Preface:    The chapter of Leviticus speaks to the perverted worship of Molech, along with the sexual sins which would not be allowed in Israel. Furthermore, there would be specific punishments laid out for such offenses in this chapter.

The Bible Summary of Leviticus 20 (in 140 characters or less): Anyone who worships Molech, curses their parents, commits adultery or has sex with a man shall be put to death. You shall be holy.

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Leviticus. This will be the most extensive examination of Leviticus 20, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 20:

Introduction

         vv.     1–

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Leviticus 20 (by various commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Leviticus 20 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Leviticus 20

         Introduction         The Prequel of Leviticus 20

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Principals of Leviticus 20

         Introduction         The Places of Leviticus 20

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         Timeline for Leviticus 20

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Leviticus 20

         Introduction         Outlines of Leviticus 20 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Leviticus 20 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Leviticus 1–15)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions (for Leviticus 20)

         Introduction 

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         v.       3              Child Sacrifice to Molech (a graphic)

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Summary            Why Leviticus 20 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Leviticus 20

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Leviticus 20

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Leviticus 20

         Summary 

         Addendum          Extensive Footnote on Molek (from the Heritage Bible)

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Leviticus 20

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Leviticus 20

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Leviticus 20

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Leviticus 20

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An Introduction to Leviticus 20

I ntroduction: Leviticus 20 is mostly a list a sexual sins. God designed sex and He also designed the playground for sex. This is strictly between a man and his wife. Everything else is forbidden. You may have noticed that fundamental to many Hollywood films is this or that violation of this chapter of Leviticus.

One of the interesting things about this chapter—particular the sex section—is that it is not all that interesting. That is, few people read this and are titillated, nor do the contents of this section of Leviticus 20 provide any surprises. Most of us have simply accepted these limitations when it comes to marriage partners. So, even though most people have never read these words in Leviticus ever, they still happen to pretty much agree with them. It is only most recently that our society has come to accept homosexuality as normal and okay (it is not normal and it is not okay). In the 20^th century, despite there being a homosexual movement, it was not necessarily embraced by the average person. No one wanted their son to come out and say, “I am gay.” In Hollywood today, I suppose that might be a status symbol.

Up until now, we have learned what is a violation of God's law and what causes a person to become unclean. In Leviticus 20, we see the punishment for certain acts of sin.

Timeline for Leviticus

There is very little narrative in the book of Leviticus; so this information may have been given to Moses in a few days or, at most, a few weeks; and Moses both wrote these things down and informed the people. Because of information previously studied in the introduction, we are not 100% certain if all of this material was given to Moses while in the newly erected Tabernacle. I would lean towards that being the case.

As I have done previously, since this chapters is what God is saying to Moses, I will begin and end the chapter with quotation marks. I will not insert a new set of quotation marks for each new paragraph.

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Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac (= Aramaic) and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The comparisons which I do are primarily between the English translations which are taken from the ancient tongues. For the most part, the variances are so minor that I rarely investigate them any further than that.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_Leviticus.html and first published in 1862.

Occasionally, there is an obvious error in the English translation, and I correct those without additional mention or footnoting. For instance, the online version of the Targum of Onkelos which I use has gorund in Ex. 4:9; I simply corrected the text. This may occur once or twice in a chapter.

I attempt to include translations which are different in their vocabulary and phrasing. On many occasions, I may include a translation which is not substantially different than another listed translation.

Most of the translations can be found here.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so Y^ehowah speaks unto Moses, to say, “And unto sons of Israel you will say, ‘A man, a man from sons of Israel and from a sojourner sojourning in Israel who gives from his seed to Molech—dying, he will be executed. People of the land will execute him by stoning with the stone.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum (Onkelos)                  . Translation for Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. (1862).

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: If any man of the children Israel, or of the strangers that dwell in Israel, give of his seed to the idol Moloch, dying let him die. The people of the land shall stone him.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Mar-Yah spoke to Mosha, saying,

"Moreover, you shall tell the B'nai Yisrael, 'Anyone of the B'nai Yisrael, or of the strangers who live as foreigners in Yisrael, who gives any of his seed to Molech; he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           .

