festivals among the Jews,
stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
12 'And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
13 f ™ Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy ° corn and thy wine:
14 And " thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and tlty son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy iiiaid-servant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15 "^ Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God, in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord tliy God shall bless thee in aU thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
16 ^ '" Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose •, in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the teast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and ' they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
17 Every man shall give ' as lie is able, ' according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given tliee,
18 ^ " Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth
where all the Jewish feasts are explained. See also Levit. xxiii. 3 1.
Verse IS. Judges and officers shall thou mukc\ JUDGES, ^^\3uU shophetcem, among the Hebrews, were probably the I same as our magistrates, or justices oj' the peace. OFFICERS, 3'"113l£^ shoterean, seem to have been the same as our inquest, Serjeants, beadles, &c. whose ofhce it was to go into houses, shops, &c. and exa(nine iveighls, jneasures, and the civil conduct of the people. When they found any thing amiss, they bnught tiic person offending before the 7iiagisirate, and he was punished by the officer on the spot. Tiiey seem also to have acted as heralds fn the army, chap. xx. 5. See also Bab. Maimnn in Sanlicdrin. In t'liina, for all minor ollences, the person when found guilty, is puiiislied on the spot, ia the presence of the magistrate or mandarin of justice.
Several civil and CflAP. XVII. reltfrious orfHiumces.
19 "Thou shalt not wrest jiidpfnicnt; ''tlioii 21 *\ * Thou sliait not ])Iant thee a ^rove of shalt not lesjied ])or.sons, " neither take a j^if't: ' any trees, near unto tlie altar of the Loud thy
for a gift dolh bh'nd the eyes of tlic wise, and pervert the ''words oj' the rifjhteous. •20 ' TJKit which is aitogetiier just shalt thou
Verse 21. Thou shnll not plant thee u gimi:, Ike."] We have already.seen that groves were pluntcd abuiit idol temples, for the purposes of llie ol)sccne vvoiship pcrfonnt'il in them. See en chap. xii. 1. On tliis account, God would have no groves
God, whieli thou shalt make thee.
22 " Neither shalt thou set thee up any 'image; whicii the Lokjj thy God hateth.
or thickets about his altar; that there might be no room for suspicion, tliat any ihin;^ contrary to the slricti>t purity, \va« transacted there. Kvery pari of" the Divine wor.-iiip war pub, Iklj/ performed for tiie jiMrpose of jjcncral edification.
All sacrijicea in be ziilhout blemish, 1. Of persons convicted of idolatrij and their punishment, 2 — 7. Dijjicull tniitlers in jiidsrmcnt to he laid Or fore the priests and judges, and to he determined hi/ them, and all to siihmil to their decision, S — 1.5. The king that mai/ he chosen, to he one (if their brethren, no stranger to be appointed to that office, 14,1.5. J le shall not multiply/ horses to himself, 7ior cause the people ta return unto Egi/pt, l6. Nor viultipli/ \vivcs, inoiicy, S^x. 17. He shall write a copi/ of the Ian: for his oun use, and read and study it all his diuis, that his heart he not lifted up aborc his brethren, 18 — 120.
IIOU * sJialt not sacrifice unto
J^ the Lord tliy God anij bullock, or " sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evil-flivouredness: ibr this is an abomination unto the Loud thy God.
2 ^ " If there be tbund among you, within nny of thy gates which the Loud thy God giveth thee, man or woman, tliat hatli wrouglit wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God, " in transgressing his covenant.
Verse 1. IVharin is l)kiii!sli'\ God must not have that offered to him, which thou ^vouldest not use thys<lf This not only refers to the perfect sacrifice oflered by Christ Jesus; but to that sincerity and upriijhtness of heart, which God requires in all tho.«e who approach him in the way of worship.
Verse 4. If it be told llice] In a pri\ ate wav by any confidential person. And tlmu Iwst heard of \i — 'u tint it appears to be notorious, very likely to be true, and publii ly scandalous. And hast enquired diligeriily — sought to find Out the Uulh of the report, by the most careful exainiiiation of per-
3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either ' the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, ' which I liave not commanded;
4> ^ And it be told thee, and thou liast heard of if, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the tiling certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
.5 Then shalt thou bring forth tliat man or that woman, which liave committed that wicked
sons reporting', circumstances of the case, &c. A/id behold it is true — '.he report is not founded on vague rumour, hearsay, or malire. And the thiii^ is certain — substantiated by the fullest evidence. That tliDu shalt bring forth the man — ver. 5. As the charge of idolatry was the most solemn and awful tliat could be brought against an Israelite, because it aflected his ///t, ihtTcfore God required that the charge should be siibuantiated by the most unequivocal facts, and the most competent witnesses. Hence all the precautions mentioned in the fourth verse, must be carefully used, in order to arrive at so afiectinj and!io awful a trutli.
Zatc concernh<r ttitnexsesi
Of the Icing they should choose.
thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and * shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
6 " At the mouth of two witnesses, or three ■witnesses, shall he tliat is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
7 " The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So " thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
8 ^ ' If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, 'between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, ^and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose;
9 And " thou shalt come unto the priests, the Levites, and 'unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; " and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment:
10 And thou shalt do according to th.e sentence, which they of that place wiiich the Lord shall choose, shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all tliat they inform thee:
11 According to the sentence of the law ■which they shall teach thee, and according to
Ver.=e 6. Ticotoitnesse.'f] 0.\E might be deceived, or be prejudiced, or malicious — tlierefore God required two substantial witrjesses for the support of the charge.
Verse 8. If there arise a matter too hard for thee'] These directions are given to tiie common nia'^'istiates, who might not be able to judge of, or apply tlie law in all cases that might be brought before them. The pric.'Jls and Levites who were lawyers by birth and continual practice, were reasonably considered as tlie best qualified to decide on difficult points.
Verse 12. Tlie man that will do presumptuously'] The man who refused to abide by this final dcrtcnninaiion, forfeited hi.-; life, as being tlien in a state of rebellion against the liigliesl authority; and consequently, the public qould have no pledge for his CDnduct.
Verse 15. One from amona; thy brethren shalt thou set kins; mtr lhec'\ It wa.s on the ground of this command, that the Jews proposed thai insidioug question lo our Lord, h it Iu:l— /ul to give tribute to Cicsar, UR SU? Malt sxii. 17. lor tli< y
the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decHne from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
12 And ' the man that will do presumptuously, " and will not hearken unto the priest, " that standeth to minister thei'e, before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that luan shall die; and ° thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
1 3 "^ And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
14 ^ "When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, ' I will set a king over me, like as aU the nations that are about me;
15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, ■' whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one ^ from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, whicii is not thy brother.
16 But he shaU not multiply ' horses to himself^ nor cause the people " to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as ^ the Lord hath said unto you, " Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself.
were then under the authority of a foreign power. Had Christ said. Yes: tlien they would have condemned him by this law. Had he said. No: then they would have accused hiui to Caesar. See this subject discussed in great detail, in the notes on Matt. xxii. 16, &c.
Verse 16. lie shall not multiply horses] As Ao)'i« appear to have been generally furnished by Egypt, God prohibits these, 1. Lest there should be such commerce with Kgypt, as might lead to idolatry. 2. Lest the people might depend on a well appointed cavalry, as a means of security, and so cease from trusting in the strength and protection of God. And 3. That they might not be tempted to extend their dominion by means of cavalry, and so get scattered among the surrounding idolatrous nations, and thus cease, in process of time, to be that distinct and separate |)eople, which God intendrd they should be; and without which, the prophecies relative lo the Messiah, could not be known to have their due and full accoraplisliment.
The king shall xorite out « tliat •" his ficart turn not..iway: neither sliull he f^Tcatly multiply to himself silver ami f^olcl. IS " And it, shall be, when he siLtelh upon thf throne of iiis kinfrilom, that lie shall write him a eopy o<" this law in a book, out of ' thai tahkh is l)el()re llie priests the Lc\ ites;
19 And "it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: tbat lie
iriav learn to f».ar the LoiiD his (jod, to keep all the words of this law and •; these statutes, to do them:
'20 That his heart be not lifted up al)f>vc in.s brethren, antl that he 'turn not aside irom the commandment, to the right hand, or /o the left: to the end that he may prolon^f his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in tiie midst of J.srael.
nocesfarily lead to forcitrii alliances, and be llie meang of introducing llic manmrs and cuitoiiis ot' oilier nations; ami llii-ir idoUtirt/ also. Solomon sinned asjainst this ])nj('C])t, and brought ruin on liiinself and on the land by it. See 1 Kings ju. 4.
Verse 1 S. He shall write him a copy of this /««] roxn rsn mip.n Mishneh ha-tomh haziolh, an iteration or duplicate of this l(au — translated by the Scptua^^nut, to 5(UTc^ovo,uiw rovro, This Deuleroiicmy. From this version, both the Vulgate Latin, and all the modern versions have taken the name of this book. And from the original word, the Jews call it Mishneh. See the Preface to this book.
Out of tb,it which is btfore tire pries's the Lcvites] It is liltely, this means, that the tojiy which the king was to write out, was to be taken (roin the autograph, kept in the tabernacle bcl'ore the Lord; from which, as a standard, < very copy w as taken; and with which, doubtless, every transcript was compared: and it is probable, that the priests and Levites had the revising of every copy that wa* taken oil'; in order to prevent errors from creeping into the Sacred Text.
