Leviticus 20:11
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It's easy to focus on the severe punishment, but notice the language used: "uncovered his father's nakedness." This isn't just about a forbidden sexual act; it's about a profound violation of family honor and a disruption of the sacred order God established. The offense is so grave because it symbolically tears at the very fabric of the father's household and heritage.
If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse directly follows prohibitions against adultery and incest, and it continues the theme of severe penalties for breaking God's covenant boundaries within the family and community. It specifically addresses the act of a man engaging in sexual relations with his father's wife, a violation previously forbidden in chapter 18, emphasizing the severe disruption of familial honor and the sacredness of marital relationships. The consequence, death for both individuals, underscores the gravity with which God viewed these transgressions.
This verse uses a striking phrase: 'uncovered his father's nakedness.' What does this really mean, and why is it so serious?
The phrase 'uncovered his father's nakedness' is a powerful metaphor pointing to a profound violation of familial order and honor. It's not just about a physical act but about breaking down the sacred boundaries within a family.
A Sacred Trust
When a man lies with his father's wife (his stepmother or another woman his father had taken as wife), he is not only committing a sexual sin but is also symbolically defiling the honor and integrity of his own father. It's like stripping away the dignity and respect due to the patriarch of the family. This act exposes a deep shame that tears at the very fabric of kinship.
A Broken Covenant
In ancient Israelite society, marriage was deeply tied to lineage and covenant. This transgression shattered those bonds, creating a chaotic and dishonorable situation that threatened the stability of the family unit. The severity of the punishment underscores how critical this boundary was for maintaining a holy and ordered community.
The penalty here is stark: 'both of them shall surely be put to death.' Why such a severe punishment for this offense?
Leviticus 20:11 prescribes the death penalty for the transgression of lying with a father's wife. This wasn't a minor infraction; it was considered so devastating to the holiness and order of the community that it demanded the ultimate consequence.
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Upholding Holiness
For ancient Israel, maintaining holiness was paramount. The laws in Leviticus were designed to set them apart as God's people, reflecting His own perfect character. Sins that severely disrupted the social and familial order were seen as direct affronts to God's command for purity and separation from corrupt practices.
Communal Responsibility
The phrase 'their blood shall be upon them' signifies that the responsibility for this severe penalty rests upon the offenders themselves. It implies that they have brought this judgment upon themselves through their actions. This was not arbitrary violence but a divinely mandated consequence intended to purge sin from the community and deter others.
Understand the original words
shakab · Hebrew Verb
The act of sexual intercourse, often used in legal and covenantal contexts to describe sexual union. It implies a intimate knowledge or relationship.
ervah · Hebrew Noun
A euphemistic legal phrase for sexual intercourse, signifying the violation of the family unit, the integrity of the father, and the sanctity of the marriage bond.
muth · Hebrew Verb
The ultimate penalty under the Mosaic law for the most serious moral and covenantal violations, emphasizing the sanctity of life and the severity of violating God's statutes.
dam · Hebrew Noun
A legal idiom signifying that the individuals are guilty of their own deaths; they bear the personal responsibility and the judicial consequence for their capital offense.
This passage explicitly states the prohibition against lying with a father's wife, making Leviticus 20:11 the enactment of its severe penalty.
Genesis 19:30-38This narrative recounts Lot's daughters getting their father drunk to lie with him, a sin that parallels the incestuous act prohibited in Leviticus 20:11 and highlights the gravity of such violations.
1 Corinthians 5:1-5The Apostle Paul confronts a similar incestuous situation in the Corinthian church, showing that the purity demanded in the Old Testament law has a New Testament parallel in the church's call to spiritual holiness and accountability.
Deuteronomy 27:20This verse curses anyone who lies with his father's wife, reinforcing the severe condemnation and penalty associated with this specific sin throughout the Mosaic Law.
pooleLeviticus 20:11: "And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
No text from Poole on this verse.
ellicottLeviticus 20:11: "And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
(11) His father’s wife. —Here the penalty is enacted for the sin prohibited in Leviticus 18:8 .
It's easy to focus on the severe punishment, but notice the language used: "uncovered his father's nakedness." This isn't just about a forbidden sexual act; it's about a profound violation of family honor and a disruption of the sacred order God established. The offense is so grave because it symbolically tears at the very fabric of the father's household and heritage.
This verse directly follows prohibitions against adultery and incest, and it continues the theme of severe penalties for breaking God's covenant boundaries within the family and community. It specifically addresses the act of a man engaging in sexual relations with his father's wife, a violation previously forbidden in chapter 18, emphasizing the severe disruption of familial honor and the sacredness of marital relationships. The consequence, death for both individuals, underscores the gravity with which God viewed these transgressions.
This verse directly follows prohibitions against adultery and incest, and it continues the theme of severe penalties for breaking God's covenant boundaries within the family and community. It specifically addresses the act of a man engaging in sexual relations with his father's wife, a violation previously forbidden in chapter 18, emphasizing the severe disruption of familial honor and the sacredness of marital relationships. The consequence, death for both individuals, underscores the gravity with which God viewed these transgressions.
"If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them." — It's easy to focus on the severe punishment, but notice the language used: "uncovered his father's nakedness." This isn't just about a forbidden sexual act; it's about a profound violation of family…
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Last reviewed October 2026
