Leviticus 20:24

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I [am] the LORD your God, which have separated you from [other] people.

Complete Jewish Bible:

But to you I have said, "You will inherit their land; I will give it to you as a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey."I am ADONAI your God, who has set you apart from other peoples.

Berean Standard Bible:

But I have told you that you will inherit their land, since I will give it to you as an inheritance—a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the peoples.

American Standard Version:

But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey: I am Jehovah your God, who hath separated you from the peoples.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

But I have said{H559} unto you, Ye shall inherit{H3423} their land{H127}, and I will give{H5414} it unto you to possess{H3423} it, a land{H776} that floweth{H2100} with milk{H2461} and honey{H1706}: I am the LORD{H3068} your God{H430}, which have separated{H914} you from other people{H5971}.

Cross-References (KJV):

Deuteronomy 14:2

  • For thou [art] an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that [are] upon the earth.

Exodus 3:17

  • And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

Exodus 6:8

  • And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I [am] the LORD.

Exodus 3:8

  • And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Deuteronomy 7:6

  • For thou [art] an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that [are] upon the face of the earth.

Exodus 33:16

  • For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? [is it] not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that [are] upon the face of the earth.

Leviticus 20:26

  • And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD [am] holy, and have severed you from [other] people, that ye should be mine.

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Commentary for Leviticus 20:24

Leviticus 20:24 is part of the Holiness Code in the book of Leviticus, which is the third book of the Pentateuch in the Hebrew Bible. This verse is situated within a larger section of laws and commandments given by God to the Israelites through Moses. The historical context of this verse is rooted in the period after the Exodus, when the Israelites are on the brink of entering the Promised Land, Canaan.

The themes of Leviticus 20:24 include divine promise, inheritance, and the unique relationship between God and the Israelite people. In this verse, God reiterates His promise to the Israelites that they will inherit the land of Canaan, a region described as flowing with milk and honey—a biblical idiom connoting fertility, abundance, and prosperity. This promise is contingent upon the Israelites' obedience to God's laws and statutes, which are designed to set them apart from other nations.

The phrase "I have separated you from [other] people" underscores the idea of the Israelites as a chosen people, selected by God for a special covenantal relationship. This separation entails both privilege and responsibility. The Israelites are called to live according to God's holy standards, which includes moral, ritual, and social laws that were often contrary to the practices of their neighbors.

In essence, Leviticus 20:24 emphasizes God's sovereignty in granting the land to the Israelites, the conditional nature of their occupation of the land based on their fidelity to God's commandments, and the distinctiveness of their identity as God's people. This verse reflects the broader theological themes of the Pentateuch, which include the establishment of a covenant between God and His people, the importance of the land of Canaan in God's redemptive plan, and the call for holiness and separation from pagan influences.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

  1. Strong's Number: H559
    There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אָמַר
    Transliteration: ʼâmar
    Pronunciation: aw-mar'
    Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet.
  2. Strong's Number: H3423
    There are 204 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יָרַשׁ
    Transliteration: yârash
    Pronunciation: yaw-rash'
    Description: or יָרֵשׁ; a primitive root; to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place); by implication, to seize, to rob, to inherit; also to expel, to impoverish, to ruin; cast out, consume, destroy, disinherit, dispossess, drive(-ing) out, enjoy, expel, [idiom] without fail, (give to, leave for) inherit(-ance, -or) [phrase] magistrate, be (make) poor, come to poverty, (give to, make to) possess, get (have) in (take) possession, seize upon, succeed, [idiom] utterly.
  3. Strong's Number: H127
    There are 372 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֲדָמָה
    Transliteration: ʼădâmâh
    Pronunciation: ad-aw-maw'
    Description: from אָדַם; soil (from its general redness); country, earth, ground, husband(-man) (-ry), land.
  4. Strong's Number: H5414
    There are 1816 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: נָתַן
    Transliteration: nâthan
    Pronunciation: naw-than'
    Description: a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.); add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] without fail, fasten, frame, [idiom] get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), [idiom] have, [idiom] indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), [phrase] lie, lift up, make, [phrase] O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, [idiom] pull, put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), [phrase] sing, [phrase] slander, strike, (sub-) mit, suffer, [idiom] surely, [idiom] take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, [phrase] weep, [phrase] willingly, [phrase] withdraw, [phrase] would (to) God, yield.
  5. Strong's Number: H776
    There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֶרֶץ
    Transliteration: ʼerets
    Pronunciation: eh'-rets
    Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.
  6. Strong's Number: H2100
    There are 41 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: זוּב
    Transliteration: zûwb
    Pronunciation: zoob
    Description: a primitive root; to flow freely (as water), i.e. (specifically) to have a (sexual) flux; figuratively, to waste away; also to overflow; flow, gush out, have a (running) issue, pine away, run.
  7. Strong's Number: H2461
    There are 44 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: חָלָב
    Transliteration: châlâb
    Pronunciation: khaw-lawb'
    Description: from the same as חֶלֶב; milk (as the richness of kine); [phrase] cheese, milk, sucking.
  8. Strong's Number: H1706
    There are 54 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: דְּבַשׁ
    Transliteration: dᵉbash
    Pronunciation: deb-ash'
    Description: from an unused root meaning to be gummy; honey (from its stickiness); by analogy, syrup; honey(-comb).
  9. Strong's Number: H3068
    There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יְהֹוָה
    Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh
    Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
    Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה.
  10. Strong's Number: H430
    There are 2334 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֱלֹהִים
    Transliteration: ʼĕlôhîym
    Pronunciation: el-o-heem'
    Description: plural of אֱלוֹהַּ; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative; angels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.
  11. Strong's Number: H914
    There are 40 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: בָּדַל
    Transliteration: bâdal
    Pronunciation: baw-dal'
    Description: a primitive root; to divide (in variation senses literally or figuratively, separate, distinguish, differ, select, etc.); (make, put) difference, divide (asunder), (make) separate (self, -ation), sever (out), [idiom] utterly.
  12. Strong's Number: H5971
    There are 1654 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: עַם
    Transliteration: ʻam
    Pronunciation: am
    Description: from עָמַם; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock; folk, men, nation, people.