Structural Analysis, Leviticus 20

Leviticus 18 is about sex. Leviticus 20 goes over the same ground, but it’s about death. The phrase “dying you shall die” from Genesis 3 is used repeatedly in the passage, nine times. The verb “die” is used 20x. Let’s look a bit at the structure of chapter 20.

Verses 1-5 form the first unit, flanked by references to Molech. The first line of verse 1 warns against giving seed to Molech, while the last uses the phrase “play the harlot with” Molech. The link is important, since “give seed” can have a sexual connotation ( 18:20 ) as well as a connotation of idolatry. Israel is required to carry out the death penalty against the idolater, by stoning, but this is backed up by the Lord’s threat to “cut off” the person from Israel:

A. give seed to Molech

B. stone

C. I will set My face and cut off

D. seed to Molech

E. defile sanctuary and profane name

D’. people of land: disregard one who gives seed to Molech

C’. I will set My set face against man and family

B’. I will cut off cut off from among people

A’. playing harlot after Molech

The remainder of the chapter can be seen as a large unit. Verse 6 is linked to the previous verse by the use of “play the harlot.” The harlotry is different – Molech v. the spiritists and mediums – but the verb brings the two together. Verse 6 also forms the first part of a frame for the whole chapter, since it refers to mediums and spiritists, a concern that is taken up again at the very end of the chapter (v. 27). Also framing the whole section are references to Yahweh’s name, and to His holiness and the consecration of Israel (vv. 7-8, 24, 26). Verses 6-8 in fact form a chiastic inclusio with verses 22, 26-27:

A. mediums and spiritists: harlot; Lord cuts off, v 6

B. consecrate and be holy: I am Yahweh, v 7

C. keep statutes and do them: I am Yahweh who sanctifies, v 8

C’. keep statutes, v 22

B’. be holy: I Yahweh am holy, v 26

A’. Medium of spiritist: stoned with stones, v 27

Within this section, verses 6-17, are a number of smaller sections. Verses 6-8 form a section by themselves, not only because they frame the whole but because they are not dealing with the sexual sins that the rest of the chapter focuses on. But this section links in with the previous and following sections. It is neatly tied up. Verse 6 uses the phrase “I will set My face” as the previous section did, and also the phrase “cut off,” also found in the previous section (vv. 3, 5). The repetition of “I am Yahweh” links these verses to the end of the chapter, as I’ve suggested.

The next section is verses 9-21, which includes penalties for 13 different forms of mostly sexual sin. This section is subdivided into two sections. The first section uses the word “blood” or “bloodguilt” a number of times, but after verse 16 that language is not used again. It is taken over instead by the terminology of “bearing guilt” or “bearing sin.” Verses 17 and 21, further, both use the verb “takes”, and that helps to frame that section. There is not a dramatic break, but there do appear to be two sections here. The arrangement of the sexual crimes is important here. In chapter 18, we saw, the list moves from blood relations, to blood relations that are combined with marriage, to sexual relations in which no flesh relation is involved. That meant that adultery took the last place in the list. But here adultery is the first sexual crime that is addressed. The issue is more the boundary that is established by marriage than the boundary established by flesh.

1. curse father or mother, v 9: death, blood

2. adultery, v 10: both put to death

3. lies with father’s wife, v 11: nakedness; both put to death; blood

4. lies with daughter-in-law, v 12; TEBEL; blood

5. lies with male, v 13: abomination

6. takes woman and mother, v 14: ZIMMAH; burned

7. man lies with animal, v 15: put to death, with animal

8. woman approaches animal, 16: kill both; blood

9. man takes sister, sees nakedness, v 17; HESED : cut off; bears guilt

10. man lies with menstruant, v 18: uncovers nakedness

11. uncover nakedness of aunt, v 19: bear guilt

12. lies with uncle’s wife, v 20: uncovered nakedness; bear sin

13. takes brother’s wife, v 21: NIDDAH ; uncovered nakedness; bear sin

The final section of the passage is concerned more generally with keeping the statutes and commandments of Yahweh, and protecting the sexual mores of Israel , so that Israel is not spewed from the land (vv. 22-27). These verses seem to fall out in two sections. First, there is a section going from verse 22 to the end of verse 24. It begins with an exhortation to keep the Lord’s statutes, but the rest is a justification of this exhortation, and it is structured as a chiasm:

A. Keep statutes and ordinances, v 22a

A. Land will not spew out, v 22b

B. Not follow customs of nations which I drive out, v 23a

B’. They did these things: I abhorred them, v 23b

A’. Possess land , and I give to you t

o possess; land of milk and honey, v 24

The next section is framed by references to Yahweh separating and setting apart Israel as His own people:

A. I am Yahweh your God, 24b

B. I separated you from peoples, 24c

C. You make separations between clean/unclean, 25

D. Animals birds, 25

E. You shall not make yourself detestable

D’. Animals birds or creepers

C’. Separated as unclean

B’. Holy to me

A’. For I Yahweh am holy; I have set you apart

This gets us to the following overall outline of chapter 20. This gives us a few insights into the purpose of the laws. At the center is the guilt or sin of Israel . Those who violate the restrictions and boundaries that surround Israelite sexual activity will bear their guilt. That means at least that no one else will bear their guilt. If they had a guilt-bearer, their guilt might be borne away. But they don’t, and that means that if they are not punished, if anyone “turns their eyes away” from judging, then Israel ’s land is going to be defiled.

A. vv 1-6: seed to Molech, mediums and spiritists

B. vv 7-8: I am Yahweh who sanctifies

C. vv. 9-16: blood

D. vv 17-21: bear guilt

C’. vv 22-24a: keep ordinances, possess land

B’. vv 24b-26: separated, therefore make separations

A’. v 27: medium or spiritist

Finally, we can suggest that the two chapters that bookend chapter 19 might be inverses of each other, mirror images. At least there are hints of this.

A. 18:3: what is done by Egypt and Canaan

B. 18:4-5: do my statutes and judgments

-18:4: Yahweh your God

C. 18:7-18: incestuous

D. 18:19 -23: menstruation, adultery, bestiality, homosexuality , Molech

-18:22 : homosexual/abomination

-18:23 : TEBEL/Bestiality

-18:20 : adultery virtually last on the list

E. 18:21: seed to Molech

Yahweh your God

F. 18:21, 24-30: profane name, defile

CHAPTER 19