Exodus 20:26

 Exodus 20:26

Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

a. NASB 1995: ‘And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’  [New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.]

b. NKJV: ‘Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.’  [Scripture quotations marked "NKJV" are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.]

c. Classic Amplified Bible: Neither shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness be not exposed upon it.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: You shall not ascend My Altar on steps, so that your nakedness will not be uncovered upon it.”  [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE CHUMASH Copyright 1998, 2000 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ldt.]

1). I have four translations/editions of the Jewish Torah. Three of them include the four commandments, 6-9, in one verse (Exodus 20:13). In those Jewish editions it shortens the chapter by three verses, ending at Exodus 20:23. Exodus 20:26 in our Bible is Exodus 20:23 in the Jewish Bible. Our English Bible goes on to Exodus 20:26.

e. ESV: And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’ [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. “Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.”

a. Neither [Strong: 3808 lôʼ, lo; or לוֹא lôwʼ; or לֹה lôh; (Deuteronomy 3:11), a primitive particle; + not (the simple or abstract negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles:—× before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (× as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

b. [shalt thou] go up [Strong: 5927 ʻâlâh, aw-law'; a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative:—arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, × mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.]

c. [by] steps [Strong: 4609 maʻălâh, mah-al-aw'; feminine of H4608; elevation, i.e. the act (literally, a journey to a higher place, figuratively, a thought arising), or (concretely) the condition (literally, a step or grade-mark, figuratively, a superiority of station); specifically a climactic progression (in certain Psalms):—things that come up, (high) degree, deal, go up, stair, step, story.]

d. unto [Strong: 5921 ʻal, al; properly, the same as H5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications:—above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.]

e. [mine] altar [Strong: 4196 mizbêach, miz-bay'-akh; from H2076; an altar:—altar.]

f. that [Strong: 834 ʼăsher, ash-er'; a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:—× after, × alike, as (soon as), because, × every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), × if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), × though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.]

g. [thy] nakedness [Strong: 6172 ʻervâh, er-vaw'; from H6168; nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish):—nakedness, shame, unclean(-ness).]

h. [be] not [Strong: 3808 lôʼ, lo; or לוֹא lôwʼ; or לֹה lôh; (Deuteronomy 3:11), a primitive particle; + not (the simple or abstract negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles:—× before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (× as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

i. discovered [Strong: 1540 gâlâh, gaw-law'; a primitive root; to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense); by implication, to exile (captives being usually stripped); figuratively, to reveal:— advertise, appear, bewray, bring, (carry, lead, go) captive (into captivity), depart, disclose, discover, exile, be gone, open, × plainly, publish, remove, reveal, × shamelessly, shew, × surely, tell, uncover.]

1). The two words used in this verse, “nakedness” and “discovered “ are used elsewhere as euphemisms for sexual intercourse. The Hebrew words translated into English are,  uncover [1540 * galah]; and nakedness [6172 * ‘ervah].

2). Artificial Intelligence: "Uncover the nakedness" is a common Hebrew idiom ('ervah) in Scripture, particularly in Leviticus 18 and 20, that functions as a euphemism for engaging in sexual relations. It usually denotes illicit, forbidden, or shameful sexual acts, including incest, adultery, or rape. Key details regarding this phrase: Biblical Context: The phrase is heavily used in the "Holiness Code" of Leviticus to prohibit specific sexual acts within1, 2, 7 the family unit. Meaning: It refers to sexual intercourse.