Verse 19. And it shall be with him, &c.] It wai the,sure«t way to bring the king to an acquaintance with the Divine law,, to oblige him to write out a fair copy of it, with his own hand, in wliich he was to read daily. This was essentially necessary, as these laws of God were all permanent, and no Isracliti.sh king could:;iake any luv: Irnu. The kings of this people being ever con.sidered as only the licei^crcius of Jehovah.
Verse 20. He, ami lils children, in the midst of Israef] From this verse it has been inferred, that the crown in Israel was designed to be hereditary, and this is very probable; for long experience has ])roved to almost all the nations of the world, that hereditary succession in the regal government is, on the whole, the safest, and best calculated to secure the public tranquillity.
The priests and Levites to hdie no inheritance, 1,2. What is the priest's dues, 3—5. Of the Levites that eome from am/ of the other cities, 6 — 8. The Israelites must not copj/ the ahomiiiatinns of the former inhabitants, Q.
None to cause his son or daughter to pass tlirough the fire, or use any kind of divination or enchantment, as lite former inliabitants ilid, 10 — 14. The great Propltel icliich God promised to raise up, \5 — 19. Of false prophets, n*^ ll no part nor inlieritancc with Israel;
they " shall eat the otierings of tlie Lokd made by fire, and his inheritance.
Verse 1. Tlie priests the Lerites — shall have no part] Tliat is, says liab. Maimnn, tiiey shall have no part in the spoils Inken (Voni an enemy.
Verse 2. The Lord is their inheritance'] He is the portion of their souls; and as to their bodies, they shall live by the of-
2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Loud /.? their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
3 % And this shall be the -priest's due from
ferings of tlx* Lord made by fire, i. e. the ^lur.t-ojering, the sinojering, and the trespass-ojferin;. And whatever was the Lord's right in these or other oflifrings, he ga\e to the priests. Yeri'e o. OU'er a sacrifice] nt^^^mZobacliryi^nzcbach. The word T\yi zubuch is used, not only to signify an animal sacrificed to the Lord, but also, one killed for com'wn use: see Geo.
sacrifice, whether // be ox or sheep;
and * they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw,
4 '' The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
5 For " the Lord thy God hath chosen him out i of all thy tribes, ^ to stand to minister in the ' name of the ILord, him and his sons for ever.
6 ^ And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he ^ sojourned, and come witli all the desire of his mind "^ unto the place wdiich the Lord shall choose;
7 Then lie shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, ^ as all his brethren the Levites do,.which stand there before the Lord.
8 They shall have like " portions to eat, beside ' that wliicli Cometh of the sale of his patrimony.
xliii. 15. Prov. xvii. 1. Ezek. xxv. 6. And in tliis latter sense it probablj- should ho understood here; and consequent- ])-, that the couimand in this verse relates to what tlie people were to allow the priests and Levites, from the animals slain for common use. Tlie parts to be yiven to the priests were, 1. Tlie shoulder, probably cut off from the beast, with the skin on: so Maimoyiidcs. 2. The ttuo cheeks, which may include thevvhole head. 3. The maw, the whole of those intestines, which are commonly used for food.
Verse 4. The fir.stfruit also of thy corn, of thy xvine, and of thine oil, Sic] All these firstfruits and firstlings were the Lord's portion, and these he gave to the priests.
Verse 8. The sale of his palriiiiony.'] So we find, that though the Levites might have no p;irt of the land by lot, j'et they were permitted to make purchases of houses, goods, and cattle — yea of fields also. See the case of Abiathar, 1 Kings ii. 26. and of Jeremiah, Jer. x.vxii. 1, 8.
Verse 10. To pass through the firel Probably in the way of consecration to Moloch, or some otlier deity. It is not likely that their being burnt to death is licre intended. See on Levit. xviii. 21.
Diviimtion'] CD'ODp CDDp Kosem kesarneem, one who endeavours to find oul.futurity by auguries, using lots, &c.
Observer of times] pipo Meonen, one wlio pretends to foretell future events by i)re.sent occurrences; and who predicts great political or physical changes from the aspects of planets, eclipses, motion of the clouds, &c. &c. See on Gen. xli. B.
Enchanter'] UTIJO Mcnachesh, from vn nachash, to view utieniively, one who inspected the entrails of beasts, observed the flight of birds, &c. kc. and drew auguries thence. Some land which the Loud thy God giveth
thee, " thou shalt not learn to do after
the abominations of those nations.
10 There shall not be found among you ani/ one that maketh his son or his daughter ' to pass through the fire, ™ or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
1 2 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and '' because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13 Thou shalt be " perfect with the Lord thy
14 For these nations, which thou shalt 'possess, hearkened unto obsei"vers of times, and inito diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
15 ^ ^ The Lord thy God will raise up unto think divination by serpents is meant, which was commoa among the heatiien.
A xmtcli] ppy^ 3Iecasheph; probably those who by means of drugs, herbs, perfumes, &c. pretended to bring certain celestial influences to their aid. See the note on Levit. xix. 26.
Verse 11.^ chamier] "lan "lan Chober chaber, one who uses spells — a peculiar conjunction, as the term implies, of ttor£/.s or things, tying knots, &c. for the purposes of divination. This was a custom among the heathen, as we learn from the following verses:
Knit with three KNOTS, the fillets, knit them straight; Tiien say, these KNOTS to love I consecrate. Drydrii.
A consulter leith familiar spirits] D1X \iftff Shod ob, a Pj— thoness, one who enquires by the means of one spirit, to get oracular answers fiom another of a superior order. See on Levit. xix. ">[.
A wizard] 'j;)T Yideoni, a wise one, a knowing one. IVizard was formerly considered as the masculine of witch, both practising divination by similar means. See the notes on Exod. xxii. IS. Lev. XIX. 31.
Or a necromancer.] ZJT!OT\ 7S Cni Doresh el ha-metini, one who seeks from, or emjuires of the dead. Such as the witch at Endor, who professed to evoke the dead, in order to get thsm to disclose the secrets of the spiritual world.
Verse 1 5. The Lord thy God luill raise up unto thee a Prophet] Instead of diviners, observers of times, 4cc. God here
The promise of the fnltire A.M. ■^..').i. tjip,,., |>i()i)lic't fioin tlic midst of tlico,
IG According to:i!l that tliou dcsiredst of the LoHi) thy (lod in Iloieb "in the (ky of the assembly, saying, '' Ix-t me not hear again the voice of tlie Loud my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17 And the Loud said unto me, ''I'hey have well spo/icti that which they have spoken.
18 ''I will raise them up a Pro])het from among their brethren, like unto thee, and "will put my words in his moutli; ' and he shall s])eak unto them all that I shall command liim.
19^ And it shall come to pass, that whosoever
' will not hearken unto my words which promises to give them an infallible guide, wlio.should tell them all tilings that make for their peace; sn that iiis declarations.slioulil completely answer the end of all the knowledge that was pretended to be gained by the persons already specified.
Like unto wt] Viz. a piophct, a lenislator, a kiii^', a mediator, and the head or chief of the people of God. Tliis was the ■very person of whom Mosts was tlie type, and who should accomplish all the great purposes of the Divine Being. Such a prophet, as had never before appeared, and who should liavc no eipial till the consummation of the world.
Tills I'ropiiot is the Lord Jesus, who was in the bosom of the Father, and who came to declare him to mankind. Kvcry word spoken by him, is a living, infnllible oracle from God liinistll; and must be received and obeyed as such, on pain of the eternal displeasure of the Almighty. See \er. 19. and Acts iii. 22, 23. and see the conclusion of this chapter.
Verse 22. If the thing follow not] It is worthy of remark, tJiat the prophets in general, predicted tiiose things which ' were shortly to come to pass, that tlie people might have the fullest proof of their divine mission; and of the e.vislence of God's providence in the administration of tlie afliiirs of men.
Tlie promise contained in the 1 5th and 1 8th verses of this chapter has long been considered of the first importance in the controversies between the Christians and Jews. Christ, says Mr. Ainsworth, was to be a imm, and of the stock of the Jews by promise, because the people could not endure to hear the voice of GoD, ver. 16. And as in re.spect of his))ropliecy, so of the priesthood; for every high-priest is taken from among men, Heb. v. 1. and of his kingdom as in Deu- ' tcrononiy xvii. 15. Front among thy brethren shalt thou set a' king over thee like unto me.
" 1. Christ alone was like unto Moses as a PROPHET, for it is WTitlen, Tliere arose not a prophet in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew, face to face, in all the figns and wonders wliick the Lord sent him to do: Deut. xxxiv. 10, 11, he shall sj)eak in my name, I will rc- (piire it of him.
20 ^ But " the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commantled him fo speak, or 'that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
21 ^[ And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word wliicli the Loud hath not spoken?
