> Exodus 20:26: 'And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.'

Critics cite this verse with the comment, 'God instructs Moses that no altar should have steps; people ascending steps might expose their genitals.' However, exposure of the genitalia during ascent to an altar was a regular practice of the pagan rituals engaged by the Canaanites. The command relates to the purposeful pagan practice of exposure for sexual rituals, serving to prevent the activity and even the appearance of evil.

> Ex. 20:26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.

It is sometimes asked why God instructs Moses that no altar should have steps because people ascending steps might expose their genitals. Exposure of the genitalia during ascent to an altar was actually a regular practice of the pagan rituals engaged by the Canaanites.

> Exodus 28:42-43 Make linen undergarments as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die.

When evaluating this in modern terms, we must not strip the passage of its sociological context. The reason for the command here is the same as the one above: It relates to the purposeful pagan practice of exposure for sexual rituals. The garment regulation above serves to prevent the activity and even the appearance of partaking in those neighboring religious practices.