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Friday, September 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Bible in Basic English

Leviticus 20:16

And if a woman goes near a beast and has sex relations with it, you will put an end to the woman and the beast: their blood will be on them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bestiality;   Punishment;   Sanitation;   Sodomy;   The Topic Concordance - Execution;   Sexual Activities;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Fornication;   Marriage;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Immorality, Sexual;   Kill, Killing;   Marriage;   Punishment;   Sexuality, Human;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Punishments;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bastard;   Bestiality;   Capital Punishment;   Crimes and Punishments;   Leviticus;   Pentateuch;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Congregation, Assembly;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Hexateuch;   Holiness;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Stoning;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Punishments;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bastard;   Crime;   Genesis;   Leviticus;   Punishments;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Capital Punishment;   Incest;   Leviticus;   Marriage Laws;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
If a woman approach to any animal, and lie down thereto, you shall kill the woman, and the animal: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be on them.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
As for a woman who approaches any animal to copulate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death—their blood is on them.
New Century Version
If a woman approaches an animal and has sexual relations with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They have brought it on themselves.
New English Translation
If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual intercourse with it, you must kill the woman, and the animal must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.
Amplified Bible
'If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall most certainly be put to death; their blood is on them.
New American Standard Bible
'If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they must be put to death. They have brought their own deaths upon themselves.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And if a woman come to any beast, and lye therewith, then thou shalt kill the woman and the beast: they shall die the death, their blood shalbe vpon them.
Legacy Standard Bible
If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.
Complete Jewish Bible
If a woman approaches an animal and has sexual relations with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal; their blood will be on them.
Darby Translation
And if a woman approach unto any beast to gender therewith, thou shalt kill the woman and the beast: they shall certainly be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Easy-to-Read Version
If a woman has sexual relations with an animal, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They are responsible for their own death.
English Standard Version
If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
George Lamsa Translation
And if a woman approaches any beast and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the beast; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Good News Translation
If a woman tries to have sexual relations with an animal, she and the animal shall be put to death. They are responsible for their own death.
Christian Standard Bible®
If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their death is their own fault.
Literal Translation
And if a woman draws near to any animal to lie with it, you shall even put to death the woman and the animal; dying they shall die; their blood shall be on them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
If a woman medle with a beest, so yt she haue to do wt it, thou shalt put her to death, and the beest also, they shall dye the death: their bloude be vpon them.
American Standard Version
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If a woman go vnto any beast, and lye downe thereto, thou shalt kyll the woman and the beast also: let them dye, their blood be vpon them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.
King James Version (1611)
And if a woman approch vnto any beast, and lie downe thereto, thou shalt kill the woman and the beast: they shall surely be put to death, their blood shalbe vpon them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And whatever woman shall approach any beast, so as to have connexion with it, ye shall kill the woman and the beast: let them die the death, they are guilty.
English Revised Version
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.
Berean Standard Bible
If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A womman that liggith vndur ony beeste, be slayn togidere with it; the blood `of hem be on hem.
Young's Literal Translation
`And a woman who draweth near unto any beast to lie with it -- thou hast even slain the woman and the beast; they are certainly put to death; their blood [is] on them.
Update Bible Version
And if a woman has sex with an animal, you shall kill the woman, and the animal: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be on them.
Webster's Bible Translation
And if a woman shall approach to 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.
World English Bible
If a woman approach to any animal, and lie down thereto, you shall kill the woman, and the animal: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be on them.
New King James Version
If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.
New Living Translation
"If a woman presents herself to a male animal to have intercourse with it, she and the animal must both be put to death. You must kill both, for they are guilty of a capital offense.
New Life Bible
If a woman goes near any animal to have sex with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin.
New Revised Standard
If a woman approaches any animal and has sexual relations with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, a woman, who approacheth unto any beast, to couch down thereto, then shalt thou slay the woman and the beast, - they shall surely be put to death, - their blood, shall be upon themselves.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The woman that shall lie under any beast, shall be killed together with the same. Their blood be upon them.
Revised Standard Version
If a woman approaches any beast and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the beast; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them.
THE MESSAGE
"If a woman has sex with an animal, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. And they are responsible for their deaths.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

