Chapter 11
Leviticus 11:1–8
11:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, 11:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 11:3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. 11:4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 11:6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 11:7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. 11:8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
Divine Principle interpretation: God establishes a clear standard for what may be received and what must be refused. In Divine Principle terms, restoration requires discernment: fallen people cannot simply take everything into themselves. The clean animal symbolizes a life aligned with order, while the unclean symbolizes a mixture that cannot properly separate from evil. Israel learns that love for God must govern even appetite.
Leviticus 11:9–12
11:9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. 11:10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: 11:11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. 11:12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
Divine Principle interpretation: Creatures with fins and scales suggest movement with protection and order. Providentially, God trains His people to distinguish what can safely live within the realm of restoration from what belongs to a disordered environment. The point is not mere diet, but the education of conscience through daily practice.
Leviticus 11:13–23
11:13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 11:14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; 11:15 Every raven after his kind; 11:16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 11:17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, 11:18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, 11:19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. 11:20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. 11:21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; 11:22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. 11:23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.
Divine Principle interpretation: The long list of forbidden birds and flying things teaches that God's side must reject predatory, chaotic, and boundary-breaking patterns. In Divine Principle perspective, symbolic laws train people to feel revulsion toward fallen dominion, even before they fully understand the inner meaning. Repetition builds a public culture of separation from evil.
Leviticus 11:24–28
11:24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even. 11:25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 11:26 The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean. 11:27 And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even. 11:28 And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
Divine Principle interpretation: Contact with uncleanness also transmits uncleanness. This reflects the Principle that fallen conditions spread through relationship and environment. Therefore restoration requires caution about what one touches, joins, and inherits.
Leviticus 11:29–38
11:29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, 11:30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole. 11:31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even. 11:32 And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed. 11:33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it. 11:34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. 11:35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean and shall be unclean unto you. 11:36 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean. 11:37 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. 11:38 But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
Divine Principle interpretation: Even small creeping things are carefully distinguished. The lesson is that sin is not dangerous only in large matters; tiny, hidden, ground-level influences can also corrupt the life of faith. Providence advances when the people learn vigilance in ordinary details.
Leviticus 11:39–47
11:39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even. 11:40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 11:41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 11:42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. 11:43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 11:44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 11:45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. 11:46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: 11:47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
Divine Principle interpretation: The chapter ends by saying these laws help make a difference between clean and unclean. That is the heart of indemnity in this age: before the people can become a holy nation, they must first learn to separate. Separation is not the final goal, but it is the necessary first condition for restoration.
Chapter 12
Leviticus 12:1–5
12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. 12:3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 12:4 And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. 12:5 But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.
Divine Principle interpretation: Childbirth, though holy in origin, appears here under laws of purification because human birth occurs within the history of the fall. Divine Principle teaches that the lineage problem entered human history at the beginning; therefore even the joy of birth stands in need of God's restoring condition. The periods of separation signify that new life must be received under heavenly order, not merely natural instinct.
Leviticus 12:3–5
12:3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 12:4 And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. 12:5 But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.
Divine Principle interpretation: Circumcision on the eighth day symbolizes a new beginning beyond the completed period of seven. It marks the child for God's side and points to the hope that lineage will be reclaimed. In providential terms, God is claiming the future generation through a visible sign of separation.
Leviticus 12:6–8
12:6 And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest: 12:7 Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female. 12:8 And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.
Divine Principle interpretation: The mother brings both burnt offering and sin offering after the days of purification. This does not demean motherhood; rather it shows that all human life, even at its beginning, needs to be reconnected to God through sacrifice because history has been stained by the fall. The allowance for the poor shows that heaven makes a way for every household to stand within the providence.
Chapter 13
Leviticus 13:1–8
13:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, 13:2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: 13:3 And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean. 13:4 If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days: 13:5 And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more: 13:6 And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 13:7 But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again. 13:8 And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.
