Leviticus 18:24 Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves.

Bible > Leviticus > Chapter 18 > Verse 24

◄ Leviticus 18:24 ►

New International Version
“’Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.

New Living Translation
“Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for the people I am driving out before you have defiled themselves in all these ways.

English Standard Version
“Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean,

Berean Standard Bible
Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves.

King James Bible
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

New King James Version
‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you.

New American Standard Bible
‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these things the nations which I am driving out from you have become defiled.

NASB 1995
‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.

NASB 1977
‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.

Legacy Standard Bible
‘So do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.

Amplified Bible
‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.

Christian Standard Bible
“Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves by all these things.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves by all these things.

American Standard Version
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out from before you;

Contemporary English Version
Don't make yourselves unclean by any of these disgusting practices of those nations that I am forcing out of the land for you. They made themselves

English Revised Version
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out from before you:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations which I am forcing out of your way have become unclean.

Good News Translation
Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these acts, for that is how the pagans made themselves unclean, those pagans who lived in the land before you and whom the LORD is driving out so that you can go in.

International Standard Version
"You are not to defile yourselves by doing any of these things, since all of these nations that I'm casting out before you have defiled themselves this way.

Majority Standard Bible
Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves.

NET Bible
"'Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before you have been defiled with all these things.

New Heart English Bible
"'Do not defile yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled.

Webster's Bible Translation
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

World English Bible
“‘Don’t defile yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
Do not defile yourselves with all these, for with all these the nations have been defiled which I am sending away from before you;

Young's Literal Translation
'Ye are not defiled with all these, for with all these have the nations been defiled which I am sending away from before you;

Smith's Literal Translation
Ye shall not be defiled in any of these, for in all these the nations were defiled which I send out from your face.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Defile not yourselves with any of these things with which all the nations have been defiled, which I will cast out before you,

Catholic Public Domain Version
Do not pollute yourselves with any of these things, by which all of the nations, which I will cast out in your sight, have been contaminated

New American Bible
Do not defile yourselves by any of these things, because by them the nations whom I am driving out of your way have defiled themselves.

New Revised Standard Version
Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for by all these practices the nations I am casting out before you have defiled themselves.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
Do not defile yourselves in any of these things; for it was in all these that the nations are defiled which I am casting out before you;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Do not be defiled in any of these things, because in these things all the nations are defiled which I drove out from before you:

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations are defiled, which I cast out from before you.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for in all these things the nations are defiled, which I drive out before you,

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Unlawful Sexual Relations
…23You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion. 24Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. 25Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Deuteronomy 18:9-12
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. / Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, / casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead. ...

Deuteronomy 12:31
You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

Deuteronomy 9:4-5
When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness. / It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

1 Kings 14:24
There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Kings 16:3
Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Kings 21:2
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Kings 21:11
“Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to sin,

2 Chronicles 28:3
Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 33:2
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 33:9
So Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.

Jeremiah 10:2
This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them.

Ezekiel 20:30-31
Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did, prostituting yourselves with their abominations? / When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you!

Ezekiel 16:47
And you not only walked in their ways and practiced their abominations, but soon you were more depraved than they were.

Ezekiel 16:50
Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them, as you have seen.

Romans 1:24-27
Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. / They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen. / For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ...

Treasury of Scripture

Defile not you yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

Defile

Leviticus 18:6-23,30
None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD…

Jeremiah 44:4
Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.

Matthew 15:18-20
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man…

for

Leviticus 20:22,23
Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out…

Deuteronomy 12:31
Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

Deuteronomy 18:12
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

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Leviticus 18

1. Unlawful marriages and unlawful lusts

Berean Study Bible

Do not defile yourselves
The Hebrew word for "defile" is "טָמֵא" (tamei), which means to become unclean or impure. In the context of Leviticus, this term often refers to ritual impurity, but it also encompasses moral and ethical corruption. The command is a call to holiness, urging the Israelites to maintain purity in their conduct and worship. This reflects the broader biblical theme of being set apart for God, as seen in 1 Peter 1:16, "Be holy, because I am holy."

by any of these practices
The "practices" refer to the specific prohibitions listed earlier in Leviticus 18, which include various forms of sexual immorality and idolatry. These actions are not merely personal sins but are seen as communal transgressions that can corrupt the entire nation. The Hebrew word "מַעֲשֶׂה" (ma'aseh) implies deeds or actions, emphasizing that holiness is demonstrated through behavior.

for by all these things
This phrase underscores the comprehensive nature of the defilement. The Hebrew "כָּל" (kol) means "all" or "every," indicating that each prohibited act contributes to the overall corruption. It serves as a warning that even seemingly minor transgressions can lead to significant spiritual decay.

the nations I am driving out before you
The "nations" refer to the Canaanite peoples inhabiting the Promised Land before the Israelites' arrival. Historically, these nations were known for their idolatrous practices and moral depravity, which are documented in various ancient Near Eastern texts. God's judgment upon them serves as a cautionary tale for Israel, illustrating the consequences of turning away from divine commandments.

have defiled themselves
The phrase "have defiled themselves" indicates a completed action with ongoing consequences. The Canaanites' defilement led to their expulsion from the land, serving as a divine judgment. This historical context reinforces the principle that sin has tangible repercussions, both spiritually and physically. The Israelites are thus reminded of their covenantal responsibility to uphold God's standards to avoid a similar fate.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(24) Defile not ye yourselves.--The Lawgiver who solemnly introduced these precepts by five verses of preamble at the beginning of the chapter (Leviticus 18:1-5), now concludes by an equally solemn appeal to God's people sacredly to observe them in all their integrity, since the violation of them (Leviticus 18:6-23) has branded those nations with infamy, and brought about their national destruction, and expulsion from the very land which is now to be given to the Israelites.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 24-30. - These verses contain a warning against the sins of incest and impurity already specified. The reason why the Canaanites were east out before the Israelites was that they were defiled in all these things,... and the land was defiled by them. God visited the iniquity of these debased races, and the land itself vomited out her inhabitants on account of their abominations. The fate of the Canaanites was therefore a witness to them of what would be their fate if they did like them. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things.... Ye shall not commit any of these abominations,... that the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it. Special penalties are appointed for particular sins further on. Here there are but two punishments denounced, one for individual sinners, the other national. The individual sinner is to be cut off from the nation by excommunication, For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. The nation, if it does not thus purify itself by cutting off from itself the authors of these corruptions, is to perish like the Canaanites. The words vomiteth (verse 25) and spued out (verse 28) are in that tense of the Hebrew verb which is generally called by grammarians a preterite, but this tense does not necessarily imply a past time; the time referred to depends on the context. The previous verbs, "I cast out," "I do visit," being present in sense, the two verbs, "vomiteth out (her inhabitants)," and "spued out (the nations that were before you)," are present also (see Introduction).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

defile
תִּֽטַּמְּא֖וּ (tiṭ·ṭam·mə·’ū)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean

yourselves by any
בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

of these practices,
אֵ֑לֶּה (’êl·leh)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

for
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

by all
בְכָל־ (ḇə·ḵāl-)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

these things
אֵ֙לֶּה֙ (’êl·leh)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

the nations
הַגּוֹיִ֔ם (hag·gō·w·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

I
אֲנִ֥י (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

am driving out
מְשַׁלֵּ֖חַ (mə·šal·lê·aḥ)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

before you
מִפְּנֵיכֶֽם׃ (mip·pə·nê·ḵem)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

have defiled themselves.
נִטְמְא֣וּ (niṭ·mə·’ū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean

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OT Law: Leviticus 18:24 Don't defile yourselves in any of these (Le Lv Lev.)