Antiguo Testamento

Leviticus — Capítulo 18

Leviticus enabled ancient Israel to live in relationship with a holy God. But now that Christ has come as our High Priest and ultimate sacrifice—thereby fulfilling many of the requirements outlined in Leviticus—what do laws governing ancient Israel’s system of worship, with its priests and animal sacrifices, have to do with us? Leviticus increases our understanding of God’s holiness. And God’s …

Versión

Texto — Reina-Valera 1960

1Habló Jehová a Moisés, diciendo:

2Habla a los hijos de Israel, y diles: Yo soy Jehová vuestro Dios.

3No haréis como hacen en la tierra de Egipto, en la cual morasteis; ni haréis como hacen en la tierra de Canaán, a la cual yo os conduzco, ni andaréis en sus estatutos.

4Mis ordenanzas pondréis por obra, y mis estatutos guardaréis, andando en ellos. Yo Jehová vuestro Dios.

5Por tanto, guardaréis mis estatutos y mis ordenanzas, los cuales haciendo el hombre, vivirá en ellos. Yo Jehová.

6Ningún varón se llegue a parienta próxima alguna, para descubrir su desnudez. Yo Jehová.

7La desnudez de tu padre, o la desnudez de tu madre, no descubrirás; tu madre es, no descubrirás su desnudez.

8La desnudez de la mujer de tu padre no descubrirás; es la desnudez de tu padre.

9La desnudez de tu hermana, hija de tu padre o hija de tu madre, nacida en casa o nacida fuera, su desnudez no descubrirás.

10La desnudez de la hija de tu hijo, o de la hija de tu hija, su desnudez no descubrirás, porque es la desnudez tuya.

11La desnudez de la hija de la mujer de tu padre, engendrada de tu padre, tu hermana es; su desnudez no descubrirás.

12La desnudez de la hermana de tu padre no descubrirás; es parienta de tu padre.

13La desnudez de la hermana de tu madre no descubrirás, porque parienta de tu madre es.

14La desnudez del hermano de tu padre no descubrirás; no llegarás a su mujer; es mujer del hermano de tu padre.

15La desnudez de tu nuera no descubrirás; mujer es de tu hijo, no descubrirás su desnudez.

16La desnudez de la mujer de tu hermano no descubrirás; es la desnudez de tu hermano.

17La desnudez de la mujer y de su hija no descubrirás; no tomarás la hija de su hijo, ni la hija de su hija, para descubrir su desnudez; son parientas, es maldad.

18No tomarás mujer juntamente con su hermana, para hacerla su rival, descubriendo su desnudez delante de ella en su vida.

19Y no llegarás a la mujer para descubrir su desnudez mientras esté en su impureza menstrual.

20Además, no tendrás acto carnal con la mujer de tu prójimo, contaminándote con ella.

21Y no des hijo tuyo para ofrecerlo por fuego a Moloc; no contamines así el nombre de tu Dios. Yo Jehová.

22No te echarás con varón como con mujer; es abominación.

23Ni con ningún animal tendrás ayuntamiento amancillándote con él, ni mujer alguna se pondrá delante de animal para ayuntarse con él; es perversión.

24En ninguna de estas cosas os amancillaréis; pues en todas estas cosas se han corrompido las naciones que yo echo de delante de vosotros,

25y la tierra fue contaminada; y yo visité su maldad sobre ella, y la tierra vomitó sus moradores.

26Guardad, pues, vosotros mis estatutos y mis ordenanzas, y no hagáis ninguna de estas abominaciones, ni el natural ni el extranjero que mora entre vosotros

27(porque todas estas abominaciones hicieron los hombres de aquella tierra que fueron antes de vosotros, y la tierra fue contaminada);

28no sea que la tierra os vomite por haberla contaminado, como vomitó a la nación que la habitó antes de vosotros.

29Porque cualquiera que hiciere alguna de todas estas abominaciones, las personas que las hicieren serán cortadas de entre su pueblo.

30Guardad, pues, mi ordenanza, no haciendo las costumbres abominables que practicaron antes de vosotros, y no os contaminéis en ellas. Yo Jehová vuestro Dios.

