“Do not violate your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your mother: she is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness.
- KJV The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
- BSB You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
- NKJV The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.
- NASB You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness.
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
Sexual relations with one's father or mother are forbidden.
Overview
This first specific case protects the most fundamental family bonds from violation. The repetition that 'she is your mother' appeals to the natural order God has established. Such commands defend the sanctity of the family, which God designed as the basic structure of human society and a reflection of ordered, covenant relationships.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Lev 20:11“‘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.
- Ezek 22:10In you have they uncovered their fathers’ nakedness. In you have they humbled her who was unclean in her impurity.
- Lev 18:8–16“‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is your father’s nakedness.
- Lev 20:14“‘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.
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 18:7 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.