Bible Strands

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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Yahweh addresses Israel through Moses concerning the moral laws for the Promised Land. The declaration follows a warning that the preceding nations were driven out for defiling the land with identical practices.

The words — The Hebrew verb וַתִּטְמָא (vatitma') means "and it became unclean," paired with וַתָּקִא (vattaqi), "and it vomited up," to describe the land's reaction to defilement.

The thread — This motif of the land expelling defiled inhabitants recurs in Leviticus 18:28 and Leviticus 20:22. Jeremiah 2:7 also records the people defiling the land but does not extend the imagery to expulsion.

Why it lands — The text demands immediate obedience to the listed statutes to avoid national displacement. It places the consequence of covenant violation directly on the physical territory itself.

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

וַתִּטְמָ֣אva./tit.Ma'and/ it became uncleanהָאָ֔רֶץha./'A.retzthe/ landוָאֶפְקֹ֥דva./'ef.Kodand/ I visitedעֲוֹנָ֖הּ'a.vo.Na/hiniquity/ itsעָלֶ֑יהָ'a.Lei./haon/ itוַתָּקִ֥אva./ta.Ki'and/ it vomited upהָאָ֖רֶץha./'A.retzthe/ landאֶת־'et-<obj.>יֹשְׁבֶֽיהָ׃yo.she.Vei./hainhabitants/ its

King James Version

And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.

Cross-references