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.
If a man marries a woman and also marries her mother, this is a terrible evil. All three of them must be burned to death so that this kind of wickedness will not spread among you.
This verse establishes that marrying both a woman and her mother was considered such a serious violation of God's moral order that it carried the death penalty to protect the community from moral corruption.
📚 Historical Context
In the historical context of ancient Israel, the book of Leviticus was part of the Mosaic Law given to the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt, aiming to establish a holy community distinct from the pagan practices of surrounding nations like the Canaanites. This specific verse addresses incestuous relationships, which were sometimes tolerated in those cultures, to protect family structures and maintain moral purity as a reflection of God's covenant with His people. The severe punishment of burning emphasized the seriousness of these laws in preserving social order and national holiness.
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