How Well Do You Know the Rules of Leviticus?

God likes salt, so says Leviticus! You should always include it with your offerings of meat. This is probably a rule to keep the meat from rotting.

This is a weirdly vague rule, considering how much death by stoning there is in Leviticus. It's clear that these people must be held responsible, but it's up to us to figure out how.

Leviticus does not approve of making promises you don't intend to keep. That's why it is forbidden to make an oath when you have not thought about it properly.

Don't keep your friends' stuff or there will be a hefty fine! On top of the 20%, Leviticus also says you have to pay the "usual" penalty, whatever that is.

Unauthorized fire or "strange fire" as it is commonly translated is a confusing term. Some say it means fire brought from outside the temple, instead of from the altar, and thus fire that has not been blessed.

Also, God will be mad at you. This rule may apply only to priests; the text is not entirely clear. Either way, brush and/or braid that hair (as appropriate!).

It's not clear how you will die, but it's clear that you will. Indeed, God will be angry with everyone, not just you.

Sorry, Catholics! Apparently the wine is really bad and this whole time it has been making God very upset.

Being unclean is serious stuff; you have to have a ritual bath and be blessed in order to fix it. Eating the right foods is just one part of staying away from all things unclean.

This is the figure for boys; it is double for girls. Either way, women are not meant to go to temple right after childbirth.

This isn't just a really great way to make Thangsgiving awkward. In the temple religion, it also meant that you would both be put to death, though it doesn't say how.

The Bible is really, really strict about incest. This is one of its rules that societies today generally agree are a still really good idea.

Technically, as long as you never consummate, you don't get put to death. You just get kicked out of society forever.

Technically this is not incest, but the Bible thinks it is very wrong. Societies since those days have generally agreed that only avoiding incest on technical grounds is indeed extremely wrong.

We're not here to tell you how to live your life or comment on whether death by stoning should happen in a civilized society, but otherwise? This rule is good life advice: don't give your children to be sacrificed to Moloch.

This is one of the Ten Commandments in Exodus, so it's pretty serious. However, Leviticus doesn't specify the penalty.

Traditional reaping of corn was performed in a spiral, meaning the corners were left standing. This was for the poor, who were allowed to come and take the corners for themselves.

No waiting around on an invoice for Leviticus! If you hire someone, pay them before the sun goes down.

The text appears to assume the sex was consensual. The Bible is very unclear about whether it considered the rape of a slave by their master to be a legal issue; still, it's clear that you can't just do it to other people's slaves, which is a start.

Separate chapters cover this issue twice. Seeking omens is very bad, and you should be both cut off AND stoned for it. The text does not specify in what order this should happen.

Again, we don't like to judge, but this is also good life advice: don't make your daughter become a prostitute. Even if the land doesn't turn to prostitution, it's still a bad idea.

The Bible cares a lot about looking after the elderly. Showing respect by rising and offering a seat is thus encouraged.

This is from Leviticus 35:37. If someone is going through a rough patch, we are commanded to help them and support them financially and with food until they can get their financial feet under themselves again. In that time, taking financial advantage of them is forbidden.

Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath day, to be consecrated to the Lord your God. The holy book has it right here; taking time off has been shown to make people more effective workers, as well as healthier.

This is also in Exodus. It's very important to respect and honor your parents, according to Biblical law.

Priests cannot be around dead bodies as they are unclean. That means the one rite priests would not do was a funeral.

You can sell anyone as a slave except an Israelite. This is actually gentler than Exodus, which says you can sell your own daughter as a slave.

Priests can marry in Leviticus, but not within any of these categories. This is likely to avoid complications in the lives of priests.

It's not clear what this means. Some people take it to mean they should have a long side-lock, but this is actually not an ancient tradition, being about 200-odd years old.

The laws of hospitality are clear on this one. You have to treat immigrants the same as anyone else.

What one might call extreme tattooing was practiced by many neighboring nations, where the pagan rites involved a lot of markings. This is why the Israelite law leaned hard in the other direction. Some say this also prohibits any piercing, including of the ears.

You have to let a tree mature before you eat from it. This is a rule that protects people in the long term, by forbidding them from giving in to short-term needs.

Leviticus does not like mixed seed any more than it does mixed fabric. It says that planting two crops will cause them to be defiled! These days we know there are some types of crops where actually, this is a good idea. However, if the text is advising us to weed our fields, then it's quite right.

Leviticus says you should not eat fat or blood. This is "a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live." This rule is probably about cleanliness more than health, given the technology of the time.

Charity is very important to Leviticus. If the grapes fall, you should leave them, as they are designated for the poor and for immigrants.