I had to analyze Leviticus 18 for my Sacred Books of the World class. Here it is. Tell me what you think.
WARNING! I TALK A LOT ABOUT SEX IN THIS ESSAY. LEVITICUS 18 IS ACTUALLY ALL ABOUT SEX.
Analysis of Leviticus 18
The book of Leviticus is a series of laws written for the twelve tribes of Israel. It is a part of the Pentateuch which most only associate with as the beginning of the earth to the time that the Israelites entered what is currently known as Israel. However, the Pentateuch is more than just a short portion of Jewish history; the Pentateuch is believed to be Moses’ dictation of Jehovah’s direct words which have formed the ethical boundaries of Abrahamic religions. Leviticus, in particular, defines morals that have been taught in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, alike.
One chapter in Leviticus, though, deals strictly with the sexual restrictions that a person must abide by. Even bestiality is addressed in book 18.
As with most chapters in the book of Leviticus, Chapter 18 begins with the following text according to the New International Version: “1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'I am the LORD your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.” After this sequence of five verses is written at the beginning of each chapter, there is a list of decrees for one to follow. In various chapters, different laws of Jehovah are decreed. Leviticus 1 deals with burnt offerings while Leviticus 12 brings up the purpose for circumcision and how that event is to be tended to.
Leviticus 18, though, revolves around immoral sexual violations against God’s word. Sexual relationships are a recurring theme discussed, debated over, and questioned in society and seem to be one of the most significant things to many people’s lives. Intercourse with a certain person can enhance one’s status personally, lifting their confidence, or being in an intimate relationship with someone of high stature seems to raise that high class individual’s counterpart to the same societal class. For example, the first lady, even though her involvement with the process of government is rather insignificant, is considered an important public figure to the United States, because of her marital status to the nation’s leader. However, intimacy with a certain person or (in certain cases) thing can demolish a person’s reputation. This trend of sexual relations and whether that intercourse brings a positive or negative air to a person is paralleled by Leviticus 18.
Most of the verses in Leviticus 18 address incest. That is even the very first decree that God makes after the introduction in verse six: “No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.” I’m not sure what being the LORD has anything to do with incest, but whatever Moses feels like writing goes, I guess.
After verse six verses seven through thirteen involve more specific forms of incest or sex with direct blood relatives. Verses fourteen through eighteen involve intercourse with relatives through marriage. Nineteen is where this chapter of Leviticus becomes more complicated; in this verse, God prohibits intercourse with a woman going through menstruation. In verse twenty, God addresses the immorality of taking a neighbor’s wife. Verse twenty-one, probably the most out of place verse in the chapter, discusses the abolishment of sacrificing one’s children to Moloch, a pagan god. Verse twenty-two addresses the eternally debated homosexuality between two men. Lastly, Leviticus 18:23, my personal favorite, is read as thus: “Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.” This final verse in the sequence of laws regarding sexual intercourse prohibits bestiality or intercourse with non-human life that has a pulse.
Each of these verses can be elaborated upon very deeply and extensively and can be related to its involvement in western culture. For example, the general consensus on the subject of incest is that such acts are immoral and sacrilegious. The same can be said of intercourse with beasts. Verse twenty, which prohibits men from having sexual intercourse with a neighbor’s wife or sexual partner, isn’t illegal in Christian and Jewish culture, but is considered presently in popular culture as a violation of companionship and an invalidation of friendship among two males.
The rest of the chapter ends with a stately explanation of the consequences one must endure for disregarding any of the laws in Leviticus 18. 24 " '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. 25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 " 'Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.' " The consequence for committing one of these sexual violations and doing as the pagans did before hand is very simple: the sinners will be exiled from their civilization by their neighbors.
This chapter is one of the most significant chapters in the Old Testament for Christians and Jews alike. It defines the general morals regarding intercourse in western culture. There is even a television series just for criminal cases involving the laws of this scripture-Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Since a majority of society tends to agree with this determined sexual abidance, Leviticus 18 isn’t a disputed text among officials. The only exception of this trend is verse twenty-two involving homosexuality. The discussion of homosexual relations is currently one of the most heatedly debated subjects amongst government authorities and among the general populous.
Little has changed since the Pentateuch was written for the Hebrews in B.C. and now as far as this scripture goes since these laws are still practiced today. Since sexual intercourse is so important to many humans, Leviticus 18 is one of the most important scriptures to humanity, because of its involvement with government law.
Linear Mode
