What number verse is Leviticus 20:15 in the Bible?

Leviticus 20:15 is the 3,334th verse of the Bible. Counting straight through the King James canon — all 31,102 verses from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 — Leviticus 20:15 sits at position 3,334.

Translation

King James Version

And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

Ask

KJV (with Strong's)

And if a man ^H376 lie ^{H5414 H7903} with a beast ^H929, he shall surely ^H4191 be put to death ^H4191: and ye shall slay ^H2026 the beast ^H929.

Ask

Complete Jewish Bible

If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you are to kill the animal.

Ask

Berean Standard Bible

If a man lies carnally with an animal, he must be put to death. And you are also to kill the animal.

Ask

American Standard Version

And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

Ask

World English Bible Messianic

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

Ask

Geneva Bible (1599)

Also the man that lyeth with a beast, shall dye the death, and ye shall slay the beast.

Ask

Young's Literal Translation

`And a man who giveth his lying with a beast is certainly put to death, and the beast ye do slay.

Ask

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Leviticus 20:15 sets forth a stringent legal decree condemning bestiality, unequivocally stating that any man who engages in sexual intercourse with an animal "shall surely be put to death," and the animal involved "shall be slain." This uncompromising judgment underscores God's profound abhorrence for such an unnatural and defiling act within His covenant community, emphasizing the sanctity of the created order, the unique dignity of humanity, and the absolute necessity of holiness for Israel to remain distinct and undefiled.

CONTEXT

Literary Context: Leviticus 20:15 is situated within a comprehensive section of the book (chapters 18-20) that meticulously outlines laws concerning sexual morality, ritual purity, and the severe consequences for violating God's statutes. Chapter 18 provides a detailed list of prohibited sexual relationships, including bestiality in Leviticus 18:23, while chapter 19 focuses on general laws of holiness that permeate daily life. Chapter 20 then reiterates many of these prohibitions, particularly those related to sexual offenses, and specifies the capital penalties for transgressions such as incest, adultery, child sacrifice, and homosexual acts. The placement of this verse within a litany of capital offenses highlights the extreme gravity with which this particular sin was viewed, underscoring its defiling nature not only for the individual but for the entire community and the land itself, which could "vomit out" its inhabitants for such abominations, as warned in Leviticus 18:25.
Historical & Cultural Context: Ancient Israel existed amidst pagan cultures, particularly the Canaanites and Egyptians, where various forms of sexual perversion, including bestiality, were sometimes practiced, often in connection with fertility cults or idolatrous rituals. The Mosaic Law, as presented in Leviticus, consistently calls Israel to be a holy and distinct nation, set apart from the abominable practices of their neighbors. The repeated warnings against defiling the land (Leviticus 18:24-25) and the threat of expulsion (Leviticus 18:28) if these laws were violated, underscore the theological conviction that such sins corrupted the very fabric of society and the land God had given them. The severity of the punishment for bestiality reflects not only its violation of the divinely established order of creation but also its potential to blur the lines between human and animal, thereby undermining the unique dignity of humanity, which alone is created in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27).
Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within Leviticus and the broader Pentateuch. Foremost is the theme of holiness (קָדוֹשׁ, qadosh), which is central to God's character and His demand for His people. Israel is called to be holy because the Lord their God is holy (Leviticus 19:2). Bestiality is explicitly categorized as an abomination (תּוֹעֵבָה, to'evah), a detestable act that defiles the individual and the land, thus violating the purity required for God's presence to dwell among them. The severe penalty underscores the gravity of sin and God's unwavering commitment to maintaining the sanctity of life and the created order. Furthermore, this law serves as a bulwark against the moral corruption prevalent in surrounding pagan cultures, emphasizing Israel's calling to be a distinct people whose practices reflect God's righteous standards, thereby preserving the moral and spiritual health of the community and preventing divine judgment.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

