Leviticus 18:27-30 Meaning: When the Land Vomits
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.’”
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.
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.
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.'
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.
Meaning in one sentence
God warns Israel that defiling the land through certain sins will cause it to reject them, just as it rejected the Canaanites who lived there before them.
Context
The closing verses of Leviticus 18 bring a chapter of moral laws to a sharp, sobering finish. God has laid out boundaries around sexual relationships, idolatry, and other practices that were common among the surrounding nations. Now He tells Israel plainly: the land itself has suffered from what the Canaanites did. It became defiled, and it could not hold them any longer. The image is visceral, the land, like a stomach, rejecting food that makes it sick. This passage is not merely a list of rules. It gives the reason behind the rules: God’s people are to live differently because the Creator has connected human conduct with the health of the ground they walk on. The warning is meant to land on the heart before it ever reaches the courtroom.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words anchor this passage and give it its force. The first is the verb qi’, meaning “to vomit” (H6958). It shows up three times in these few verses. The land is pictured as a living body that cannot keep down what poisons it. This is not a gentle image. It is meant to shake the reader awake to the seriousness of defiling the place God gives us.
The second word is to’evah, translated “abomination” (H8441). It refers to something deeply detestable, often in a ritual or moral sense. These are not minor missteps. They are practices that God says corrupt both the person and the land they live in.
The third is karat, “to cut off” (H3772). When the passage says the souls who do these things “shall be cut off from among their people,” the word carries the weight of separation, being severed from the community and from the blessings of the covenant. It could mean excommunication or, in some cases, death, but the core idea is a broken connection to God’s people.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers across traditions have seen this passage as a reminder that God’s moral order is woven into creation itself. Anglican commentator Barnes wrote that the land is “impersonated” here, representing the Creator’s design for a holy people in a holy place. Matthew Henry, writing from a Reformed perspective, noted that these verses show how God holds nations accountable for public sins that defile the land. Keil and Delitzsch, in their Old Testament commentary, observed that the land “vomiting” its inhabitants is a poetic way of saying that the Creator uses the natural world to enforce His moral will. Catholic interpreters have connected this principle to the Church’s teaching that sin has social and even environmental consequences, not just personal ones. All of them agree on one point: what we do matters far beyond our private lives.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is to think that “cut off from among their people” always means the death penalty carried out by human judges. In fact, the Hebrew phrase is broader. As Wesley explained, the expression is used in various ways: of excommunication, of being outlawed from the community, sometimes of premature death by God’s hand, and sometimes of execution. The passage itself does not specify the method. The point is that those who practice these things lose their place among God’s covenant people.
Living This Out
Most of us do not live in ancient Canaan, and the chapter’s specific laws about incest, adultery, and child sacrifice may feel far from our daily life. But the principle in these verses presses in close. Your choices affect the people and the places around you. The things you tolerate in secret shape the air your family breathes. This week, ask yourself one quiet question: Are there practices I have grown comfortable with that God calls an abomination? It could be a habit of thought, a pattern of speech, or a relationship that blurs the lines He drew. The land may not literally vomit you out, but the spiritual separation is just as real. Let the warning soften your heart, not harden it.
Main takeaway: God connects our moral choices to the life of the land we inhabit, and persistent defilement leads to being removed from His presence and His people.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God gave the land to His people like a gift. He said, do not make it dirty with sin. If they did, the land would spit them out, like throwing up bad food. God wants us to keep our hearts and our homes clean for Him.
For ages 9, 12
This passage shows that God cares about whole nations, not just individuals. The Canaanites did terrible things for many years, and finally the land could not hold them anymore. God warned Israel not to do the same things, or the land would reject them too. It is a serious reminder that sin is not private. It affects the people around us and the places where we live. God wants His people to be different, to be a blessing wherever they go.
Questions People Ask
What does it mean that the land 'vomits' you out?
This is a vivid picture from the ancient world. The land is described like a stomach that cannot keep down food that poisons it. When the people sinned in ways that defiled the land, God used the land itself to push them out, either through natural disaster, military defeat, or being forced to leave. For Israel, this was a direct warning about exile if they turned away from God.
What are the 'abominations' mentioned in these verses?
The previous parts of Leviticus 18 list these abominations in detail. They include incest, adultery, child sacrifice to Molech, homosexual acts, and bestiality. The word 'abomination' (to'evah in Hebrew) means something deeply detestable to God, both morally and ritually. These were not boundary markers for Israel alone; they were practices that God said corrupted human beings and the land itself.
Does this passage apply to Christians today?
Most Christian traditions agree that the moral principles behind these laws still apply, though the ceremonial context changed with Christ. The New Testament reaffirms many of these prohibitions (for example, in Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6). The deeper lesson, that our conduct affects the communities we live in and that God holds nations accountable, remains relevant. Christians across traditions read this as a call to holiness and to care for the wellbeing of the land God has given us.
What does 'cut off from among his people' mean?
The Hebrew phrase 'cut off' (karat) is used for several kinds of separation. It could mean excommunication from the worshiping community, being outlawed from the nation, or in some cases the death penalty carried out by the authorities. The common factor is that the person loses their place in the covenant people of God. It is a severe warning meant to protect the whole community from corruption.
Why does God blame the land itself instead of just the people?
In the Bible, the land is not dead matter; it is part of God's creation that responds to human obedience or sin. Psalm 24 and other passages speak of the earth belonging to the Lord. When people defile the land through sin, the land suffers and, so to speak, cries out (see Genesis 4:10). This way of speaking shows that sin has consequences that go far beyond the individual, it affects the very place where we live and the generations that come after us.
For pastors & researchers
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