Leviticus 18:4
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Here is, I. A general law against all conformity to the corrupt usages of the heathen (Lev 18:1-5). II. Particular laws, 1. Against incest (Lev 18:6-18). 2. Against beastly lusts, and barbarous idolatries (Lev 18:19-23). III. The enforcement of these laws from the ruin of the Canaanites (Lev 18:24-30).
Open source ↗18:4-5 regulations . . . decrees: The Bible anticipated that the courts would need to interpret the laws that God had provided to apply them to different circumstances. Such interpretations became case laws; the body of these court decisions was called mishpatim in Hebrew (cp. “decrees” in 10:11). • Paul alludes to these verses in Rom 10:5 and Gal 3:12, where he contrasts the “way of faith” with the “way of law.”
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God.
And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.
But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you.
You must keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and follow them. I am the LORD.”
You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently.
These are the commandments and statutes and ordinances that the LORD your God has instructed me to teach you to follow in the land that you are about to enter and possess,
You are My friends if you do what I command you.
You are therefore to keep all My statutes and ordinances, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out.
My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes.