For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
Parallel translations
- WEB For I am Yahweh who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
- KJV For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
- NKJV For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
- NASB For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; so you shall be holy, because I am holy.’ ”
- NLT For I, the Lord, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God redeemed Israel from Egypt to be their God, so they must be holy as He is holy. Redemption is the basis for the call to holiness.
Overview
The LORD recalls bringing Israel out of Egypt as the ground for being their God and for their call to holiness. Holiness is the fitting response to redemption, not its precondition. This pattern—rescued first, then called to live as God's people—is the gospel shape later fulfilled in Christ, who redeems us to be a people for His own possession (Titus 2:14).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Lev 11:44For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.
- Exod 20:2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
- Exod 6:7I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
- 1 Pet 1:16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
- Ps 105:43–45He brought forth His people with rejoicing, His chosen with shouts of joy.
- 1 Th 4:7For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.
- Hos 11:1When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.
- Lev 25:38I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 11:45 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.