Leviticus 19:20

“And if a man lies with a woman with an emission of semen, and she is a slave woman promised to a man, but she has not been redeemed at all nor been given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they shall not be put to death, for she was not free.”

Leviticus 19:20 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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20

Leviticus 19:20, word by word

And if a manאִישׁish

man

An adult male person; also each man of a people, a trade or a place.

Where else “ish” appears
liesיִשְׁכַּבyishkav

lie with

To lie with someone, have relations.

Where else “yishkav” appears
a womanאִשָּׁהisha

woman

An adult female person: single, married or widowed.

Where else “isha” appears
with an emissionשִׁכְבַתshichvat

emission

A man's emission of semen, which under the law left him unclean until evening.

Where else “shichvat” appears
of semenזֶרַעzera

semen

The fluid from a man that gives rise to a child.

Where else “zera” appears
is a slave womanשִׁפְחָהshifcha

female slave, servant

Female slave, maidservant in the service of the lady of the house.

Where else “shifcha” appears
promisedנֶחֱרֶפֶתnecherefet

betroth

For a woman to be engaged to a man without yet being married.

Where else “necherefet” appears
been redeemed at allהָפְדֵּהhafde

pay a ransom

To pay to get someone or something back.

Where else “hafde” appears
been givenנִתַּןnitan

give

To hand something over to someone: a gift, a payment, a charge or a land.

Where else “nitan” appears
freedomחֻפְשָׁהchufsha

freedom

Freedom given to a slave. It appears only in Leviticus 19:20.

Where else “chufsha” appears
there shall beתִּהְיֶהtihye

exist

To exist: "let there be light".

Where else “tihye” appears
punishmentבִּקֹּרֶתbikoret

inquiry, punishment

A word found only in Leviticus 19:20: punishment, or an inquiry to decide it.

Where else “bikoret” appears
be put to deathיוּמְתוּyumtu

be put to death

To lose one's life as punishment.

Where else “yumtu” appears
freeחֻפָּשָׁהchupasha

be set free

Be free, be set free.

Where else “chupasha” appears

Translation note

The word translated “punishment” (biqqoret) appears only here; BDB explains it as “punishment after examination.”

The context

19You shall keep my statutes. Your beasts you shall not let breed with two kinds; your field you shall not sow with two kinds, and a garment of two kinds, of mixed fabric, shall not come on you.

20 · This verse (above)

21And he shall bring his guilt offering to YHWH, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram of guilt offering.

Read all of Leviticus 19

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