22 *" When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, ' if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing wliich the Loud hath not s2)oken, IjuI the jjrojjhet hath s])okcn it '° presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
12. This therefore cannot be under.'itood of the ordinary ]iropheLs, which were raised up in Uraet, but of Christ only, as the Apostles expound it: Acts ii. 22 — 26. 2. Christ was like unto Moses, in respect to his odice of mediation between God and his peojile, Deut. v. 5. 1 Tim. ii. 5. but greater than Moses, as being the mediator of a belter covenant (or testament) which was established upon better promises, Heb. viii. 6. 3. Christ was like unto Moses in excellency; for as Moses excelled all the prophets, in speaking to God mouth to mouth. Numb. xii. 6, 7, 8. so Christ excelled him and all men, in that, being in the bosom of the Father, be hath come down from heaven, and declared God unto us, John i. 18. and liu
13. 4. Christ was like to Moses in faithfulness, but therein also excelling; for Moses was faithful in God's house as a scnant, but Christ as the son over his own house, Heb. iii. 2, 5, 6. 5. Christ was like to Moses in signs and wonders, wherein he also excelled Moses, as the history of the gospel shews. For he was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God, and all the people, Luke xxiv. 19. A man approved of God among them, by miracles, signs, and wonders, which God did by him, in the midst of them. Acts ii. 22. For he did among them, the works which no other man did, John xv. 24. Unto him — that is, not unto the diviners, wizzards, or any such like, but, unto him, and him only — as. Him thou shalt serve, Deut. vi. 13. is expounded, Jlim only. Matt. iv. 10. And tliough this is principally meant of Christ in person, of whom God said. Hear him, IVIatt. xvii. 5. Yet it implies also his ministers, as himself said. He that heareth f^u, heareth me, Luke X. 16." To these may be added, o. As Moses wz&king among his people, in this respect Christ is like to hira, but infinitely greater; for he is King of kings, and Lord of lords, Itev. xix. 16. 1 Tim. v. 15. And 7. He was like to Moses as a legislator. Closes gave laws to Israel by the authority and conunandment of God, which the Jews have ever acknowledged as coming from the immediate inspiration of tiie Almighty; these are contained in the Pentateuch. Christ the six cities of refuge.
gave a new law, the g;ospel contained in the four Evangelists anil Acts of the Apostles, on which the Christian Church is founded, and by \vhich alt genuine Christians are jjovcnied, both in heart and life. To all which may be added, 8. That God never commissioned.any human beings to give laws to mankind, but Moses and Christ: and therefore, as a lawgiver, Christ alone resembles Moses; for, to the present hour, none but themselves have given laws in the name of God, which he has ratified and confirmed by the most indubitable and infallible signs, proofs, and miracles.
Dr. Jortin, in liis Remarks on Ecclesiastical History, has drawn a parallel between Moses and Ciirist, in a great number of particulars, which he concludes thus: " Let us search all the records of universal history, and see if we can find a man who was so like to Moses as Christ was, and so like to Christ as Moses was. If we cannot find such a one, then have we found HIM, of whom Moses in the Law, and the Prophets did write, tobe Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God." On this subject, see Ainsxvorth, Cabiiet, and Dodd, who ha\e all marked lliis striking correspondence between Moses and Christ.
Tliree cities^of refuge to he appointed in the midst of the promised land; the land being divided into three parts, a cif}/ is to be placed in each, to zchich a proper zcay is to be prepared, 1 — 3. In zchat cases of man-slaughter, the bene- Jit of those cities mai/ be claimed, 4 — 6. Tliree cities more to be added, should the Lord enlarge their coasts, and the reasons zchif, 7 — 10. The intentional murderer shall have no benefit from these cities, 11 — 13. The landmark is Jiot to.be shifted, 14. One witness shall not be deemed sufficient to convict a man, 15. How a false witness shall be dealt with — he shall bear the punishment which he designed should have been injticted on his neighbour, 16 — 20. Another command to establish the lex talionis, 21.
T^HEN tlie Lord thy God ''hath cnt off" the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth tliee, and thou ''sticceedest them, and dwellest in tlieir cities, and in their houses;
2 " Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.
3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thitlier.
4 ^ And "* this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he mav live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignoi'antly, whom he hated not " in time past;
5 As when a man goeth into the w^ood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the Miead slippeth from the ^ helve, and " lighteth upon his neighboiu-, that he die; he
Verse 3. Thou shall prepare thee a ivay"] The Jews inform as, ihat the roads to the cities of refuge were made very
shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
6 ' Lest the avenger of blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and " slay him; whereas he teas not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not ' in time past.
7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
8 And if the Lord thy God "enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;,
9 If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; " then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:
10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, wliich the Lord thy God giveth theeyor an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
broad, thirty-two cubits; and even, so that there should be no impediments in the way; and constantly kept in good repair.
Verse 9. Shalt thou add three cities more] This was afterwards found Hcccssary, and accordingly, si.x cjlies were ap-
11 ^[ J!iit "if any man lialc his
Aii.Kvod.Ur. nc'i^liuoiir, and lie in wait lor lnni, w.-.vfcuf..^jiij j.jj^^. iijj affainst iiiin, ami smite
Jiim "mortally that he die, ami flectli into one ol" these cities:
12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand oftiie avenjjfcr ot'blood, that he may die.
13 'Thine eye shall not pity him, ''but thou shalt pnt away the gui/l o/innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well witli thee.
I'l- ^ ''Thou shalt not remove tliy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inhoritLince, whicli thou.shalt inherit in the laiul that the Loiiu thy God giveth thee to possess it.
15 ^ ' One witness shall not rise up against a
pointed, three on either side Jordan. See Josh. xx. 1, &c. In imitation of these citie-s of refnge, the heathens had their (w/la, and the Catholics, their pritileixcd altars. See Kxod. xxi. 13, 14. and on Numb. xxxv. 6, &c.
Verse 14. Thou shall not remove thy neighbour's landmark] Before the extensive use of fences, landed property was marked out by stones or posts, set up so as to ascertain the divisions of family estates. It was easy to remove one of these landmarks, and.^et it in a different place; and thus the dishonest man tnlargcd his own estate by contracting that of his neighbour. The termini, or landmarks, among the liomans, were held very sacred, and were at last deified.
To these tey-mini, Numa Pompilius connnanded ofl'erings of broth, cakes, and first- fruil.s, to be made. And Ovid informs us, that it was customary to sacrifice a lamb to them, and sprinkle them with its liiooil.
Spargitur ct c^so communis terminus agno.
And from TibuUus it appears, that they sometimes adorned them with tlowers and garlands.
Nam veneror, sat.uijxrs habet deserliu in agris,
Seu vetus in trivio tlorida serta lapis.
Elf.G. i. i. E. i. V. II. Uovere each antique stone bedeck'd with flowers. That bounds the field, or points the doubtful way.
It appears from Juvenal, that annual oblations were made to them.
Cnniallem ruris ariti
Improbus, aul campum mihi si ■sicinus ademit,
man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in ■^, ',' ';|';Jany sin that lie.sinncth: at the month.\,. i i— of'two witnesses, or at the mouth ol '" three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
16 ^ If" a false witness '■' rise up against any man to testily against him ''that "which is wrong:
17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Loud, 'belbre the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;
18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, beliold, //the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely again.st his brother;
19 ''Then shall yc do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother:.so ' shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
Aut sacrum effodit medio de limite saxum, 3uod mca cum vetulo coluii puis annua libo.
If any rogue vexatious suits advance
Against me for my hjiown inheritance.
Enter by violence my fruitful grounds.
Or take the sacred landmark from my bounds.
Those bounds, which with possession and with prayer.
And offered cakes, have been my annual care. DrYDEN..
In the digests there is a vague law, de tcrmino moto, DigPKlor. lib. xlvii. Tit. 21. on which Calmet remarks, that tiiough the Romans had no determined punishment for those who removed the ancient landmarks; yet, if slaves were found to have done it with an evil design, they were put to death; that persons of quality were sometimes exiled, when found guilty; and that others were sentenced to pecuniary fines, or corporal puni^luucnt.
Verse 19. Then shall ye do unto him, as lie had thought to hate done unto his brother] Nothing can be more equitable or proper than this, that if a man endeavour to do any injury to, or take away the life of another, on detection, he shall be caused to undergo the same evd which he intended for his innocent neighbour.
Some of our excellent English laws have tjcen made on this very ground. In the 3"ih of Edw. III. cli. Id. it is ordained, that all those who make suggestion, shall incur the same pain which the other should have had, if he were attainted, in case his suggestions be found evil. A similar law was made tlie 3Sth of the same reign, ch. l>. By a law of the 12 Tables, a false witness was thrown down the
20 ^ And those wliich remain shall hear, and fear, and shall hencetbrth commit no more any such evil among vou.
Tarpeian rock. In short, false witnesses have been e.\ecrated by all nations.
Verse 21. Life — ^07' life, eye for eye, &c.] The operation ©f sMch a law as this must have been very salutary: it a man
21 "And thine eye shall not pity; but "Me shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
prized his own members, he wnnid natuiaily avoid injurinothose of others. It is a pity that tins law'w. re not slill i^ force: it would certainly prevent many of tlio=e savage acts which now both disgrace and injure.>ocielv.
Dheclions concerning campaigns, 1. The priest shull einourage t/ie people, zci/lt the nssnranre that God rrill accompaiiij aiidjig/itfurlhcm, 2 — 4. The officers shall dismiss from the armi/ all who have just huilded a nezv house, but have not dedicated it, 5. J II icho had planted a vineyard, but had not yet eaten of its fiiits, 0. All 7cho had betrothed a icife, hat had not brought her home, 7. Jnd all uho zcere timid and faint-hearted, 8. 'I'he commanders to be chosen after the timid, 6iC. had retired, g. A'o cili/ to be attached till ihet/ had proclaimed conditions of peace to it, provided it be a cilj/ bei/ond the boamls of the seven Canaanitish nations; if it submitted, it teas to become tributary; if not, it xcas to be besieged, sacked, and all the maJes put to the Suord: the zcomen, children, and cattle, to be taken as boot if, 10 — 15. iVo such offers to be made to the cities of the Cavaaniles; of them nothing shall be preserved, and the nasun, l6 — 18. In besieging a citi/, no trees to be cut dozen but those zchich do not bear fruit, 19, 20.
