Leviticus 18:3
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God isn't just warning against specific sins, but against adopting the entire "way of life" of surrounding nations. He highlights both Egypt, where they lived and were influenced, and Canaan, where they're heading, to show that this is a pervasive cultural danger, not just an isolated act.
You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Having just been instructed to avoid idolatry, Israel is now warned against adopting the deeply immoral practices of the nations around them. These prohibitions specifically target the sexual sins prevalent in both Egypt, where they had lived for generations, and Canaan, the land they were about to enter. God commands them not to follow these corrupt ways, emphasizing that these customs, even if established by law or custom in those lands, are forbidden.
You've left Egypt, but have you truly left its ways behind? God’s people were warned against repeating the sins of their former captors.
Israel had just been liberated from centuries of Egyptian bondage. While they were physically free, their minds and habits could still be shaped by the culture they’d lived in.
You're heading to the promised land, but it's filled with its own unique temptations. God calls you to a distinct way of life.
The land of Canaan was not just a new geographical location; it represented a new covenant and a new way of living under God’s rule.
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Understand the original words
chuqqah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the religious, social, or legal customs and practices of a people. In a biblical context, it often refers to the lifestyle or moral standards set by foreign nations, which are usually contrasted with the holiness required by God.
halak · Hebrew Verb
A metaphor for one's way of life, conduct, or moral direction. To walk in the ways of God implies a lifestyle characterized by obedience, holiness, and constant reliance on Him.
This passage echoes Leviticus 18:3, warning Israel against adopting the detestable practices ('abominations') of the nations they are about to dispossess, highlighting the consistent theme of separation from surrounding corrupt cultures.
Jeremiah 10:2This verse warns against learning 'the way of the nations' and 'the signs of the heavens,' which connects to Leviticus 18:3's command not to walk in the statutes of other lands, emphasizing spiritual distinctiveness.
Ezekiel 20:7-8This passage directly links the Israelites' idolatry in Egypt and their subsequent 'defilements' to their failure to abandon Egyptian customs, reinforcing the historical context and warning present in Leviticus 18:3.
Romans 12:2Paul's exhortation not to 'be conformed to this world' but to be transformed by the renewal of the mind directly parallels the command in Leviticus 18:3 to not walk in the statutes of surrounding nations, applying the principle to the New Testament church.
bensonLeviticus 18:3: "After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances."
Leviticus 18:3 . Egypt and Canaan — These two nations he mentions, because their habitation and conversation among them made their evil example in the following matters more dangerous. But under them he includes all other nations.
gillLeviticus 18:3: "After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances."
After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do,.... Where they had dwelt many years, and were just come out from thence, and where they had learned many of their evil practices; not only their idolatrous ones referred to in the preceding chapter, which it…
God isn't just warning against specific sins, but against adopting the entire "way of life" of surrounding nations. He highlights both Egypt, where they lived and were influenced, and Canaan, where they're heading, to show that this is a pervasive cultural danger, not just an isolated act.
Having just been instructed to avoid idolatry, Israel is now warned against adopting the deeply immoral practices of the nations around them. These prohibitions specifically target the sexual sins prevalent in both Egypt, where they had lived for generations, and Canaan, the land they were about to enter. God commands them not to follow these corrupt ways, emphasizing that these customs, even if established by law or custom in those lands, are forbidden.
Having just been instructed to avoid idolatry, Israel is now warned against adopting the deeply immoral practices of the nations around them. These prohibitions specifically target the sexual sins prevalent in both Egypt, where they had lived for generations, and Canaan, the land they were about to enter. God commands them not to follow these corrupt ways, emphasizing that these customs, even if established by law or custom in those lands, are forbidden.
"You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes." — God isn't just warning against specific sins, but against adopting the entire "way of life" of surrounding nations. He highlights both Egypt, where they lived and were influenced, and Canaan, where t…
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Last reviewed October 2026
