Leviticus 20:26
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God's command for Israel to be holy isn't just about following rules; it's a direct reflection of His own character. By separating them from other nations, He's not just setting them apart, but calling them to belong to Him completely, mirroring His own unique holiness. This distinction is the very foundation of their identity as His chosen people.
You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In the preceding verses, God lays out severe penalties for various sexual sins and forbidden practices, emphasizing the need for His people to remain pure. This verse serves as the foundational reason and ultimate purpose behind all those specific commands: Israel is called to be holy because their God is holy, and He has uniquely set them apart from all other nations to be exclusively His own. This separation wasn't meant to foster arrogance, but to make them a distinct people, reflecting God’s character to the world.
The Bible calls us to be holy, but what does that truly mean? It's more than just following rules; it's about reflecting the One who made us.
Become Like Your Maker
The command in Leviticus 20:26, 'You shall be holy to me,' isn't just a rule to follow; it's an invitation to mirror God's own character. The verse explains why this is so important: 'for I the LORD am holy.'
God's holiness isn't just about being separate from sin; it's His perfect, pure, and righteous nature. When He calls us to be holy, He's asking us to live in a way that reflects His own unique glory and moral perfection. It's about aligning our lives with His character, becoming more like Him in our thoughts, actions, and desires.
Why does God set His people apart? It's not for isolation, but for a powerful, redemptive purpose that extends beyond them.
Set Apart for a Reason
The verse states, '...and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.' This separation wasn't meant to create an arrogant or exclusive group, but rather to establish a unique covenant community dedicated to God.
This setting apart had a dual purpose:
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Understand the original words
qādôsh · Hebrew Adjective
The state of being set apart for God's exclusive use, characterized by moral purity and separation from common or profane things. It describes both God's essential nature and the status of His people as consecrated to Him.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name of the God of Israel, revealing His eternal self-existence, faithfulness to His promises, and personal relationship with His people.
bāḏal · Hebrew Verb
The act of marking boundaries between the holy and the common, or between God's people and the surrounding pagan cultures, in order to maintain purity and covenant faithfulness.
Peter directly echoes this Leviticus verse, calling believers to be holy because God is holy, emphasizing that this holiness is a direct result of God's call and separation of His people.
Exodus 19:5-6This passage describes God's initial declaration to Israel at Sinai, where He calls them His treasured possession, separated from all other peoples to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, mirroring the 'separation' and 'mine' themes in Leviticus.
John 15:16Jesus tells His disciples that He chose them and appointed them to go and bear fruit, a theological parallel to God choosing and separating Israel to be His own, highlighting the purpose behind God's selection.
Deuteronomy 7:6This verse reiterates that Israel is a people holy to the LORD, chosen to be His own special possession out of all the peoples on the earth, directly supporting the foundational idea of God's sovereign choice and separation.
Romans 11:5Paul speaks of a remnant chosen by grace in his time, showing that the concept of a holy people set apart by God, as stated in Leviticus, continued through different eras, emphasizing God's consistent action of separation.
ellicottLeviticus 20:26: "And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine."
(26) And ye shall be holy unto me. —Rather, And ye shall be my holy ones, in harmony with the remark in the last clause of this verse, where God says that He had separated them for the purpose that “ye should be mine” The phrase only occurs here, and is different from the one which has been used in Leviticus 11:44-45 ; Leviticus 20:17 . And have severed you fr…
gillLeviticus 20:26: "And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine."
And ye shall be holy unto me,.... Separated from all unclean persons and things, and devoted to his service, and obedient to all his commands, and so live holy lives and conversations, according to his will, and to his honour and glory: for I the Lord am holy; and therefore they, his people, should be like him, and imitate him, and observe those things which a…
God's command for Israel to be holy isn't just about following rules; it's a direct reflection of His own character. By separating them from other nations, He's not just setting them apart, but calling them to belong to Him completely, mirroring His own unique holiness. This distinction is the very foundation of their identity as His chosen people.
In the preceding verses, God lays out severe penalties for various sexual sins and forbidden practices, emphasizing the need for His people to remain pure. This verse serves as the foundational reason and ultimate purpose behind all those specific commands: Israel is called to be holy because their God is holy, and He has uniquely set them apart from all other nations to be exclusively His own. This separation wasn't meant to foster arrogance, but to make them a distinct people, reflecting God’s character to the world.
In the preceding verses, God lays out severe penalties for various sexual sins and forbidden practices, emphasizing the need for His people to remain pure. This verse serves as the foundational reason and ultimate purpose behind all those specific commands: Israel is called to be holy because their God is holy, and He has uniquely set them apart from all other nations to be exclusively His own. This separation wasn't meant to foster arrogance, but to make them a distinct people, reflecting God’s character to the world.
"You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine." — God's command for Israel to be holy isn't just about following rules; it's a direct reflection of His own character. By separating them from other nations, He's not just setting them apart, but calli…
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Last reviewed October 2026