Contextual Overview

10 And if a man has sex relations with another man's wife, even the wife of his neighbour, he and she are certainly to be put to death. 11 And the man who has sex relations with his father's wife has put shame on his father: the two of them are to be put to death; their blood will be on them. 12 And if a man has sex relations with his son's wife, the two of them are to be put to death: it is unnatural; their blood will be on them. 13 And if a man has sex relations with a man, the two of them have done a disgusting thing: let them be put to death; their blood will be on them. 14 And if a man takes as wife a woman and her mother, it is an act of shame; let them be burned with fire, all three of them, so that there may be no shame among you. 15 And if a man has sex relations with a beast, let him be put to death, and let the beast be put to destruction. 16 And if a woman goes near a beast and has sex relations with it, you will put an end to the woman and the beast: their blood will be on them. 17 And if a man takes his sister, daughter of his father or his mother, and has sex relations with her and she with him, it is an act of shame: they are to be cut off before the children of their people; he has had sex relations with his sister, and his sin will be on him. 18 And if a man has sex relations with a woman at the time when she is unwell, he has seen her fountain and she has let the fountain of her blood be uncovered, and the two of them are to be cut off from among their people. 19 And you may not have sex connection with your mother's sister or your father's sister, for they are his near relations: their sin will be on them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

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 Leviticus 18:24, Leviticus 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: Exodus 19:13, Exodus 21:28, Exodus 21:32, Hebrews 12:20

Reciprocal: Exodus 22:19 - General Leviticus 17:4 - be cut off Leviticus 18:23 - any beast Leviticus 20:9 - his blood Leviticus 24:15 - bear his sin 2 Samuel 1:16 - Thy blood

Cross-References

Genesis 20:3
But God came to Abimelech in a dream in the night, and said to him, Truly you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man's wife.
Genesis 20:5
Did he not say to me himself, She is my sister? and she herself said, He is my brother: with an upright heart and clean hands have I done this.
Genesis 20:6
And God said to him in the dream, I see that you have done this with an upright heart, and I have kept you from sinning against me: for this reason I did not let you come near her.
Genesis 20:8
So Abimelech got up early in the morning and sent for all his servants and gave them word of these things, and they were full of fear.
Genesis 20:9
Then Abimelech sent for Abraham, and said, What have you done to us? what wrong have I done you that you have put on me and on my kingdom so great a sin? You have done to me things which are not to be done.
Genesis 24:65
And said to the servant, Who is that man coming to us through the field? And the servant said, It is my master: then she took her veil, covering her face with it.
Genesis 26:11
And Abimelech gave orders to his people that anyone touching Isaac or his wife was to be put to death.
Proverbs 12:1
A lover of training is a lover of knowledge; but a hater of teaching is like a beast.
Proverbs 25:12
Like a nose-ring of gold and an ornament of the best gold, is a wise man who says sharp words to an ear ready to give attention.
Proverbs 27:5
Better is open protest than love kept secret.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto,.... In order that the beast may lie with her, and solicit it to commit such an action with her, see 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 sinning, so not of guilt, in a proper sense.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 20:16. If a woman approach unto any beast — We have the authority of one of the most eminent historians in the world, Herodotus, to say that this was a crime not unknown in Egypt; yea, that a case of this nature actually took place while he was there. Εγενετο δ' εν τῳ νο μῳ τουτῳ επ' εμευ τουτο το τερας, Γυναικι Τραγος εμισγετο αναφανδον. Τουτο ες επιδειξιν ανθρωπων απικετο. - Herod. in Euterp., p. 108. Edit. Gale, Lond. 1679.

"In this district, within my own recollection, this portentous business took place: a goat coupled so publicly with a woman that every person knew it," c. After this, need we wonder that God should have made laws of this nature, when it appears these abominations were not only practised among the Egyptians, but were parts of a superstitious religious system? This one observation will account for many of those strange prohibitions which we find in the Mosaic law others, the reasons of which are not so plain, we should see the propriety of equally, had we ampler historic records of the customs that existed in that country.


 
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