Leviticus 19 (selected verses)

Cross-references For Better Understanding a Related Topics b Additional Materials c

Summary

• Application of the 10 Commandments to life.

Details and/or Comments

• This chapter restates the 10 Commandments in terms of how they apply to life situations. Though given within the context of the Old Covenant, the principles can teach us how to apply the commandments within our own context.

• Many of these verses contain commands related to expressing love to one's neighbor, especially the poor and/or oppressed. But the rights of the rich are also given equal emphasis. God does not show favoritism, and he requires his people to also not show favoritism to rich or poor.

• Some of the commands in this chapter may be difficult for us to understand in our modern context, for they are applications within the context of an ancient Mideastern culture. Other factors that would influence these applications of the Law include:

1. The people of Israel were to demonstrate spiritual truths by the way they lived, sometimes even doing things that were symbolic in nature. Some of these things would be necessary for the Israelites, but not for God-fearing non-Israelites.
2. Some of the prohibited practices may be related to practices of the pagans, in their religious rituals. Israel was not to do things in a way that would associate themselves with the worship of false gods and other acts of wickedness.

• Since this is not intended to be a commentary on the nature of life under the Old Covenant, only select passages will be included here. The emphasis will also be on matters that relate to people-people relationships. (People-God relationships, though not the focus, are also important.)

Scripture

Leviticus 19 selected verses – Application of the 10 Commandments to life. (Since only part of the verses are included, some of the commandments may be absent.)

Scripture Passage	Comments and Links
Lev 19:9 " 'When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Lev 19:10 You shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.	Sharing food with the poor. Generosity This is a moral obligation; to refuse to obey is a form of theft - a violation of the Eighth Commandment. The Poor This practice made a distinction between the poor and the lazy. The lazy wouldn't take the time to do the gleaning! Lazy People
Lev 19:11 " 'You shall not steal; neither shall you deal falsely, nor lie to one another. Lev 19:12 " 'You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh.	Stealing, lying and misuse of God's name are connected. Third Commandment Ninth Commandment
Lev 19:13 " 'You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.	There are many forms of injustice and oppression. It can be active, such as robbery; it can be passive, such as holding back wages for a while. In the context of Old Testament Israel, the issue of holding back wages probably referred to the pay of a single-day worker, who depended on the wages for his food that evening. In the modern context, it would probably include collecting interest from the money that was withheld! More violations of the Eighth Commandment.
Lev 19:14 " 'You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God. I am Yahweh.	Abusive treatment of those who cannot defend themselves – just two examples of many. Note the relationship between one's treatment of people and one's attitude toward God! Treatment of the Handicapped Though less violent than actual murder, these types of conduct are a reflection of attitudes that violate the command against willful killing - the Sixth Commandment.
Lev 19:15 " 'You shall do no injustice in judgment: you shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.	Justice and impartial to both poor and rich. Ninth Commandment

Scripture Passage	Comments and Links
Lev 19:19 " 'You shall keep my statutes. " 'You shall not crossbreed different kinds of animals. " 'you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; " 'neither shall there come upon on you a garment made of two kinds of material.	The primary focus is on purity (which would be symbolized by these actions). However, two of these commands may also be focusing on the issue of trying to crossbreed genetically different species or “kinds” (though the "technical" word for "kind" - Hebrew min - is not used here). Purity

Scripture Passage	Comments and Links
Lev 19:32 " 'You shall rise up before the gray head, and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God. I am Yahweh.	Reverent respect for the old. Fifth Commandment
Lev 19:33 " 'If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. Lev 19:34 The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.	Proper treatment & respect for the alien/foreigner. The commands here would reflect attitudes related to several of the commandments. Foreigners
Lev 19:35 " 'You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity. Lev 19:36 You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.	Accurate weights and measurements. Honesty in Weights and Measures This would involve both lying (Ninth Commandment) and stealing (Eighth Commandment).

Scripture Passage	Comments and Links
Lev 19:37 You shall observe all my statutes, and all my ordinances, and do them. I am Yahweh.' "	All of these commands must be obeyed, because of who God is. They are a reflection of his holiness, righteousness and justice. Yahweh - The Name of God

Scripture Passages (Only books that have relevance to this study have active links. The others are in italics.) Genesis  •  Exodus  •  Leviticus  •  Numbers  •  Deuteronomy  •  Joshua  •  Judges  •  Ruth  •  1 Samuel  •  2 Samuel  •  1 Kings  •  2 Kings  •  1 Chronicles  •  2 Chronicles  •  Ezra  •  Nehemiah  •  Esther  •  Job  •  Psalms  •  Proverbs  •  Ecclesiastes  •  Song of Solomon  •  Isaiah  •  Jeremiah  •  Lamentations  •  Ezekiel  •  Daniel  •  Hosea  •  Joel  •  Amos  •  Obadiah  •  Jonah  •  Micah  •  Nahum  •  Habakkuk  •  Zephaniah  •  Haggai  •  Zechariah  •  Malachi Matthew  •  Mark  •  Luke  •  John  •  Acts  •  Romans  •  1 Corinthians  •  2 Corinthians  •  Galatians  •  Ephesians  •  Philippians  •  Colossians  •  1 Thessalonians  •  2 Thessalonians  •  1 Timothy  •  2 Timothy  •  Titus  •  Philemon  •  Hebrews  •  James  •  1 Peter  •  2 Peter  •  1 John  •  2 John  •  3 John  •  Jude  •  Revelation

—— To avoid any copyright issues, all Scripture is either from a public domain translation (such as the World English Bible), my own translation, or a combination of these. ——

The name "Yahweh," when present in an Old Testament passage, represents the Hebrew name for the God of the Bible.

Unless otherwise noted, all notes and comments are © by Dennis Hinks.