Leviticus 19:20 (KJV)

Passage

And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

Leviticus 19:20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

Leviticus 19:21 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.

Leviticus 19:22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoever", "lieth", "carnally", "woman", "bondmaid", "betrothed", "husband", and "redeemed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoever" and "lieth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Ye shall keep my statutes Thou shalt..." into verse 21's "And he shall bring his trespass offering...", so "whosoever" and "lieth" 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 "whosoever" and "lieth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.