Chapter Nineteen
Be Holy as YHWH is Holy
19:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the LORD your God.
Many of the rules stated in this chapter reflect those that have already been given, including several from the Ten Commandments. Moses is to remind the people of Israel that they are to be holy, just as God is holy (see Leviticus 11:44-45). He also is reminding them to honor their parents (see Exodus 20:12), to keep the Sabbath (see Exodus 20:8-11; 31:13-17) and to turn away from and avoid any idol worshiping (first use of the Hebrew word ‘ělî·lîm’[1] in Scripture referring to something being worthless, most often used to describe false gods and idols, see also Exodus 20:3-6; 23:24). Each element is included in the Ten Words (also known as the Ten Commandments, see Exodus 20:1-21).
The concept of holiness can be perceived as a difficult, if not an impossible goal for human beings. It would be indeed an impossible task without the help of God. But He will not act unless the person desires to be holy, which is why He is reminding His people to be holy. They needed to take the first step by desiring to be holy and have fellowship with God, which is still applicable today for Christians. Even though Jesus did all the work for people to be considered holy before God, a Christian still needs to take the first step in acknowledging God and accepting Jesus as their Savior.
19:5 “When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is tainted; it will not be accepted, 8 and everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from his people.
Offering a peace offering allowed someone to share a meal with God (see Leviticus 7:15-18). It was to be eaten on the same day or the following day. If any of the meat remained after the second day, it was to be completely burned. If the meat was eaten on the third day, the offering was rejected and instead of enjoying fellowship with God, everyone who ate the meat would bear iniquity from God and the person making the offering would be cut off from their people. Why? Because the person profaned (Hebrew ‘ḥil·lēl’,[2] meaning to defile) what was holy to YHWH.
Love and Respect Others
19:9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.
What is often referred to as “God’s welfare program,” God instructs the people of Israel, when they harvest their land (after settling in the Promised Land), to intentionally leave some of the harvest. They were not to reap to the edge of their field; gather the gleanings (Hebrew ‘lě’·qěṭ’,[3] meaning “to gather,” in this context refers to gathering food off the ground); strip the vineyard bare, nor gather any grapes that may have fallen in the vineyard. The food was to be left for the poor and the sojourner. This is the process that is described and followed in the book of Ruth, where Ruth meets Boaz (see Ruth chapter two).
19:11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.
God reminded Moses that no one was to steal from others (see Exodus 20:15), nor deal falsely or lie to another (see Exodus 20:16; Leviticus 6:2-3).[4]
19:12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.
The people of Israel were to avoid swearing using God’s name in vain (see Exodus 20:7). Anytime someone falsely uses His name (usually to emphasize their own version of the truth or to elevate their own standing in an argument or disagreement),[5] it results in profaning (same Hebrew word found in verse eight, meaning to defile) the name of God.
19:13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.
No one was to oppress or rob another. While oppression can occur in several ways, God states that even something like holding the wages that are due to a worker overnight is unacceptable (see Leviticus 6:2-3; Deuteronomy 24:14-15).
19:14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
No one was to curse a deaf person or cause a blind person to stumble (see also Deuteronomy 27:18). A deaf person cannot hear mocking, cursing, or anything derogatory and a blind person cannot see if something was intentionally placed in their path. Is this a reference to practical jokes or pranks? Not really, although that would still not be advisable. While neither one certainly should not be a source of amusement or ridicule, their disadvantage or handicap should never be taken advantage of. Since good health is a blessing, everyone is to understand that not only are those disadvantaged to be honored like everyone else, but they should also be treated in the same manner one would prefer to be treated themselves, especially if they were deaf or blind.
19:15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
The Bible clearly teaches against partiality and favoritism (see Exodus 23:2-3).[6] That includes legal justice, if a judgment or decision is to be made, it should always be based on the truth, without consideration of who the people are, regardless if they are poor, not having much influence, or the great, having significant influence.
19:16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
In addition to not being partial, one was not to slander another (Hebrew word ‘rā·ḳîl’,[7] this is the first appearance of this word, a noun referring to gossiping, telling lies about others, spreading rumors, see also Proverbs 11:13; 20:19; Jeremiah 6:28; 9:4). Under no circumstance was anyone to put at risk someone else’s life or endanger them in any way (see Exodus 23:1-9, see also commentary under Exodus 23:1).
19:17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
There is no room for hate in a person’s heart, especially towards another family member. Later, in the New Testament, the apostle John demonstrates how the hatred of someone and being a Christian are not compatible (see 1 John 2:9-11; 3:15). Even hatred of something or some event can motivate someone to pursue an action that may be contrary or be harmful to others, but hatred towards someone else can do that and easily overshadow one’s relationship with God. Hatred can also lead to the desire for retaliation or at a minimum, hold a grudge against someone else. Animosity towards another is not only counterproductive, but also the opposite of love.
