The first five verses of Leviticus chapter 18 tells us that God commanded Moses to warn the children of Israel not to practise any of the doings of the Land of Egypt nor any of the doings of the Land of Canaan.
In giving this warning, Moses was commanded by the LORD to say to the children of Israel,
I am the LORD your God.
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God.
3 According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.
4 You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God.
5 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:1 – 5 New King James Version
Some older versions of the English Bible renders the Tetragrammaton YHWH as "Jehovah" instead of translating it as "the LORD". Two of the versions are the American Standard Version and Young's Literal Translation, as shown below, where the words, "I am Jehovah your God" is mentioned three times, in verse 2, verses 4, and verse 5:
1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am Jehovah your God.
3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes.
4 Mine ordinances shall ye do, and my statutes shall ye keep, to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God.
5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am Jehovah.
Leviticus 18:1 – 5 American Standard Version
1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
2 "Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, I [am] Jehovah your God;
3 according to the work of the land of Egypt in which ye have dwelt ye do not, and according to the work of the land of Canaan whither I am bringing you in, ye do not, and in their statutes ye walk not.
4 'My judgments ye do, and My statutes ye keep, to walk in them; I [am] Jehovah your God;
5 and ye have kept My statutes and My judgments which man doth and liveth in them; I [am] Jehovah.
Leviticus 18:1 – 5 Young's Literal Translation
In verse 3, Moses was commanded to tell the children of Israel, "According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do". The following is a list of some of the gods worshipped by the ancient Egyptians:
- Anubis
- Bast
- Geb
- Hathor
- Isis
- Maat
- Osiris
- Ra
Likewise in the second half of verse 3, "according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances". The following is a list of Caananite gods and their references in the Bible:
- Adramelech 2 Kings 17:31
- Asherah 1 Kings 18:19, 2 Kings 23:4 - 7
- Ashtoreth 1 Samuel 12:10
- Baal 1 Kings 18:28, 2 Kings 10:18 - 28, Jeremiah 19:5
- Chemosh 1 Kings 11:7, 2 Kings 3:27
- Dagon 1 Samuel chapter 5
- Marduk Jeremiah 50:2
- Molech Leviticus 18:21; 20:2 - 5
- Nisroch 2 Kings 19:36 - 37
- Tammuz Ezekiel 8:14 - 15
When we look at the lists of Egyptian and Caananite gods shown above, we realise they all have one thing in common: every of those pagan gods have a name.
This shows us how significant it was in those ancient days that the LORD commanded Moses to declare to the children of Israel His own NAME, the name of their one and only true God: the name Jehovah (pronounced Yehovah in Hebrew). This was done three times in this short passage of Leviticus 18:1 - 5 alone.
Among the numerous gods of the Egyptians and of the Caananites, there is no god called Jehovah.
Jehovah alone is the God of Israel.
And the children of Israel shall not call upon the name of any of the Egyptian or Caananite gods. They shall call only upon the Name Jehovah. And they shall keep His ordinances, statutes, and judgments, to walk in them and to do them, and to live by them.
I am Jehovah your God
