Leviticus 18:27-30 · Bible study
Leviticus 18:27-30 Commentary: Land Defiled, People Expelled
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine how sin defiles the land and brings divine judgment, and what it means for God's people to live in holiness.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God warns Israel not to repeat the sins of the Canaanites, which defiled the land, caused it to expel them, and will bring the same judgment on Israel if they disobey.
- Key words: "vomit" (קָאָה), personifies the land as rejecting sinners; "cut off" (כָּרַת), removal from covenant community; "defile" (טָמֵא), moral/ritual pollution that spreads to the land.
- Main debate: Whether "cut off" means excommunication from the people or execution by the community, and how the land's agency should be interpreted (metaphor or actual created response).
- Theological theme: Holiness and covenant, God's people must live differently because their God is holy, and their conduct affects the land they inhabit.
- Best use: A corporate call to moral purity and a warning that sin has consequences that reach beyond the individual to the community and creation itself.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
27For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled.
28So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you.
29Therefore anyone who commits any of these abominations must be cut off from among his people.
30You must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
27(for the men of the land that were before you had done all these abominations, and the land became defiled),
28that the land not vomit you out also, when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
29“‘For whoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people.
30Therefore you shall keep my requirements, that you do not practice any of these abominable customs which were practiced before you, and that you do not defile yourselves with them. I am Yahweh your God.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
27(For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)
28That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.
29For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
30Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
27(for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled);
28that the land vomit not you out also, when ye defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
29For whosoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people.
30Therefore shall ye keep my charge, that ye practise not any of these abominable customs, which were practised before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am Jehovah your God.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
27(for all these abominations have the men of the land done who are before you, and the land is defiled),
28and the land doth not vomit you out in your defiling it, as it hath vomited out the nation which is before you;
29for any one who doth any of all these abominations--even the persons who are doing so , have been cut off from the midst of their people;
30and ye have kept My charge, so as not to do any of the abominable statutes which have been done before you, and ye do not defile yourselves with them; I am Jehovah your God.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
27(for all these abominations have the men of the land done, who were before you, and the land hath been made unclean);
28that the land vomit you not out, when ye make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
29For whoever committeth any of these abominations, ...the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
30And ye shall observe my charge, that ye commit not [any] of the abominable customs which were committed before you; and ye shall not make yourselves unclean therein: I am Jehovah your God.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
27For all these detestable things the inhabitants of the land have done, that were before you, and have defiled it.
28Beware then, lest in like manner, it vomit you also out, if you do the like things: as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
29Every soul that shall commit any of these abominations, shall perish from the midst of his people.
30Keep my commandments. Do not the things which they have done, that have been before you: and be not defiled therein. I am the Lord your God.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 18:27
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that these verses conclude the chapter with a solemn warning grounded in history and theology. The land is personified as a living entity that "vomits out" its inhabitants, a metaphor Keil and Delitzsch trace to the visceral disgust sin causes in the created order. Barnes notes that the land is "designed and consecrated for His people by Yahweh" and is here "impersonated" as the agent of divine judgment. The Canaanites' sins have defiled the land, and it expels them; Israel will suffer the same fate if they repeat those abominations.
On the punishment of individuals, Adam Clarke stresses the prophylactic purpose of divine ordinances: keeping God's commands is the safeguard against false worship and corrupt living. The phrase "cut off from among their people" is understood by Wesley and Barnes as an immediate forfeiture of covenant privileges, a kind of excommunication or divine outlawry. Gill adds that the soul, the whole person, is held responsible, so the penalty strikes at the core of one's identity in the community.
The passage thus draws a direct line between personal holiness, corporate faithfulness, and the land's fruitfulness. All sources underscore that God's holiness, not merely the practical consequences of sin, drives this warning.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Cut off as excommunication: The phrase may denote removal from the assembly and forfeiture of covenant benefits, not necessarily the death penalty (Wesley).
- Cut off as capital punishment: Other commentators (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) note that the context describes crimes punishable by death, and the phrase consistently implies execution.
- Land's agency as metaphor: Keil and Delitzsch treat the land vomiting as poetic personification, a strong image for God's judgment through historical cause and effect.
- Land's agency as literal creation response: Some see the land as actively participating in God's judgment, reflecting a theological vision of creation's sympathetic relationship to human morality (cf. Ellicott).
