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Leviticus 20:16

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Leviticus 20:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Leviticus 20:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Leviticus 20

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
14And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
15And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
16And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
17And if a man shall take his sister, his father`s daughter, or his mother`s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister`s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
18And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath made naked her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother`s sister, nor of thy father`s sister; for he hath made naked his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
← Leviticus 20:15Leviticus 20:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, etc.] In order that the beast may lie with her, and solicit it to commit such an action with her, (see <031823>Leviticus 18:23); thou shall kill the woman and the beast: the woman by stoning, and the beast with clubs, as the Targum of Jonathan; and this for the same reasons as before, as well as to prevent monstrous births: they shall surely be put to death; both the one and the other, and not spared: their blood [shall be] upon them; they are guilty of a capital crime, a crime which deserves death; this must be understood of the man that lies with a beast, and of the woman; for as for the beast itself, as it is not capable of…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“And if a woman: We are assured by Herodotus (in Euterp) that the abominations here referred to existed among the Egyptians, and even formed part of their superstitious religious system, and we have reason to believe that they were not uncommon among the Canaanites. (See note on Lev 18:24, Lev 18:25). Need we wonder then, that God should have made laws of this nature, and appointed the punishment of death for these crimes? This one observation will account for many of those strange prohibitions which we find in the Mosaic law. and the beast: Exo 19:13, Exo 21:28, Exo 21:32; Heb 12:20 Leviticus 20:17”
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Related study paths

Read Leviticus 20 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification