Leviticus 19:20 (WEB)

Passage

“‘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.

Nearby Context

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.

Leviticus 19:21 He shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, even a ram for a trespass offering.

Leviticus 19:22 The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before Yahweh for his sin which he has committed: and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lies", "carnally", "woman", "slave", "girl", "pledged", "married", and "another". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lies" and "carnally", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "You shall keep my statutes You shall..." into verse 21's "He shall bring his trespass offering to...", so "lies" and "carnally" 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 "carnally" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.