Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
Read it in contextKeep My Statutes
Start reading at Leviticus 19:19 (Leviticus 19:19 to Leviticus 19:37).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Instructions concerning blood, relationships, justice, and priests extend the call to holiness through the life of the people.
19:19Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
19:20And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.
19:21And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.
19:22And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.
19:23And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.
19:24But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal.
19:25And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.
19:26Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.
19:27Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
19:28Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
19:29Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
19:30Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
19:31Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.
19:32Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.
19:33And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.
19:34But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
19:35Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.
19:36Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.
19:37Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Moses is the traditional author, with the laws presented as the LORD's instructions given through him. Aaron and his sons are key recipients of priestly instructions, not alternate named authors. Biblical references: Leviticus 1:1; Leviticus 27:34. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Leviticus 17:1–20:27): Moses is to address Aaron, his sons, and the children of Israel concerning worship and holy conduct. The commands have Israel's covenant community as their immediate audience. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Israel under the Sinai covenant. Some instructions address the whole congregation; others specifically address Aaron and the priests. Biblical references: Leviticus 1:2; Leviticus 6:9; Leviticus 19:2. stated in the text
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? Keep My Statutes. Read Leviticus 19:19 through Leviticus 19:37 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Instructions concerning blood, relationships, justice, and priests extend the call to holiness through the life of the people. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The laws and priestly narratives are set in Israel's Sinai sanctuary setting. A modern date of composition is not given by a publication statement in the text. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? The tabernacle and Israel's camp form the main setting. Instructions about priests, offerings, houses, and the land have different immediate objects. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in Keep My Statutes (Leviticus 19:19 to Leviticus 19:37).
Start reading at Leviticus 19:19. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Hebrews explicitly relates the sacrificial and priestly order to Christ's priesthood and offering. Read the comparison in Hebrews rather than assigning an unsupported meaning to each ritual detail. See Hebrews 9:11, Hebrews 10:1, Hebrews 10:10. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Take worship, holiness, and the treatment of others seriously. Distinguish ritual uncleanness, moral wrongdoing, and the specific duties of priests; they are not interchangeable categories. interpretation
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Leviticus 19
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Leviticus presents the LORD's instructions to Moses for Israel, including priestly duties. A command's immediate audience, sanctuary setting, and covenant purpose should remain visible. The opening identifies Moses as the recipient of speech, not by itself as the narrator of every line. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. Instructions concerning blood, relationships, justice, and priests extend the call to holiness through the life of the people.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Instructions concerning blood, relationships, justice, and priests extend the call to holiness through the life of the people.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Leviticus
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Leviticus presents the LORD's instructions to Moses for Israel, including priestly duties. A command's immediate audience, sanctuary setting, and covenant purpose should remain visible. The opening identifies Moses as the recipient of speech, not by itself as the narrator of every line.
Connection to the wholeThe consecration and beginning of priestly service lead to an account of judgment, emphasizing the seriousness of distinguishing holy from common.
Connection to the wholeThese distinctions order Israel's life around the sanctuary; ritual uncleanness should not automatically be equated with a personal moral offense.
Connection to the wholeThe chapter brings priestly access, blood, and cleansing together in a recurring observance within the covenant's sacrificial order.