What is clear: All traditions agree that persistent, unrepentant sin leads to judgment — both individual (being cut off) and corporate (expulsion from the land) — and that God's holiness demands His people live differently.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'cut off from among their people' | It signifies removal from the covenant community and forfeiture of the privileges of being God's people. | Some (like Wesley) see it as a flexible term referring to either excommunication or civil execution depending on the offense; others insist it always implies the death penalty. |
| Personification of the land | The land is depicted as a living agent that rejects sinful inhabitants, a vivid metaphor for divine judgment. | Some (Keil & Delitzsch) treat this as poetic imagery; others argue it reflects a biblical theology of creation's sympathetic response to human sin (cf. Romans 8). |
| Applicability to non-Israelites | The Canaanites were held accountable for the same abominations without having received the Law at Sinai. | Jamieson-Fausset-Brown argues these moral laws were inscribed on the human heart from creation; others see them as specifically revealed to Israel and uniquely binding on the covenant people. |
| Relation to New Covenant ethics | The holiness God requires is a permanent aspect of His character, and His people are called to distinct living. | Some traditions see the ceremonial aspects as fulfilled in Christ and no longer binding; others maintain that the moral prohibitions (incest, adultery, homosexuality) remain in force for Christians. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Leviticus 18 sits within the Holiness Code (chapters 17-26), addressed to Israel as they camp at Sinai, poised to enter Canaan. The surrounding nations, Egyptians behind them, Canaanites ahead, had long practiced the sexual and idolatrous acts listed in this chapter. The phrase "the land became defiled" reflects a deep ancient Near Eastern conviction: the land belongs to a god, and human actions can ritually pollute it. In Israel's case, the land is Yahweh's own possession (Leviticus 25:23), and its fertility depends on the people's obedience (Deuteronomy 28).
The image of the land "vomiting" its inhabitants is intentionally graphic. It suggests that sin becomes intolerable to the earth itself, which rejects sinners as the stomach rejects poison. This is not mere poetry: Genesis 15:16 says the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full, implying a limit to divine patience. When that limit is reached, judgment comes through the land's expulsion. Ellicott's Commentary connects this to the cosmic consequences of sin, noting the earth's participation in both curse and restoration (Romans 8:19-22).
Israel is therefore being given a geography lesson in holiness. They are not entering neutral territory; they are inheriting a land that has already been purged of one set of inhabitants. The warning is stark: the same land will treat Israel the same way if they defile it with the same practices. This places the entire nation under a corporate responsibility that individual sin can compromise.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Leviticus 18:27-30. The Hebrew text is stable across the major manuscripts. Minor differences in English translations arise from how the personification of the land is rendered ("vomit" vs. "spue") and whether the final clause emphasizes covenant identity or legal command, but these do not affect the core meaning.
Reception History
Jewish tradition has read these verses as a definitive warning against assimilation to pagan practices. The phrase "cut off" (karet) became a technical term in rabbinic literature for a divine punishment that removes a person from the life of the world to come, though it could also refer to premature death or excommunication. In Christian history, the passage has often been cited to support the doctrine of God's judgment on nations that abandon natural law. Early church fathers like Tertullian used it to argue that sexual immorality defiles not only individuals but the land itself. During the Reformation, commentators like Matthew Henry and John Wesley emphasized the pastoral motive behind the warning: God gives these laws not to burden His people but to preserve them. In modern biblical theology, the connection between human sin and creation's groaning (Romans 8) has deepened appreciation for the cosmic dimensions of this passage.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Sin defiles more than the sinner. The land itself becomes unclean (v.27). Our moral choices have ecological and communal consequences that outlast us.
- God’s land rejects those who reject Him. The personified land "vomits out" the Canaanites, an image of divine judgment operating through creation (v.28). Israel will face the same expulsion if they follow the same path.
- Holiness is the only safe ground. Keeping God's charge (v.30) preserves both the individual and the nation from being cut off. Obedience is not legalism; it is survival in God's presence.
Five-point outline
- The historical precedent: the Canaanites defiled the land and were expelled.
- The present warning: Israel will be vomited out if they repeat those sins.
- The individual penalty: anyone who commits these abominations is cut off from the community.
- The positive command: keep God's charge, do not practice those customs.
- The divine seal: "I am Yahweh your God", the covenant relationship itself grounds the call to purity.
Illustration hooks
- A farmer whose soil becomes poisoned by chemical runoff. The land that once produced crops now sickens every seed planted. Moral pollution works similarly in a community.
- A house where selfish habits and broken relationships make the atmosphere toxic. Visitors feel it, and eventually the family can no longer live together. The land is like that house on a national scale.
- A sports team whose star players break the rules; the whole team is disqualified from the championship. The actions of a few defile the reputation of all, and the consequence is collective.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God still judge nations today based on their moral conduct? How do we see this in current events?
