Leviticus 18:6

The context

Leviticus 18 belongs to the Holiness Code. The chapter warns against the practices of Egypt and Canaan, lists forbidden sexual relations, and closes with the warning that the land itself will expel those who do such things. Verse 6 states the general principle those specific prohibitions then apply to named relatives.

What it establishes

The verse sets a boundary on sexual access within the family. It is stated as a general rule before the specific cases, and the reason attached is kinship itself rather than consent or age. The chapter treats these boundaries as defining the community's distinctiveness in the land.

What it does not establish

"Uncover nakedness" is a euphemism. Its precise scope is debated, and translations render the idiom differently. The verse is also a legal principle, not a complete sexual ethic; it does not address every question about marriage or family relations.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• Where did Cain get his wife?
• So you believe in a book full of contradictions, one that endorses slavery, incest, murder, drowning babies, genocide and stoning homosexuals?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.