lie (Hebrew, nâthan', H5414): While nâthan primarily means "to give," its semantic range is vast, including "to put" or "to place." In this context, as indicated by its idiomatic usage in the Strong's definition, it functions as a euphemism for sexual intercourse, specifically "to lie with." This direct, albeit euphemistic, verb leaves no ambiguity about the nature of the prohibited physical act, emphasizing the intentional engagement in a sexual union that transgresses divinely established boundaries.
beast (Hebrew, bᵉhêmâh', H929): This term refers specifically to domestic animals, typically large quadrupeds such as cattle or livestock, as opposed to wild animals. The choice of bᵉhêmâh indicates that the law addresses a transgression that could occur within the daily life and agricultural context of ancient Israel. This specificity highlights the pervasive nature of the holiness code, extending its application to all aspects of existence and underscoring that even common interactions with the animal kingdom were subject to divine regulation concerning purity and order.
put to death (Hebrew, mûwth', H4191): This primitive root signifies "to die" or, causatively, "to kill." In the context of "shall surely be put to death," it is part of an emphatic Hebrew construction known as the infinitive absolute (מוֹת יוּמָת, mot yumath), which literally translates as "dying, he shall die" or "he shall certainly be put to death." This construction intensifies the verb, leaving no room for doubt regarding the certainty and severity of the capital punishment. Its frequent appearance in Leviticus and other legal texts of the Torah denotes offenses punishable by death, signifying the ultimate consequence for violating God's most sacred laws and defiling the covenant community.

Verse Breakdown

"And if a man lie with a beast": This opening clause identifies the human perpetrator ("a man") and the specific, prohibited act ("lie with a beast"). The conditional "if" introduces a hypothetical scenario that, if it occurs, triggers the subsequent legal consequences. It focuses on the human agent's moral responsibility for initiating and engaging in this unnatural act, highlighting that the transgression originates from human will and choice.
"he shall surely be put to death": This is the direct, non-negotiable, and emphatic consequence for the man. The use of the infinitive absolute ("shall surely be put to death") underscores the absolute certainty and severity of the capital punishment. This penalty signifies that the act is not merely a social transgression but a profound spiritual defilement that warrants the removal of the individual from the covenant community, as their actions have violated the very fabric of God's created order and the purity demanded of His people.
"and ye shall slay the beast": This final clause prescribes the fate of the animal involved. While the animal is not morally culpable, its slaying serves several crucial purposes. It symbolizes the complete eradication of the defilement, ensuring that nothing involved in such an abominable act remains within the community or is used for any purpose. It also reinforces the gravity of the sin by demonstrating that even the unwitting participant must be purged, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of God's demand for purity and the utter rejection of this perversion from the holy community.

Literary Devices

Leviticus 20:15 employs several significant literary devices to convey its powerful message. The most prominent is Legal Formulary, characteristic of the Mosaic Law, which presents a clear, concise, and prescriptive statement of crime and punishment. This rigid structure ensures clarity, authority, and the unambiguous communication of divine judgment. The use of the Hebrew infinitive absolute, "shall surely be put to death," is a potent example of Emphasis through Repetition (of the verb root), underscoring the absolute certainty and severity of the prescribed capital punishment. This linguistic device leaves no ambiguity regarding the dire consequences. Furthermore, the verse utilizes Symbolism in the command to slay the beast; the animal's death, though innocent, serves as a powerful symbol of the complete eradication of the defilement and the utter rejection of the unnatural act from the community. There is also a subtle Juxtaposition between the man's moral culpability and the beast's unwitting involvement, highlighting the distinct moral responsibility of humanity while demonstrating that the defilement extends to all elements involved in the transgression, requiring a comprehensive purging.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Leviticus 20:15 profoundly reinforces several core theological principles central to the Old Testament. It underscores God's absolute demand for holiness and purity within His covenant people, Israel, reflecting His own character as utterly set apart from all defilement. Bestiality, as an act that fundamentally distorts the divinely established order of creation and blurs the distinctiveness between humanity and the animal kingdom, is deemed an abomination that defiles both the individual and the land. The severe penalty highlights the gravity of sin and God's unwavering commitment to maintaining the sanctity of life and the created order, particularly the unique dignity of humanity created in God's image. This law serves as a bulwark against the moral corruption prevalent in surrounding pagan cultures, emphasizing Israel's calling to be a distinct people whose practices reflect God's righteous standards, thereby preserving the moral and spiritual health of the community and preventing divine judgment from falling upon the land.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

