Antiguo Testamento

Leviticus — Capítulo 20

Of giving seed to Molech, and the punishment of this crime, Lev 20:1-5. Of consulting wizards, etc., Lev 20:6-8. Of disrespect to parents, Lev 20:9. Of adultery, Lev 20:10. Of incestuous mixtures, Lev 20:11, Lev 20:12…

Versión

Texto — Reina-Valera 1960

1Habló Jehová a Moisés, diciendo:

2Dirás asimismo a los hijos de Israel: Cualquier varón de los hijos de Israel, o de los extranjeros que moran en Israel, que ofreciere alguno de sus hijos a Moloc, de seguro morirá; el pueblo de la tierra lo apedreará.

3Y yo pondré mi rostro contra el tal varón, y lo cortaré de entre su pueblo, por cuanto dio de sus hijos a Moloc, contaminando mi santuario y profanando mi santo nombre.

4Si el pueblo de la tierra cerrare sus ojos respecto de aquel varón que hubiere dado de sus hijos a Moloc, para no matarle,

5entonces yo pondré mi rostro contra aquel varón y contra su familia, y le cortaré de entre su pueblo, con todos los que fornicaron en pos de él prostituyéndose con Moloc.

6Y la persona que atendiere a encantadores o adivinos, para prostituirse tras de ellos, yo pondré mi rostro contra la tal persona, y la cortaré de entre su pueblo.

7Santificaos, pues, y sed santos, porque yo Jehová soy vuestro Dios.

8Y guardad mis estatutos, y ponedlos por obra. Yo Jehová que os santifico.

9Todo hombre que maldijere a su padre o a su madre, de cierto morirá; a su padre o a su madre maldijo; su sangre será sobre él.

10Si un hombre cometiere adulterio con la mujer de su prójimo, el adúltero y la adúltera indefectiblemente serán muertos.

11Cualquiera que yaciere con la mujer de su padre, la desnudez de su padre descubrió; ambos han de ser muertos; su sangre será sobre ellos.

12Si alguno durmiere con su nuera, ambos han de morir; cometieron grave perversión; su sangre será sobre ellos.

13Si alguno se ayuntare con varón como con mujer, abominación hicieron; ambos han de ser muertos; sobre ellos será su sangre.

14El que tomare mujer y a la madre de ella, comete vileza; quemarán con fuego a él y a ellas, para que no haya vileza entre vosotros.

15Cualquiera que tuviere cópula con bestia, ha de ser muerto, y mataréis a la bestia.

16Y si una mujer se llegare a algún animal para ayuntarse con él, a la mujer y al animal matarás; morirán indefectiblemente; su sangre será sobre ellos.

17Si alguno tomare a su hermana, hija de su padre o hija de su madre, y viere su desnudez, y ella viere la suya, es cosa execrable; por tanto serán muertos a ojos de los hijos de su pueblo; descubrió la desnudez de su hermana; su pecado llevará.

18Cualquiera que durmiere con mujer menstruosa, y descubriere su desnudez, su fuente descubrió, y ella descubrió la fuente de su sangre; ambos serán cortados de entre su pueblo.

19La desnudez de la hermana de tu madre, o de la hermana de tu padre, no descubrirás; porque al descubrir la desnudez de su parienta, su iniquidad llevarán.

20Cualquiera que durmiere con la mujer del hermano de su padre, la desnudez del hermano de su padre descubrió; su pecado llevarán; morirán sin hijos.

21Y el que tomare la mujer de su hermano, comete inmundicia; la desnudez de su hermano descubrió; sin hijos serán.

22Guardad, pues, todos mis estatutos y todas mis ordenanzas, y ponedlos por obra, no sea que os vomite la tierra en la cual yo os introduzco para que habitéis en ella.

23Y no andéis en las prácticas de las naciones que yo echaré de delante de vosotros; porque ellos hicieron todas estas cosas, y los tuve en abominación.