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

You shall also say to the children of Israel, If there shall be any of the children of Israel, or of those who have become proselytes in Israel, who shall give of his seed to Moloch, let him be surely put to death; the nation upon the land shall stone him with stones.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And the Lord said to Moses, 

Again, say to the children of Israel, If any man of the children of Israel, or any other man living in Israel, gives his offspring to Molech, he is certainly to be put to death: he is to be stoned by the people of the land; 

And my face will be turned against that man, and he will be cut off from his people; because he has given his offspring to Molech, making my holy place unclean, and making my holy name common. V. 3 is included for context.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  The LORD said to Moses, "You must also tell the Israelites these things: Anyone living in Israel who gives one of their children to the false god Molech must be killed! It doesn't matter if they are a citizen of Israel or a foreigner, you must throw stones at them and kill them.

God’s Word™                         The LORD spoke to Moses, "Tell the Israelites: If Israelites or foreigners living among you give one of their children as a sacrifice to the god Molech, they must be put to death. The common people must stone them to death.

Good News Bible (TEV)         The LORD told Moses to say to the people of Israel, "Any of you or any foreigner living among you who gives any children to be used in the worship of the god Molech shall be stoned to death by the whole community.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       The LORD told Moses to say to the community of Israel: Death by stoning is the penalty for any citizens or foreigners in the country who sacrifice their children to the god Molech.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

UnfoldingWord (Simplified)    Yahweh also said this to Moses: "Tell the Israelite people, 'Any Israelite or any foreigner who is living in Israel who sacrifices any of his children as an offering to the idol Molech must die. The people of the town must kill him by throwing stones at him.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

Translation for Translators     .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Christian Standard Bible        .

Berean Study Bible                .

Conservapedia                       .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

And you shall say to the children of Israel, Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the foreigners who lodges in Israel, who gives his seed to Molek, being put to death, he shall be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

International Standard V        Prohibiting Child Sacrifice

The Lord spoke to Moses, “Tell the Israelis that when an Israeli or a resident alien [Or foreigner who lives with you] who lives in Israel offers [Or gives] his child to Molech, he is certainly to be put to death. [Lit. to die, he’ll die] The people who live in the land are to stone him with stones.

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Word Literal Text   Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Say to the people of Israel, 'Anyone among the people of Israel, or any foreigner who lives in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech, must certainly be put to death. The people in the land must stone him with stones.

Urim-Thummim Version         YHWH spoke to Moses saying, And to the children of Israel you will say, Any man of the sons of Israel, and of the foreigners who are residing in Israel, who give of their offspring to Molech will certainly be put to death, the people of the land will stone him with stones.

Wikipedia Bible Project          And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying: And to the sons of Israel, say:
Each man from the sons of Israel and from the stranger who will give of his seed to Molech, will be killed dead. The people of the land will stone him with stones.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Some punishments

• 1 Yahweh spoke to Moses 2 saying,

“To the Israelites you shall say this:

Any man from the people of Israel or from among the aliens living in Israel who gives any of his children for the Molech sacrifice, shall be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him.

• 20.1 This chapter lists penalties corresponding to the previously listed faults. In some cases, human justice punishes. In others, people are threatened with God’s curse.

Chapters 21 and 22 deal with the responsibilities and privileges of the priests. All these details may seem too external and foreign to the authentic sanctity which the priestly office re quires. But, in those days, these prescriptions were valuable teaching and they still teach us about the sacredness of serving the Lord.

New American Bible(2011)    .

The Catholic Bible                  .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989            .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Kaplan Translation                 . The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Leviticus through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

The Scriptures–2009              And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Say to the children of Yisra’ěl, ‘Any man of the children of Yisra’ěl, or of the strangers who sojourn in Yisra’ěl, who gives any of his offspring to Mole?, shall certainly be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.