Israel, ye ap])roach tins day unto battle An.Exod.isr.
hearts 'fiiint, fear not, and do not ''tremble.
seest " horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is " with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priests shall approacli and speak unto the people.
Verse 1. When lliou s;oest out to liuttle~\ This refers chiefly to the battles they were to have uitli the C'anaauileSj in order to get pos.session of the proniiseil land: (iir it cannot be consirlered to apply to any wars which they tni<^ht have with the surrounding nations, for political reasons; as tiie Divine assistance coiild not be expected in wai>, which were not undertaken by tlie Divine command.
Verse 2. The priests shall approach, and speak unto the people^ The priest, on these occasions, was the re|>re.<ieiitative of that Ij God whose servant he was, and whoso worship he con- ij rluc!t-(l. It is remarkable, that almost all ancient nations t look their jiricsUs Aviih them to battle, as they did not.expect iJ neither be ye terrified because of them;
4 For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, " to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
5 *[[ And the officers shall speak unto the
.success, without having the object of their adoration with them; and they supposed they secured his presence, by having that of ins representative.
Verse 5. That hath liuilt a new house, and htith not dcdi~ cated it'] From the title of Psal. xxx. — A I'sulm or Soni^ at the dedication of the house of David — it is evident that it was a custom in Israel to dedicate a new house lo God, with prayer, praise, and thanksgiving; and this was done in order to se<!ure the Divine))resence and blessing: for no [lious or.sen>il)le man could imagine he could dwell safidy in a hou.se that was not under tin immediate proteilion of God. Hence it has been a cu.stom in the most barbarous nations to consecrate a part of a new house to the deity they worslnpped.
Rc;;nlali<)}is rchtlive to
■'"-'''"" lialh not ' (k'dicati'd it; Ic-t liini k<> and it'fui II to his lioiise, lest lie die in the battle, ftiid another man dedicate it.
() And what man is he tiiat liatii planliil a vineyard, and hath nolj/ct " eaten ofit? let him a/s(i i;o and relnrn nnto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.
7 'And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him <f(> and retin-n mito his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.
8 And the oliicers shall speak further unto the j)eo|)le, and they shall say, '^ What man is there iJuit is iearlid and tiiinthearted? let him
jT() and return unto his hou.se, lest »)' M'^ his bicthren's heait *" (iiinl, as well as his heart.
L> And it shall be, when the ofliccrs have made an end oi' s|)eakin_!:r unto the people, that they shall make eaj)tain> ol' the armies ' to lead the
11 And it shall bi', it' it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.
12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
The houses of tlic inliahilants of lioiuiy, In Africa, are gciicrally diviilcd into tlucc npartmenls: one is a kind of state mom, or parlour; aiiollicr serves for a coitimon room, or kitelicn; and tlio third is dedicated to ihe Jiijit, tlie serpent god, wliicli they worship: for even those savages believe, ihit ill every house their pjod shoiilil have his t( niple! At the times of dedication among the.lews, besides prayer and ^iraiso, a feast was made, lo whicli ihe relatives and neiglibonrs were invited..Somethinj.^ of tins custom is observed in some parts of our own country, in what is called iianiiiii-^ the house: but, in the.sc cases, \.\\v feasting only is kept up — the firayer and prai.*e forgotten! so tiiat the dedication appear* to he rather more to Bacchus, than to Jehovah, the author of every giiod and perfect gift.
Vei'se 7. Bttrothed a v;ifc, and lialh not taken /ifc] It was cusloinary among the Jews to contract inatrimonv, espoii.sc or lietrotli, and for some considerable time to leave the ])arlies in the houses of their respective parents: when the bridegroom had made proper preparations, then the bride wa.s!)ronght home to his house, and thus the marriage was consunnnati-d. Tlie provisions in tliis verse refer lo a case of this kind: for it was deemed an excessive hardship, fur a person to be obliged to go to battle, where there was a probability of his being slain, who had left a new house nnfinisiied; a newly purchase<l heritage half tilled, or a wife with whom he had just contracted marriage. Homer represents the case of Protesilaus as very atllicting, who was obliged to go to the Trojan war, leaving his wife in the <leepest distress, and his house unfinished.
" A wife he left. To rcni in Phylace Iter bleeding cfteeks.
And an unfmisli'd mansion: first be died Of all the Greeks; for as he leap'd to land. Long ere Uic rest, a Dardan struck bim dead."
Verse 8. What man is there that i§ fearful and fuinthenrletl >■] Tile original yi rue, signifies tender, or soft-hearted. And a soft heart the man must have, who in such a conlei.t, after such, a permission, could turn his back upon liis enemies, and on his brethren. However, such were the troops commanded by Gideon, in his war against tlic Midianite.'t; for, after he gave this permission, out of.32,000 men, only 10,000 remained to fight! Judges vii. 3. There could be no dece|)tion in a business of this kind; for the deparliire of the 22,000 was the fullest proof of their dasiardiinciis which they could possibly give.
Verse 10. Proclaim peace unto it.] Interpreters are greatly divided concerning the objects of this law. The text, taken in connection with the context, see verses 15 — 18. apjx'ar.* to slate, that this ])roclamation, or orti^r of peace to a city, is only to be understood of tliose cities whiell were situated beyond tfie limits of the scren (malhenmtized nations, becau"* tlie.«e latter are commanded to be totally destroyed. Nothing can be clearer than this from the bare letter of the text, unless some of ihe words, taken separately, can be shewed to have a dillerent meaning. For the common interpretation, the following reasons are given:
God, who knows all things, saw that they were incurable in their idolatry; thai the cup of their iniquity wa^ full; and as their Creator, Sovereign, and Judge, he determined to destroy thcin tiom oil' the face of lire earth, " le.st lliey should teach the Israelites to do after all their al>ominatiot>s," ver. \^. Afitr all, many plausible arguments ha\c betii brought to prove, thai even ihe-ie seven Canaanitish natioivs might l>e received into mercy, provided, 1st they rem.unced thiir idolatry; 2dly, became subject to the Jews; and.'Idly, paid annual tribute: and that it was only in case that xbenc 5 F 2
How to treat conquered cities.
14 But the women, and the httle ones, and ''the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou ''take unto thyself; and " thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given
15 Tlius shalt thou do unto all the cities ivhich are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16 ^ But ^ of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee^r an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
1 7 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites,
Truit trees to he 'preserved* terms were rejected, that tbey were to leave alive, in such a city, nothing that breathed, Tcr. 1 6.
Verse IT. ^in thou shalt utterly destroy them] The above rea.soning will gain considerable strength, provided we could translate OD'inn Sinn '3 ki hacharem tediarimem, thou shalt utterly subdue them — slaying them, if they resist, and thus leaving nothing alive that breathed; or totally expel than from tlie land, or reduce them to a state of slavery in it, that they might no longer exist as a people. This certainly made them an anathema as a nation, wholly destroying their political existence. Probably this was so understood by the Gibconitcs, viz. that tliey either must be slain, or utterly leave the land, which last was certainly in their power; and, therefore, by a stratagem, they got the princes of Israel to make a league with them. When the deceit was discovered, the Israelites, though not bound by their oath, because they were deceived by the Gibeonites, and therefore were under no obligation to fulfil their part of the covenant; yet, though they bad this command before their eyes, did not believe that they were bound, to put even those deceivers to death; but they destroyed ihe'w political existence, by making them hemcrs of wood, and dratuers of water, to the congregation; i. e. slaves to the Israelites, see Josh. ix. Rahab and her household also were spared; so that it does not appear that the Israelites believed that, they were bound to put every Canaanite to death. Their political existence was under the anathema, and this the Hebrews annihilated. - That many of the Canaanites continued in the land, even to the days of Solomon, we have the fullest proof: for we lead, 2 jDhron. viii. 1. "All the people of the land that were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivite.s, and Je-
and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee:
1 8 That ^ they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye ^sin against the Lord your God.
19 ^ When thou' shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an ax against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down ('' for the tree of the field is man's life) 'to employ tliem in the siege:
20 Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and tliou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until " it be subdued.
—*' Or, f>r, 0 man, the tree rf the field is to he employed in 'Heh. to go from before thee, ''neb. it come down.
busites, who were left in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon make to pay tribute to this day." Thus Solomon destroyed their political existence, but did not consider himself bound by the law of God, to put them to death.
Verse 19. (For the tree of the field is man's Wk) to employ them in the siee,e.'\ The original is exceedingly obscure, and has been variously translated, "nsoa TJSO NsV rnUTi 'fil CDIxn O ki ktudam ets hassadeh labo mipuneyca bajuatsor. The following are the chief versions: — For, 0 tnan, the trees of the field are for thee to employ THEM in the siege — or. Far it is man, and the tree of the field that must go before thee, for a bulwark — or. For it is a tree, and not men, to encrease the number of those who come asainst thee to the siege — or, lastly. The tree of the field (is as) a man, to go before thy face for a Imhvark. The sense is sufficiently clear, though the strict grammatical meaning of the words cannot be easily ascertained. It was a inercilui provision to spare all fruit-bearing trees, because they yielded the fruit which supported man's life. And it was sound policy also, for even the conquerors must perish if the means of life were cut ofl". It is diabolic cruelty to add to the miseries of war, the horrors ol famine; and this is done where the trees of the field are cut down, the dykes broken to drown the land, the villages burnt, and the crops wilfully spoded.
0, execrable war! Subversive of all the charities of life!