- What does it mean for the "land" to be defiled in a New Covenant context? Is there a Christian equivalent to being "vomited out"?
- How does this passage relate to environmental ethics? Should Christians care about pollution and creation care as a spiritual issue?
Leading a Discussion
This passage turns the spotlight from individual sins to their communal and cosmic effects. As you study together, notice how God connects what people do in private with the health of the land they live on. The question is not just "is this sin wrong?" but "what does this sin do to the world God made?"
Discussion questions
- Read v.27-28. Why does the Bible describe the land as "vomiting" out its inhabitants? What does this image tell you about how God views persistent sin in a community?
- In v.29, the punishment for any of these abominations is being "cut off from among their people." What do you think that meant for an Israelite? How would it feel to be separated from both God's presence and your community?
- Verse 30 says to "keep my charge" so that you do not practice these customs. Where do you see the greatest pressure in your own life to adopt the "customs" of the surrounding culture?
- The Canaanites did not have the Law of Moses, yet God held them accountable for the same acts (v.27). What does this say about moral knowledge written on the human heart (Romans 2:14-15)?
- How does this passage challenge the idea that our private choices only affect ourselves? Can you think of a time when someone's hidden sin affected an entire group or family?
- If the land itself can be defiled by human sin, how might our relationship with creation change when we pursue holiness? What practical steps might follow?
- This section ends with "I am Yahweh your God." How does God's identity as the covenant Lord shape the way you hear these warnings? Is the tone more like a threat or a promise?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 18:24 | “‘Don’t defile yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled. |
| Deuteronomy 20:18 | that they not teach you to follow all their abominations, which they have done for their gods; so would you sin against Yahweh your God. |
| Deuteronomy 23:18 | You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a male prostitute, into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow; for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God. |
| Deuteronomy 25:16 | For all who do such things, all who do unrighteously, are an abomination to Yahweh your God. |
| Deuteronomy 27:15 | ‘Cursed is the man who makes an engraved or molten image, an abomination to Yahweh, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ All the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’ |
| I Kings 14:24 | There were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which Yahweh drove out before the children of Israel. |
| II Kings 16:3 | But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out from before the children of Israel. |
| II Kings 21:2 | He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, after the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke insists that careful adherence to God's ordinances is the only sure guard against false worship. He marvels at how the law, in its detailed compass, forbids whatever harms and commands whatever promotes true human good. For him, the law always points to holiness and ultimately to Christ as its fulfillment.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes personifies the land itself, describing it as vomiting out the Canaanites because their wickedness had reached its limit. For Israel, the warning is rooted in their unique identity as Yahweh's holy people: defiling themselves with pagan practices forfeits their covenant privileges, an immediate excommunication from the community.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that after the initial warning in the passage, the standpoint shifts to a reflection on past events. The verbs that follow are properly understood in the past tense, describing defilement and punishment that have already occurred.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The note warns that the land will actively reject the Israelites if they follow the same detestable practices as the previous nations. Anyone who commits these acts will be cut off from their people, because obedience is required directly from the Lord their God.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws attention to how Scripture deliberately personifies the land itself as spewing out its inhabitants, which intensifies the horror of their sins. He also notes that these crimes are attributed to the soul, not merely the body, because the soul directs the body's actions, making the whole person liable to be cut off from God's people.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the death penalty applies equally to every sin listed in the chapter, from incest to bestiality, without distinction. He adds that God was not giving Israel new rules but reissuing the natural law written on every human heart, since he condemned the Canaanites for these same practices even though they were not bound by Hebrew law.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight that the land is personified as a living creature that violently rejects what displeases it. The Hebrew verbs are prophetic, describing certain and swift judgment. This poetic picture drives home the seriousness of defilement: the land itself will spit out its inhabitants the way it expelled the Canaanites before them.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees this marriage law as a holy barrier against two opposite extremes: sins against blood relationship and sins against nature. Incest is a retrogressive movement back to one's own roots, fostering family egoism, while the theocracy pushes marriage outward to build new bonds of love.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees these laws as falling into two groups: those protecting the honor of the marriage bed from misuse or invasion by adultery, and the command against the most unnatural idolatry of sacrificing children to Molech. Such sins defile the land and provoke God's judgment.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that the phrase "cut off" in Scripture does not refer to a single, uniform penalty. Instead, it can mean either excommunication from the religious community or a civil punishment, depending on the nature of the offence. This distinction clarifies that the same expression carries different consequences in different contexts.