Leviticus 20:20 (DRB)

Passage

If any man lie with the wife of his uncle by the father, or of his uncle by the mother, and uncover the shame of his near akin, both shall bear their sin. They shall die without children.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 20:18 If any man lie with a woman in her flowers, and uncover her nakedness, and she open the fountain of her blood: both shall be destroyed out of the midst of their people.

Leviticus 20:19 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy aunt by thy mother, and of thy aunt by thy father. He that doth this, hath uncovered the shame of his own flesh: both shall bear their iniquity.

Leviticus 20:20 If any man lie with the wife of his uncle by the father, or of his uncle by the mother, and uncover the shame of his near akin, both shall bear their sin. They shall die without children.

Leviticus 20:21 He that marrieth his brother's wife, doth an unlawful thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness. They shall be without children.

Leviticus 20:22 Keep my laws and my judgments, and do them: lest the land into which you are to enter to dwell therein, vomit you also out.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wife", "uncle", "father", "mother", "uncover", "shame", and "near". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wife" and "uncle", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of..." into verse 21's "He that marrieth his brother's wife doth...", so "wife" and "uncle" 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 "wife" and "uncle" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.