TYNDALE OPEN STUDY NOTES

Versículo 1

I. 18:1–20:27 Chapters 18 and 20 primarily discuss sexual matters, warning against engaging in pagan…

18:1–20:27 Chapters 18 and 20 primarily discuss sexual matters, warning against engaging in pagan practices both religious and secular. These chapters bracket exhortations to pursue holiness in everyday life (ch 19).

Versículo 2

II. 18:2 Many Near Eastern treaties began with the name and titles of the ruler who was drawing up th…

18:2 Many Near Eastern treaties began with the name and titles of the ruler who was drawing up the treaty. The phrase I am the Lord your God gives the name of the Great King, Yahweh (English the Lord), followed by his title, your God (see also Exod 20:2; Deut 5:6). These words were an abbreviated way to invoke Israel’s covenant with God and all that it implied. By reminding the people that they were the Lord’s, these words carried an authority that required a response (Lev 11:44; 18:4-5). Chapter 18 begins and ends (18:30) with these words, and they appear frequently throughout chs 19–26.

Versículo 4

III. 18:4-5 regulations . . . decrees: The Bible anticipated that the courts would need to interpret t…

18:4-5 regulations . . . decrees: The Bible anticipated that the courts would need to interpret the laws that God had provided to apply them to different circumstances. Such interpretations became case laws; the body of these court decisions was called mishpatim in Hebrew (cp. “decrees” in 10:11). • Paul alludes to these verses in Rom 10:5 and Gal 3:12, where he contrasts the “way of faith” with the “way of law.”

Versículo 6

IV. 18:6-7 have sexual relations with: Literally to uncover the nakedness of. Similar regulations in …

18:6-7 have sexual relations with: Literally to uncover the nakedness of. Similar regulations in ch 20 use the Hebrew word shakab (“lie with”), a word frequently used to indicate an improper sexual relationship.

Versículo 7

V. 18:7-8 violate your father: The Hebrew text here equates having sexual relations with your mother…

18:7-8 violate your father: The Hebrew text here equates having sexual relations with your mother or any of your father’s wives with having sexual relations with him (cp. Gen 35:22; 49:4; see also 1 Cor 5:1). The husband and his wife were “two united into one” (Gen 2:24; cp. Eph 5:29). Always in the background of these commands are the commands to honor your parents (Lev 20:9; Exod 20:12) and, by extension, other members of the family (see also study note on Lev 20:17). 18:7 She is your mother: Incest was prohibited because of the disruption it created in families, so the commands concerning this sin included close relatives not necessarily related by blood. Incest was a serious crime because it brought competition and chaos into the family structure. It threatened the safety of the home by violating a family’s appropriate intimacy and the sense of belonging shared by its members. • The commands were directly addressed to the male, even though the female could be older (such as one’s mother). The male, especially if he was the head of the household or the firstborn, wielded more power than the female; with this position came the responsibility to use that power lawfully. In addition, the male was more likely to be the sexual aggressor in an illicit sexual union, although this was not always the case (e.g., Gen 39:6-18).

Versículo 9

VI. 18:9 Sexual relations with a full sister dishonored both parents, and relations with a half siste…

18:9 Sexual relations with a full sister dishonored both parents, and relations with a half sister dishonored one parent.

Versículo 12

VII. 18:12-13 your father’s sister . . . mother’s sister: These actions would dishonor your father or …

18:12-13 your father’s sister . . . mother’s sister: These actions would dishonor your father or mother.

Versículo 14

VIII. 18:14 Having sexual relations with your aunt would dishonor your uncle. In turn, this would also …

18:14 Having sexual relations with your aunt would dishonor your uncle. In turn, this would also dishonor your father (see 20:20).

Versículo 15

IX. 18:15 Just as having sexual relations with your father’s wife would dishonor your father, having …

18:15 Just as having sexual relations with your father’s wife would dishonor your father, having sexual relations with your daughter-in-law would dishonor your son. The law called for daughters-in-law to be treated like natural daughters (Exod 21:9; cp. Gen 38:1-30).

