Interpretation of "Nakedness" in Leviticus Incest Laws
The concept of "nakedness" in Leviticus is central to understanding the biblical laws regarding incestuous relationships. The Hebrew term "ervah" (nakedness) is used throughout Leviticus 18 and 20 to denote prohibited sexual relationships [1, 2, 3].
In Leviticus, "uncovering someone's nakedness" is a euphemism for engaging in sexual relations with that person. This phrase is not meant to be taken literally but rather as a metaphor for the intimate act [4, 10]. For instance, Leviticus 18:8 states, "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness" [11]. Here, the phrase refers to having sexual relations with one's stepmother.
The interpretation of "nakedness" varies across traditions. In Jewish (Rabbinic) tradition, the Talmud provides detailed explanations of the term. For example, Rabbi Akiva interprets "his father's nakedness" as referring to his father's wife, excluding his father's sister [9]. The Talmud also derives prohibitions against certain incestuous acts through verbal analogies between different verses in Leviticus [6, 7, 8].
In contrast, the Baptist/Reformed tradition, as represented by John Gill, understands "uncovering nakedness" to refer to the act of lying together or having sexual intercourse [4, 10]. Gill's commentary on Leviticus 20:17 explains that seeing each other's nakedness is not about an immodest view but about the act of sexual relations.
The Jewish (Rationalist) tradition, as seen in Abraham Ibn Ezra's commentary, interprets "ervah" (nakedness) as referring to something unseemly that is exposed and needs to be covered [5].
The Lutheran tradition, represented by Keil & Delitzsch, understands the phrase "they are thy nakedness" in Leviticus 18:10 to mean that carnal intercourse with a granddaughter would be equivalent to dishonoring one's own flesh and blood [12].
The biblical concept of "nakedness" in the context of incest laws is thus understood as a metaphor for prohibited sexual relationships, with various traditions offering distinct interpretations of the term. The Leviticus laws aim to establish boundaries for familial relationships, emphasizing the importance of maintaining familial purity [1, 2, 3].
The historical and cultural context of these laws is rooted in the ancient Israelite community, where familial relationships and purity were of utmost importance. The laws in Leviticus 18 and 20 served to distinguish the Israelites from surrounding cultures and to maintain their religious and social identity.
The concept of "nakedness" in Leviticus continues to be a subject of interpretation and debate among different Christian and Jewish traditions, reflecting the complexity and nuance of biblical law.
Sources
- Leviticus ““‘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. -- Leviticus 20:17”
- Leviticus ““‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless. -- Leviticus 20:21”
- Leviticus ““‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, nor of your father’s sister; for he has made his close relative naked. They shall bear their iniquity. -- Leviticus 20:19”
- Leviticus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Leviticus 18:7: The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shall thou not uncover,.... By uncovering a father's nakedness is not meant anything similar to what befell Noah, which Ham beheld with pleasure, and the other two sons of Noah studiously and with reverence to their father covered; nor any sodomitical practice of a son with his father; as Gersom interprets it; but the same is meant by both phrases, and the words are by many interpreters thus rendered, "the nakedness of thy father, that is (x), the nakedness of thy mother thou shalt not uncover": for wha”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 18:6: NAKEDNESS. Ervah (nakedness) refers to something unseemly which is exposed and has to be covered.”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Keritot 57b.9:15: Abaye elaborates: This is as Rava says: Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Avdimi said to me that this halakha is derived by a verbal analogy between the unusual form “they [ henna ]” and “they [ henna ],” written with regard to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one’s daughter born from the woman he raped. As it is written: “The nakedness of a woman and her daughter…you shall not take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness: They [ henna ] are near kinswomen” (Leviticus 18:17). And it is stated: “The nakedness of your son’”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Keritot 57a.9:15: Abaye elaborates: This is as Rava says: Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Avdimi said to me that this halakha is derived by a verbal analogy between the unusual form “they [ henna ]” and “they [ henna ],” written with regard to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one’s daughter born from the woman he raped. As it is written: “The nakedness of a woman and her daughter…you shall not take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness: They [ henna ] are near kinswomen” (Leviticus 18:17). And it is stated: “The nakedness of your son’”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Keritot 5a.15: Abaye elaborates: This is as Rava says: Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Avdimi said to me that this halakha is derived by a verbal analogy between the unusual form “they [ henna ]” and “they [ henna ],” written with regard to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one’s daughter born from the woman he raped. As it is written: “The nakedness of a woman and her daughter…you shall not take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness: They [ henna ] are near kinswomen” (Leviticus 18:17). And it is stated: “The nakedness of your son’s d”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 58b.2: And Rabbi Akiva holds that it is preferable to interpret the term “his father” as referring to his father’s wife, who is referred to as his father’s nakedness in the verse: “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness” (Leviticus 18:8), to the exclusion of his father’s sister, who is referred to as his father’s kin in the verse: “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s kin” (Leviticus 18:12), and who is not referred to as his father’s nakedness.”
- Leviticus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Leviticus 20:17: And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter,.... Take her to be his wife, or commit lewdness with her, whether she be his sister by both father and mother's side, or whether by one only, either way she is his sister, and it is not lawful to marry her, or lie with her, see Lev 18:9, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; which is not to be understood of an immodest view, exposing to each other what should not be seen, and pleasing themselves wills such obscene sights, but of the act of lying together, for so it i”
- Leviticus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Leviticus 18:8: The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover,.... That is, who is indeed a man's father's wife, but not his own mother, but a stepmother or mother-in-law; or otherwise this law would coincide with the former; a man lying with such an one is accursed by the law, Deu 27:23; such an incestuous copulation was that of Reuben with Bilhah, and Absalom with his father's concubines or secondary wives, and such an incestuous marriage was that of the Corinthians, Co1 5:1; and of Antiochus Soter, king of Syria, with Stratonice his mother-in-law (c): and even it wa”
- Leviticus (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Leviticus 18:10: The prohibition of marriage with a granddaughter, whether the daughter of a son or daughter, is explained in the words, "for they are thy nakedness," the meaning of which is, that as they were directly descended from the grandfather, carnal intercourse with them would be equivalent to dishonouring his own flesh and blood.”