Tree of Life Version                Adonai spoke to Moses saying: “Moreover, you are to tell Bnei-Yisrael: Anyone from Bnei-Yisrael or from the outsiders dwelling in Israel, who gives any of his children to Molech, should surely be put to death. The people of the land are to stone him with rocks.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            AND JESUS SPOKE TO MOSES, SAYING,

“YOU SHALL ALSO SAY TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, ‘IF THERE SHALL BE ANY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, OR OF THOSE WHO HAVE BECOME PROSELYTES IN ISRAEL, WHO SHALL GIVE OF HIS SEED TO MOLOCH, LET HIM BE SURELY PUT TO DEATH; THE NATION UPON THE LAND SHALL STONE HIM WITH STONES.*

Awful Scroll Bible                   Sustains To Become was to speak to Moses, to the intent:

You was to say to the sons of Contends-with-he-mighty: A man of the sons of Contends-with-he-mighty or a nonnative sojourning in Contends-with-he-mighty who was to offer of his seed to Molech, was to die a dying, even the people of the solid grounds were to stone him with stones.

Concordant Literal Version    Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.

To the sons of Israel you shall say, Any man of the sons of Israel and of the sojourners sojourning in Israel who should give any of his seed to Moloch shall be put to death, yea death. The people of the land shall pelt him with stones;"

I Myself shall set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people (for he has given of his seed to Moloch) on account of the defilement of My sanctuary and the profanation of My holy name. V. 3 is included for context.

exeGeses companion Bible   ON IDOLATRY

And Yah Veh words to Mosheh, saying,

And to the sons of Yisra El, say,

Any man of the sons of Yisra El

or of the sojourners sojourning in Yisra El,

who gives any of his seed to Molech;

in deathifying, deathify him:

the people of the land stone him with stones.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

Again, thou shalt say to the Bnei Yisroel, Whosoever he be of the Bnei Yisroel, or of the ger that sojourn in Yisroel, that giveth any of his zera unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death; the Am HaAretz shall stone him with stones.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            Molech Worship and Spiritism

Then [Or “And”] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

“And to the Israelites [Literally “sons/children of Israel”] you shall say, ‘If there is anyone [Literally “a man a man”] from the Israelites [Literally “sons/children of Israel”] or [Or “and”] from the alien who is dwelling in Israel, who gives any of [Literally “from”] his offspring to Molech, he must surely be put to death; the people of the land must stone him with stones. [Hebrew “the stone”]

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 Penalties

God spoke to Moses, telling him to

say the following to the Israelites:

If any person, whether a [born] Israelite or a proselyte who joins Israel, gives any of his children to Molech, he must be put to death. The local people must pelt him to death with stones.

pelt him to death...

by a duly ordained Sanhedrin. Since there is no such ordination today, death penalties are not imposed.

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible(2011)    .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. And Yahweh spake unto Mosesˎ saying:

<Unto the sons of Israel> thereforeˎ shalt thou say,

<||What man soever|| there may be of the sons of Israelˎ or of the sojourners that sojourn in Israelˎ that giveth of his seed unto Molech>^a he shall ||surely be put to death||,—||the people of the land|| shall stone him with stones; ||Iˎ also|| will set my face against that man, and will cut him off out of the midst of his people,—because <of his seed> hath he given unto Molech,^b seeing that he hath made unclean my sanctuary, even to the extent of profaning my holyʹ name. V. 3 is included for context.

^a Or: “unto the Idol-king.”

^b See ver. 2, n.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Thou shalt also say to the children of Israel, If any of the children of Israel, or of those who have become proselytes among Israel, shall give any of his seed to an Archon let him be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones: and as for me I will myself set my face against that man, and destroy him from among his people, because he hath given of his seed to an Archon, to pollute my holy things, and to profane the name of those who have been hallowed to me. V. 3 is included for context.

Context Group Version          .

English Standard Version      .

Green’s Literal Translation    And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, And you shall say to the sons of Israel, Any man of the sons of Israel, and of the aliens who are living in Israel, who gives of his seed to Molech dying shall die. The people of the land shall stone him with stones!