Being the greatest example of love, God desires people to love Him (see Deuteronomy 6:5; Jesus referred to this as the great commandment, see below) and to love others as they would love themselves. This verse is quoted by Jesus several times in the New Testament, calling it the second most important commandment. Jesus was often asked questions in an attempt to either stump Him or trap Him into saying something wrong. After the Jewish sect known as the Sadducees failed to entrap Jesus with a question about resurrection, their rivals tried with another question: “But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40, see also Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-37) This verse is also quoted by the apostle Paul (see Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14) and by James (see James 2:8).
Remember and Keep All of God's Regulations and Statutes
19:19 “You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.
From a human perspective some of God’s statutes may seem unnecessary or perhaps even trivial. If God was a human being, someone might suggest that He has an obsessive-compulsive disorder, a condition that requires everything to be in its place. Rest assured; God does not have OCD. While we may never fully understand God or His decisions, we can certainly see the dichotomy of reality[8], God’s truth and purity versus the world’s ideas and pollution of the truth.
The reason for these instructions may not be clear to the reader, but the overall purpose is to prevent truth from being mixed with error. Whether mixing cattle breeds, sowing two kinds of seed or making a garment out of two different materials, problems can arise when things are improperly mixed. For example, the KJV translates the last portion of this verse as: “Neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woolen come upon thee” (see also Deuteronomy 22:11). Anyone who has washed wool knows that the combination of linen and wool would be disastrous. Many of these statutes are straightforward and could possibly be considered “common sense,” but many situations are not as obvious, and therefore require clarity and guidance from God.[9]
19:20 “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction shall be made. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free; 21 but he shall bring his compensation to the LORD, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22 And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven for the sin that he has committed.
Rules regarding adultery are clear, “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.” (Leviticus 20:10-11) How does this regulation relate to a slave? A woman slave can be designated a wife or a concubine (or betrothed to marry)[10], which would then make them both guilty of adultery. However, if she is not betrothed, the rule may apply, “If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins.” (Exodus 22:16-17). The Hebrew word ‘biq·qō’·rěṯ’[11] (translated here as ‘distinction’), found only this one time in Scripture, may be the key to understand this passage. The word apparently indicates the need for an investigation, followed by compensation and possibly punishment (translated in the KJV as scourged). Here they would not be put to death because she is a slave. However, since the man committed a sin, he is to bring as compensation to YHWH, a ram for a guilt offering. A priest will then offer the ram to make atonement for him and he will be forgiven of the sin. There is no reference to compensate the owner of the slave woman, some believe that the man may be a slave himself, however that is speculation and does not apply for all potential scenarios as this verse implies.
19:23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the LORD your God.
Newly planted trees were to be allowed to grow before any fruit was to be removed or consumed. When the people came into the Promised Land and began to plant trees, they were to be attended to but not harvested for three years. On the fourth year all of tree’s fruit was to be considered holy and given to YHWH as an offering of praise. Beginning with the fifth year the fruit could be eaten. By following this protocol God will increase the harvest.
This section is referred to as ‘Orlah’ or “Orlah Fruit” (uncircumcised fruit) in the Mishnah, found under the tractate with the same name. The tractate offers several additional interpretations, clarifications, and exceptions, which are not referenced in Scripture.
19:26 “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes. 27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD.
Continuing with various prohibitions, some previously stated and others being new, the subject of eating meat with blood is repeated (see Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 3:17; 7:26; 17:10). No one was allowed to interpret omens (Hebrew word ‘ṯenǎ·ḥǎšû’,[12] to practice divination, see Genesis 30:27; 44:5, 15; Deuteronomy 18:10-14; 2 Kings 17:17)[13], or tell fortunes (Hebrew ‘ṯeô·nē’·nû’,[14] practice soothsaying, magic, or witchcraft, see Deuteronomy 18:10-14; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6).
There was also a prohibition against cutting “the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.” (Leviticus 19:27b, NIV) This is often considered some form of tonsure (the cutting or shaving a portion of hair on head as a sign of humility, from the Latin, meaning shearing, Catholic monks often shaved the top of the head, a practice that was abandoned in 1972), which may have been practiced by some of the surrounding pagan nations.
In addition to external, or outward appearances of false humility, no one was allowed to intentionally cut their bodies to mourn the dead or mark their bodies (the Hebrew that is translated here as ‘tattoo’, is two words, ‘ḵeṯō’·ḇěṯ’,[15] meaning to mark; and ‘qǎ·’ǎqǎ’,[16] referring to a mark, a tattoo, or a cut made by incision). It is believed that marking a body was done in honor of someone who had died, a practice that was now forbidden.
