Leviticus 20:14 (WEB)

Passage

“‘If a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burned with fire, both he and they; that there may be no wickedness among you.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 20:12 “‘If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have committed a perversion; their blood shall be upon them.

Leviticus 20:13 “‘If a man lies with a male, as 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 “‘If a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burned with fire, both he and they; that there may be no wickedness among you.

Leviticus 20:15 “‘If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.

Leviticus 20:16 “‘If a woman approaches any animal, and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "takes", "wife", "mother", "wickedness", "shall", "burned", "fire", and "both". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "takes" 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 lies with a male..." into verse 15's "If a man lies with an animal...", so "takes" 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 "takes" and "wife" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.