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying, “And you say to the sons of Israel: Any man of the sons of Israel, and of the sojourners who is sojourning in Israel, who gives to the Molech from his seed, is certainly put to death; the people of the land stone him with stone; and I set My face against that man, and have cut him off from the midst of his people, for he has given to the Molech from his seed, so as to defile My sanctuary, and to defile My holy Name. V. 3 is included for context.

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Moreover, you will say to the sons of Israel, Any man, a man of the sons of Israel, or of the strangers that journey in Israel, who gives of his seed to Molech, he will surely be put to death. The people of the land will stone him with stones.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and YHWH spoke to Mosheh saying, and to the sons of Yisra'eyl you will say, each man from the sons of Yisra'eyl and from the immigrant immigrating in Yisra'eyl, who give from his seed to Molekh, he will certainly be killed, the people of the land will kill him by stoning with the stone,...

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      . executed

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young's Updated LT              .

The gist of this passage: 

Translation: Y^ehowah speaks to Moses saying,...

Given the way that this is presented, it appears that God would speak to Moses every few days and provide him with more things to say to the people of Israel.

Leviticus 20:1–2a Y^ehowah speaks to Moses saying, “Also to the sons of Israel, you will say,... (Kukis mostly literal translation)

What is amazing is the one book which is almost entirely a word-for-word quote from Jesus Christ is one of the least read and least understood books of the Bible; written off, as I have mentioned, by some as dry and technical (the implication being that spending time there was not worth the bother).

Translation: ...“Also to the sons of Israel, you will say,...

Moses is told to speak to the people of Israel. He cannot speak to 2 million people (or 700,000 adult males), so a system was worked out by which this information was spoken to the people of Israel.

Leviticus 20:1–2a Y^ehowah speaks to Moses saying, “Also to the sons of Israel, you will say,... (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Translation: ...‘[If] any man from the sons or Israel or from an immigrant living in Israel who gives from his children [lit., seed] to Molech [as a sacrifice], he will certainly be executed.

One of the worst practices of the people of Canaan was, they had a statue of Molech and a fire burning below his outstretched arms, and live babies would be placed into these burning hot arms to die. Often, those offering their children would engage in sexual relations while the child was screaming before it died.

This is one of the reasons that God destroyed the Canaanites of the land. They had sick practices like this.

Translation: The people of the land will execute him by stoning [him] with stones. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Any person who followed these evil practices taking place in the land would be executed.

Leviticus 20:2b-c ...‘[If] any man from the sons or Israel or from an immigrant living in Israel who gives from his children [lit., seed] to Molech [as a sacrifice], he will certainly be executed. The people of the land will execute him by stoning [him] with stones. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

I don't believe that we have seen much in the way of consequences yet. When someone became unclean, instructions were given him to become clean once again. However, here, not only is some religion spoken ill of, but it is punishable by death. here, the giving to Molech of children is not as a future temple prostitute, but as a human sacrifice to appease Molech.

The type of death penalty is interesting. Here, the death is a community effort. It takes more than just one person throwing stones. It would require at least a handful of men in order for this to be successful. One man picking up and throwing several stones would just take far too long. This meant that not only did it have to be decided that the death penalty was the reasonable punishment, but that several men had to agree to carry the punishment out.

Leviticus 20:1–2 Y^ehowah speaks to Moses saying, “Also to the sons of Israel, you will say, ‘[If] any man from the sons or Israel or from an immigrant living in Israel who gives from his children [lit., seed] to Molech [as a sacrifice], he will certainly be executed. The people of the land will execute him by stoning [him] with stones. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Leviticus 20:1–2 Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, “Also you must speak to the sons of Israel telling them this: ‘If any man from among them or even from the immigrants living here, if such a one offers any of his children to Molech to be sacrificed, that person will surely be executed. The people of the land will execute such a one by stoning him with stones. (Kukis paraphrase)

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Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And I have set My faces against the man the that and I will separate him from among his people, for from his seed he has given to Molech to the result that is defiled My sanctuary and to defile My Name of holiness. And if concealing they conceal, a people of the land, [two] eyes from the man the this when a giving of him his seed to Molech, to not kill him, and I will set, [even] I, My faces against the man the that and against his family. And I have removed him and all those committing adultery [following] after him, to commit adultery [following] after the Molech from a midst of a people of them.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  .

