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You must not walk in their customs.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/leviticus/18-3.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/17/03_Lev_18_03.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Leviticus 18:3 - Unlawful Sexual Relations" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. 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Do not follow their practices. <a href="/nlt/leviticus/18.htm">New Living Translation</a> So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. <a href="/esv/leviticus/18.htm">English Standard Version</a> You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. <a href="/bsb/leviticus/18.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a> You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs. <a href="/kjv/leviticus/18.htm">King James Bible</a> After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. <a href="/nkjv/leviticus/18.htm">New King James Version</a> According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. <a href="/nasb_/leviticus/18.htm">New American Standard Bible</a> You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. <a href="/nasb/leviticus/18.htm">NASB 1995</a> &#8216You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. <a href="/nasb77/leviticus/18.htm">NASB 1977 </a> ‘You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. <a href="/lsb/leviticus/18.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a> You shall not do according to what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do according to what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. <a href="/amp/leviticus/18.htm">Amplified Bible</a> You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, and you shall not do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes (practices, customs). <a href="/csb/leviticus/18.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a> Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs. <a href="/hcsb/leviticus/18.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a> Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs. <a href="/asv/leviticus/18.htm">American Standard Version</a> After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes. <a href="/cev/leviticus/18.htm">Contemporary English Version</a> So don't follow the customs of Egypt where you used to live or those of Canaan where I am bringing you. <a href="/erv/leviticus/18.htm">English Revised Version</a> After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their statutes. <a href="/gwt/leviticus/18.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a> You used to live in Egypt. Don't live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don't live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. <a href="/gnt/leviticus/18.htm">Good News Translation</a> Do not follow the practices of the people of Egypt, where you once lived, or of the people in the land of Canaan, where I am now taking you. <a href="/isv/leviticus/18.htm">International Standard Version</a> You are not to do what you used to do in the land of Egypt where you lived. You are not to do what Canaan does, where I'm about to bring you, so that you live according to their statutes. <a href="/msb/leviticus/18.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a> You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs. <a href="/net/leviticus/18.htm">NET Bible</a> You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to bring you; you must not walk in their statutes. <a href="/nheb/leviticus/18.htm">New Heart English Bible</a> You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived: and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you; neither shall you walk in their statutes. <a href="/wbt/leviticus/18.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a> After the doings of the land of Egypt in which ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. <a href="/web/leviticus/18.htm">World English Bible</a> You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived. You shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes. <div class="vheading2">Literal Translations</div><a href="/lsv/leviticus/18.htm">Literal Standard Version</a> you do not do according to the work of the land of Egypt in which you have dwelt, and you do not do according to the work of the land of Canaan to where I am bringing you in, and you do not walk in their statutes. <a href="/ylt/leviticus/18.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a> according to the work of the land of Egypt in which ye have dwelt ye do not, and according to the work of the land of Canaan whither I am bringing you in, ye do not, and in their statutes ye walk not. <a href="/slt/leviticus/18.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a> According to the doings of the land of Egypt where ye dwelt in it, ye shall not do: and according to the doings of the land of Canaan where I brought you there, ye shall not do: and in their laws ye shall not go.<div class="vheading2">Catholic Translations</div><a href="/drb/leviticus/18.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a> You shall not do according to the custom of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelt: neither shall you act according to the manner of the country of Chanaan, into which I will bring you, nor shall you walk in their ordinances. <a href="/cpdv/leviticus/18.