Passage
You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh, for the dead: neither shall you make in yourselves any figures or marks. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:28 (DRB)
Nearby Context
Leviticus 19:26 You shall not eat with blood. You shall not divine nor observe dreams.
Leviticus 19:27 Nor shall you cut your hair roundwise: nor shave your beard.
Leviticus 19:28 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh, for the dead: neither shall you make in yourselves any figures or marks. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:29 Make not thy daughter a common strumpet, lest the land be defiled, and filled with wickedness.
Leviticus 19:30 Keep ye my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "shall", "make", "cuttings", "flesh", "dead", and "neither". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "make", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 27's "Nor shall you cut your hair roundwise..." into verse 29's "Make not thy daughter a common strumpet...", so "shall" and "make" 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 "shall" and "make" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.