Leviticus 18:26 tells the people of Israel to keep God’s statutes and ordinances and to refrain from the detestable practices described just before it, and it applies that command to the native-born Israelite and to the foreigner living among them alike. The verse is God speaking through Moses to the Israelite community as they prepare to enter the land of Canaan. It closes a passage of laws about sexual conduct, and it explains why those laws bind everyone within the community.
You therefore shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you…
Leviticus 18:26 (WEB)
What Leviticus 18:26 Means
The phrase “keep my statutes and my ordinances” is the heart of the verse. Statutes and ordinances are the commands and judgments God gave to shape daily life, and to keep them means to guard them carefully, as a person guards something valuable. The verse is less a new rule than a summons to faithfulness: having just listed the forbidden practices, God calls his people back to the whole pattern of life he has given them.
The words “shall not do any of these abominations” name the specific conduct the chapter prohibits. The Hebrew word translated abominations describes things that are morally repugnant to God and out of step with the holiness he calls his people to. The verse does not promise that obedience will bring prosperity or protection in any simple, guaranteed way. It describes what faithful living looks like and why it matters.
The final clause, “neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you,” makes clear that these standards are not limited to one ethnic group. Anyone who lives within the community is held to the same moral order. The verse therefore teaches that God’s holiness is not a private matter for Israel’s families alone but a shared shape for the whole society.
The Context of Leviticus 18:26
Leviticus is part of the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Moses. The book is largely a manual of worship, purity and holy living for a people who are called to be set apart. Chapter 18 opens a section on the conduct that distinguishes Israel from the surrounding nations, and the verse sits near its end.
The verses just before 18:26 explain that the nations who lived in the land were defiled by these practices, and that the land itself was affected by their wrongdoing. Verse 26 turns this warning toward Israel: the same pattern must not repeat among them. Read this way, the verse is a moral and historical warning about how a community’s conduct affects its place in the land, and it gives the reader a clear reason why the commands were meant to be taken seriously.
Key Phrases in Leviticus 18:26
Leviticus 19:2
“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
(WEB)
This verse sets the broader goal behind the commands in Leviticus, calling Israel to be holy because the Lord their God is holy. It shows that the prohibitions in chapter 18 serve a larger purpose of shaping a people who reflect God’s character.
Romans 12:2
Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
(WEB)
Paul urges believers not to be shaped by the patterns of the surrounding world but to be transformed by renewing their minds. The verse helps readers see how the call to holy living in the Old Testament continues in the New Testament life of faith.
A Short Prayer From Leviticus 18:26
Lord, you have given your people statutes and ordinances because you know what is good for us and what draws us closer to you. Help me to keep your ways with care, not out of fear or mere duty but out of trust in your holiness and love. Show me where my choices have drifted from your standards, and give me courage to turn toward what is right. Teach me to honor you in my work, my home and my relationships, and to welcome others with the justice and kindness you desire. Amen.
