What is the context?
The commands forbid eating blood, divination and sorcery, certain cutting of hair and beard, cuts for the dead, and tattoo marks. They also forbid making a daughter a prostitute, require reverence for the Lord’s Sabbaths and sanctuary, and reject mediums and spiritists.
The sequence connects worship with the body, family responsibilities, and sources of guidance. The explicit warning about turning to mediums is that this defiles the people. The text does not treat loyalty to the Lord as merely a private belief detached from conduct.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Wesley relates the hair and cutting practices to mourning and false worship. The USCCB notes similarly discuss the prohibitions within the practices of Israel’s setting. Their explanation of that setting and the separate question of applying the commands to every modern hairstyle or tattoo should not be treated as identical questions.
The command about a daughter explicitly rejects her being handed over to prostitution. It need not be narrowed to one unverified type of temple practice in order to recognize the harm and disorder the text names.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.
Where can I study this further?
No deeper study linked yet.