Leviticus 19:29

29 “ ‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.

Leviticus 19:29 in Other Translations

KJV
29 Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
ESV
29 "Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity.
NLT
29 “Do not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be filled with prostitution and wickedness.
MSG
29 "Don't violate your daughter by making her a whore - the whole country would soon become a brothel, filled with sordid sex.
CSB
29 "Do not debase your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.

Leviticus 19:29 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 19:29

Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore,
&c.] Not by delaying to marry her, which is the sense the Jews give {l}, but it refers to a wicked practice among the Phoenicians or Canaanites, Athanasius F13 speaks of, whose women used to prostitute themselves in the temples of their idols; and to such filthy services, in a religious way, the Israelites, in imitation of them, are forbid to expose their daughters: such filthy practices, under a notion of religion, were committed at Babylon, Corinth, and other places; (See Gill on Micah 1:7); lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness:
of the wickedness of whoredom, both corporeal and spiritual, fornication and idolatry; both of which would be promoted by such abominable practices, and in process of time the land be filled with them.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 Targ. Jon. in loc. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 76. 1.
F13 Contra Gentes, p. 21.

Leviticus 19:29 In-Context

27 “ ‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
28 “ ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29 “ ‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
30 “ ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
31 “ ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Leviticus 21:9; Deuteronomy 23:18
  • 2. Genesis 34:7; Leviticus 21:9
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