Leviticus 20:23 (GNV)

Passage

Wherefore ye shall not walke in the maners of this nation which I cast out before you: for they haue committed all these things, therefore I abhorred them.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 20:21 So the man that taketh his brothers wife, committeth filthines, because he hath vncouered his brothers shame: they shalbe childles.

Leviticus 20:22 Ye shall keepe therefore all mine ordinances and all my iudgements, and doe them, that the land, whither I bring you to dwel therein, spue you not out.

Leviticus 20:23 Wherefore ye shall not walke in the maners of this nation which I cast out before you: for they haue committed all these things, therefore I abhorred them.

Leviticus 20:24 But I haue saide vnto you, ye shall inherite their land, and I will giue it vnto you to possesse it, euen a land that floweth with milke and honie: I am the Lord your God, which haue separated you from other people.

Leviticus 20:25 Therefore shall ye put difference betweene cleane beastes and vncleane, and betweene vncleane foules and cleane: neither shall ye defile your selues with beastes and foules, nor with any creeping thing, that ye ground bringeth forth, which I haue separated from you as vncleane.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "shall", "walke", "maners", "nation", "cast", "before", and "haue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Ye shall keepe therefore all mine ordinances..." into verse 24's "But I haue saide vnto you ye...", so "wherefore" and "shall" 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 "wherefore" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.