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   .

Aramaic Targum                    .

The Psalms Targum              .

Updated Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And I will set my face against him: and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he hath given of his seed to Moloch, and hath defiled my sanctuary, and profaned my holy name.

And if the people of the land neglecting, and as it were little regarding my commandment, let alone the man that hath given of his seed to Moloch, and will not kill him:

I will set my face against that man, and his kindred, and will cut off both him and all that consented with him, to commit fornication with Moloch, out of the midst of their people.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        I also will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people because he has given of his seed to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

If the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person, when he gives of his seed to Molech, and do not put him to death;

then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all who play the prostitute after him, to play the prostitute with Molech, from among their people.

Original Aramaic Psalms        .

V. Alexander’s Aramaic T.     .

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     .

Samaritan Pentateuch           .

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And I will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from his people, because he has given of his seed to Moloch, to defile My sanctuary, and profane the name of them that are consecrated to Me.

And if the natives of the land should in anyway overlook that man in giving of his seed to Moloch, so as not to put him to death;

then will I set My face against that man and his family, and I will destroy him, and all who have been of one mind with him, so that he should go a whoring to the princes, from their people.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And my face will be turned against that man, and he will be cut off from his people; because he has given his offspring to Molech, making my holy place unclean, and making my holy name common. 

And if the people of the land do not take note of that man when he gives his offspring to Molech, and do not put him to death, 

Then my face will be turned against him and his family, and he and all those who do evil with him will be cut off from among their people.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  I will be against them and separate them from their people, because they gave their children to Molech. They showed that they did not respect my holy name. And they made my holy place unclean. Maybe the common people will ignore them. Maybe they will not kill those who gave their children to Molech. But I will be against these people and their families. I will separate them from their people. I will separate anyone who is unfaithful to me and chases after Molech.

God’s Word™                         I will condemn them and exclude them from the people. They gave one of their children to Molech, made my holy tent unclean, and dishonored my holy name. If the common people ignore those who give their children to Molech and do not put them to death, I will condemn them and their families. I will exclude them from the people. I will exclude from the people everyone who chases after Molech as if he were a prostitute.

Good News Bible (TEV)         If any of you give one of your children to Molech and make my sacred Tent unclean and disgrace my holy name, I will turn against you and will no longer consider you my people. But if the community ignores what you have done and does not put you to death, I myself will turn against you and your whole family and against all who join you in being unfaithful to me and worshiping Molech. I will no longer consider any of you my people.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             .

Contemporary English V.       They have disgraced both the place where I am worshiped and my holy name, and so I will turn against them and no longer let them belong to my people. Some of you may let them get away with human sacrifice, but not me. If any of you worship Molech, I will turn against you and your entire family, and I will no longer let you belong to my people.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        .

Unfolding Bible Simplified      I will reject such people and cause them to no longer be with my people. If the people of that man's town ignore it when he kills any of his children to offer him to Molech, and if they do not execute that person, I myself will punish that person and his clan. I will command that he must no longer be with my people. And I will do the same thing to any others who are unfaithful to me and who worship Molech.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

Translation for Translators     .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Berean Study Bible                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

The Heritage Bible                          And I will give my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given of his seed to Molek, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

And if the people of the land veil from their eyes the man, when he gives of his seed to Molek, and do not kill him,

Then I will set my face against that man and against his family, and will cut him off from among their people and all who go a whoring after him to commit whoredom⁵ with Molek. See Note on 18;21 for Molek. [This is in the addendum.]

