I was recently accused of teaching a strange doctrine with regard to Leviticus 20:10. What I said was that the verse is very specific in only prescribing the death penalty when adultery involves a married woman.
The reality is that my interpretation is the mainstream Christian view, and every major Bible commentary agrees with me.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1714):
"The sin of adultery [Leviticus 20:10] is committed when any man lies with a married woman, defiling another man’s wife. The law does not reckon a married man’s commerce with an unmarried woman as the same offense, for the wife’s fidelity is the chief concern."
The JPS Torah Commentary (Baruch A. Levine, 1989):
"In Leviticus 20:10, adultery is intercourse between a man and a married woman, infringing on the husband’s prerogatives. The law’s asymmetry stems from a system where men could have multiple partners, but a married woman’s infidelity threatened family structure."
The Pulpit Commentary (H.D.M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell, 1890):
"Leviticus 20:10 prescribes death for both parties in adultery, defined as a man with another’s wife. The man’s marital status is not considered, as the law protects the sanctity of the husband’s marriage, not the reverse."
The Anchor Bible Commentary (Jacob Milgrom, 2000):
"Adultery in Leviticus 20:10 is defined as sexual relations with a married or betrothed woman, violating her husband’s exclusive rights. A married man’s relations with an unattached woman do not constitute adultery, as the law reflects a patriarchal concern for lineage and property."
Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (19th century):
"The law [Leviticus 20:10] refers to the illicit intercourse of a man, whether married or not, with a woman who is another’s wife... The offense is against the husband’s rights, and the marital status of the man is irrelevant, as polygyny was not forbidden."
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (R. Laird Harris, 1990):
"The offense in Leviticus 20:10 is a man lying with another man’s wife, regardless of his own marital status. A married man’s relations with an unmarried woman were not deemed adulterous, as the law protected the husband’s exclusive claim over his wife."
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Charles F. Pfeiffer, 1962):
"Adultery in Leviticus 20:10 pertains to a man, married or not, who defiles a married woman. The law’s focus is on the violation of the husband’s marriage, not on a married man’s actions with an unattached woman, consistent with Israel’s patriarchal structure."
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (A.T. Chapman, 1913):
"The sin of Leviticus 20:10 is committed when a man has intercourse with a married or betrothed woman, infringing on her husband’s rights. The law does not penalize a married man’s relations with an unmarried woman, as polygyny was permitted."
The Torah: A Modern Commentary (W. Gunther Plaut, 1981):
"Leviticus 20:10 defines adultery as sexual relations involving a married woman, emphasizing the breach of her husband’s authority. A married man with an unmarried woman incurs no such penalty, reflecting the asymmetrical gender norms of ancient Israel."
The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary (Walter C. Kaiser Jr., 1994):
"Leviticus 20:10 addresses adultery as a man’s sexual involvement with a married woman, violating her husband’s rights. The law’s silence on a married man with an unmarried woman reflects the cultural norm of polygyny, where only the wife’s fidelity was strictly regulated."
Here is a video of me teaching this "privately" to hundreds of people in a sermon on October 3, 2021:
No comments:
Post a Comment