There are several curious particulars in these verses:
1. The people had tlie most positive assurances from God, that their enemies should not be able to prevail against them by strength, numbers, nor stratagem, because God should go with them, to lead and direct them.
and should fij^lit for tlicin; and againflt Iiis might none could prevail. 2. All fiucli intcrdif •icus wore utandinij proof'* of the l)(ing of Gfi(l, of his iKpciiai providenci-, and of the tnilli of tlicir rt'lit,Mon. 3. 'l'lioii;;h Clod promise il tlicni such jirnifction, yet llicy were to expect it in the dilij;etit use of tlii'ir own prudence au<l industry. The priesU, tin- olficers, and the people, liiul their respective parts to act in this husinb))s: if they did their duly respectively, God would take care that tiny should he successful. Those wlio will not lielj) themselves with the strenRth which God has already ({iven them, shall not have any farther assistance from him. In all such ci'iC'', the parahle of the talenii aflordi an accurate nilc. 4. Their ifouijj to war aijainst their enemies muHl not deprive them of mercy and tendernes.it toward* their hrelliren. lie who had Imilt a house, and hail not yet «lwelt in it; who had plantfd a vinryard, anil had not eaten of it« fruiU; w ho had betrotltcd a uifc, anil had not yet taken her to hii> hou»e, be was not ohliurd to f^o lo battle, lest he (ell in the war, and the fruits of his industry and afFection oliould be enjoyed by others. He who was faint-hearted, wa» also permitted to return,-lest he should (five way in the heat of battle, and \m example have a fatal influence on others.
Jf a man be fuiiiu! slain in a field, and t/ie cause of his dcatli tie uiilcrwicn, tlic murder sliatl tie expiated bxf ttic sacrifice of a tieifer, in an uncultivated valtci/, 1 — 4. Tlie riles lo be used on tlie occasion, 5 — {). 'lite ordinance concerning marriage zciltt a captive, 10 — 14. The taza relative to tlie children of the haled and beloved riives: if the son of the hated zcife should be the first born, he shall not be disinherited by the son of the beloved rcife, but shall have a double portion of all his father's goods, 1.5 — 18. Tlie law concerning the stubborn and rebellious son, Ziho, tihen convicted, is to be stoned to death, 19 — 21. Of the person uho is to be hanged, 22. His bodi/ shall not be left on the tree all night — Everif one that is hanged on a tree, is accursed of God, 23.
F one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God oi\cth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:
2 Then thy elders and thy^judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities •which ai'e round about liim that is slain:
3 And it shall be, that the city xchich is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heiter, which liath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke';
4 And the elders of tliat city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and sliall strike oft" the heifer's neck there in the valley:
5 And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near J for * them the Lord thy God hath
NOTES ON CH.'\P. XXI. Verse 4. Shall biirn; down the heifer unto a rough ralkj/l }n'N Vru naclidl ilan, might be translated, a rapid stream, probably passing through a piece of uncultivatid ground, where the elders of the city were to strike off the head of the heifer, and to wash their hands over her in token of their innocence. The spot of ground, on which this sacrifice Avas made, must be uncultitatcd, because it was considered to be a sacrifice to
chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and
'' by their ' word shall every contro- vcrsy and every stroke be tried:
6 And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, " shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
7 And they shall answer and say. Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
8 Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, ' and lay not innocent blood ' unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
9 So ^ shalt thou put away the guilt o/'innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that xchich is right in the sight of the Lord.
10 ^ When thou goest forth to war against
make atonement for the murder, and consequently would pollute the land. This rcjrulation was calculated to keep murder in abhorrence, and to make the magistrates alert in their olUce, that delinquents might be discovered and punished, and thus, public expense saved.
Verse 6. Hhall iiash their liands orer the heifer'] ^^'ashing' the hands, in reference to such a subject as this, was a rite anciently used, to signify that the persons, thus washing, were
Of marriage tcith captives.
thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath dehvered them into thine hand.s, and thou hast taken them capti\e,
1 1 And seest among the captives a beautifid woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest haie her to thy wii'e;
12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and ^pare" her nails;
1 3 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine liouse, and " bewail her father and her mother a ildl month: and after that thou shalt go in unto Iier, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast "humbled her.
15 % If a man have two wives, one beloved, ' and another hated, and they have borne him children, botli the beloved and the hated; and if the fii'stborn son be her's that was hated:
The shihhorn and rebellious son.
innocent of the crime in question. It was, probably, from the Jews, that Pilate learnt tliis symbolical method of expressing his innocence.
Verse II. And seest — a beautiful ivoimin] No forcible possession was allowed even in this case; when the woman was taken in war, and was, by the general consent of ancient nations, adjudged as a part of the spoils. If the person to vhoselotor share such a woman fell, as i> here described, chose, he might have her for nwi/e on certain conditions; but he was not permitted to use her under any inferior character.
Verse \'2. She sli/ilt shave her head] This was in token of ker renouncing her religion, and becoming a proselyte to that of the Jews. This is still a custom in the East; when a Christian turns Mohammedan, his head is shaven, and lie is carried through the city crying, M\ iy^^ -X^^s^ _, *JU! iJI *3I "S la ulahila allah we Mohammed icsool i Allah. " There is no god but God, and Mohammed is the prophet of God."
Pare her nails'] n'JIfiX HN nnWI vcdsetah et /■■'ipareniah: — She shtill make her nails. Now, whether this signifies /Jrtn/ii; or lettinu" them •iroxv, is greatly doubted among learned men. Possibly it means neither, but cohitritiir the nails, staining tliein red with the hennah, which is much practised in India to the present day; and which was undoubtedly |)ractiscd among the ancient Egyptians, as is evident from the nails ot inumaiies which are found thus stained. The hennah, accoid- Ujg- to ilasselquist, grows in India, and in Ui)pi;r and Lower
in Tlien it sliajl be, '^ when he maketh his sons to inherit that wliich he hath, thai he may not make tlie son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, ivhich is indeed the firstborn:
17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated Jsr the firstborn, ^by giving him a double portion of all " that he hatli: for he is ' the beginning of his strength; " the right of the firstborn is his.
18 ^ If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey tlie voice of his father, or tlie voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken mito them:
19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebeUious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: ' so shalt thou put
F.gypt; it flowers from May to August. The manner of using it is this: the leaves are powdered, and made into a paste with water: they bind this paste on the nails of their fingers and toes, and let it stand on all night; in the morning they are found to be of a beautiful reddish yellow, and this lasts three weeks or a month; after which, they renew the ap|)lication. They often slain the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet in the ^auie way, as appears from many paintings of Eastern ladies, done in India and Persia, whicli now lie before me. This staining the soles of the feet with the hennah is probably meant in 2 Sam. xix. 24. Mephiboshe'Ji, had not dressed, (literally, made) his feet — they had not been thus coloured.
Verse 1 5. One beloved, and another hated] That is, one be loved less than the other. 1 liis is the true notion of the word hate in scripture. So Jacob HATED Leah, that is, he loixd her less than he did Raclxel; and Jacob have I loved, hilt Ksau have I IIA'l'i;D — that is, I liaxe shewn a more particular alR-ction to the posterity "1. 1 acob than I have to the posterity of Esau. See the note on Gen. xxix. 31. From this verse we sec that polygamy did exist under the Mosaic laws, and that it was ])ut under certain regulations; but it was not enjoined, Moses merely snjfered it, because of the hardness of their hearts, as our Lord justly remarks. — See Matt, xix. 8.
Vcr.'se IS — 21. The stubborn, rebellious, t^luttonous and drunken son is to be stoned to death.] This law, severe as it lie that is haU'Ccd aluill ntd evil away fioin ainonpf you; 'ami a
Israel sjiall iicar, and (i.'ar.
niittcd a sin '' woiiliy of tloatli, and pnt to dcatli, and thon liani;- liiin tRc:
may seem, must liave acted as a powerful prrvt-ntative of Cfinien. If such a law wcrr in force now, and <liily executed, liow many deaths of disohi'dii-nt and prodifjatc clnlilrcii wuiild tlicrc l)f in all corners of the land!
Verse 23. Ilia hodj/ aliiitt not remnln till nij^ht ujxm llir Irce^ Its exposure, for the space of one <lu}/, was jiidj^ed snlficicnl. The law which required this, answered all the ends of public justice, exposed the shame and infamy of the conduct, hut did not put to torture the (eelin^js of humanity, iiy requiring a pcipcliml cxhihilion of a human heiii^-, a slow prey to the must loathsome process of puirefaclion. Did ever the spiking of the heads ol state criminals prevent high treason? or the gibheting of a thief or a murderer, prevent either murder or robbery } These questions may be safely answered in the negative; and the remains of tlie ancient barbarism which rei|uircs these disgusting and abominable exhibilion.s, and renmhi all ni''Ut on the A ee.
2ti 'His body sliall not remain all,Vl' n'l^ nio;|it upon tiie tree, Inil iIkjii vlialtin a., any wise iiiiiy liiin that dav; (for '' he /.'. that is hangcil is 'accinscd rifGod;) that 'thy land he not defiled, which the Loku thy God givclli llicc Jur an inheritance.
wliicb arc deplored by every feelinp heart, sliould be bani'.htd with all |)o>siblc speed. In the case given in the lexl, God considers the land as defiled while ihe iKidy of ihe executed criminal lay ex|io>ed: hence it was enjoined — Tltoa >/ialt in any iui.sc biiiy him that (t'ty.