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a> You shall not act according to the custom of the land of Egypt, in which you have lived; nor shall you behave according to the habit of the region of Canaan, into which I will lead you; neither shall you walk in their ordinances. <a href="/nabre/leviticus/18.htm">New American Bible</a> You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you once lived, nor shall you do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you; do not conform to their customs. <a href="/nrsvce/leviticus/18.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a> You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes.<div class="vheading2">Translations from Aramaic</div><a href="/lamsa/leviticus/18.htm">Lamsa Bible</a> You shall not do according to the doings of the land of Egypt wherein you dwelt, neither shall you do according to the doings of the land of Canaan whither I bring you; neither shall you walk in their ordinances. <a href="/hpbt/leviticus/18.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a> According to the works of the land of Egypt in which you dwelt, you will not do, and you shall not do according to the works of the land of Canaan where I have brought you and you shall not walk in their laws.<div class="vheading2">OT Translations</div><a href="/jps/leviticus/18.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a> After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes. <a href="/sep/leviticus/18.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a> Ye shall not do according to the devices of Egypt, in which ye dwelt: and according to the devices of the land of Chanaan, into which I bring you, ye shall not do; and ye shall not walk in their ordinances. <a href="/parallel/leviticus/18-3.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv">Audio Bible</div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWs_V1RyMFo?start=4731" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="vheadingv">Context</div><a href="/bsb/leviticus/18.htm">Unlawful Sexual Relations</a> …2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God. 3<a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles."></a> <a href="/hebrew/6213.htm" title="6213: ṯa·‘ă·śū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To do, make. A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application.">You must not follow</a> <a href="/hebrew/4639.htm" title="4639: kə·ma·‘ă·śêh (Prep-k:: N-msc) -- A deed, work. From asah; an action; generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product or property.">the practices</a> <a href="/hebrew/776.htm" title="776: ’e·reṣ- (N-fsc) -- Earth, land. From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth.">of the land</a> <a href="/hebrew/4714.htm" title="4714: miṣ·ra·yim (N-proper-fs) -- A son of Ham, also his desc. and their country in N.W. Africa. Dual of matsowr; Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt.">of Egypt,</a> <a href="/hebrew/834.htm" title="834: ’ă·šer (Pro-r) -- Who, which, that. A primitive relative pronoun; who, which, what, that; also when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.">where</a> <a href="/hebrew/3427.htm" title="3427: yə·šaḇ·tem- (V-Qal-Perf-2mp) -- A primitive root; properly, to sit down; by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry.">you used to live,</a> <a href="/hebrew/bāh (Prep:: 3fs) -- "></a> <a href="/hebrew/4639.htm" title="4639: ū·ḵə·ma·‘ă·śêh (Conj-w, Prep-k:: N-msc) -- A deed, work. From asah; an action; generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product or property.">and you must not follow the practices</a> <a href="/hebrew/776.htm" title="776: ’e·reṣ- (N-fsc) -- Earth, land. From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth.">of the land</a> <a href="/hebrew/3667.htm" title="3667: kə·na·‘an (N-proper-ms) -- From kana'; humiliated; Kenaan, a son a Ham; also the country inhabited by him.">of Canaan,</a> <a href="/hebrew/834.htm" title="834: ’ă·šer (Pro-r) -- Who, which, that. A primitive relative pronoun; who, which, what, that; also when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.">into which</a> <a href="/hebrew/589.htm" title="589: ’ă·nî (Pro-1cs) -- I. Contracted from 'anokiy; I.">I</a> <a href="/hebrew/935.htm" title="935: mê·ḇî (V-Hifil-Prtcpl-ms) -- To come in, come, go in, go. A primitive root; to go or come.">am bringing you.</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: ’eṯ·ḵem (DirObjM:: 2mp) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self."></a> <a href="/hebrew/8033.htm" title="8033: šām·māh (Adv:: 3fs) -- There, thither. A primitive particle; there then; often thither, or thence."></a> <a href="/hebrew/6213.htm" title="6213: ṯa·‘ă·śū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To do, make. A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application.">You must</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">not</a> <a href="/hebrew/1980.htm" title="1980: ṯê·lê·ḵū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To go, come, walk. Akin to yalak; a primitive root; to walk.">walk</a> <a href="/hebrew/2708.htm" title="2708: ū·ḇə·ḥuq·qō·ṯê·hem (Conj-w, Prep-b:: N-fpc:: 3mp) -- Something prescribed, an enactment, statute. Feminine of choq, and meaning substantially the same.">in their customs.</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles."