Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness, delivering judicial statutes to maintain communal holiness. The command functions as a direct legal ruling for the covenant community.
The words — The Hebrew יוּמָת (yu.Mat) literally means "he will be put to death," indicating a mandatory execution rather than a suggestion. The phrase בִּבְהֵמָה (bi/v.he.Mah) specifies "in an animal," precisely defining the prohibited object of the act.
The thread — The same prohibition appears in Exodus 22:19 and Leviticus 18:23, while Deuteronomy 27:21 attaches a communal curse to the offense. The law recurs in both the civil codes and the covenant curses, showing consistent Torah-wide prohibition.
Why it lands — The text commands the death of both the man and the animal involved, removing any discretionary leniency from the judges. Readers must apply the strict boundary it draws against sexual violation and ritual defilement without alteration.
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
And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
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!’
- Exodus 22:19 Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.