Leviticus 20:14 (KJV)

Passage

And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 20:12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.

Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Leviticus 20:14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

Leviticus 20:15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

Leviticus 20:16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "take", "wife", "mother", "wickedness", "shall", "burnt", "fire", and "both". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "take" and "wife", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "If a man also lie with mankind..." into verse 15's "And if a man lie with a...", so "take" and "wife" 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 "take" and "wife" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.