Bible Strands
Exodus 22:19
Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Israel through Moses at Sinai, positioning the command between prohibitions against sorcery and foreign worship. The text directs the community to enforce a capital penalty for a specific prohibited act.
The words — The Hebrew shokhev (one who lies) and behemah (animal) identify the act, while yumat (he will be put to death) states the mandatory penalty. The verse explicitly commands execution without offering exceptions.
The thread — This prohibition recurs in Leviticus 18:23, Leviticus 20:15, and Deuteronomy 27:21, consistently pairing the act with a death penalty or curse. Leviticus 20:15 extends the execution requirement to the animal involved.
Why it lands — The command demands immediate execution for the act, leaving no room for alternative punishment or negotiation. Readers must recognize it as a non-negotiable boundary within the covenant law.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 18:23 You 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.
- Deuteronomy 27:21 ‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- Leviticus 20:15 If a man lies carnally with an animal, he must be put to death. And you are also to kill the animal.
- Leviticus 18:25 Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.