For lie that is /m/iifcd is accursed of fiod] That is, he haji forfeited his life to the law — for it is written, ctirud is etery one who coHtinttelh not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them; and on bis body, in the execution o( the sentence of the law, the curse was considered as alighting; hence the necessity of removing the accuned thing out of si'ilit. How fxcellent are all these laws! How woiidroiisly well calculated to repress crimes by shewing the enormity of sin! It is worthy nf remark, that in the inflictiun of punishment, prescribed by the.Mosaic law, we ever find that Mercy walks hand in hand with Judg/iienl.
Onliiiaiires relative to strai/ed cattle (111(1 Io.it goodf, 1 — 3. IltiiiKtnitt/ to oppressed cattle, 4. Men and women shall
. not near each other's apparel,.'>..\o lilrd shall be taken with her nest of eggs or young ones, G, 7. liallle- ments must lie intide on the roofs of hou-ns, 8. Improper mixtures to be avoided, Q — 1 1, Fringes on the gnnnrnts,
I'J. Case of Ihe hilled wife, and ihe tokens of vlrginiti/, and proceedings thereon, 13 — '21. The adiiltcriT and adiihcress /t) l/e pnt lo death, 2'2. Case oj the helrolhed damsel corrupted in the eili/, 23, '24. Cases of rape, and the punishment, '25 — '27. if fornication, Q.'6,'Zd. No man shall take his father s icife, oO.
ri^HOU'shalt not scethybrother'.s|l or if thou know him not, thon tlioa i?.';^'^ ox or his sjieep go astray, I' slialt l)rin<>- it unto thine own house, Aii.F,»od.i and '' hide thyself from thcni: thon I and it shall be with thee until thy
.shalt in any case bring them again unto thy '' brother seek after it, and thou shalt re.store it brother. ' |i to him again.
2 And if thy brother he not nigh unto thcc.
Verse \. Thou shalt not su- thy brother's ox or his sheep go estray] The same humane, merciful and wise regulations which we met with before, Kxod. xxiii. 4, 5. well calculated lo keep in remembrance the second grand branch of the law of God, 'J'huti shult love thy Jtcighhour as thyself. \ hiiniane man caiiiiot bear to see even an uss fall under his burthen, and not
;J In like manner shalt thou do with liis ass;
endeavour to relieve him; and a man who loves his neiglilwur as him-clf, eanuot see his property in danger, uithout endeavouring lo preserve iL These comparatively small matters were tests and proofs of matters great in themselves, and in their consequences. — Sec the note on Exod. xxiii. 4.
Verse 3. Thou mnyest not hide ihyself.J Thou shalt not keep out of the w ay of affording help, nor pretend thou didit
Eggs or young tnaij he taken
DEUTERONOMY. from a nest; but not the dam.
A. M. 2553. ^nd so shalt thou do with his rai-
An. Exod. isr. meiit; and with all lost things of thy ^-^''""- brothel's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou ', mayest not hide thyself.
4 " Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to Hft iheyn up
5 ^ The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination vmto the Lord thy God.
6 ^ If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs,
rot see occasion to render thy neighbour any service. The priest and the Levite, when they saw the wounded man, passed by on the other side of the way, Luke x. 3 1, 32. This was a notorious breach of the merciful law mentioned above.
Verse 5. The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth nnto a man] "13J '73 kekj/ geber, the instruments or arms of a man. As the word "I3J geber, is here used, which properly signifies a strong man, or 7nan of war, it is very probable that armour is here intended; especially as we know, that in the worship of Venus, to which that of Astarte, or Ashtaroth, among the Canaanites, bore a striking resemblance, the women were accustomed to appear in armour before her. It certainly cannot mean a simple change of dress, whereby the men might pass for women, and vice versa. This would have been impossible in those countries where the dress of the sexes had but little to distinguish it; and where every man wore a long beard. It is hov\ever, a very good general precept, understood literally; and applies particularly to those countries where the dress alone distinguishes between the male and the female. The close shaved gentleman may at any time appear like a woman, in the female dress; and the ■woman appear as a man, in the male's attire. Were this to be tolerated in society, it would produce the greatest confusion. Clodius, who dressed him,«elf like a woman, that he might mingle with the Roman ladies in the feast of the Bona Dea, was universally execrated.
Verse 7. Thou shalt — let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee] This passage may be understood literally. If they destroyed both young and old, must not the breed soon fail, and would it not, in the end, be ill with them, and by thus cutting ofl'the means of their continual support, must not their days be shortened on the land } But we may look for a humane precept in this law. The young never knew the sweets of liberty; the darn did: Ihey might be taktn aiul used for any lawful purpose; but the dam must not be brought into a state o[ captivity. They m ho
" thou shalt not take the dam with the
7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; " that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
8 ^ AVhen thou buildest a new house, tlien thou slialt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon tliine house, if any man tall trom thence.
9 ^ " Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the ^ fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
10 *^Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
1 1 ^ Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers
can act otherwise, must be either very inconsiderate, or devoid of feeling; and such persons can never be objects of God's peculiar care and attention, and therefore need not expect that it shall be well with them, or that they shall prolong their days on the earth. Every thing contrary to the spirit of mercy and kindness, the ever blessed God has in utter abhor~ rence. And we should remember a fact: that he who can exercise cruelty towards a sparrow or a wren, will, when circumstances are favourable, be cruel to his fellow-creatures. The poet Fliocylides has a maxim in his admonitory poem, very similar to that in the Sacred Text.
Nor from a nest take all the birds away. The mother spare, she'll breed a future day.
Verse 8. A battlement for thy roof] Houses in the East are, in general, built with flat roofs, and on them men walk to enjoy the fresh air, converse together, sleep, &c. it was, thereibre, necessary to have a sort of battlement or ballustrade to prevent persons from falling oft". If a man neglected to make a suflicient defence against such accidents, and the death of another was occasioned by it, the owner of the house must be considered in the light of a murderer.
Verso 10. Thou shalt not plow xvith an ox and an ass] It is generally supposed that mixtures of different sorts in seed, breed, &c. were employed for superstitious purposes; and therefore prohibited in this law. It is more likely however, that there was a physical reason for this: two beasts of a different species cannot associate comfortalily together; and on this ground never pull ])lcasantly either in cart or plow: and every fanner knows, that it is of considerable consequence to the comfort of the cattle, to put those together that have an
Laxi\s conccmivg the siispccled lirgiii: CHAP, sorts, as of woollen and linen to- 1|
l;5 % Ilaiiy man taice a wife, and ''go in unto her, and hate her,
14 Anil give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name \\\w\\ her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came Uy her, I found her not a maid:
15 Then shall the tiither of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring (brth Ihr (aliens of tiie damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:
1() And the dam.sol's father.shall.say unto tlic ciders, 1 gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;
17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech aga'mst her, saying, I Ibund not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tolicns oj my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;
19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred sliekels of silver, and give them unto the tather of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and.she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
20 But if this thing be truc» fi>id *r 'f?^'' the lohens o/' virginity be not found l()r a.i j. the damsel:
21 Then they sliall bring out the damsel to thf door of her lather's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones lliatshe die: because she hath " wrought folly i?i Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: 'so.shalt thoH put evil away i'wm among you.
22 % ' If a man be iimnd lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, bulh the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil tiom Israel.
23 % If a damsel that is a virgin be ''botr sthcd unto a hu.sband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
I 24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto thr gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, becau.se she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath *' humbled his neighbour's wife; 'so thou.shalt put away evil fiom among you.
25 ^ But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man "force her, and lie witli her: then the man only that lay with her shall
26 But unto tlie damsel thou shalt do nothing; I thcTe is in the damsel no sin uorthi/ of death: \ for as when a man riseth against his neighbour,
and slayeth him, even so is this matter:
afTection for each other. This may be very frequently remarked in certain cattle; which, on this account, are termed true yokefellows. After all, it is very probahle that the general desisjn was to jvcveiit iniproper alliances in civil and religious life. And to this St Paul seems evitlently to refer, 2 Cor. vi. 14. He ye not wieqttatli/ yoked 'willi unbelievers- — which is simply lo be understood as prohibiting all intercourse between Christians and idolaters in social, matrimonial and religious life. And to teach the Jews the propriety of this, a variety of precepts relative to iniproper and heterogeneous mixtures were interspersed through their Law; so that in civil and domestic life they might have them ever before their eyes.
Verse IC. Frinr^es] — See on Num. xv. 33. Verse 1 5. Tokens of the dtmiset's virgiiiiiyl This was a perfectly possible case in all places where girls were married at ten, twelve, and fourteen yeare of age; which is frequent in the East. I have known instances of persons having had two or three children at separate births before they were fourteen years of age. Such tokens, therefore, as the text speaks of, must be infallibly exhibited by females so wry young, on the consummation of their marriai^e.
Verse 17. They slutll spread the cloth, &C.] A u«age of this kind argues a roughness of manners, which would ill comport with the refinement of European ideas on so delicate a subject. Attempts have been made to shew that the law here is to be understood metaphorically; but they so perfectly fail to establish any thing like probability, that it would be waiting my own, and my Reader's time, to detail them. A custom similar to that above, is observed among the iVIohammedans to the present day.
i Verse 22. Shall both of them die"] Thus wc find, that in the most ancient of all laws, adultery was punished with deatli in both the parties.
honour was considered equally as precious as her life, therefore the same punishment was inflicted on the ravisher as upon the j murderer. This oflencc is considered in the same point of niio are excluded from the congregation of the Lord.
