedness (cf. Gen 9:22-23 with the background of Gen 2:25 and 3:7, 21). The same essential construction is used in v. 10 where the latter explanation makes more sense than the former.
  124. Leviticus 18:8 tn Heb “the nakedness of your father she is.” See the note on v. 7 above. This law refers to another wife of the man’s father, who is not that man’s mother. The laws in the Pentateuch sometimes assume the possibility that a man may have more than one wife (cf., e.g., Deut 21:15-17).
  125. Leviticus 18:9 tn Heb “the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother.”
  126. Leviticus 18:9 tn Heb “born of house or born of outside.” CEV interprets as “whether you grew up together or not” (cf. also TEV, NLT).
  127. Leviticus 18:9 tc Several medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, and Syriac have “her nakedness” rather than “their nakedness,” thus agreeing with singular “sister” at the beginning of the verse.tn For a smooth English translation “either of” was added.
  128. Leviticus 18:10 sn That is, to have sexual relations with one’s granddaughter would be like openly exposing one’s own shameful nakedness (see the note on v. 7 above).
  129. Leviticus 18:11 tn Heb “The nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father, she is your sister; you must not uncover her nakedness.” That is, a half sister, the daughter of the man’s father by another wife, who is not the man’s mother, is to be considered a true sister. Therefore, the man must not have sexual intercourse with her.
  130. Leviticus 18:12 tc A few medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate all read “because she is the flesh of your father,” like the MT of v. 13.
  131. Leviticus 18:14 tn The expression קָרַב אֶל (qarav ʾel) means “draw near to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for the intended purpose of sexual relations.
  132. Leviticus 18:14 tn As in v. 12 (see the note there), some mss and versions have “because she is your aunt.”
  133. Leviticus 18:16 sn Regarding the last clause, see the notes on vv. 7 and 10 above.
  134. Leviticus 18:17 tn Heb “You must not uncover the nakedness of both a woman and her daughter; the daughter of her son and the daughter of her daughter you must not take to uncover her nakedness.” Translating “her” as “them” provides consistency in the English. In this kind of context, “take” means to “take in marriage” (cf. also v. 18). The LXX and Syriac have “their nakedness,” referring to the nakedness of the woman’s granddaughters, rather than the nakedness of the woman herself.
  135. Leviticus 18:17 tc Heb “they are her flesh.” The LXX reads “your” here (followed by NRSV). If the LXX reading were followed by the present translation, the result would be “They are closely related to you.”
  136. Leviticus 18:17 tn The term rendered “lewdness” almost always carries a connotation of cunning, evil device, and divisiveness (cf. HALOT 272 s.v. I זִמָּה 2, “infamy”), and is closely associated with sexual and religious infidelity (cf., e.g., Lev 19:29; 20:14; Job 31:11; Jer 13:27; Ezek 16:27; 22:9). Recent English versions differ on how they handle this: NAB “would be shameful”; CEV “would make you unclean”; NIV “wickedness”; NLT “horrible wickedness”; NRSV “depravity”; TEV “incest.”
  137. Leviticus 18:18 tn Or “as a concubine”; Heb “And a woman to her sister you shall not take to be a second wife [or “to be a concubine”].” According to HALOT 1059 s.v. III צרר, the infinitive “to be a second wife” (לִצְרֹר, litsror) is a denominative verb from II צָרָה A (“concubine; second wife”), which, in turn, derives from II צר “to treat with hostility” (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122).
  138. Leviticus 18:18 tn Heb “on her in her life.”
  139. Leviticus 18:19 tn Heb “in the menstruation of her impurity”; NIV “during the uncleanness of her monthly period.”
  140. Leviticus 18:20 tn Heb “And to the wife of your fellow citizen you shall not give your layer for seed.” The meaning of “your layer” (שְׁכָבְתְּךָ, shekhavtekha) is uncertain (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122, “you shall not place your layer of semen”; but cf. also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and the literature cited there for understanding the term to refer to the male member). The Hebrew word שְׁכֹבֶת (shekhovet) is related to the noun מִשְׁכָּב (mishkav) “bed” and the verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) “to lie down,” which also acts as a euphemism for sexual relations.
  141. Leviticus 18:21 tn Heb “And from your seed you shall not give to cause to pass over to Molech.” Smr (cf. also the LXX) has “to cause to serve” rather than “to cause to pass over.” For detailed remarks on Molech and Molech worship see N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCBC), 87-88; P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 259-60; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 333-37, and the literature cited there. It could refer to either human sacrifice or a devotion of children to some sort of service of Molech, perhaps of a sexual sort (cf. Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kgs 23:10, etc.). The inclusion of this prohibition against Molech worship here may be due to some sexual connection of this kind, or perhaps simply to the lexical link between זֶרַע (zeraʿ) meaning “seed, semen” in v. 20 but “offspring” in v. 21.
  142. Leviticus 18:21 tn Heb “and you shall not profane.” Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
  143. Leviticus 18:22 tn Heb “And with a male you shall not lay [as the] lyings of a woman” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 123). The specific reference here is to homosexual intercourse between males.
  144. Leviticus 18:22 tn The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (toʿevah, rendered “detestable act”) refers to the repugnant practices of foreigners, whether from the viewpoint of other peoples toward the Hebrews (e.g., Gen 43:32; 46:34; Exod 8:26) or of the Lord toward other peoples (see esp. Lev 18:26-27, 29-30). It can also designate, as here, detestable acts that might be perpetrated by the native peoples (it is used again in reference to homosexuality in Lev 20:13; cf. also its use for unclean food, Deut 14:3; idol worship, Isa 41:24; remarriage to a former wife who has been married to someone else in between, Deut 24:4).
  145. Leviticus 18:23 tn See the note on v. 20 above.
  146. Leviticus 18:23 tn Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).
  147. Leviticus 18:23 tn The Hebrew term תֶּבֶל (tevel, “perversion”) derives from the verb “to mix; to confuse” and therefore refers to illegitimate mixtures of species or violation of the natural order of things.
  148. Leviticus 18:24 tn Heb “which I am sending away (Piel participle of שָׁלַח [shalakh, “to send”]) from your faces.” The rendering here takes the participle as anticipatory of the coming conquest events.
  149. Leviticus 18:25 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.
  150. Leviticus 18:25 tn Heb “and I have visited its [punishment for] iniquity on it.” See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
  151. Leviticus 18:26 tn Heb “And you shall keep, you.” The latter emphatic personal pronoun “you” is left out of a few medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate.
  152. Leviticus 18:26 sn On the Hebrew ger (גֵּר) “resident foreigner” see notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11.
  153. Leviticus 18:27 tn Heb “for all these abominations the men of the land who were before you have done.”
  154. Leviticus 18:28 tn Heb “And the land will not vomit you out in your defiling it.”
  155. Leviticus 18:28 tc The MT reads the singular “nation” and is followed by ASV, NASB, NRSV; the LXX, Syriac, and Targum have the plural “nations” (cf. v. 24).
  156. Leviticus 18:29 sn Regarding the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.
  157. Leviticus 18:30 tn Heb “to not do from the statutes of the detestable acts.”
  158. Leviticus 18:30 tn Heb “and you will not.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.