Leviticus 20:4 (ASV)

Passage

And if the people at the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and put him not to death;

Nearby Context

Leviticus 20:2 Moreover, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

Leviticus 20:3 I also will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

Leviticus 20:4 And if the people at the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and put him not to death;

Leviticus 20:5 then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that play the harlot after him, to play the harlot with Molech, from among their people.

Leviticus 20:6 And the soul that turneth unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto the wizards, to play the harlot after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "land", "hide", "eyes", "giveth", "seed", "molech", and "death". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "people" and "land", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "I also will set my face against..." into verse 5's "then I will set my face against...", so "people" and "land" belong inside that flow. In Leviticus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "people" and "land" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.