Divine Principle interpretation: The priest must examine suspicious marks patiently over time. Divine Principle emphasizes central figures and orderly judgment: restoration cannot proceed by impulse or sentiment alone. A possible corruption must be tested, watched, and discerned before the community can call it clean.
Leviticus 13:9–17
13:9 When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest; 13:10 And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising; 13:11 It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean. 13:12 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; 13:13 Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean. 13:14 But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. 13:15 And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy. 13:16 Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest; 13:17 And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.
Divine Principle interpretation: When leprosy is clearly manifest, it must be named as such. Hidden sin has to be exposed. Yet when the entire body turns white without raw flesh, the case is judged differently, showing that heaven's discernment is not superficial. God looks not only at appearance but at the actual state of corruption.
Leviticus 13:18–28
13:18 The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed, 13:19 And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest; 13:20 And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil. 13:21 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: 13:22 And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague. 13:23 But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 13:24 Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white; 13:25 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 13:26 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: 13:27 And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 13:28 And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning.
Divine Principle interpretation: Boils and burns show how prior wounds can become openings for further defilement. Spiritually, fallen nature often grows around unresolved injury. Restoration therefore requires careful reexamination of damaged areas in life, not denial.
Leviticus 13:29–37
13:29 If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard; 13:30 Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard. 13:31 And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days: 13:32 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin; 13:33 He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more: 13:34 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 13:35 But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing; 13:36 Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean. 13:37 But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
Divine Principle interpretation: Plagues in the head or beard symbolize corruption touching identity and dignity. The shaving and quarantine indicate that fallen elements must be stripped away and observed until their nature is clear. God does not sanctify confusion; He first brings it into the light.
Leviticus 13:38–44
13:38 If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; 13:39 Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean. 13:40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. 13:41 And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean. 13:42 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead. 13:43 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh; 13:44 He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.
Divine Principle interpretation: Some bright spots are harmless, others are not. The providential lesson is that not every unusual sign is evil, but all must still be judged by a standard. Restoration needs both mercy and precision.
Leviticus 13:45–46
13:45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 13:46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.
Divine Principle interpretation: The unclean leper dwells alone outside the camp. This severe rule reveals how sin isolates human beings from God's dwelling and from the community. Separation is painful, but it also protects the body of believers while making the seriousness of corruption unmistakable.
Leviticus 13:47–59
13:47 The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment; 13:48 Whether it be in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin; 13:49 And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be shewed unto the priest: 13:50 And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days: 13:51 And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. 13:52 He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire. 13:53 And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; 13:54 Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more: 13:55 And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the plague have not changed his colour, and the plague be not spread; it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without. 13:56 And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof: 13:57 And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire. 13:58 And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean. 13:59 This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.
Divine Principle interpretation: Leprosy in garments teaches that uncleanness can spread into one's covering, possessions, and social environment. Divine Principle often stresses that evil works through objects and settings as well as persons. Therefore restoration extends beyond the individual to the environment that surrounds life.
Chapter 14
Leviticus 14:1–9
14:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 14:2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: 14:3 And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; 14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. 14:8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. 14:9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
Divine Principle interpretation: The cleansing of the leper begins outside the camp, where the priest comes to examine the healed person. This shows heaven's initiative: God goes out to recover the excluded. The two birds, living water, scarlet, cedar, and hyssop form a symbolic act of death and renewed life, pointing to separation from the old stain and reentry into a new realm.
Leviticus 14:10–20
14:10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. 14:11 And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 14:12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: 14:13 And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy: 14:14 And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: 14:15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: 14:16 And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD: 14:17 And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: 14:18 And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD. 14:19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: 14:20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
Divine Principle interpretation: On the eighth day the restored person comes with offerings. After separation and cleansing, a new beginning still requires an offering because restoration is completed only when the person is reconnected vertically to God. Blood and oil placed upon ear, hand, and foot show that hearing, action, and walk must all be reclaimed for heaven.
