Leviticus 20:11 (LSB)

Passage

If there is a man who lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 20:9 ‘If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother. His bloodguiltiness is upon him.

Leviticus 20:10 ‘If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Leviticus 20:11 If there is a man who lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

Leviticus 20:12 If there is a man who lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

Leviticus 20:13 If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "If there is a man who commits..." into verse 12's "If there is a man who lies...", so "lies" and "father" 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 "lies" and "father" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.