Leviticus 18:23

Webster's Bible Translation

Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it [is] confusion.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"'You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it; neither shall any woman give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion.

King James Version
Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

Lexham English Bible
And you shall not have sexual relations with any animal, becoming unclean with it; and a woman shall not stand before an animal to copulate with it—that is a perversion.

New Century Version
"‘You must not have sexual relations with an animal and make yourself unclean with it. Also a woman must not have sexual relations with an animal; it is not natural.

New English Translation
You must not have sexual intercourse with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it; it is a perversion.

Amplified Bible
'You shall not have intimate relations with any animal to be defiled with it; nor shall a woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.

New American Standard Bible
'Also you shall not have sexual intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou shalt not also lie with any beast to bee defiled therewith, neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie downe thereto: for it is abomination.

Legacy Standard Bible
Also you shall not lie with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.

Contemporary English Version
Anyone who has sex with an animal is unclean.

Complete Jewish Bible
"‘You are not to have sexual relations with any kind of animal and thus become unclean with it; nor is any woman to present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; it is perversion.

Darby Translation
And thou shalt lie with no beast to become unclean therewith; and a woman shall not stand before a beast to lie down with it: it is confusion.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Men, you must not have sexual relations with any animal. This will make you filthy. And women, you must not have sexual relations with any animal. It is against nature!

English Standard Version
And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.

George Lamsa Translation
Neither shall you lie with any beast to defile yourself with it; neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie with it; because it is an abomination.

Good News Translation
No man or woman is to have sexual relations with an animal; that perversion makes you ritually unclean.

Christian Standard Bible®
You are not to have sexual intercourse with any animal, defiling yourself with it; a woman is not to present herself to an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.

Literal Translation
And you shall not give your semen with any animal, for uncleanness with it. And a woman shall not stand before an animal to lie down with it; it is a shameful mixing.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt lye with no maner of beest, to defyle yi self therwith. And no woman shal haue to do wt a beest, for it is abhominacion.

American Standard Version
And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

Bible in Basic English
And you may not have sex relations with a beast, making yourself unclean with it; and a woman may not give herself to a beast: it is an unnatural act.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou shalt lye with no maner of beast to defile thy selfe therwith: neither shall any woman stande before a beast to lye downe therto, for it is vnnaturall confusion.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto; it is perversion.

King James Version (1611)
Neither shalt thou lie with any beast, to defile thy selfe therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie downe thereto: It is confusion.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Neither shalt thou lie with any quadruped for copulation, to be polluted with it: neither shall a woman present herself before any quadruped to have connexion with it; for it is an abomination.

English Revised Version
And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

Berean Standard Bible
You must not have sexual relations with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou schalt not do letcherie with ony beeste, nethir thou schalt be defoulid with it. A womman schal not ligge vnder a beeste, nether schal be medlid therwith, for it is greet synne.

Young's Literal Translation
`And with any beast thou dost not give thy copulation, for uncleanness with it; and a woman doth not stand before a beast to lie down with it; confusion it [is].

Update Bible Version
And you shall not have sex with any animal and defile yourself therewith; neither shall any woman have sex with an animal: it is perverted.

World English Bible
You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before an animal, to lie down with it: it is confusion.

New King James Version
Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.

New Living Translation
"A man must not defile himself by having sex with an animal. And a woman must not offer herself to a male animal to have intercourse with it. This is a perverse act.

New Life Bible
Do not have sex with any animal, or you will be unclean. And no woman should give herself to an animal to lie with it. It is a sin.

New Revised Standard
You shall not have sexual relations with any animal and defile yourself with it, nor shall any woman give herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it: it is perversion.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And of no beast, shalt thou have carnal knowledge to commit uncleanness therewith, - neither shall a woman present herself to a beast to couch down thereto, - confusion, it is.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not copulate with any beast: neither shalt thou be defiled with it. A woman shall not lie down to a beast, nor copulate with it: because it is a heinous crime.

Revised Standard Version
And you shall not lie with any beast and defile yourself with it, neither shall any woman give herself to a beast to lie with it: it is perversion.

THE MESSAGE
"Don't have sex with an animal and violate yourself by it. "A woman must not have sex with an animal. That is perverse.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ Also thou shalt not approach to a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. ²⁰ Moreover, thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor's wife, to defile thyself with her. ²¹ And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through [the fire] to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I [am] the LORD. ²² Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination. ²³ Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it [is] confusion. ²⁴ Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: ²⁵ And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit its iniquity upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. ²⁶ Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit [any] of these abominations; [neither] any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you. ²⁷ (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, who [were] before you, and the land is defiled;) ²⁸ That the land may not vomit you out also, when ye defile it, as it vomited out the nations that [were] before you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

any beast: Leviticus 20:15, Leviticus 20:16, Exodus 22:19

confusion: Leviticus 20:12

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 27:21 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 18:4
Let a little water, I pray you, be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

Genesis 18:5
And I will bring a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that you shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

Genesis 18:6
And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make cakes upon the hearth.

Genesis 18:7
And Abraham ran to the herd, and brought a calf tender and good, and gave [it] to a young man; and he hasted to dress it.

Genesis 18:25
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Genesis 20:4
But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou also slay a righteous nation?

2 Samuel 24:17
And David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.

Job 8:3
Doth God pervert judgment; or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

Job 34:17
Shall even he that hateth right govern? and wilt thou condemn him that is most just?

Psalms 73:28
But [it is] good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Neither shall thou lie with any beast, to defile thyself therewith,.... A female one, as Aben Ezra notes, as a mare, cow, or ewe, or any other beast, small or great, as Ben Gersom, or whether tame or wild, as Maimonides b; and even fowls are comprehended, as the same writers observe:

neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: that is, stand before a beast, and by a lascivious and obscene behaviour solicit the beast to a congress with her, and then lie down after the manner of four-footed beasts, as the word signifies, that it may have carnal copulation with her: for a man to lie with a beast is most shocking and detestable, but for a woman to solicit such an unnatural mixture is most horrible and astonishing: perhaps reference may be had to a most shocking practice among the Egyptians, from among whom the Israelites were lately come, and whose doings they were not to imitate,

Leviticus 18:3; and which may account for this law, as Bishop Patrick observes: at Mendes, in Egypt, a goat was worshipped, as has been remarked Leviticus 18:7; and where the women used to lie with such creatures, as Strabo c and Aelianus d from Pindar have related; yea, Herodotus e reports, of his own knowledge, that a goat had carnal copulation with a woman openly, in the view of all, in his time; and though that creature is a most lascivious and lustful one, yet, as Bochart f from Plutarch has observed, when it is provoked by many and beautiful women, is not inclined and ready to come into their embraces, but shows some abhorrence of it: nature in brutes, as that learned man observes, is often more prevalent in them than in mankind:

it [is] confusion; a mixing of the seed of man and beast together, a blending of different kinds of creatures, a perverting the order of nature, and introducing the utmost confusion of beings, from whence monsters in nature may arise.

b Hilchot Issure Biah, c. 1. sect. 16. c Geograph. l. 17. p. 551. d De Animal. l. 7. c. 19. e Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 46. f Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 53. col. 642.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 18:23. With any beast — This abomination is also punishable with death by the laws of this country.

Any woman stand before a beast — That this was often done in Egypt there can be no doubt; and we have already seen, from the testimony of Herodotus, that a fact of this kind actually took place while he was in Egypt. Leviticus 17:7; Leviticus 17:7, and "Leviticus 20:16".