Leviticus 14:21–32
14:21 And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil; 14:22 And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering. 14:23 And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD. 14:24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: 14:25 And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: 14:26 And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand: 14:27 And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD: 14:28 And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering: 14:29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD. 14:30 And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get; 14:31 Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD. 14:32 This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.
Divine Principle interpretation: A reduced offering is allowed for the poor. The Principle behind this mercy is that God's providence is universal, while the form of the condition may vary according to circumstance. Heaven asks for a sincere condition that each person can truly make.
Leviticus 14:33–53
14:33 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 14:34 When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; 14:35 And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house: 14:36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house: 14:37 And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall; 14:38 Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days: 14:39 And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house; 14:40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city: 14:41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place: 14:42 And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other morter, and shall plaister the house. 14:43 And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plaistered; 14:44 Then the priest shall come and look, and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house; it is unclean. 14:45 And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the morter of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place. 14:46 Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. 14:47 And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes. 14:48 And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plaistered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. 14:49 And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 14:50 And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water: 14:51 And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times: 14:52 And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet: 14:53 But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.
Divine Principle interpretation: When leprosy appears in a house, the house itself is inspected, emptied, and if needed dismantled. This means restoration cannot stop with the body; the dwelling place and collective life must also be purified. A fallen history can lodge itself in structures, habits, and institutions.
Leviticus 14:54–57
14:54 This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall, 14:55 And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house, 14:56 And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot: 14:57 To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.
Divine Principle interpretation: The purpose of the whole law is to teach when something is unclean and when it is clean. In Divine Principle language, providential life depends on discernment. Cleansing is not vague kindness; it is the orderly restoration of right boundaries.
Chapter 15
Leviticus 15:1–15
15:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying, 15:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean. 15:3 And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness. 15:4 Every bed, whereon he lieth that hath the issue, is unclean: and every thing, whereon he sitteth, shall be unclean. 15:5 And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:6 And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:7 And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:8 And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:9 And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean. 15:10 And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:11 And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:12 And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. 15:13 And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean. 15:14 And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest: 15:15 And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD for his issue.
Divine Principle interpretation: Bodily issues represent a disorder in the life force and therefore become symbols of fallen impurity. The uncleanness spreads by touch, seat, bed, and vessel, showing how corruption passes through relationships and daily contact. Restoration requires both personal responsibility and communal caution.
Leviticus 15:16–18
15:16 And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. 15:18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.
Divine Principle interpretation: Even ordinary emissions call for washing and waiting. The message is that human bodily life, though created good, exists in a world not yet fully restored. Therefore God's people must keep awareness, modesty, and discipline regarding the sphere of love and generation.
Leviticus 15:19–24
15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. 15:20 And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. 15:21 And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:22 And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:23 And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. 15:24 And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.
Divine Principle interpretation: The laws concerning a woman's flow similarly teach reverence for the processes tied to life and lineage. Divine Principle places great importance on the realm through which lineage is transmitted; consequently this sphere is guarded by holy regulations, not treated casually.
Leviticus 15:25–30
15:25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. 15:26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. 15:27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 15:28 But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 15:29 And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 15:30 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness.
Divine Principle interpretation: When a disorder continues beyond the normal course, it requires a longer condition and then an offering. This shows that prolonged impurity cannot be handled by habit alone; it needs a distinct act of restoration. Extended disorder calls for extended indemnity.
Leviticus 15:31–33
15:31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them. 15:32 This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith; 15:33 And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.
Divine Principle interpretation: God gives these laws so that Israel will not defile the tabernacle in their midst. The deeper point is that human impurity endangers the dwelling place of God. Providence is sustained when the people recognize that private life and public holiness are inseparably linked.
Chapter 16
Leviticus 16:1–4
16:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Divine Principle interpretation: After the death of Aaron's sons, access to the holy place is strictly ordered. Divine Principle teaches that one cannot approach God according to self-centered desire. Even the high priest must come with humility, washing, linen garments, and a prescribed offering. Nearness to God is grace, but it also requires restored order.
