Sexual Morality

ca. 1200–332 BCE

1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2Speak to the Israelite people and say to them:

I the Lord am your God. 3You shall not copy the practices of the land of Egypt where you dwelt, or of the land of Canaan to which I am taking you; nor shall you follow their laws. 4My rules alone shall you observe, and faithfully follow My laws: I the Lord am your God…

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The Holiness Collection: Priests and the Tabernacle in the Bible

Biblical Period

The Holiness Collection, a group of laws in the biblical book of Leviticus, is focused on priests but extends the concept of priestly holiness to all Israel.

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The Term “Torah” and Its Meaning

Biblical Period

The Hebrew Bible has many terms for law, including torah, which came to mean not just biblical law but all authoritative Jewish teaching.

The top of Hammurabi's Stela; Hammurabi stands with a hand to his nose in submission to the seated god Shamash.
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Related Guide

The Ancient Near Eastern Background of Biblical Law

Biblical Period

Biblical law was influenced by the legal collections of its powerful neighbors, especially the Babylonians and Assyrians.

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Prohibition of Eating Blood

Leviticus 17:10–14
And if anyone of the house of Israel or of the strangers who reside among them partakes of any blood, I will set My face against the person who partakes of the blood, and I will cut him off from…
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Holiness of the People

Leviticus 19:1–20:8, 24–26
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. You shall each revere his mother and his…
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Child Sacrifice in Relief

Child sacrifice in relief, Pozo Moro, Spain, ca. 500 BCE. The relief shows a two-headed monster receiving offerings in bowls. One bowl holds a child. Because the site shows Phoenician influence, the…
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Holy Days

Leviticus 23:1–10, 14–43

This list of holy days from the Holiness Collection in the Torah includes the Sabbath, three pilgrimage festivals, and several additional holidays.

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Sabbatical Years and the Jubilee

Leviticus 25 (selections)
The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land that I assign to you, the land shall observe a sabbath of the Lord. Six years you may…
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Prologue to Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 4–11 (selections)
See, I have imparted to you laws and rules, as the Lord my God has commanded me, for you to abide by in the land that you are about to enter and occupy. Observe them faithfully, for that…
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