⁵ 20:5 whoring and whoredom. The Heritage Bible has retained the KJV rendering of zanah, to go a whoring and whoredom since no other words can better convey the meaning of zanah. It refers to an insatiable appetite for promiscuity. The root meaning is fed well, in other words an insatiable appetite. Spiritually it means an insatiable appetite for idolatry and perverse religion, which is any religion that does not truly worship Jehovah God, just as any woman who goes after any other man other than her husband has played the whore. There is only one true God, as in marriage there is only one true husband. See principal Note on Ex 34:15.

International Standard V        “As for me, I’ll oppose that man. I’ll eliminate him from contact with his people [The Heb. lacks from contact with his people] for sacrificing his children to Molech, thereby defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name. If the people avoid dealing [Lit. people conceal their face from] with that man when he offers his child to Molech—that is, if they fail to execute him— then I’ll oppose that man and his family and eliminate him from contact with his people, [The Heb. lacks from contact with his people] along with all the prostitutes who accompany him and who have committed prostitution with Molech.”

H. C. Leupold                         .

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Unfolding Bible Literal Text    .

Urim-Thummim Version         And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people because he has given of his offspring to Molech, to defile my Holy Place and to desecrate my Holy Name. But if the people of the land really hide their eyes from that man, in his giving of his offspring to Molech, so as not to put him to death then I will set my face against that man and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that commit fornication with him, to commit cult prostitution with Molech from among their people.

Wikipedia Bible Project          And I will will put my face at that man, and I will cut him off from among his people. Because he gave of his seed to Molech, to defile my temple, and to defile the name of my holiness. And if turn they will turn their eyes, the people of the land, away from this man, who has given his seed to Molech, so that they will not put him to death. And I will put my face myself at this man, and at his family. And I will cut him off and all those who whore after him, to whore after Molech from within their people.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Any man from the people of Israel or from among the aliens living in Israel who gives any of his children for the Molech sacrifice, shall be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him. I shall set my face against that man and cut him off from among his people, for by giving his children to Molech he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. And if the people of the land hide their eyes from what that man does and do not put him to death, then I will set my face against them and against their family and cut them off from their people. I will do the same to all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molech. V. 2b is included for context.

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Catholic Bible                  .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Kaplan Translation                 I will direct My anger against that person, and will cut him off [spiritually] from among his people, since he has given his children to Molekh, thus defiling that which is holy to Me and profaning My holy name.

[Therefore,] if the people ignore the fact that this person has given his children to Molekh and they do not kill him,

I will direct My anger against that person and his family. I will cut him off [spiritually] from among his people, along with all those who are misled by him to prostitute themselves to Molekh.

The Scriptures–2009              ‘And I, I shall set My face against that man, and shall cut him off from the midst of his people, because he has given of his offspring to Mole, so as to defile My set-apart place and to profane My set-apart Name. 

‘And if the people of the land at all hide their eyes from the man, as he gives any of his offspring to Mole, and they do not kill him, 

then I shall set My face against that man and against his clan, and shall cut him off – and all who go whoring after him, even go whoring after Mole – from the midst of their people.

Tree of Life Version                I also will set My face against such a person and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given his children to Molech, defiling My Sanctuary and profaning My holy Name.

But if the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person, when he gives of his seed to Molech, and do not put him to death, then I will set My face against that man and against his family, and will cut him off, along with all who play the prostitute after him with Molech, from among their people.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            AND I WILL SET MY FACE AGAINST THAT MAN, AND WILL CUT HIM OFF FROM HIS PEOPLE, BECAUSE HE HAS GIVEN OF HIS SEED TO MOLOCH †(related to the goddess Easter, Ezekiel 8), TO DEFILE MY SANCTUARY, AND PROFANE THE NAME OF THEM THAT ARE CONSECRATED TO ME.

AND IF THE NATIVES OF THE LAND SHOULD IN ANYWISE OVERLOOK THAT MAN IN GIVING OF HIS SEED TO MOLOCH, SO AS NOT TO PUT HIM TO DEATH;*

THEN WILL I SET MY FACE AGAINST THAT MAN AND HIS FAMILY, AND I WILL DESTROY HIM, AND ALL WHO HAVE BEEN OF ONE MIND WITH HIM, SO THAT HE SHOULD GO A WHORING TO THE PRINCES, FROM THEIR PEOPLE.

Awful Scroll Bible                   I was to set myself from being turned before that man, even is he to have been cut off from among the people, for he has given of his seed to Molech to defile that set apart, and is to be presumptuous in my set apart name - were the people of the solid grounds to hide, a hiding of their eyes from that man, as to give of his seed to Molech, even are not to put him to death? -

I am to have set myself, from being turned before that man and his family, and am to have cut him off from among the people, for his prostituting after, even prostitution with Molech.

Concordant Literal Version    I Myself shall set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people (for he has given of his seed to Moloch) on account of the defilement of My sanctuary and the profanation of My holy name. And if the people of the land should obscure, yea obscure their eyes from that man when he gives of his seed to Moloch, so as to avoid putting him to death, then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family and will cut off from among their people him and all those prostituting after him, to prostitute after Moloch.

exeGeses companion Bible   And I give my face against that man

and cut him off from among his people;

because he gives of his seed to Molech

to foul my holies and to profane my holy name.

And if in veiling,

the people of the land veil their eyes from the man,

when he gives of his seed to Molech

and deathify him not:

then I set my face against that man

and against his family

and cut him off

and all who whore after him to whore with Molech,

from among their people.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And I will set My face against that ish, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his zera unto Molech, to make tamei My Mikdash, and to commit chillul Hashem against Shem Kodshi (My Holy Name).

And if the Am HaAretz close their eyes when that man giveth of his zera unto Molech, and kill him not,

Then I will set My face against that ish, and against his mishpochah, and will cut him off, and all that go awhoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    

Lexham English Bible            And I myself will set my face against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he has given some of [Literally “from”] his offspring to Molech, so that he makes my sanctuary unclean [Literally “to make unclean my sanctuary”] and profanes [Hebrew “to profane”] my holy name. [Literally “the name of my holiness”] And if the people of the land ever shut their eyes from [Or “disregard”] that man at his giving some of [Literally “from”] his offspring to Molech, not putting him to death, then [Or “and”] I myself will set my face against that man and against his clan, and I will cut him off and all those from the midst of their people who prostitute after Molech.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           .

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kaplan Translation                 .

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. ||Iˎ also|| will set my face against that man, and will cut him off out of the midst of his people,—because <of his seed> hath he given unto Molech,b seeing that he hath made unclean my sanctuary, even to the extent of profaning my holyʹ name. But <if the people of the land ||do even hide|| their eyes from that man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech,^c—so as not to put him to death> then will ||I myself|| set my face against that manˎ and against his family,^d—and will cut him offˎ and all that follow unchastely after him—in going unchastely after Molech^e— out of the midst of their people.

^c See ver. 2, n.

^d Cp. Eze. xvii. 2. Contrast: Jer. xxxi. 29.

^e Or: “after the Idol-king.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

C. Thomson Updated OT       .

Charles Thomson OT            ...and as for me I will myself set my face against that man, and destroy him from among his people, because he hath given of his seed to an Archon, to pollute my holy things, and to profane the name of those who have been hallowed to me. And though those born in the land may, upon seeing him, connive at that man when he giveth of his seed to an Archon, and not kill him, I will indeed set my face against that man, and against his family, and destroy him, and all who encourage him, to go a whoring after the Archons, from among their people.

Context Group Version          I also will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he has given of his seed to Molech, to defile my special place, and to profane my special name. And if the people at the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he gives of his seed to Molech, and do not put him to death; then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all those prostituting after him, to act like a harlot with Molech, from among their people.

English Standard Version      .

Green’s Literal Translation    . truly

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal Standard Version        ...and I set My face against that man, and have cut him off from the midst of his people, for he has given to the Molech from his seed, so as to defile My sanctuary, and to defile My holy Name. And if the people of the land really hide their eyes from that man, in his giving to the Molech from his seed, so as not to put him to death, then I have set My face against that man and against his family, and have cut him off, and all who are going whoring after him, even going whoring after the Molech, from the midst of their people.