Leviticus 16:5–10
16:5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
Divine Principle interpretation: The two goats reveal a providential separation. One is offered to God; the other bears away the sin into the wilderness. This reflects the Principle of dividing good and evil so that the side of heaven may be established and the burden of sin removed from the camp.
Leviticus 16:11–19
16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: 16:14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. 16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: 16:16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. 16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Divine Principle interpretation: Aaron first makes atonement for himself and his house, then for the people. A central figure must be restored before he can represent others. The incense cloud, the blood before the mercy seat, and the cleansing of the sanctuary all show that sin has affected not only persons but the entire relationship between God and the people.
Leviticus 16:20–28
16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. 16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: 16:24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. 16:25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar. 16:26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. 16:27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. 16:28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
Divine Principle interpretation: The scapegoat carries confessed iniquities into an uninhabited land. Symbolically, restored people must not keep returning to the very sin from which they seek release. Evil is to be identified, transferred away, and dismissed from the community.
Leviticus 16:29–34
16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 16:31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. 16:32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: 16:33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. 16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Divine Principle interpretation: The Day of Atonement becomes an everlasting statute because restoration is not casual. It requires repentance, self-denial, and a central national condition. This chapter is one of the clearest providential signs that God was preparing a people who could be cleansed as one body before Him.
Chapter 17
Leviticus 17:1–9
17:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 17:2 Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying, 17:3 What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, 17:4 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: 17:5 To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD. 17:6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 17:7 And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. 17:8 And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, 17:9 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
Divine Principle interpretation: Sacrifice may not be offered casually in the open field; it must come to the tabernacle. In Divine Principle terms, offerings require a central point chosen by God. Private zeal without heavenly order easily becomes mixed with false worship. Centralization protects the providence from fragmentation and idolatry.
Leviticus 17:10–16
17:10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 17:12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. 17:13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. 17:14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. 17:15 And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean. 17:16 But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.
Divine Principle interpretation: The people are forbidden to eat blood because life belongs to God. Since blood is given for atonement, human beings may not treat it as common. The Principle here is that fallen people must not seize for themselves what heaven has reserved as the sign of life and restoration.
Chapter 18
Leviticus 18:1–5
18:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 18:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God. 18:3 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. 18:4 Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.
Divine Principle interpretation: Israel must not imitate Egypt or Canaan. Restoration demands a culture distinct from the fallen environment. God's statutes are not arbitrary restrictions but the pathway by which a people can live under heavenly dominion rather than under the habits of a corrupted world.
Leviticus 18:6–18
18:6 None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD. 18:7 The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 18:8 The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness. 18:9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover. 18:10 The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness. 18:11 The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 18:12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she is thy father’s near kinswoman. 18:13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: for she is thy mother’s near kinswoman. 18:14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt. 18:15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 18:16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness. 18:17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness. 18:18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
Divine Principle interpretation: The prohibitions against uncovering the nakedness of close relatives protect the order of the family. In Divine Principle, the family is the basic dwelling place of God's love and lineage; therefore confusion in this realm strikes at the root of the providence. These laws guard the boundaries through which pure lineage and proper relationships can be restored.
Leviticus 18:19–23
18:19 Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. 18:20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her. 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 18:23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
Divine Principle interpretation: The chapter then forbids sexual relations detached from holiness, including adultery, child sacrifice connected with false worship, same-sex relations between men, and bestiality. From a Divine Principle viewpoint, the misuse of love and seed distorts creation's purpose and strengthens fallen lineage. The severity reflects the providential seriousness of the realm of love.
Leviticus 18:24–30
18:24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 18:25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 18:26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 18:27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 18:28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. 18:29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 18:30 Therefore 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.
Divine Principle interpretation: The land itself is said to become defiled and to cast out its inhabitants. This means moral disorder is not merely private; it damages the larger environment and history. When a people persist in practices contrary to God's order of love, they lose the foundation on which heaven can dwell with them.
