Deuteronomy 27:23
Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Original Language Analysis
שֹׁכֵ֖ב
be he that lieth
H7901
שֹׁכֵ֖ב
be he that lieth
Strong's:
H7901
Word #:
2 of 8
to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose)
עִם
H5973
עִם
Strong's:
H5973
Word #:
3 of 8
adverb or preposition, with (i.e., in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then
חֹֽתַנְתּ֑וֹ
with his mother in law
H2859
חֹֽתַנְתּ֑וֹ
with his mother in law
Strong's:
H2859
Word #:
4 of 8
to give (a daughter) away in marriage; hence (generally) to contract affinity by marriage
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
6 of 8
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
Cross References
Leviticus 20:14And 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.Leviticus 18:17Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
Historical Context
In the ancient Near East, marriage created extensive kinship obligations and protections. A man's relationship to his wife's mother was legally and morally defined—she was family, not a potential sexual partner. The public proclamation of these curses at Mount Ebal made clear that Israel's covenant community would not tolerate the sexual chaos common among Canaanite cultures, where temple prostitution and cultic sexual rituals were normalized.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's design for family boundaries protect human dignity and relational flourishing?
- What modern 'redefinitions' of family and sexuality parallel the ancient violations these curses condemned?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law—Leviticus 18:17 and 20:14 prohibit this as zimmah (זִמָּה, wickedness/depravity), requiring execution by burning. The severity reflects how such violation destroys family structure God ordained for human flourishing. The mother-in-law relationship created through marriage covenant makes this union a perversion of sacred kinship bonds.
The continuing refrain And all the people shall say, Amen reinforced communal accountability. Each 'Amen' was a corporate covenant renewal declaring, 'We agree with God's standards and will uphold them.' The New Testament similarly commands believers to have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11).