Bible Strands
Leviticus 18:6
None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh addresses Moses, who is commanded to relay these family boundary laws to the Israelites.
The words — The Hebrew verb תִקְרְב֖וּ (tik.re.Vu) literally means "you will draw near," combined with שְׁאֵר (she.'Er), meaning "flesh" or "close relative," to establish a boundary against sexual intimacy.
The thread — The text repeats this prohibition against approaching kin for sexual relations in Leviticus 18:7 regarding a father and mother, and in Leviticus 20:11 and 20:17 concerning a father’s wife and a sister.
Why it lands — The verse commands the Israelites to refrain from sexual relations with close relatives, ending with the direct declaration "I am the LORD."
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
None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 20:17 If a man marries his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he shall bear his iniquity.
- Leviticus 18:7 You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
- Leviticus 20:11 If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.