24Pero a vosotros os he dicho: Vosotros poseeréis la tierra de ellos, y yo os la daré para que la poseáis por heredad, tierra que fluye leche y miel. Yo Jehová vuestro Dios, que os he apartado de los pueblos.

25Por tanto, vosotros haréis diferencia entre animal limpio e inmundo, y entre ave inmunda y limpia; y no contaminéis vuestras personas con los animales, ni con las aves, ni con nada que se arrastra sobre la tierra, los cuales os he apartado por inmundos.

26Habéis, pues, de serme santos, porque yo Jehová soy santo, y os he apartado de los pueblos para que seáis míos.

27Y el hombre o la mujer que evocare espíritus de muertos o se entregare a la adivinación, ha de morir; serán apedreados; su sangre será sobre ellos.

ADAM CLARKE BIBLE COMMENTARY

Versículo 2

I. That giveth any of his seed unto Molech - To what has been said in the note on Lev 18:21 (note), …

That giveth any of his seed unto Molech - To what has been said in the note on Lev 18:21 (note), we may add, that the rabbins describe this idol, who was probably a representative or emblematical personification of the solar influence, as made of brass, in the form of a man, with the head of an ox; that a fire was kindled in the inside, and the child to be sacrificed to him was put in his arms, and roasted to death. Others say that the idol, which was hollow, was divided into seven compartments within; in one of which they put flour, in the second turtle-doves, in the third a ewe, in the fourth a ram, in the fifth a calf, in the sixth an ox, and in the seventh a child, which, by heating the statue on the outside, were all burnt alive together. I question the whole truth of these statements, whether from Jewish or Christian rabbins. There is no evidence of all this in the sacred writings. And there is but presumptive proof, and that not very strong, that human sacrifices were at all offered to Molech by the Jews. The passing through the fire, so frequently spoken of, might mean no more than a simple rite of consecration to the service of this idol. Probably a kind of ordeal was meant, the persons passing suddenly through the flame of a large fire, by which, though they might be burnt or scorched, yet they were neither killed nor consumed. Or they might have passed between two large fires, as a sort of purification. See the notes on Lev 20:14; See the notes on Lev 18:21. Caesar, in his history of the Gallic war, lib. vi., c. 16, mentions a custom of the Druids similar to this. They made an image of wickerwork, enclosed those in it whom they had adjudged to death, and, setting the whole on fire, all were consumed together.

Versículo 6

II. Familiar spirits - See the notes on Lev 19:31; and Exo 22:18 (note).

Familiar spirits - See the notes on Lev 19:31; and Exo 22:18 (note).

Versículo 9

III. Curseth his father or his mother - See the notes on Gen 48:12, and Exo 20:12 (note). He who consc…

Curseth his father or his mother - See the notes on Gen 48:12, and Exo 20:12 (note). He who conscientiously keeps the fifth commandment can be in no danger of this judgment. The term יקלל yekallel signifies, not only to curse, but to speak of a person contemptuously and disrespectfully, to make light of; so that all speeches which have a tendency to lessen our parents in the eyes of others, or to render their judgment, piety, etc., suspected and contemptible, may be here included; though the act of cursing, or of treating the parent with injurious and opprobrious language, is that which is particularly intended.

Versículo 10

IV. Committeth adultery - To what has been said in the note on See Exo 20:14 (note), we may add, that…

Committeth adultery - To what has been said in the note on See Exo 20:14 (note), we may add, that the word adultery comes from the Latin adulterium, which is compounded of ad, to or with, and alter, another, or, according to Minshieu, of ad alterius forum, he that approaches to another man's bed.

Versículo 12

V. They have wrought confusion - See Leviticus 18, and especially the note on Lev 18:6 (note).

They have wrought confusion - See Leviticus 18, and especially the note on Lev 18:6 (note).