></a> 4You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div> <a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><a href="/exodus/23-24.htm">Exodus 23:24</a> You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces. <a href="/deuteronomy/12-30.htm">Deuteronomy 12:30-31</a> be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.” / You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. <a href="/ezekiel/20-7.htm">Ezekiel 20:7-8</a> And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’ / But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt. <a href="/jeremiah/10-2.htm">Jeremiah 10:2</a> This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them. <a href="/2_kings/17-15.htm">2 Kings 17:15</a> They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate. <a href="/psalms/106-35.htm">Psalm 106:35</a> but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. <a href="/deuteronomy/18-9.htm">Deuteronomy 18:9</a> When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. <a href="/2_corinthians/6-14.htm">2 Corinthians 6:14-17</a> Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ... <a href="/romans/12-2.htm">Romans 12:2</a> Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. <a href="/ephesians/4-17.htm">Ephesians 4:17-20</a> So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. / They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. / Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more. ... <a href="/1_peter/1-14.htm">1 Peter 1:14-16</a> As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. / But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, / for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” <a href="/1_john/2-15.htm">1 John 2:15-17</a> Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. / For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. / The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever. <a href="/colossians/3-5.htm">Colossians 3:5-7</a> Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. / Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. / When you lived among them, you also used to walk in these ways. <a href="/galatians/5-19.htm">Galatians 5:19-21</a> The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. <a href="/1_corinthians/6-9.htm">1 Corinthians 6:9-11</a> Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. / And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.</div> <a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div>After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelled, shall you not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, where I bring you, shall you not do: neither shall you walk in their ordinances.the doings<a href="/psalms/106-35.htm">Psalm 106:35</a> But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.<a href="/ezekiel/20-7.htm">Ezekiel 20:7,8</a> Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God… <a href="/ezekiel/23-8.htm">Ezekiel 23:8</a> Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.and after<a href="/leviticus/20-23.htm">Leviticus 20:23</a> And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.<a href="/exodus/23-24.htm">Exodus 23:24</a> Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.<a href="/deuteronomy/12-4.htm">Deuteronomy 12:4</a> Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.<div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/exodus/3-9.htm">Behaviour</a> <a href="/leviticus/14-34.htm">Canaan</a> <a href="/galatians/2-14.htm">Customs</a> <a href="/exodus/23-24.htm">Doings</a> <a href="/exodus/12-40.htm">Dwelt</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-45.htm">Egypt</a> <a href="/exodus/23-24.htm">Follow</a> <a href="/exodus/15-13.htm">Guided</a> <a href="/leviticus/17-13.htm">Live</a> <a href="/exodus/24-3.htm">Ordinances</a> <a href="/exodus/23-24.htm">Practices</a> <a href="/exodus/18-20.htm">Rules</a> <a href="/leviticus/10-11.htm">Statutes</a> <a href="/leviticus/17-13.htm">Used</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-27.htm">Walk</a> <a href="/leviticus/13-57.htm">Wherein</a> <a href="/exodus/34-12.htm">Whither</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/leviticus/21-9.htm">Behaviour</a> <a href="/leviticus/25-38.htm">Canaan</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-30.htm">Customs</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/11-3.htm">Doings</a> <a href="/leviticus/25-18.htm">Dwelt</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-34.htm">Egypt</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-4.htm">Follow</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-4.htm">Guided</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-4.htm">Live</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-5.htm">Ordinances</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/18-9.htm">Practices</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-4.htm">Rules</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-4.htm">Statutes</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-6.htm">Used</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-4.htm">Walk</a> <a href="/leviticus/26-40.htm">Wherein</a> <a href="/leviticus/20-22.htm">Whither</a><div class="vheading2">Leviticus 18</div>1. <a href="/leviticus/18-1.htm">Unlawful marriages and unlawful lusts</a> </div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/leviticus/18.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/leviticus/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/leviticus/18.