While the specific judicial penalties of the Mosaic Law are not directly applied in modern societies, the underlying principles of Leviticus 20:15 remain profoundly relevant for believers today. This verse serves as a stark reminder of God's unchanging standard for sexual ethics and the sanctity of human sexuality, which is distinct from animal behavior and designed for specific, holy contexts within the created order. It calls us to recognize that sexual expression is a sacred gift from God, intended to be exercised in ways that honor Him and reflect His design, primarily within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Any deviation from this divine design is seen as an affront to God's created order and a defilement. For the Christian, this passage reinforces the New Testament's call to a high standard of sexual purity, urging believers to flee all forms of sexual immorality and to honor God with their bodies, which are temples of the Holy Spirit. It challenges us to cultivate a deep reverence for God's design for humanity and to pursue holiness in all aspects of our lives, recognizing that our actions have spiritual implications for ourselves and the broader community, impacting our witness and relationship with a holy God.

Questions for Reflection

How does the severity of the punishment in Leviticus 20:15 inform our understanding of God's view on the sanctity of the created order and human sexuality?
In what ways does modern culture challenge or distort the biblical understanding of human sexuality as distinct from animal behavior and designed for holiness?
How can believers today uphold the principles of holiness and purity, as exemplified in this passage, in a way that is both faithful to Scripture and compassionate to others in a fallen world?

FAQ

Why was the animal also slain, given it presumably had no moral culpability?

Answer: The slaying of the animal, though it bore no moral guilt, served multiple significant purposes within the Israelite legal and theological framework. Firstly, it symbolized the complete and utter eradication of the defilement caused by the abominable act. The presence of anything involved in such a profound sin was considered a stain on the community and the land, requiring its complete removal. Secondly, it prevented any further use of the animal, ensuring that it could not be involved in any future defilement or even be consumed, which would pass on the impurity. This reinforced the gravity of the sin, demonstrating that its consequences extended beyond the direct human perpetrator to everything associated with the transgression. This concept aligns with other instances in the Mosaic Law where objects or animals associated with severe sin were destroyed (e.g., Exodus 21:28). It underscored the comprehensive nature of God's demand for purity and the absolute rejection of such a perversion from the holy community.

How does this law relate to the broader concept of "abominations" in Leviticus?

Answer: Leviticus 20:15 is one of several laws that prohibit acts deemed "abominations" (תּוֹעֵבָה, to'evah) by God. This term signifies something utterly detestable, repugnant, and offensive to God's character and His established order. In Leviticus, "abomination" is frequently applied to sexual perversions (like incest, adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality in Leviticus 18), idolatry, and certain dietary practices. The consistent use of this term emphasizes that these acts are not merely social taboos but spiritual offenses that violate God's holiness and defile both the individual and the land. Engaging in such abominations was seen as mirroring the practices of the pagan nations, which Israel was explicitly commanded to avoid to maintain their distinct covenant relationship with God (e.g., Leviticus 18:26-30). The severity of the punishment for "abominations" highlights God's unwavering commitment to the moral and spiritual purity of His people.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