Chapter 19
Leviticus 19:1–8
19:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 19:4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God. 19:5 And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will. 19:6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire. 19:7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted. 19:8 Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Divine Principle interpretation: Holiness begins with reverence toward God, parents, Sabbath, and proper offering. Divine Principle teaches that vertical order and family order are inseparable. A holy people cannot be built only by ritual or only by sentiment; both worship and filial attendance must be rightly aligned.
Leviticus 19:9–18
19:9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 19:10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God. 19:11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 19:13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. 19:14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. 19:16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the LORD. 19:17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Divine Principle interpretation: Care for the poor, honesty in speech and business, fairness in judgment, and love for one's neighbor show that holiness must enter social life. Restoration is not only about separating from evil; it is also about embodying original goodness in economic and human relationships. Verse 18 stands as a central expression of the original mind restored in action.
Leviticus 19:19–22
19:19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee. 19:20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. 19:21 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering. 19:22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.
Divine Principle interpretation: Mixed breeding, mixed seed, and mixed fabric symbolically reinforce the providential concern for order, distinction, and protected lineage. Even where the immediate meaning is practical or ceremonial, the larger lesson is that holy life is not careless mixture. The section on sexual sin with a bondwoman also shows that irregular relationships still require a condition of atonement.
Leviticus 19:23–25
19:23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. 19:24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal. 19:25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.
Divine Principle interpretation: The fruit tree must pass through a period before its fruit is freely enjoyed. This reflects the Principle of growth through stages and the need to offer first results to God. Blessing matures under patience and order, not immediate self-claiming.
Leviticus 19:26–31
19:26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. 19:27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. 19:29 Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness. 19:30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.
Divine Principle interpretation: Israel must reject blood-eating, enchantment, pagan mourning customs, prostitution, and spiritism. These practices open the door to false dominion. God is educating His people to seek life, guidance, and blessing only through the heavenly order.
Leviticus 19:32–37
19:32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD. 19:33 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. 19:34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 19:35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. 19:36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt. 19:37 Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.
Divine Principle interpretation: The chapter closes with reverence for the aged, love for the stranger, and honesty in measures. This shows that God's holiness is expressed in ordinary justice and public trust. A restored society protects dignity, welcomes the vulnerable, and refuses deceit in daily exchange.
Chapter 20
Leviticus 20:1–8
20:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 20:2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 20:3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. 20:4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not: 20:5 Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people. 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. 20:8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.
Divine Principle interpretation: The chapter begins with judgment on Molech worship and spiritism because these practices directly transfer allegiance, lineage, and guidance to the satanic side. Divine Principle sees restoration as a struggle over ownership: whose children, whose love, whose culture will prevail? Therefore God demands decisive separation and calls His people to sanctify themselves.
Leviticus 20:9–21
20:9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 20:11 And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 20:12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them. 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 20:14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you. 20:15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast. 20:16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 20:17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. 20:18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 20:19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity. 20:20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife, he hath uncovered his uncle’s nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 20:21 And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.
Divine Principle interpretation: The severe penalties for dishonoring parents and for forbidden sexual unions reveal how central family order is to the providence. When love is misdirected, lineage is corrupted and the four-position foundation is damaged. The harshness of the law reflects not cruelty but the gravity of what was at stake for a nation chosen to prepare the way for heaven.
Leviticus 20:22–26
20:22 Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out. 20:23 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. 20:24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people. 20:25 Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. 20:26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
Divine Principle interpretation: God links obedience with possessing the land and being separated from other peoples. The nation must distinguish clean from unclean because it has been distinguished by God. In Principle terms, election is not privilege alone; it is a call to embody a different lineage, culture, and standard.
Leviticus 20:27–27
20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
Divine Principle interpretation: The final warning against mediums and wizards closes the chapter by rejecting counterfeit spiritual authority. Restoration must be guided by God's word and central figures, not by fallen spiritual influences. Holy people cannot seek secret power from sources opposed to heaven.