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div>You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live This phrase refers to the Israelites' past in Egypt, where they were enslaved for over 400 years. During this time, they were exposed to Egyptian culture, religion, and practices, which were often contrary to the worship of Yahweh. Egypt was known for its polytheistic beliefs, idolatry, and practices that included rituals and customs that were abominable to God. The Israelites are being reminded to leave behind these influences as they transition into a new identity as God's chosen people. This command underscores the importance of spiritual separation and purity, a theme that is echoed in the New Testament, such as in <a href="/2_corinthians/6-17.htm">2 Corinthians 6:17</a>, where believers are called to be separate from worldly influences.and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you The land of Canaan, the Promised Land, was inhabited by various tribes known for their morally corrupt practices, including idolatry, child sacrifice, and sexual immorality. The Canaanites' religious practices were deeply intertwined with their daily lives, and God warned the Israelites not to adopt these customs. This command highlights the need for the Israelites to maintain their distinctiveness and holiness as a people set apart for God. The warning against adopting Canaanite practices is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, as seen in passages like <a href="/deuteronomy/12-29.htm">Deuteronomy 12:29-31</a>, where God explicitly instructs the Israelites to destroy the Canaanite altars and not to inquire about their gods.You must not walk in their customs The term "walk" in biblical language often refers to one's way of life or conduct. Here, it emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the command: the Israelites are to avoid not just specific practices but the entire lifestyle and worldview of the Egyptians and Canaanites. This call to holiness is foundational to the covenant relationship between God and His people, as seen in <a href="/leviticus/20-26.htm">Leviticus 20:26</a>, where God declares, "You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy." This principle is carried into the New Testament, where believers are called to live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh (<a href="/galatians/5-16.htm">Galatians 5:16-25</a>). The call to reject the customs of surrounding nations serves as a type of Christ, who perfectly fulfilled the law and lived a life wholly pleasing to God, setting an example for believers to follow.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <a href="/topical/e/egypt.htm">Egypt</a> The land where the Israelites were enslaved for 400 years. It represents a place of bondage and idolatry. 2. <a href="/topical/c/canaan.htm">Canaan</a> The Promised Land, which was inhabited by various pagan nations with practices contrary to God's commands. 3. <a href="/topical/i/israelites.htm">Israelites</a> God's chosen people, who are being instructed to live according to His statutes and not adopt the customs of surrounding nations. 4. <a href="/topical/m/moses.htm">Moses</a> The leader of the Israelites, through whom God delivered these laws and instructions. 5. <a href="/topical/g/god's_covenant.htm">God's Covenant</a> The divine agreement between God and the Israelites, emphasizing holiness and separation from pagan practices.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><a href="/topical/h/holiness_and_separation.htm">Holiness and Separation</a> God calls His people to be distinct and separate from the world. This involves rejecting practices and customs that are contrary to His commands. <a href="/topical/c/cultural_influence.htm">Cultural Influence</a> Believers must be vigilant about the influence of surrounding cultures and ensure that their values and practices align with God's Word rather than societal norms. <a href="/topical/o/obedience_to_god.htm">Obedience to God</a> True obedience involves not only following God's commands but also actively rejecting practices that lead us away from Him. <a href="/topical/i/identity_in_god.htm">Identity in God</a> Our identity as God's people should shape our actions and decisions, distinguishing us from those who do not follow Him. <a href="/topical/c/continuous_vigilance.htm">Continuous Vigilance</a> Just as the Israelites were warned about the practices of Egypt and Canaan, Christians today must remain vigilant against adopting secular or ungodly practices.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_leviticus_18.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Leviticus 18</a> <a href="/q/does_archaeology_challenge_lev._18_3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 warns against Egyptian and Canaanite customs; does limited archaeological data challenge the accuracy of these references? </a> <a href="/q/does_ignoring_leviticus_18_weaken_the_bible.htm">If modern society no longer enforces many of Leviticus 18’s prohibitions, does that undermine claims of the Bible’s timeless authority?</a> <a href="/q/what_sets_secular_apart_from_sacred.htm">What distinguishes secular from sacred?</a> <a href="/q/how_does_love_reconcile_lev._18_22.htm">Leviticus 18:22 condemns same-sex relations; how can this be reconciled with the New Testament emphasis on love (John 13:34–35)? </a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/leviticus/18.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(3) After the doings of the land of Egypt.