And they shall no more offer their sacrifices to devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever to them throughout their generations.
unto devils
Deuteronomy 32:17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
2 Chronicles 11:15 And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.
Psalm 106:37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
gone a whoring.
Leviticus 20:5 Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.
Exodus 34:15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
Deuteronomy 31:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
to the goat demons
The term "goat demons" refers to pagan deities or spirits that were believed to inhabit the wilderness. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, these entities were often associated with fertility and chaos. The Israelites were warned against engaging in idolatrous practices that were common among surrounding nations. This highlights the biblical theme of spiritual purity and the rejection of idolatry, as seen in the first two commandments (Exodus 20:3-4).
to which they have prostituted themselves
The use of the term "prostituted" metaphorically describes Israel's unfaithfulness to God through idolatry. This language is consistent with prophetic literature, such as Hosea, where idolatry is likened to adultery. It underscores the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where idolatry is seen as a breach of faithfulness.
This will be a permanent statute for them
The phrase indicates the enduring nature of this command. It was not a temporary measure but a lasting ordinance meant to guide the Israelites in their worship practices. This reflects the unchanging nature of God's standards and the importance of maintaining holiness and purity in worship.
for the generations to come
This emphasizes the transgenerational aspect of God's commandments. The instruction was not only for the immediate audience but for all future descendants. It underscores the importance of teaching and preserving God's laws across generations, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, where parents are instructed to teach God's commands to their children.
• God redirects Israel’s worship away from any self-styled practice. Earlier in the chapter He had already warned, “If anyone…offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting…that man shall be cut off” (Leviticus 17:3-4).
• True worship centers on God’s appointed place and method, not on personal preference (Deuteronomy 12:13-14; John 4:23-24).
• The heart issue is obedience over ritual; Samuel put it plainly: “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).
• Scripture identifies these “goat demons” (literally “goat-shaped idols”) as real spiritual entities masquerading behind idols (Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37; 1 Corinthians 10:20-21).
• Israel had picked up this occult practice in Egypt (Joshua 24:14). God exposes the counterfeit so His people can renounce it (Ephesians 5:11).
• The warning reminds us that idolatry is not neutral; it aligns a person with demonic forces (2 Corinthians 6:14-16).
• Scripture often describes idolatry as spiritual adultery (Exodus 34:15-16; Hosea 4:12). God’s covenant people belong exclusively to Him; chasing other gods is infidelity.
• The language is strong because the offense is serious. Worship shapes intimacy—either with the Lord or with idols (James 4:4).
• This imagery will resurface throughout the prophets and climax in Revelation 17-18, underscoring the timeless call to single-hearted devotion.
• The command is not a passing suggestion; it carries covenant permanence (Leviticus 16:29; Exodus 12:14).
• God’s standards do not shift with cultural trends. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
• By making the rule perpetual, the Lord safeguards future generations from revisiting old snares.
• Each generation must embrace the command personally (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Judges 2:10-12).
• The phrase links back to promises like Genesis 17:7, showing God’s long-range view of covenant faithfulness.
• It also looks ahead to us; as 1 Peter 2:9 notes, believers today are a chosen people called out of darkness to declare His praises.
Leviticus 17:7 calls Israel to stop unauthorized sacrifices, exposes the demonic reality behind idolatry, brands such worship as spiritual prostitution, establishes the command as permanently binding, and charges every generation to uphold it. The verse spotlights God’s jealousy for pure, obedient worship and His protective love that keeps His people from destructive counterfeit gods.
(7) And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils.--The word (s?irim) here translated "devils," literally denotes hairy or shaggy goats, and then goat-like deities, or demons. The Egyptians, and other nations of antiquity, worshipped goats as gods. Not only was there a celebrated temple in Thmuis, the capital of the Mendesian Nomos in Lower Egypt, dedicated to the goat-image Pan, whom they called Mendes, and worshipped as the oracle, and as the fertilising principle in nature, but they erected statues of him everywhere. Hence the Pan, Silenus, satyrs, fauns, and the woodland gods among the Greeks and Romans; and hence, too, the goat-like form of the devil, with a tail, horns, and cloven feet, which obtain in medieval Christianity, and which may still be seen in some European cities. The terror which the devil, appearing in this Pan-like form, created among those who were thought to have seen him, has given rise to our expression panic. This is the form of idolatrous worship which the Jews brought with them from Egypt, and to which reference is continually made. (See Joshua 24:14; Ezekiel 20:7; Ezekiel 23:3, &c.; and especially 2Chronicles 11:15.) The expression "and they shall no more offer" shows that the Israelites were hitherto in the habit of first dedicating their ordinary food to these deities; whilst the words "gone a whoring" indicate the orgies connected with this form of idol worship, It has been urged that the demand to offer up, in so confined a space as the entrance of the sanctuary, the domestic animals intended for the daily consumption of more than 600,000 people, imposed a task upon the people which it was impossible for them to carry out. Hence it has been urged that the injunction here (Leviticus 17:2-7) must refer to sacrifices. But this difficulty arises from importing our modern notions into the ancient mode of living. The ancient Israelites, like the modem Orientals, especially the nomadic tribes, ate very little flesh meat apart from the seasons of sacrifice, which were the occasions of feasting. Besides, those who urge this difficulty ignore the fact that the injunction before us is restricted to the three kinds of animals; that none of the wild clean quadrupeds, as stags, roes, &c, nor any of the feathered tribes, as pigeons, turtle doves, &c, which formed an essential part of the daily diet, is here included; and that even the three kinds of sacrificial quadrupeds only come within this restriction when they are qualified by age, which was within two years, and by physical condition, which demanded that it should have no external defect, as blindness of one eye, lameness of one foot, &c., to be offered first to the Lord. Moreover, the injunction was only intended to operate temporarily, whilst the Jews sojourned and wandered about in the wilderness, where, besides the propensity to sacrifice these animals to idols, they would have been in danger of extirpating their most useful animals. The law was repealed when the Israelites entered the promised land. (Comp. Deuteronomy 12:13-15.) . . . Verse 7. - And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. The word rightly translated devils means, literally, shaggy goats (see 2 Chronicles 11:15; Isaiah 13:21; Isaiah 34:14; where the word occurs). It is generally supposed that the Israelites borrowed their worship of the goat-like spirits of the woods and fields from Egypt. That goat-worship prevailed there in a very foul shape we know (Herod., 2:42), but sacrifices in the open fields are rather a Persian habit (Herod., 1:132). Pan-worship, however, was common to most if not to all agricultural nations. The injunction which follows, This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations, which cannot be confined to the last few words or verses, shows that the command of verse 3 refers to sacrifices, not to ordinary slaughtering. Had slaughtering been meant, the statute could not have been intended to be more than temporary in its obligation. The importance attributed to the regulation is further shown by the declaration previously made, that whoever transgressed it should be cut off from among his people, or excommunicated. In fact, it makes an era in the history of the chosen people. The old patriarchal priesthood having ceased, and the Aaronic priesthood substituted for it, the tabernacle is appointed to serve as a religious centre to the race. Whenever, from this time onwards, sacrifices were offered, without offense, elsewhere than in the court of the tabernacle or temple, as by Samuel (see 1 Samuel 13:8), and by Elijah (1 Kings 18:32), it was done by the direct order or dispensation of God.