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  I also will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given of his seed to Molech, to defile my sanctuary and to profane my holy name. And if the people at the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he gives of his seed to Molech and do not put him to death, then I will set my face against that man and against his family and will cut him off and all who play the prostitute after him, to play the prostitute with Molech, from among their people.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Niobi Study Bible                   .

Owen's Translation                .

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and I, I will give my face in that man, and I will cause him to be cut from inside his people, given that from his seed he gave to Molekh, because of that he dirtied my sanctuary, and defiled my special title, and if the people of the land will surely cause their eyes to be out of sight from that man, in his giving from his seed to Molekh, to not kill him, then I will place my face in that man and in his clan, and I will cause him and all the ones being a harlot after him, being a harlot after Molekh, to be cut from inside their people,...

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      I will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from his people, because he has given his seed to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name. And if the people of the land should conceal to hide their eyes from the man, when he gives his seed to Molech, and they do not kill him, then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, along with all who prostitute themselves with him to commit adultery with Molech.

Webster’s Bible Translation  And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed to Molech, and kill him not; Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go astray after him, to commit lewdness with Molech from among their people.

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             .

The gist of this passage: 

3-5

Translation: And I have set My face against that man...

The man against whom God has set His face is a man who has offered up one of his children to Molech, which is one of the most degenerate sins that a person can commit.

From Encyclopedia Britannica: Moloch, a Canaanite deity associated in biblical sources with the practice of child sacrifice. The name derives from combining the consonants of the Hebrew melech (“king”) with the vowels of boshet (“shame”), the latter often being used in the Old Testament as a variant name for the popular god Baal (“Lord”).

Child Sacrifice to Molech (a graphic); from Istock Photo; accessed July 7, 2024.

R. B. Thieme, Jr. adds the fact that sometimes the parents would have public sex while the child is dying, being burned to death. Or one of them my be engaged with a temple prostitute while the child sacrifice is taking place.

Translation: ...and I will separate him from among his people,...

The Hiphil verb is used here, meaning that God would cause or make His people execute this man, separating him from all else.

Translation: ...for he has given his child [lit., seed] to Molech [as a sacrifice] to the result that My sanctuary is defiled and My holy Name is defiled.

By giving up his children to Molech, this man defiled God’s sanctuary and His Name.

This is an act too horrible to contemplate, and yet Israelites actually took part in it.

Leviticus 20:3 And I have set My face against that man and I will separate him from among his people, for he has given his child [lit., seed] to Molech [as a sacrifice] to the result that My sanctuary is defiled and My holy Name is defiled. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

There is more punishment than death—Y^ehowah will set His face against this man, cut him off from his people. His behavior toward his children, his total lack of regard for their safety, which is almost inbred, is lost and such a man is degenerate almost beyond belief. His actions, who resides in the holy land, defiles the sanctuary which speaks of our Lord and defiles His holy name (His reputation).

Translation: And if the people of the land clearly conceal [their two] eyes from this man when he has given his child [lit., seed] to Molech,...

Some people might be tolerant and think, “It is his life, his family, his child. I am not going to get involved.” Wrong. Whatever government exists in Israel needs to execute this man.

Translation: ...[and they] do not kill him,...

God will be watching. The man should be lawfully executed. If he is not, then...

Translation: ...then I, [even] I, will set My face against that man and against his family.

First of all, God will set His face against this man and against his family (his family should turn him in; this sin is that bad).

Leviticus 20:4–5a And if the people of the land clearly conceal [their two] eyes from this man when he has given his child [lit., seed] to Molech, [and they] do not kill him, then I, [even] I, will set My face against that man and against his family. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Here is where the Israelites think that the punishment was too stern, so they back off. What has occurred is equivalent to first degree murder of the most degenerate kind. Such a parent does not deserve to live and the society in which he lives should not turn their back on their responsibility to legally put him to death.