A.M.2053. 27 For he found her in the field, 11 unto the damsel's father Mty shekels
«nd the betrothed damsel cried, and of silver, and she shall be his wife •
there was none to save her. If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found: 29 Tlien the man that lay with her shall give
view in the British laws; and by them als'o, it is punished «ith death.
Verse 30. J man shall not take his father s ivifc] This is to be underelood as referring to the case of a stepmother. A man in his old age, may have married a young wife, and
"because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
30 f "^A man shall not take his father's wife, nor " discover his father's skirt.
on his dying, his son, by a former wife, may desire to espouse her: this the law prohibits. It was probably, on pretence of his havina^ broken tliis law, that Solomon put bis brother Adonijah to death, because he had desired to have his father's concubine to wife, 1 Kings ii. 13 — 25.
Neither Eunuchs, Bastards, Ammonites,?ior jNloabites, shall be incorporated zcith the gemtine Israelites, 1 — 3. The reason uhy the Ammonites and Moabites were excluded, 4 — 6. Edoniites and Egyptians to be respected, 7. Their descendants in the third generation may be incorporated zcith the Israelites, 8. Cautions against zcickedness rchen thei/ go forth against their enemies, 0- To keep the camp free from even/ defilement, avd the reason zciiy, 1(J — 14. The slave who hud taken refuge among them, is not to be delivered up to his former master, 15, 16. There shall be no prostitutes nor Sodomites in the land, \~. The hire of a prostitute, or the price of a do", is not to be brought into the house of God, 18. The Israelites shaU not lend on nsury to each other, \[). but they tnai/ take usury from strangers, 20. Vozcs must be diligently paid, Gl — 23. In passing through a vineyard or Jield a man may eat of the grapes or corn, but must carry azcay none zcilh him, 24, 25.
HE that is ^wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord
2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation, shall he not enter into the congregation of the
3 ^ '' An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter
NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII. Verse 1. Shall not enter into the congregation, &c.] If by entering into the congregation, be meant the bearing a civil office among the people,.such as magistrate, judge, &c. then the reason of the law is very plain — no man with any such personal defect as might render him contemptible in the sight of others, should bear rule among the people, lest the conttm[it felt lor his personal defects, might be transferred to liis important office; and thus his authority be disregarded. The general meaning of these words is simply, that 'he persons here designated, should not be so incorporated with the Jews, as to partake of their civil privileges.
into the cono-regation of the Lord; ^-^f-:^5-^ even to their tenth generation, shall Au.Exod.isr. they not enter into the congregation ■jQ—sehut. of the Lord for evier:
4 ' Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and '' because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor, of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
Verse 2. A bustard shall not enter] mo nianizer, which is here rendered bastard, should be understood as implying the offspring of an illegitimate or incestuous mixture.
Ver^e 3. An Ammonite or Moabite.] These nations were subjected for their impiety and wickedness, see ver. 4 and i, to peculiar disgrace; and on this account, were not permitted to hold any oilice among the Israelites. Hut this did not disqualify them from being proselytes-— \\\\\.\\, who was a Moabitess, was married to Boaz, and she became one of the progenitors of our Lord.
Even to their tenth generation] That is, for ever, as the next clause explains; see Nehem, xiii. 1, would not hearken unto Hahuun; but;
(> "Thou slialt not seek tlii-ir peaee nor their,'
'' prosjjerity, all thy days for e\cr. 1
7 1[ Thou shalt not al)hor an Kilomite; ■■ lor lie is thy brotiier: tiiou slialt not abhor an' Kgyptian; l)eeause '' thou wast a stranger iti his land.
8 The children that are begotten of'tbeni, shall enter into the congregation of the Loko, in their third generation.
9 ^ When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee fioni every wicked thing.
10 ^ 'If there be among you any man, that is not clean, by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he sliall not come within the camp:
1 1 But it shall be, when evening ' cometh on, ^ he shall wash himself with water: ami when the sun is down, lie shall come into the camp
12 % Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither tliou shalt go forth abroad:
13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it sliall be, when thou " wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
14 For the Lord thy God 'walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall
thy camp be holy: that he see no "un- ^,; cJeaii thing in thee, and turn away am Ki.i.i-i from thee: j"!':^'"
1. 5.^1 ' Thou shalt not dehver unto his ma.stcr the servant which is escaj)ed from his master unto thee:
Ki He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it '"liketli him best: "thou shalt not ojipress him.
17 ^1 There shall be no " whore ■'of the diughtcrs of Israel, nor ' a sodomite of the sons of
18 5F Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LoKi) thy (jod for any vow: for even both those are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
19 ^ ' Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother: usury ol money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
20 ' Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: ' that the Loud thy God may bless thee, in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
21 i[ " When thou shalt vow a vow unto tlie Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God w'ill surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
23 " That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keej) and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
Verse 12, ^c] These directions may appear trifling' to some, but they were essentially necessary to tiiis people in their present circumstances. Decency and cleanliness promote heallh, and prevent many diseases.
Verse 15. Thou shutl not delizer — l/ie sei~n7tt xiliicfi is csciiped — unto tl.ec] i. e. a servant who left an idolatrous master that Lc might join himself to God and to his people. In any other case, it would have been injustice I© have harboured the: runaway- 1
Verse 18. Tliehireofaichore.orlhepriceofadog.^ Many public prostitutes dedicated to their gods a part of their impure earnings; and some of these prostitutes were publicly kept in the temple of Venus Mi.lytta, whose gains were applied to the support of her abominable worship.
24 ^ "VVlien thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard; " then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill, at thine
own pleasure; but thou shalt not put ani/ in
Verse 21-. Thou shah not put any in thy vessel. 1 Tlion slialt carry none away witli thee. The ohl Enghsh proverl), Eal thy Jill, hut povktt none — seems to have been founded on this law.
25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, '' then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn,
on the permission granted by this law, that the disciples pUicked the ears of corn, as related iVIalt. xii. I. This was both a considerate and humane law, and is no dishonour t» ihe Jewish code.
The case of a divorced tcife, 1 — 4. No man shall be obliged to undertake anij public service for the first t/ear of his waniage, 5. The millslones shall not be taken as a pledge, 6. The rnan-stcaler shall he put to death, 7. Concerning cases of leprosy, 8,9. Of receiving pledges, and returning those of the poor l.efore bedtime, 10 — 13. Of servants and their hire, 14, 1.5. Parents and cliildren s/iall not be put to death for each other, l6. Of humanity to the stranger, fatlierless, nidoic, and bondman, 17, 18. Gleanings oj the harvest, olive-j/ard, to be left fur t lie poor, stranger, tcidoic, fatherless, Sic. 19 — 22.
WHEN a * man hath taken a wafe, • and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found " some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of '^ divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV. Verse 1. Some uncleanness'} Any cause of dislike, for this great latitude of meaning, the fact itself authorizes us to adopt; for it is certain that a Jew mitifht put away his wife for any cause that seemed good to himself- — and so hard were their hearts, that Moses suffered this; and we find they continued Ibis practice even to the time of our Lord, who strongly repreiiended them on the account; and shewed that such license was wliolly inconsistent with the original design of marriage; see Matt. v. 31, &c. xix. 3, &c. and the notes
V( rsc.3. And write her a bill of divorcement'] Tiiese bills, though varying m expression, are the same in substance among the Jews in all places. The following, collected frontt Maimonides and others, is a general form, and contains all the particulars of such iristnimcnls. The reader who is curious, may find a full account of divorces in the Hiblioth. llabb. of Hartolocci, and the (oilowing/orm, in that work, vol. iv. p. 5S0.
" In day of I he week — or day of the month
^. in year from the creation of the world j or, from
his house, " she may go and be another.'\n' Exnd iJr.
3 And i/'the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wifej
the supputation (of Alexander) after the account that we are accustomed to count by, here, in the place B. I, C. the son of D. of the place B. (or if there be any other name which 1 have, or my father hath had, or, which my place, or my father's place hath had) have voluntarily, and with the wilhngness of my soul, without constraint, dismissed, and left, and put away thee, even thee E. the daughter of ¥. of the city G. (or if thou have any other name or surname, thou or thy father, or thy place or thy father's place) who hast been my wife heretofore; but now I dismiss tiiee, and leave thee, and put thee awaj', that thou mayest be free, and have power over thy own life, to go away to be married to any man whom thou wilt; and that no man be refused of thine hand for my name, from this day and for ever. And thus thou art lawful for any man; and this is unto ihee from me, a writing of divorcement, and book (instrument) of dismission, and i;n epistle of putting away; accor4ing to the Law of Moses and IsratK i«a'5 agaiiVit oppression^ uc''''%' '^ " Her ibrnicr iiusband wliicli sent An.KxiKi In. her away, may not take her again to
""—'"'"" behiswilb, alter that slie is ddilod; for that is abomination l)e(brc the LoiU): and Ihoti siialt not canse the hind to sin, which the l.oim thy (jod p,ivcth thee Ji>r an inheritance.
.5 ^ " VVhen a man hath taken a new wile, he shall not go out to war, ' neitlicr siiull he be charged witii any business: /;«/ he shall be t'vcc at home one year, and shall '' cheer up his wile vliich he hath taken.
G % No man shall take the ne.lher or the u))per niill-stonc to pledge: Ibr he taketh a mail's life to pledge. I
1 % " \\l a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and makelh merchandise of him, or sellelh him; then that thief shall die; ' and thou shall put evil away from among you. I
8 ^ Take heed in ^ the plague of leprosy, that tliou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.
