Leviticus 18:30
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This verse doesn't just warn against doing these detestable things; it urges believers to actively avoid becoming "defiled" by them. The emphasis is on internal purity and not allowing these practices to corrupt one's very being, showing that obedience is about more than just external actions.
So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
After detailing a long list of sexual prohibitions designed to set Israel apart from the surrounding nations, this verse serves as the concluding admonition. It warns against practicing these "abominable customs," reiterating that adherence to God's commands is the only way to avoid defilement and the severe judgment that befell the land's previous inhabitants. The repeated declaration, "I am the LORD your God," underscores the authority and personal relationship behind these vital instructions.
God's commands weren't new in Leviticus. They were a reminder of what humanity already knew, deep down, and what He had established from the beginning.
The laws given to Israel in Leviticus 18 weren't arbitrary. Many of these 'abominable customs' were already understood as wrong by a moral conscience, even before the Law was given. God was re-establishing His standard, which is rooted in His nature and His order for creation.
Why does God repeat 'I am the LORD your God' at the end of this command? It's the anchor for everything that follows.
The final phrase, 'I am the LORD your God,' isn't just a closing statement; it’s the foundation of Israel's obligation and the motivation for obedience.
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Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The term for God’s personal, covenantal name in the Old Testament, revealing His self-existence, eternity, and faithfulness to His people. It is the name by which He entered into a relationship with Israel.
This passage echoes Leviticus 18:30 by urging believers not to conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewal of their minds, highlighting the ongoing call to live differently from surrounding ungodly cultures.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20It warns against sexual immorality and stresses that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, directly aligning with the theme of keeping oneself pure from practices that defile, as commanded in Leviticus.
Jeremiah 10:2This verse cautions Israel against learning the ways of the nations and being dismayed by signs in the heavens, reinforcing the idea found in Leviticus 18:30 that God's people should not adopt the customs of surrounding peoples.
1 Peter 1:14-16Peter calls believers to be holy in all their conduct because God is holy, directly mirroring the command in Leviticus to be holy and not defile themselves, as God Himself is their Lord.
clarkeLeviticus 18:30: "Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God."
Shall ye keep mine ordinance - The only way to be preserved from all false worship is seriously to consider and devoutly to observe the ordinances of the true religion. He who in the things of God goes no farther than he can say, Thus it is written, and thus it behoves me to do, is n…
pooleLeviticus 18:30: "Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God."
No text from Poole on this verse.
This verse doesn't just warn against doing these detestable things; it urges believers to actively avoid becoming "defiled" by them. The emphasis is on internal purity and not allowing these practices to corrupt one's very being, showing that obedience is about more than just external actions.
After detailing a long list of sexual prohibitions designed to set Israel apart from the surrounding nations, this verse serves as the concluding admonition. It warns against practicing these "abominable customs," reiterating that adherence to God's commands is the only way to avoid defilement and the severe judgment that befell the land's previous inhabitants. The repeated declaration, "I am the LORD your God," underscores the authority and personal relationship behind these vital instructions.
After detailing a long list of sexual prohibitions designed to set Israel apart from the surrounding nations, this verse serves as the concluding admonition. It warns against practicing these "abominable customs," reiterating that adherence to God's commands is the only way to avoid defilement and the severe judgment that befell the land's previous inhabitants. The repeated declaration, "I am the LORD your God," underscores the authority and personal relationship behind these vital instructions.
"So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”" — This verse doesn't just warn against doing these detestable things; it urges believers to actively avoid becoming "defiled" by them. The emphasis is on internal purity and not allowing these practi…
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Last reviewed October 2026
