Leviticus 18 · Verse 6

Leviticus 18:6

None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 18:6, King James Version

Leviticus 18:6 in other translations

BSB	None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
WEB	“‘None of you shall approach any close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.
ASV	None of you shall approach to any that are near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am Jehovah.
YLT	‘None of you unto any relation of his flesh doth draw near to uncover nakedness; I am Jehovah.
DARBY	No one shall approach to any that is his near relation, to uncover his nakedness: I am Jehovah.
BBE	You may not have sex connection with anyone who is a near relation: I am the Lord.
Webster	None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.

What does Leviticus 18:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

6. None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him--Very great laxity prevailed amongst the Egyptians in their sentiments and practice about the conjugal relation, as they not only openly sanctioned marriages between brothers and sisters, but even between parents and children. Such incestuous alliances Moses wisely prohibited, and his laws form the basis upon which the marriage regulations of this and other Christian nations are chiefly founded. This verse contains a general summary of all the particular prohibitions; and the forbidden intercourse is pointed out by the phrase, "to approach to." In the specified prohibitions that follow, all of which are included in this general summary, the prohibited familiarity is indicated by the phrases, to "uncover the nakedness" [Le 18:12-17], to "take" [Le 18:17, 18], and to "lie with" [Le 18:22, 23]. The phrase in this sixth verse, therefore, has the same identical meaning with each of the other three, and the marriages in reference to which it is used are those of consanguinity or too close affinity, amounting to incestuous connections.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 6 Any that is near of kin - כל שאר בשרו col shear besaro, any remnant of his flesh, i.e., to any particularly allied to his own family, the prohibited degrees in which are specified from the 7th to the 17th verse (Lev 18:7-17) inclusive. Notwithstanding the prohibitions here, it must be evident that in the infancy of the world, persons very near of kin must have been joined in matrimonial alliances; and that even brothers must have matched with their own sisters. This must have been the case in the family of Adam. In these first instances necessity required this; when this necessity no longer existed, the thing became inexpedient and improper for two reasons: 1. That the duties owing by nature to relatives might not be confounded with those of a social or political kind; for could a man be a brother and a husband, a son and a husband, at the same time, and fulfill the duties of both? Impossible. 2. That by intermarrying with other families, the bonds of social compact might be strengthened and extended, so that the love of our neighbor, etc., might at once be felt to be not only a maxim of sound policy, but also a very practicable and easy duty; and thus feuds, divisions, and wars be prevented.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Leviticus 18:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אִ֥ישׁ'isha manH376

אִישׁ֙'isha manH376

אֶל\־'el-toH413

כָּל\־kol-anyH3605

שְׁאֵ֣רshe.'Errelative ofH7607

בְּשָׂר֔וֹbe.sa.Roflesh hisH1320

לֹ֥אlo'notH3808

תִקְרְב֖וּtik.re.Vuyou will draw nearH7126

לְגַלּ֣וֹתle.ga.Lotto uncoverH1540

עֶרְוָ֑ה'er.VahnakednessH6172

אֲנִ֖י'a.NiIH589

יְהוָֽה\׃\ \סYah.weh[am] YahwehH3068

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Leviticus 18:6

Leviticus 20:17-21
And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people. And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity. And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife, he hath uncovered his uncle’s nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. …
Leviticus 18:7-19
The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness. The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover. The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness. …
Leviticus 20:11-12
And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

near to kin. Heb. remainder of his flesh.Not withstanding the prohibitions here, it must be evident, that in the infancy of the world, persons very near of kin, and even brothers and sisters, must have joined in matrimonial alliances; and therefore we cannot pronounce them immoral in themselves. But, in these first instances, necessity required it; but when this necessity no longer existed, the thing became inexpedient and improper: for 1. As human nature now is, it is very expedient that those who are so much together in youth, should, by such a restriction be taught to look upon all such intercourse as prohibited and incestuous; for unless such restrictions are made, it would be impossible to prevent the prevalence of very early corruption among young persons. (See Michaelis on the laws of Moses, Art. 108.) 2. That the duties owing by nature to relatives might not be confounded with those of a social or political kind; for could a man be a brother and a husband, or a son and a husband at the same time, and fulfil the duties of both? Impossible. 3. That by intermarrying with other families, relationship and its endearments might be diffused. These prohibitions are, therefore, to be considered so eminently moral obligations as to be observed by all mankind.
to uncover.
7-19; 20:11,12,17-21

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Leviticus 18:5
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 18:6
None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 18:7
The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

Read all of Leviticus 18

Leviticus 18:6 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Ningún varón se allegue á ninguna cercana de su carne, para descubrir su desnudez: Yo Jehová.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Nul homme ne s’approchera de sa proche parente, pour découvrir sa nudité. Moi, je suis l’ Éternel.
German Elberfelder 1871	Kein Mensch soll sich irgend einer seiner Blutsverwandten nahen, um ihre Blöße aufzudecken. Ich bin Jehova.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Omnis homo ad proximam sanguinis sui non accedet, ut revelet turpitudinem ejus. Ego Dominus.