Deuteronomy 27:23

 Deuteronomy 27:23

Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen.

a. NASB 2020: ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’  [NASB20] New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation; All Rights Reserved]

b. YLT: 'Cursed is he who is lying with his mother-in-law, -- and all the people have said, Amen.   [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law. All the people shall say, Amen.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: ‘Accursed is one who lies with his mother-in-law. And the entire people shall say. ‘Amen’.  [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE CHUMASH Copyright 1998, 2000 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ldt.]

e. ESV: “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’  [Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

f. Unless otherwise stated, all Greek and Hebrew definitions are from Blue Letter Bible

1. “Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law…”

a. Cursed [Strong: 779 ʼârar, aw-rar'; a primitive root; to execrate:—× bitterly curse.]

b. [be he that] lieth [Strong: 7901 shâkab, shaw-kab'; a primitive root; to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose):—× at all, cast down, (lover-)lay (self) (down), (make to) lie (down, down to sleep, still with), lodge, ravish, take rest, sleep, stay.]

c. with [Strong: 5973 ʻim, eem; from H6004; adverb or preposition, with (i.e. in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then usually unrepresented in English):—accompanying, against, and, as (× long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from (among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-) to, with(-al).]

d. [his] mother-in-law [Strong: 2859 châthan, khaw-than'; a primitive root; to give (a daughter) away in marriage; hence (generally) to contract affinity by marriage:—join in affinity, father in law, make marriages, mother in law, son in law.]

1). There are a number of incidents in Scripture that this touches on. First is the curse brought upon Rueben because of his fornication with his fathers wife. 

a). Genesis 35:22  And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

(1) Genesis 49:3, 4 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

(2) This was of course before the Law was given and Rueben was not put to death, but he and his descendant’s did reap the fruit. Rueben and the tribe as a whole would not excel.

32. The incident at Corinth where a man was sleeping with his stepmother.

a). 1 Corinthians 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.

b). UnderUnder the Old Covenant this sin would have demanded the death penalty for both the man and the woman. 

c). Leviticus 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. 

d). Here we will see some of the stark differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Under the Mosaic Covenant he would have been put to death but under the New Covenant he was excommunicated from the local body.

2. “...And all the people shall say, Amen.”

a. [And] all [Strong: 3605 kôl, kole; or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל kôwl; from H3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):—(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

b. [the] people [Strong: 5971 ʻam, am; from H6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock:—folk, men, nation, people.]

c.  [shall] say [Strong: 559 ʼâmar, aw-mar'; a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):—answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, × expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.]

d. Amen [Strong: 543 ʼâmên, aw-mane'; from H539; sure; abstract, faithfulness; adverb, truly:—Amen, so be it, truth.]