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Lying with a Slave Woman

20 “‘When a man goes to bed with a woman for intercourse,[a] although she is a slave woman designated for another man and she has not yet been ransomed, or freedom has not been granted to her, there will be an obligation to pay compensation.[b] They must not be put to death, because she was not free. 21 He must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, a guilt offering ram,[c] 22 and the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed,[d] and he will be forgiven[e] of his sin[f] that he has committed.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 19:20 tn Heb “And a man when he lies with a woman, the lying of seed.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” acts as a euphemism, implying going to bed for sexual relations. In this case, the phrase “lying for (a man’s) seed” specifies that it refers to sexual intercourse.
  2. Leviticus 19:20 sn That is, the woman had previously been assigned for marriage to another man but the marriage deal had not yet been consummated. In the meantime, the woman has lost her virginity and has, therefore, lost part of her value to the master in the sale to the man for whom she had been designated. Compensation was, therefore, required (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 130-31).
  3. Leviticus 19:21 sn On the guilt offering see the note on Lev 5:15 above.
  4. Leviticus 19:22 tn Heb “on his sin which he has sinned.”
  5. Leviticus 19:22 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him.”
  6. Leviticus 19:22 tn Heb “from his sin.”

20 “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man(A) but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment.[a] Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord.(B) 22 With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 19:20 Or be an inquiry