While Leviticus 20:15, with its severe judicial penalties, belongs to the ceremonial and civil code of the Old Covenant, its underlying principles find profound Christ-centered fulfillment. Jesus himself declared that he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), meaning he brought its ultimate purpose and meaning to completion. This law against bestiality underscores God's unchanging standard for the sanctity of creation, the distinctiveness of humanity made in His image, and the purity required of His people. In Christ, the call to holiness is elevated from external legal observance to an internal transformation of the heart (Jeremiah 31:33). Believers are now called to be holy as God is holy, not merely by avoiding specific forbidden acts, but by living out of a new nature empowered by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:15-16). The defilement that such sins brought under the Old Covenant is now addressed by Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross, which cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7). Furthermore, the New Testament explicitly condemns all forms of sexual immorality as a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) and teaches that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, to be used for God's glory (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Thus, the absolute prohibition against bestiality in Leviticus 20:15 points to the broader truth that all sexual expression outside of God's design for marriage is contrary to His will, and in Christ, we are given the grace and power to live lives of purity that honor Him, reflecting the holiness of our Redeemer.

Copy as

Commentary on Leviticus 20 verses 10–21

10 ¶ And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

11 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.

12 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.

13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

17 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.

18 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.

19 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.

20 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.

21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

Sins against the seventh commandment are here ordered to be severely punished. These are sins which, of all others, fools are most apt to make a mock at; but God would teach those the heinousness of the guilt by the extremity of the punishment that would not otherwise be taught it.

I. Lying with another man's wife was made a capital crime. The adulterer and the adulteress that had joined in the sin must fall alike under the sentence: they shall both be put to death, Lev 20:10. Long before this, even in Job's time, this was reputed a heinous crime and an iniquity to be punished by the judges, Job 31:11. It is a presumptuous contempt of an ordinance of God, and a violation of his covenant, Pro 2:17. It is an irreparable wrong to the injured husband, and debauches the mind and conscience of both the offenders as much as any thing. It is a sin which headstrong and unbridled lusts hurry men violently to, and therefore it needs such a powerful restraint as this. It is a sin which defiles a land and brings down God's judgments upon it, which disquiets families, and tends to the ruin of all virtue and religion, and therefore is fit to be animadverted upon by the conservators of the public peace: but see Joh 8:3-11.

II. Incestuous connections, whether by marriage or not. 1. Some of them were to be punished with death, as a man's lying with his father's wife, Lev 20:11. Reuben would have been put to death for his crime (Gen 35:22) if this law had been then made. It was the sin of the incestuous Corinthian, for which he was to be delivered unto Satan, Co1 5:1, Co1 5:5. A man's debauching his daughter-in-law, or his mother-in-law, or his sister, was likewise to be punished with death, Lev 20:12, Lev 20:14, Lev 20:17. 2. Others of them God would punish with the curse of barrenness, as a man's defiling his aunt, or his brother's wife (Lev 20:19-21): They shall die childless. Those that keep not within the divine rules of marriage forfeit the blessings of marriage: They shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase, Hos 4:10. Nay it is said, They shall bear their iniquity, that is, though they be not immediately cut off by the hand either of God or man for this sin, yet the guilt of it shall lie upon them, to be reckoned for another day, and not be purged with sacrifice or offering.

III. The unnatural lusts of sodomy and bestiality (sins not to be mentioned without horror) were to be punished with death, as they are at this day by our law, Lev 20:13, Lev 20:15, Lev 20:16. Even the beast that was thus abused was to be killed with the sinner, who was thereby openly put to the greater shame: and the villany was thus represented as in the highest degree execrable and abominable, all occasions of the remembrance or mention of it being to be taken away. Even the unseasonable use of the marriage, if presumptuous, and in contempt of the law, would expose the offenders to the just judgment of God: they shall be cut off, Lev 20:18. For this is the will of God, that every man should possess his vessel (and the wife is called the weaker vessel) in sanctification and honour, as becomes saints.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 10–21. Public domain.

Copy as

Richard ChallonerAD 1781

The beast also ye shall kill: The killing of the beast was for the greater horror of the crime, and to prevent the remembrance of such abomination.

Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.

Copy as

Continue studying Leviticus 20:15 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.