Versículo 14

VI. They shall be burnt with fire - As there are worse crimes mentioned here, (see Lev 20:11 and Lev …

They shall be burnt with fire - As there are worse crimes mentioned here, (see Lev 20:11 and Lev 20:17), where the delinquent is ordered simply to be put to death, or to be cut off, it is very likely that the crime mentioned in this verse was not punished by burning alive, but by some kind of branding, by which they were ever after rendered infamous. I need not add that the original, באש ישרפו baesh yishrephu, may, without violence to its grammatical meaning, be understood as above, though in other places it is certainly used to signify a consuming by fire. But the case in question requires some explanation; it is this: a man marries a wife, and afterward takes his mother-in-law or wife's mother to wife also: now for this offense the text says all three shall be burnt with fire, and this is understood as signifying that they shall be burnt alive. Now the first wife, we may safely presume, was completely innocent, and was legally married: for a man may take to wife the daughter if single, or the mother if a widow, and in neither of these cases can any blame attach to the man or the party he marries; the crime therefore lies in taking both. Either, therefore, they were all branded as infamous persons, and this certainly was severe enough in the case of the first wife; or the man and the woman taken last were burnt: but the text says, both he and they; therefore, we should seek for another interpretation of they shall be burnt with fire, than that which is commonly given. Branding with a hot iron would certainly accomplish every desirable end both for punishment and prevention of the crime; and because the Mosaic laws are so generally distinguished by humanity, it seems to be necessary to limit the meaning of the words as above.

Versículo 16

VII. If a woman approach unto any beast - We have the authority of one of the most eminent historians …

If a woman approach unto any beast - We have the authority of one of the most eminent historians in the world, Herodotus, to say that this was a crime not unknown in Egypt; yea, that a case of this nature actually took place while he was there. Εγενετο δ' εν τῳ νο μῳ τουτῳ επ' εμευ τουτο το τερας, Γυναικι Τραγος εμισγετο αναφανδον. Τουτο ες επιδειξιν ανθρωπων απικετο. - Herod. in Euterp., p. 108. Edit. Gale, Lond. 1679. "In this district, within my own recollection, this portentous business took place: a goat coupled so publicly with a woman that every person knew it," etc. After this, need we wonder that God should have made laws of this nature, when it appears these abominations were not only practiced among the Egyptians, but were parts of a superstitious religious system? This one observation will account for many of those strange prohibitions which we find in the Mosaic law; others, the reasons of which are not so plain, we should see the propriety of equally, had we ampler historic records of the customs that existed in that country.

Versículo 22

VIII. The land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out - See this energetic prosopopoei…

The land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out - See this energetic prosopopoeia explained in the note on Lev 18:25 (note). From this we learn that the cup of the iniquities of the Canaanitish nations was full; and that, consistently with Divine justice, they could be no longer spared.

Versículo 24

IX. A land that floweth with milk and honey - See this explained Exo 3:8 (note).

A land that floweth with milk and honey - See this explained Exo 3:8 (note).

Versículo 25

X. Between clean beasts and unclean - See the notes on Leviticus 11 (note).

Between clean beasts and unclean - See the notes on Leviticus 11 (note).

Versículo 27

XI. A familiar spirit - A spirit or demon, which, by magical rites, is supposed to be bound to appear…

A familiar spirit - A spirit or demon, which, by magical rites, is supposed to be bound to appear at the call of his employer. See the notes on Gen 41:8; Exo 7:11 (note), Exo 7:22 (note), Exo 7:25 (note); and Lev 19:31 (note). From the accounts we have of the abominations both of Egypt and Canaan, we may blush for human nature; for wherever it is without cultivation, and without the revelation of God, it is every thing that is vile in principle and detestable in practice. Nor would any part of the habitable globe materially differ from Egypt and Canaan, had they not that rule of righteousness, the revealed Law of God, and had not life and immortality been brought to light by the Gospel among them. From these accounts, for which we could easily find parallels in ancient Greece and Italy, we may see the absolute need of a Divine revelation, without which man, even in his best estate, differs little from the brute.

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