If a man lies carnally with an animal, he must be put to death. And you are also to kill the animal.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.
- KJV And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
- NKJV If a man mates with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.
- NASB If there is a man who has sexual intercourse with an animal, he must be put to death; you shall also kill the animal.
- NLT “If a man has sex with an animal, he must be put to death, and the animal must be killed.
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
A man who has relations with an animal must be put to death, and the animal killed. Bestiality is a corruption of God's created order.
Overview
Such acts confuse the God-given distinctions between humanity and the animal world established at creation. The death penalty for both man and beast underscores how seriously this violation of natural order defiles. It reflects the broader concern of the Holiness Code to maintain the boundaries God built into His creation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Lev 18:23You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.
- Deut 27:21‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- Exod 22:19Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.
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 20:15 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.