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.

LEVITICUS 20:22KJV
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Leviticus 20:22 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 20:22 mean?

Leviticus 20:22 tells the Israelites to carefully follow all of God's rules and decisions so that the land God is bringing them into will not "spit them out." The verse warns that if they do not obey, the land itself will reject them as its inhabitants.

In this verse, God is speaking to the people of Israel through Moses as they prepare to enter the land of Canaan. The language uses a vivid picture: the land "spitting out" its people if they fail to live by God's commands. This idea connects obedience to God's laws with the privilege of living in the promised land, showing that their continued stay depends on their faithfulness.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 20:22

  • "Keep" (שָׁמַר, shamar) means to guard or watch carefully. Here, it emphasizes not just knowing God's statutes but actively protecting and practicing them.
  • "Statutes" (חֻקָּה, chuqqah) refers to specific rules or decrees, often with a sense of being set or appointed by God, not just general advice.
  • "Judgments" (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) points to God's decisions or ordinances, often involving justice or legal matters.
  • "Spue you out" (קִיא, qi) is a strong word for vomiting, painting a picture of the land reacting violently to disobedience, not just passively removing people.

Why Leviticus 20:22 matters

  • Leviticus 20:22 clarifies that living in the promised land is not automatic or unconditional; it depends on the people's ongoing obedience to God's commands.
  • The verse uses the image of the land itself reacting to sin, which sets up a theme repeated throughout the Old Testament: the land is not just a backdrop but is involved in Israel's relationship with God.
  • This warning connects to earlier parts of Leviticus, where similar language is used about the nations before Israel, showing that God's standards apply to all who live in the land.

Where else these words appear

“out” Hebrew H6958 · used in 7 verses

  • Leviticus 18:25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
  • Job 20:15 He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.
  • Proverbs 25:16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

“statutes” Hebrew H2708 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
  • Numbers 9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.
  • 2 Kings 23:3 And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.