Leviticus Chapter 19 — Laws of Holiness and Justice
Leviticus 19 outlines diverse laws for the Israelites to live holy lives, emphasizing social justice, honesty, and love for neighbors and foreigners.
1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
3“ ‘Each one of you shall respect his mother and his father. You shall keep my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
4“ ‘Don’t turn to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.
5“ ‘When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted.
6It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. If anything remains until the third day, it shall be burned with fire.
7If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It will not be accepted;
8but everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the holy thing of the LORD, and that soul shall be cut off from his people.
9“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.
10You shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
11“ ‘You shall not steal.
12“ ‘You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.*LORD or GOD in all caps is from the Hebrew יהוה Yahweh except when otherwise noted as being from the short form יה Yah.
13“ ‘You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him.
14“ ‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.
15“ ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.
16“ ‘You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people.
17“ ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
18“ ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
19“ ‘You shall keep my statutes.
20“ ‘If a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave girl, pledged to be married to another man, and not ransomed or given her freedom; they shall be punished. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free.
21He shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, even a ram for a trespass offering.
22The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed; and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.
23“ ‘When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden.‡literally, “uncircumcised” For three years it shall be forbidden to you. It shall not be eaten.
24But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, for giving praise to the LORD.
25In the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, that it may yield its increase to you. I am the LORD your God.
26“ ‘You shall not eat any meat with the blood still in it. You shall not use enchantments, nor practice sorcery.
27“ ‘You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your head or clip off the edge of your beard.
28“ ‘You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you. I am the LORD.
29“ ‘Don’t profane your daughter, to make her a prostitute; lest the land fall to prostitution, and the land become full of wickedness.
30“ ‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am the LORD.
31“ ‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32“ ‘You shall rise up before the gray head and honor the face of the elderly; and you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.
33“ ‘If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
34The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35“ ‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity.
36You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah,§1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel and a just hin.*A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37“ ‘You shall observe all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them. I am the LORD.’ ”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Leviticus 19:2
“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, 'You shall be holy; for I, the LORD your God, am holy.'”
This verse establishes the overarching theme of the chapter and the purpose of the Mosaic Law.
Leviticus 19:18
“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
This is one of the most significant moral commands in the Bible, later cited by Jesus as the second greatest commandment.
Leviticus 19:34
“The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”
This command emphasizes compassion and equality for immigrants based on Israel's own historical experience.
Chapter Summary
Leviticus 19 provides a comprehensive collection of laws intended to set the Israelites apart as a holy people. The chapter begins with God's fundamental command for the congregation to be holy because He is holy. This holiness is expressed through practical ethical conduct: honoring parents, keeping the Sabbath, and avoiding idolatry. It details social responsibilities such as leaving harvest gleanings for the poor, maintaining honest business practices, and ensuring justice in courts without partiality. The chapter contains the foundational command to 'love your neighbor as yourself,' while also prohibiting grudges, vengeance, and slander. Additionally, it addresses ritual purity and distinctiveness, forbidding pagan mourning customs, sorcery, and the mistreatment of the elderly or disabled. Throughout the text, God repeats the phrase 'I am the LORD your God,' reinforcing that these moral and ceremonial statutes are rooted in His divine authority and the Israelites' identity as His people rescued from Egypt.
Frequently Asked Questions
The chapter mandates that farmers should not harvest the corners of their fields or gather every grape from their vineyards. These 'gleanings' must be left specifically for the poor and for foreigners to ensure they have access to food.
In its original context, it refers to refraining from vengeance or grudges and treating fellow community members with the same care, justice, and honesty that one would desire for themselves.
God commands the Israelites to have honest scales, weights, and measures. In legal matters, judges are forbidden from showing favoritism to either the poor or the powerful, requiring instead that they judge in righteousness.
Study Note
The frequent repetition of the phrase 'I am the LORD' acts as a divine signature throughout the chapter, grounding each specific ethical law in God's own character and authority.
Related Chapters
Matthew 22
Jesus identifies the command to love your neighbor as the second greatest commandment of all.
Exodus 20
The laws regarding the Sabbath and honoring parents repeat themes found in the Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy 24
This chapter provides further details on laws concerning social welfare and fair treatment of workers.
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