--During their sojourn in Egypt the Israelites became familiar with the practices which obtained in the land of their bondage, and as they adopted some of them (see <a href="/leviticus/17-7.htm" title="And they shall no more offer their sacrifices to devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever to them throughout their generations.">Leviticus 17:7</a>), they are here solemnly warned to eschew those which are especially proscribed in the sequel.And after the doings of the land of Canaan. The danger of imitating the customs which they had for centuries witnessed in the land they quitted, was greatly increased by the fact that these licentious practices obtained in worse forms in the land which they were to inherit. It is therefore against the past and the future that they are here warned.Neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. As some of "the doings" referred to may have been simple custom, not based upon the law of the country where they obtained, the Lawgiver here emphatically condemns the acts which were legalised, declaring them to have no authority whatever. (See <a href="/leviticus/18-30.htm" title="Therefore shall you keep my ordinance, that you commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that you defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.">Leviticus 18:30</a>.) <a href="/commentaries/leviticus/18-3.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a> <a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div>You shall not follow תַעֲשׂ֑וּ (ṯa·‘ă·śū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_6213.htm">Strong's 6213: </a> To do, make the practices כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֧ה (kə·ma·‘ă·śêh) Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_4639.htm">Strong's 4639: </a> An action, a transaction, activity, a product, property of the land אֶֽרֶץ־ (’e·reṣ-) Noun - feminine singular construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_776.htm">Strong's 776: </a> Earth, land of Egypt, מִצְרַ֛יִם (miṣ·ra·yim) Noun - proper - feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_4714.htm">Strong's 4714: </a> Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa where אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer) Pronoun - relative <a href="/hebrew/strongs_834.htm">Strong's 834: </a> Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that you used to live, יְשַׁבְתֶּם־ (yə·šaḇ·tem-) Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3427.htm">Strong's 3427: </a> To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry [or] תַעֲשׂ֔וּ (ṯa·‘ă·śū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_6213.htm">Strong's 6213: </a> To do, make the practices וּכְמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה (ū·ḵə·ma·‘ă·śêh) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_4639.htm">Strong's 4639: </a> An action, a transaction, activity, a product, property of the land אֶֽרֶץ־ (’e·reṣ-) Noun - feminine singular construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_776.htm">Strong's 776: </a> Earth, land of Canaan, כְּנַ֡עַן (kə·na·‘an) Noun - proper - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3667.htm">Strong's 3667: </a> Canaan -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their land West of the Jordan where אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer) Pronoun - relative <a href="/hebrew/strongs_834.htm">Strong's 834: </a> Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that I אֲנִי֩ (’ă·nî) Pronoun - first person common singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_589.htm">Strong's 589: </a> I am bringing you. מֵבִ֨יא (mê·ḇî) Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_935.htm">Strong's 935: </a> To come in, come, go in, go You must not לֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> Not, no walk תֵלֵֽכוּ׃ (ṯê·lê·ḵū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_1980.htm">Strong's 1980: </a> To go, come, walk in their customs. וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶ֖ם (ū·ḇə·ḥuq·qō·ṯê·hem) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_2708.htm">Strong's 2708: </a> Something prescribed, an enactment, statute <div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 NIV</a> <a href="/nlt/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 NLT</a> <a href="/esv/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 ESV</a> <a href="/nasb/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 NASB</a> <a href="/kjv/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 KJV</a> <a href="//bibleapps.com/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 BibleApps.com</a> <a href="//bibliaparalela.com/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 Biblia Paralela</a> <a href="//holybible.com.cn/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 Chinese Bible</a> <a href="//saintebible.com/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 French Bible</a> <a href="/catholic/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3 Catholic Bible</a> <a href="/leviticus/18-3.htm">OT Law: Leviticus 18:3 You shall not do as they do (Le Lv Lev.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/leviticus/18-2.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Leviticus 18:2"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Leviticus 18:2" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/leviticus/18-4.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Leviticus 18:4"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Leviticus 18:4" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>