19:2 You must be holy This command to be holy is rooted in the character of Yahweh. The following verses can be understood as way to demonstrate a commitment to holiness.

19:3 must revere your mother and your father The command to honor one’s parents (Exod 20:12) was critical to Israelite society—such a command was expected in a tribal, patriarchal culture.

you must keep my Sabbaths According to Exod 20:8–11, keeping the Sabbath meant to rest from work on that day; this became a defining characteristic of the community’s ethos.

19:4 idols The Hebrew word used here, elil, might be related to the Hebrew term al, meaning “nothing(ness)” (see Job 24:25). It also could be related to el, meaning “god, deity.”

19:5 for your acceptance Sacrifices must be offered appropriately, to ensure God’s acceptance of the worshiper. The following verses can be understood as steps to ensure acceptance.

19:7 it is unclean meat The Hebrew word used here, piggul, appears also in Lev 7:18 and refers to meat that is contaminated and ritually unclean.

19:8 the one who eats it shall bear his guilt There is an element of personal responsibility. Individuals are expected to adhere to these expectations and will suffer the consequences if they are violated.

shall be cut off from his people One of the most severe punishments leveled. It refers to the excommunication of people, perhaps even death. See note on 7:20.

19:9 you must not finish reaping the edge of your field Some of the produce was to be left in the field to provide food for poor people and travelers (compare Ruth 2:3–7).

the edge of The Hebrew word used here, pe'ah, can also mean “corner.” No size for the corner is specified. Jewish tradition called for 1/60th of the harvest to be left.

the remnants of Refers to what falls to the ground during reaping.

19:11 and you shall not deceive Both this phrase and the one following probably refer to the ninth commandment. For purging and restitution procedures for violators, see Lev 6:2–7.

19:12 you profane Refers to treating something as though it were not holy. In this context, profaning God’s name resulted when oaths were not kept.

19:13 You shall not exploit The Hebrew word used here, ashaq, refers to cheating or defrauding another. This sense is evident since it is paired with gazal, meaning “rob.”

a hired worker’s wage Do not withhold wages from whom they are due.

19:14 You shall not curse the deaf The Hebrew word for cursing used here, qalal, means “to treat lightly” or “treat with contempt”—the opposite of treating with respect. Speaking contemptuously about deaf people was especially dishonorable, since it took full advantage of the person’s disability.

a stumbling block before a blind person This command and the one immediately preceding it prohibit preying on someone’s disability. Deuteronomy 27:18 curses someone who misleads a blind person.

you shall revere your God Leviticus echoes the association of fear of Yahweh with obedience that is so prevalent to Deuteronomy.

19:15 You shall not do injustice in judgment Prohibits rendering an unfair decision—presumably by showing partiality despite the evidence. The command works both ways: neither rich nor poor were to be shown partiality in justice—justice was to be equal. See Exod 23:3.

Justice

19:16 slander This command prohibits financial or commercial fraud, but the Hebrew phrase used here might also be idiomatic for gossiping. Since the Hebrew term used here, rakhil, is associated with betrayal and corruption (see Jer 6:28; Ezek 22:9), this command may condemn acting in one’s own interest to the harm of one’s kinsman.

you shall not endanger your neighbor’s life Since the earlier part of the verse could refer to actively harming a kinsman, this phrase may condemn passivity when someone’s life is at risk. The prohibition against hating a brother follows this verse, possibly indicating that the present verse covers both active and passive harm.

19:17 You shall not hate your brother in your heart Commands against letting a negative attitude fester in the heart.

you shall surely rebuke your fellow citizen Instead of harboring ill feelings, open communication is the way of holiness.

19:18 You shall not seek vengeance Vengeance is the natural consequence of harboring ill feelings and grudge-bearing. Personal offenses must be rectified.

you shall love your neighbor like yourself Aside from loving God, this is the cardinal point of all the laws and personal holiness. It is the corrective to all the previous negative behaviors. In the nt, Jesus quotes this as the second greatest of all the commandments (Matt 22:39; Mark 12:31).

19:19 two differing kinds A similar command appears in Deut 22:9–11. There is no scientific reason for the prohibitions. The underlying rationale is imitation of God: These commands seek to avoid violating the separateness that God has woven into creation. What God has separated should not be mixed (compare Lev 20:25).

19:20 shall be Some sort of recompense or compensation is in view—possibly a bride price. Since the woman was a slave, the price would have been paid to her owner. The money could alternatively have gone to the fiancé in reparation for a broken engagement.

19:23 three years it shall be forbidden Since fruit trees bear little fruit in their early years, the required firstfruits offering was delayed to the fourth year (v. 24), likely the first opportunity for a good harvest. In the fourth year, all the fruit went to Yahweh (v. 24; compare 2:12–14). Israelites could keep the fruit in the fifth year.

19:24 fourth year The first year of substantive harvest is to be offered to Yahweh. Only after Yahweh receives His portion is the harvest open for general consumption.

19:26 You must not eat anything with the blood This verse initiates a short section on forbidden practices associated with Canaanite peoples. Consuming blood apparently was associated with idolatrous religious rituals, since the practice is juxtaposed with divination. On the proper method for the draining of blood, see 17:10–16. The prohibition against consuming blood was also given in 3:17 and 7:26–27.

shall you interpret signs Most techniques of soliciting knowledge from the divine world were off limits (see Deut 18:9–14.). Not all divination was forbidden to godly people, though (e.g., Gen 30:32–39; Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8).

Old Testament Theology and Divination

19:28 a tattoo’s mark The Hebrew text here is probably prohibiting bodily disfigurement (see 21:5; Deut 14:1) or practices connected to pagan mourning rites (compare Job 1:20; Isa 22:12). Bodily disfigurement is more likely, since it coheres with the general idea of not disrupting normalcy in the order of creation. Further, mourning itself is not condemned.

19:29 by making her a prostitute Since the immediate context concerns the sanctuary (Lev 19:30), this likely refers to devoting her to sacred prostitution (see Gen 38:15). Ezekiel 23:37 condemns Israel for doing what Lev 19:29–30 forbids.

19:30 You shall keep my Sabbaths The association of prostitution with an exhortation to honor the Sabbath may be a direct response to Canaanite worship practices.

19:31 You shall not turn to the mediums Refers to divination techniques (compare Deut 18:9–14). Divination was the solicitation of the unseen world for information. Mediums contacted or were possessed by nonhuman spirits (ovoth). Necromancy was the attempt to contact the human dead. See Lev 20:6; Deut 18:11.

Old Testament Theology and Divination

19:32 you shall show respect for an old person Israelites are commanded to respect their elders.

19:33 an alien dwells with you in your land Non-Israelites living peaceably in Israel (“resident aliens”) were not to be molested or ill-treated.

19:34 you were aliens in the land of Egypt The Israelites were sensitive toward the resident alien because of their own enslavement in Egypt.

19:35 measurement, in weight, or volume Fair trading and exchange was commanded for Israelite holiness.

19:36 honest balances, honest weights Deuteronomy 25:13–16 contains similar legislation on honest weights and measures. Ezekiel echoes this legislation in Ezek 45:10–12.