Leviticus 19:18 (WEB)

Passage

“‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 19:16 “‘You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am Yahweh.

Leviticus 19:17 “‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.

Leviticus 19:18 “‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.

Leviticus 19:19 “‘You shall keep my statutes. “‘You shall not cross-breed different kinds of animals. “‘You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; “‘Don’t wear a garment made of two kinds of material.

Leviticus 19:20 “‘If a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave girl, pledged to be married to another man, and not ransomed, or given her freedom; they shall be punished. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "take", "vengeance", "bear", "grudge", "against", "children", and "people". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "take", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "You shall not hate your brother in..." into verse 19's "You shall keep my statutes You shall...", so "shall" and "take" 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 "take" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.