← All Chapters The Book of Leviticus · Chapter 20

Leviticus 20: Set Apart to Be Mine

God attaches grave penalties to the sins he has forbidden, calling Israel to be holy because he has set them apart to be his own.

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Leviticus 20 (WEB)

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Moreover, you shall tell the children of Israel, ‘Anyone of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners in Israel, who gives any of his seed to Molech; he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.

3 I also will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people because he has given of his seed to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

4 If the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person, when he gives of his seed to Molech, and don’t put him to death;

5 then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all who play the prostitute after him, to play the prostitute with Molech, from among their people.

6 “‘The person that turns to those who are mediums, and to the wizards, to play the prostitute after them, I will even set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.

7 “‘Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am Yahweh your God.

8 You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.

9 “‘For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

10 “‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

11 “‘The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

12 “‘If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have committed a perversion; their blood shall be upon them.

13 “‘If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

14 “‘If a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burned with fire, both he and they; that there may be no wickedness among you.

15 “‘If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.

16 “‘If a woman approaches any animal, and lies down with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

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. 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.

18 “‘If a man lies with a woman having her monthly period, and uncovers her nakedness; he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

19 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, nor of your father’s sister; for he has made his close relative naked. They shall bear their iniquity.

20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin. They shall die childless.

21 “‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.

22 “‘You shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my ordinances, and do them; that the land, where I am bringing you to dwell, may not vomit you out.

23 You shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I am casting out before you: for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

24 But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am Yahweh your God, who has separated you from the peoples.

25 “‘You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and you shall not make yourselves abominable by animal, or by bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have separated from you as unclean for you.

26 You shall be holy to me; for I, Yahweh, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.

27 “‘A man or a woman that is a medium, or is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’”

Summary

This chapter sets out the penalties for many of the sins named earlier, beginning with giving children to Molech, which is met with death and being cut off, because it defiles God's sanctuary and profanes his holy name. Turning to mediums and wizards likewise brings God's face set against the offender. Between these warnings comes a tender summons: “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am Yahweh your God.” God then lists penalties for cursing parents, adultery, and various sexual sins that violate the bonds of family and marriage, treating each as a serious breach against the holiness of the community. The reasoning is given near the end: Israel must keep all God's statutes so that the land will not vomit them out as it did the nations before them. God has separated Israel from the peoples and made a distinction between clean and unclean, that they might be holy to him. The chapter closes with the heart of it all: “You shall be holy to me; for I, Yahweh, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.” Holiness is presented not as cold rule-keeping but as belonging—being God's treasured possession. The severity of the penalties reflects how much is at stake in living as God's own people.

Key Figures

  • Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who sanctifies his people, sets his face against sin, and claims Israel as his own treasured possession.
  • Israel, the children of Israel — The people called to sanctify themselves and remain distinct from the nations God is casting out.
  • Molech and the mediums — The false god and occult practices that defile the sanctuary and profane God's name, strictly forbidden.

Key Verse

Leviticus 20:26 (WEB)

You shall be holy to me; for I, Yahweh, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.

Lessons Learned

  • Sin against God's holiness is serious, and the penalties show how gravely God regards it.
  • Idolatry and the occult defile God's sanctuary and profane his name, drawing his direct opposition.
  • God's call to holiness is also a call to belonging—he has set his people apart to be his own.
  • Holiness involves a real distinction between the ways of God's people and the ways of the surrounding nations.
  • Idolatry profanes God's name. Giving children to Molech defiles the sanctuary “and to profane my holy name” (Leviticus 20:3, WEB), provoking God's judgment.
  • God himself makes his people holy. “I am Yahweh who sanctifies you” (Leviticus 20:8, WEB); holiness is his gracious work, not merely our effort.
  • Holiness means distinction. God separates the clean from the unclean and Israel from the nations (Leviticus 20:24-25, WEB), calling for a visibly different life.
  • Holiness is belonging. “You shall be holy to me… and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine” (Leviticus 20:26, WEB).
  1. Why do you think God attaches such severe penalties to these particular sins?
  2. What does it mean that idolatry and the occult “profane” God's holy name?
  3. How does verse 8, “I am Yahweh who sanctifies you,” balance the call to “sanctify yourselves” in verse 7?
  4. How does the idea that holiness is about belonging to God change the way you hear his commands?
  5. In what area is God inviting you to live as one set apart for him? What would that distinctiveness look like this week?
  1. The penalties reflect how seriously God takes sins that strike at the worship of God and the integrity of the family and community. In a nation meant to display God's holiness, such sins were not private failings but threats to the whole people's calling and continued life in the land.
  2. To profane God's name is to drag his holy reputation through the mud by treating him as common or by mixing his worship with idolatry. Israel bore God's name before the nations; to give children to Molech or consult mediums dishonored the God who had redeemed them.
  3. The two verses hold together divine grace and human responsibility. God commands his people to consecrate themselves, yet he is the one who actually makes them holy. We pursue holiness, but always as those being sanctified by the LORD himself—never apart from his work.
  4. When holiness is framed as belonging, the commands sound less like cold rules and more like the marks of a relationship. God has set his people apart “that you should be mine” (20:26). Obedience becomes the response of those who are treasured and claimed by a loving God.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite members to consider one concrete way their lives could look distinct—in speech, habits, priorities, or relationships—because they belong to God. Keep the focus on the joy of being his, not merely on rule-keeping.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.