Versículo 16

X. 18:16 Sexual relations with your sister-in-law would be adulterous and disgrace your brother. The…

18:16 Sexual relations with your sister-in-law would be adulterous and disgrace your brother. The exception was the law of levirate marriage (see Deut 25:5-10), which called for a man to marry his brother’s widow in order to produce an heir who was considered the dead brother’s son.

Versículo 17

XI. 18:17 As with all examples listed in ch 18, marrying a woman together with her daughter or grandd…

18:17 As with all examples listed in ch 18, marrying a woman together with her daughter or granddaughter was prohibited because of the disruption it would cause in the family order. It would violate the intimacy of the family group by forcing a wife to compete for her husband’s affections against a much younger woman. The penalty for this act was death by burning (20:14).

Versículo 18

XII. 18:18 The word rivals (Hebrew tsarah) vividly describes the relationship between Leah and Rachel …

18:18 The word rivals (Hebrew tsarah) vividly describes the relationship between Leah and Rachel (Gen 29:16–30:24) and Hannah and Peninnah (1 Sam 1:6); in both cases, the fellow wives were driven to bitter rivalry for their husband’s affections.

Versículo 20

XIII. 18:20 The Hebrew word translated defile yourself could be more literally translated to become cer…

18:20 The Hebrew word translated defile yourself could be more literally translated to become ceremonially unclean. • Sexual intercourse with a neighbor’s wife or any married woman defined adultery in the Old Testament. Breaking this law was punishable by death (Deut 22:22). Like incest, adultery threatened the integrity and security of the home and family. In this case, it violated the covenant of marriage and divided the adulterer’s affection between his spouse and his mistress.

Versículo 21

XIV. 18:21 Molech was the national god of the Ammonites (1 Kgs 11:7). This god was later worshiped by …

18:21 Molech was the national god of the Ammonites (1 Kgs 11:7). This god was later worshiped by Israel during times of apostasy (2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 32:35). Molech probably appears in this list because Molech worship was associated with sexual sins; it seems to have included child sacrifice as well. • To bring shame on (literally blaspheme, profane) the name of your God meant using the name of the Lord as though it were not holy, such as in a false oath (Lev 19:12) or in the worship of a false god (Ezek 20:39).

Versículo 22

XV. 18:22 In Gen 1:31, God pronounced all things good. This yielded a theology of the created order w…

18:22 In Gen 1:31, God pronounced all things good. This yielded a theology of the created order where good is defined by what God created and by the way he intended it to function. Part of this “good” was the creation of woman as man’s companion (Gen 2:22-24). Marriage forms a microcosm of the human race, which stands as the corporate bearer of God’s image. Sin, introduced by the Fall (Gen 3), disrupted the created order. Homosexuality is but one example of sinful violation of God’s order; it is tied to the rejection of God by fallen humanity (Rom 1:25-32). • The Hebrew word translated detestable (to‘ebah) indicates strong disapproval and disgust (Lev 20:13; see also 18:26-30).

Versículo 23

16. 18:23 Like homosexuality, bestiality is a violation of the natural order (see study note on 18:22…

18:23 Like homosexuality, bestiality is a violation of the natural order (see study note on 18:22). • The phrase perverse act referred not only to a violation, but to a confusion of the order God created because it broke down clear boundaries that he had established.

Versículo 24

17. 18:24-25 any of these ways: Pagan worship (18:21), homosexuality (18:22), and bestiality (18:23).…

18:24-25 any of these ways: Pagan worship (18:21), homosexuality (18:22), and bestiality (18:23). • The land was so nauseated by Canaanite practices that it would dramatically vomit them out (see 18:28).

Versículo 28

18. 18:28 Just as the land would vomit out the Canaanites, it would also vomit out the Israelites if …

18:28 Just as the land would vomit out the Canaanites, it would also vomit out the Israelites if they acted like the Canaanites (see study note on 18:24-25). This came to pass with the destruction and exile of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 722 BC (2 Kgs 17:6) and when the Babylonians destroyed and exiled Judah in 586 BC (2 Kgs 25:8-21).

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Leviticus — Capítulo 18