19:29 “Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity. 30 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
Prostitution was not ever allowed,[17] parents are warned here that if they force their daughter to be a prostitute, that the land will fall into prostitution and become full of depravity. Prostitution or whoring, as it is frequently translated, is a descriptor that is regularly employed in Scripture to describe unfaithful people. Unfaithfulness in thought, word or action, in a marriage or any other relationship, is generally the first step of a breakup that triggers the start of a decline in the relationship. The concept of whoring was most often applied to the people of Israel as they later pursued other gods and idolatry, being therefore unfaithful to God (see Exodus 34:15-16; Leviticus 20:5; Deuteronomy 31:16).
This is the second time the Hebrew word ‘zim·mā(h)’[18] is used in the Old Testament (first one was in Leviticus 18:17, also translated as ‘depravity’). While the word technically refers to a plan or purpose, it is rarely used in a favorable sense. In most applications (28 out of the 29 appearances in the Bible) it refers to evil plotting or some other wicked behavior. The word can also be translated as abomination, heinous, lewd, villainy, wickedness, sin, etc.
Near the beginning of this chapter the people of Israel were reminded to keep the Sabbath days, it is once again repeated here with the requirement to “reverence my sanctuary.” This is not an additional statute as keeping the Sabbaths does not require being in the vicinity of the Tabernacle. It is a statement that connects people’s obedience of God’s regulations, to be a form of reverence toward God (and for things considered holy by God, including the Tabernacle, which represented more than anything else at the time God’s desire to dwell among the people of Israel). The word translated here as ‘reverence’ is the Hebrew word ‘tî·rā’·û’,[19] meaning to respect.[20] Just as Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, that a Christian demonstrates respect and worships God through their obedience to Jesus.[21]
19:31 “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.
Just as God prohibited anyone from interpreting omens or telling fortunes (see verse 26), the people of Israel were not to seek the services of mediums (Hebrew ‘ō·ḇōṯ’,[22] meaning a conjured spirit, consulting the dead, speaking through a person) or necromancers (Hebrew ‘yid·deō·nîm’,[23] meaning a familiar spirit, a wizard, listener of the dead, etc.) In so doing not only made the person ceremonially unclean (and will be cut off from their community, see Leviticus 20:6), but they are likely attempting to avoid seeking God (like King Saul tried, see 1 Samuel 28:1-25) or have turned against God (like King Manasseh, see 2 Kings 21:6). Those that are mediums or necromancers are to be put to death (see Leviticus 20:27).
19:32 “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
In the theme of respecting others, God commands the people of Israel, “You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old. Fear your God; I am the LORD.” (CSB, see also Proverbs 20:29).
19:33 “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
On several occasions God has instructed that the people that are traveling through the Promised Land are to be treated well (see Exodus 22:21; 23:9). Here He tells them that they are to love them as they love themselves, for they were once strangers in the land of Egypt.
19:35 “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. 36 You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 And you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the LORD.”
The word translated as ‘judgment’ is the Hebrew word ‘miš·pāṭ’,[24] referring to a legal decision.[25] The context does not imply being fair in judging others in a general sense, it is a reference to being fair in providing the correct units of measure for length, weight, and count. Any apparatus used in measuring is to be accurate with fair and just weights, including the correct measure of an ephah[26] and the correct measure of a hin.[27]
This section closes with God once again reminding what He did for them, followed by the command to observe all His statutes and follow all His regulations.
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 457.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 2490.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 3951.
[4] See commentary under Exodus 20:16.
[5] See commentary under Exodus 20:7.
[6] See Considerations under Genesis chapter 39 regarding “Is Life Fair?”.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 7400.
[8] See commentary under Genesis 45:25-28.
[9] See commentary under Deuteronomy 22:9 regarding potential issues of mixing seeds when planting.
[10] See commentary under Exodus 21:7.
[11] Strong’s Hebrew 1244.
[12] Strong’s Hebrew 5172.
[13] See also commentary under Genesis 30:25-28.
[14] Strong’s Hebrew 6049.
[15] Strong’s Hebrew 3793.
[16] Strong’s Hebrew 7085.
[17] See commentary under Genesis 38:24-26, see also Deuteronomy 23:17.
[18] Strong’s Hebrew 2154.
[19] Strong’s Hebrew 3372.
[20] See commentary under Genesis 28:16-22.
[21] See the Connection to Romans 12 in the Introduction to Leviticus.
[22] Strong’s Hebrew 178.
[23] Strong’s Hebrew 3049.
[24] Strong’s Hebrew 4941.
[25] See commentaries under Exodus 21:1 and Leviticus 27:34.
[26] See Considerations under Genesis 18:16-21.
[27] See commentary under Exodus 29:40-42.