Leviticus 20:17"'If a man takes his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness; it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he has uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
The setting
Mount Sinai wilderness, ~1445 BC. Moses continues recording God's family purity laws to distinguish Israel from surrounding pagan nations in the Sinai Peninsula, modern-day Egypt...
The emotion here: solemn responsibility recording laws that protect family structure
The original word
chesed (חסד) — shameful thing, disgrace that violates covenant loyalty
Why it matters
Abraham married his half-sister Sarah before these laws were given to Moses
Read with care
What most readers miss in Leviticus 20:17
The phrase 'cut off' meant excommunication from Israel, not necessarily death
Common misconceptionPeople think this contradicts earlier biblical marriages like Abraham and Sarah, but these laws came later to establish Israel's distinct moral code.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Leviticus 20:17
Bible Genome reading
Leviticus 20:17 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Leviticus 20:17 comes from the book of Leviticus, written during the exodus period. These words are attributed to God. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the law genre of biblical literature. Key themes include family boundaries, sexual holiness. Notable phrases: takes his sister; sees her nakedness; shameful thing. This verse contains a command.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Leviticus 20:17 mean to you, today?
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