23:15 “‘You must count for yourselves seven weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day you bring the wave offering sheaf; they must be complete weeks. 33 23:16 You must count fifty days – until the day after the seventh Sabbath – and then 34 you must present a new grain offering to the Lord.
26:18 “‘If, in spite of all these things, 41 you do not obey me, I will discipline you seven times more on account of your sins. 42
26:23 “‘If in spite of these things 43 you do not allow yourselves to be disciplined and you walk in hostility against me, 44
1 tn The words “This is” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied due to requirements of English style.
2 tn Heb “for your generations”; NAB “for your descendants”; NLT “for you and all your descendants.”
3 tn Heb “all fat and all blood you must not eat.”
4 tn Heb “and any blood you must not eat in any of your dwelling places, to the bird and to the animal.”
5 tn Heb “which the
6 tn Heb “and the glory of the
7 tn Heb “to be to you for a God.”
8 tn See the note on v. 29 above.
9 tn Compare v. 29a above.
10 tn Heb “all/any person from you shall not eat blood.”
11 tn Heb “and the sojourner, the one sojourning in your midst, shall not eat blood.”
12 tn Heb “My regulations you shall do”; KJV, NASB “my judgments”; NRSV “My ordinances”; NIV, TEV “my laws.”
sn The Hebrew term translated “regulation” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) refers to the set of regulations about to be set forth in the following chapters (cf. Lev 19:37; 20:22; 25:18; 26:46). Note especially the thematic and formulaic relationships between the introduction here in Lev 18:1-5 and the paraenesis in Lev 20:22-26, both of which refer explicitly to the corrupt nations and the need to separate from them by keeping the
13 tn Heb “and my statutes you shall keep [or “watch; guard”] to walk in them.”
14 tn The verbal negative here is the same as that used in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:4-5, 7, 13-17). It suggests permanent prohibition rather than a simple negative command and could, therefore, be rendered “must not” here and throughout the following section as it is in vv. 3-4 above.
15 tn Heb “The nakedness of your father and [i.e., even] the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover.”
sn Commentators suggest that the point of referring to the father’s nakedness is that the mother’s sexuality belongs to the father and is forbidden to the son on that account (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 120, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 294). The expression may, however, derive from the shame of nakedness when exposed. If one exposes his mother’s nakedness to himself it is like openly exposing the father’s nakedness (cf. Gen 9:22-23 with the background of Gen 2:25 and 3:7, 21). The same essential construction is used in v. 10 where the latter explanation makes more sense than the former.
16 tn Heb “you must not draw near to his wife.” In the context this refers to approaching one’s aunt to have sexual intercourse with her, so this has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 tn As in v. 12 (see the note there), some
18 tn Heb “And from your seed you shall not give to cause to pass over to Molech.” Smr (cf. also the LXX) has “to cause to serve” rather than “to cause to pass over.” For detailed remarks on Molech and Molech worship see N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCBC), 87-88; P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 259-60; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 333-37, and the literature cited there. It could refer to either human sacrifice or a devotion of children to some sort of service of Molech, perhaps of a sexual sort (cf. Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kgs 23:10, etc.). The inclusion of this prohibition against Molech worship here may be due to some sexual connection of this kind, or perhaps simply to the lexical link between זֶרַע (zera’) meaning “seed, semen” in v. 20 but “offspring” in v. 21.
19 tn Heb “and you shall not profane.” Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
20 tn Heb “A man his mother and his father you [plural] shall fear.” The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain Targum
21 tn Heb “And you shall not swear to the falsehood.”
22 tn Heb “and you shall not profane”; NAB “thus profaning.”
23 tn Heb “You shall not oppress your neighbor and you shall not rob.”
24 tn Heb “hold back with you”; perhaps “hold back for yourself” (cf. NRSV “keep for yourself”).
25 tn Heb “You shall not curse a deaf [person] and before a blind [person] you shall not put a stumbling block.”
26 tn Heb “And you shall fear.” Many English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV) regard the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) as adversative in force here (“but”).
27 tn Heb “and you shall not retain [anger?].” This line seems to refer to the retaining or maintaining of some vengeful feelings toward someone. Compare the combination of the same terms for taking vengeance and maintaining wrath against enemies in Nahum 1:2 (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305).
28 sn Some scholars make a distinction between the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) with the direct object and the more unusual construction with the preposition לְ (lamed) as it is here and in Lev 19:34 and 2 Chr 19:2 only. If there is a distinction, the construction here probably calls for direct and helpful action toward one’s neighbor (see the discussion in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305, and esp. 317-18). Such love stands in contrast to taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against someone and, in NT terms, amounts to fulfilling the so-called “golden rule” (Matt 7:12).
29 sn Compare Lev 21:20b.
30 tn Heb “for your acceptance” (see the notes on Lev 1:3-4 and 22:19 above).
31 tn Heb “And you shall make in the day of your waving the sheaf.”
32 tn Heb “a flawless lamb, a son of its year”; KJV “of the first year”; NLT “a year-old male lamb.”
33 tn Heb “seven Sabbaths, they shall be complete.” The disjunctive accent under “Sabbaths” precludes the translation “seven complete Sabbaths” (as NASB, NIV; cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT). The text is somewhat awkward, which may explain why the LXX tradition is confused here, either adding “you shall count” again at the end of the verse, or leaving out “they shall be,” or keeping “they shall be” and adding “to you.”
34 tn Heb “and.” In the translation “then” is supplied to clarify the sequence.
35 tn Heb “for your generations.”
36 tn Heb “the land shall rest a Sabbath.”
37 tn The meaning of the terms rendered “interest” and “profit” is much debated (see the summaries in P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 354-55 and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 178). Verse 37, however, suggests that the first refers to a percentage of money and the second percentage of produce (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 421).
38 tn In form the Hebrew term וְחֵי (vÿkhey, “shall live”) is the construct plural noun (i.e., “the life of”), but here it is used as the finite verb (cf. v. 35 and GKC 218 §76.i).
39 tn Heb “to be to you for a God.”
40 tn See the note on Lev 25:6 above.
41 tn Heb “And if until these.”
42 tn Heb “I will add to discipline you seven [times] on your sins.”
43 tn Heb “And if in these.”
44 tn Heb “with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in vv. 24 and 27.
45 tn Heb “in rage of hostility with you”; NASB “with wrathful hostility”; NRSV “I will continue hostile to you in fury”; CEV “I’ll get really furious.”
46 tn Heb “and I will empty sword” (see HALOT 1228 s.v. ריק 3).