Leviticus 20:15 (WEB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Leviticus 20:17 “‘If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness; it is a shameful thing. They shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his iniquity.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lies", "animal", "shall", "surely", "death", and "kill". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lies" and "animal", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "If a man takes a wife and..." into verse 16's "If a woman approaches any animal and...", so "lies" and "animal" 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 "animal" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.