Charles Ellicott Commentary Leviticus 18:2

"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am Jehovah your God." — Leviticus 18:2 (ASV)

I am the Lord your God. — The Lord is their recognized and sole sovereign. Therefore, the children of Israel are bound to obey His precepts and not be led astray by the customs or statutes that prevailed among the people whose country they are to possess.

Moreover, because He is holy, the Israelites, by faithfully obeying His sacred laws, will attain that holiness that will bring them into communion with Him, in whose image they were created.

This phrase, which is so emphatically repeated twice more in this chapter (Leviticus 18:4; Leviticus 18:30), has only been used once before in this book .