Leviticus 20:20 (KJV)

Passage

And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife, he hath uncovered his uncle’s nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 20:18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

Leviticus 20:19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.

Leviticus 20:20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife, he hath uncovered his uncle’s nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

Leviticus 20:21 And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.

Leviticus 20:22 Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "uncle", "wife", "hath", "uncovered", and "nakedness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "uncle", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness..." into verse 21's "And if a man shall take his...", so "shall" 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 "shall" and "uncle" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.