9 '' Remember what the Lord thy God did ' unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come Ibrth out of Kgypt.
brother any thmg, thou shall not go a., i;...i.i.f. into his house to letch his pledge. _*i::t.*!.'„
1 1 Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man i'o' whom thou do.st lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto ihee.
12 And if the man //e jioor, thou shalt not slee]) with his jiledge:
l.'J 'In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth tlown, tliat lie mav sleep in his own raiment, and '"bless thee: and "it shall be righteousness unto thee bcJbrc the Louo thy (jod.
14 ^ Thou shalt not " o))prcss an hired.scr- \ ant t//('t is poor and ncecly, lihctlier he he of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in th\ laud within thy gates:
15 At his day '' thou shalt give him hi.s hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; fbr he is poor, and ''.setteth his heart upon it: ' lest he cry against thee unto the Loud, and it be sin
IG ^ ' The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death ttir the lathers: every man shall be put to death Ibr his own sin.
Verse 4. She is defiled'] Does not this refer to her liavinpf)iren divorced, and niarrird in consequence to another.' Thougli God, for tlic liardncss of their hearts, sHfTercd them to put away their wive.*, yet lie consuleied all afler-marriasres in that case, to be pollution and defilement; and it is on tills ground that our Lord ar-^ues in ihe places referred to aliove, that whoever marries the woman tiiat is put away, is an adulterer — now this could not have hcen the case, if Go<l had allowed the divorce to be a lejjal and proper separation of the man fioni his wife; but in the sip;ht of God, notliiny^ can be a lerjal cauM" of separalion, but (ulultciy on eitlier side. In sueli a case, according to the law of God, a man may put away bis wife, and a wife may put away her husband; see Matt xix. 9. for it appears that the wife had as much right to put away her husband, as the husband had to put away his wife, see Mark x. 12.
Verse 6. The iielher or the upper mill-stone'] Small liandmills which can be worked by a sini^lc person, were formerly in use among the Jew.s and are still used in many parts of tlie East. As tliercforc the day's meal w'as generally fjround for each day, they keepmi; no stock beforehand; hence they were forbidden to take either of the siones to pledge, because, in such a case, the family must be without bread. On this account tlie text terms the mill-stone, the man's life.
Verse 12. But if the man be poor, &c.] Did not this Ia\r preclude pledging entirely, especially in case of ihe abjectly poor? For who would take a pledije in the mornin^ which he knew, if not redeemed, he must restore at night? however he might resume bis claim in the morning, and have the pledge daily returned, and thus keep up his pro|KTty in it, till the debt was discharged; see the note on Kx<xl. xvii. 26. The Jews in several cases did act contra'-y to this rule, and we find tlicin cuttingly reproved for it by tut prophet, Ainut. ii. 8.
Verse 15. He 'is poor, and setteth his heart upon it] Ilnw exceedingly natural is this! The poor.iervant who seldom sees money, yet finds from bis master's affluence ihat it procures all the conveniencies and comforts of life, longs for the time when he shall receix'e his wages — should his |ay be delayed after the time is expired, he may naturally lie txpeMed to cry unto God against him who withholds it;.^ec most of the subjects of this chapter treated at large on E\o<l. xxii.
Verse 16. Tlie fa titers shall not he put to death for the chiidrcn, &c.] This law is explained and iUusirated lasufficicat detail, £zek. uiii.
judgment of the stranger, nor of the [i tliine hands.
fatherless; " nor take the widow's | 20 When thou beatest thine olive
Agamst perversion ofjiulgmenf. DEUTERONOMY. Gleanings to he left for the poor,
17 1[ 'Thou shalt not pervert the |J may 'bless thee in all the work of a.m.2.m.",
tree, ' thou slialt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
2 1 When tliou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou slialt not glean it » afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
22 And " thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egyt: therefore I
1 8 But ' thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lokd thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
19 ^ " W'hen thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God
Verse 18. Tliou slialt remember that thou wast a bondinan] Mo.st people who have affluence, rose fiom comparative penury: for those who are bom lo estates, frequently squander tiie'tn away; such therefore should remember luhat their feehngs, their fear.s, and anxieties were, when they were poor and abject. A want of attention to this most wholesome precept, is tlie reason why pride and arrogance are the general characteristics of those who have risen in the world from poverty to affluence: and it is the conduct of those men which gave command thee to do this thine;
rise to the rugged proverb, " Set a beggar on horseback^ and he'll ride lo the devil."
Verse 19. JVlim thou cuttest doivn thine harvest] This is an addition to the law, Levit. xix. 9. xxiii. 22. The corners of the field, the gkwiiugs, and the forgotten sheaf, were all tiie property of the poor. This the Hebrew* extended to anv part of the fruit or produce of a field, which had been forgotten in the time of general ingathering, as appears from the concluding verses of this chapter.
Punishment hi/ zchippiiig, not lo exceed forty stripes, 1 — 3. T/ie ox that treads out the corn is not to be muzzled, 4.
The ordinance concerning marrying the dvife of that brother who has died childless, 5 — JO.
F there be a ^ controversy between men, and they come unto ' judgment, that t/ie judges may judge
them; then they " shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.
Of false iceights and measures, 13 — \6. Amalek is to
2 And it shall be, if the wicked man be " worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, " and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXV. Verse 1. TItey shall justify the ri'^hteoiui] This is a very important passage, and is a key to several others. Tlie word pns isudak IS used here precisely in the same.sense in which 8t. Paul sometimes used the corresponding word hxatu, not to justify, or make just, but to acquit, declare innocent, to ' reinit punishment, or give reasons ti-hy.mch an one.should not, be punished — so here the magistrates ipnxn hitsadiku, shall |[ acquit the righteous, declare him innocent; because he i.s found to be righteous, and not iL-icked.so the Septuagint Kat iiKMuaouviv Tov Jix«i(jy they shall make righteous the righteous;
declare him free from blame — not liable to punishment — acquitted; using the same word with St. I'aul, when he speaks of a sinner's justification, i. c. his acquittance from blame and punishment, because of the death of Christ in his stead.
Verse 2. The judge shall cause him to lie doivn, and to be beaten before his face] This precept is literally fallowed in China, the culprit receives in the pre.sence of the magistrate, the [)iinishment which the law directs to be inflicted. Thus then justice is done: for the niaiiistrate sees that the letter of the law is duly fulfilled, and tiiiit the olficers do not trans- w.-jtbat^ exceed, and heat liiiii iil)()ve these, with many stiipcs, (hen tliy hiothcr should ''.Sfcrn \ilc' iiiito thee.
4 ^[ 'Thou sliair not uiii//,k' the ox wlicMi lie * treadeth out the corn.
grcssi ii, ciliirr liy hnlul^cint: uii the one hand, nr.icziniy mi the ether. The culprit receives notliiiig: more nor less than wliat justice requires.
Wrsc 3. I'orli/ slripcs he may i^ire him, and NOT F.XC'ERD] According to (jod'.s iii'-tiuitinii, a criiniiuil may receive forty stripes: not one more! But is tlie institution from above or 710/, tiiat for any odence, sentences a man to receive three hundred, yea a thousand stripes } What liorrible brutahty is lliis! and what a reproach tu human nature, and to the nation, in which siu-ii shorkin;; hariiarilies are ( xercised and tolerated ' Most of the iniiahitants of (ireat Jiritaiii iiave heard of Lord IMacartnej/'s embassy to the Kiuperor of China; aiul they iiavtheard also of its C()mi)lete failure I But they have not heard of the cause. It appears to have been partly occasioned by the following; circumstance. A soldier had been convicted of some jietty trathc with one of the natives, and he was sentenced, by a court martial, to receive sixty lashes! — Hear my author: " The sojiliers were drawn up in form, in the outer court of tiie palace where we resided; and the poor culprit beiuL; fastened to one of liie pillars of the fjreat portico, received Ins punishment without initij;ation. The abhorrence excited in tiie breasts of the Chinese, at this cruel conduct, as it appeared to them, was demonstrably proved by their words and looks. They expressed their astonishment, tiiat a people professing- the mildest, die inast bt nevoieiit religion on earth, as they wished to have it believed, could bt K"ih> of such llaijrant inattention lo Its merciiul dictates. One of the principal Mandarins, who knew a little English, expressed the general sentiment. Englishmen too 7nuch cruel, too much bad." " Accurate account of Lord Mscarlney's Embassy to China, by an attendant on the Embassy," 12mo. M^l, p. 88.
The following is Mr. Ainsworth's note on this verse. " T his number forty, the Scripture uses sundry times in casi > of liumiliatiou, alYliction, and punishment. As Moses tttice humbled himself in fasting and prayer, forty days and forty nights, Deut. ix. 9, 1 8. Rlias fasted forty days, 1 Kin. xix. 8. And our Saviour, Matt. iv. 2. Forty years Israel was afflicted in the wilderness for their sins. Num. xiv. 33, 34. And forty years Egypt was desolate for treaclierous dealing with Israel, Ezek. xxix. 11, 1:2, 13. Forty days every woman was in purification from her uncleanness, for a man-child that she bare, and twice forty days for a womanchild. Lev. xii. 4, 5. Forty days and forty nights it rained at Noah's flood. Gen. vii. 12. Forty days did £:<.'i-i"f/ bare the iniquity of the hoii.se of JuJah, Ezek. iv. 6. Jonah preached, yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be orerthrovn, Jon. iii. 4. Forty years space the Canaanites had lo repent after Israel caiiu out of Egypt, and wandered so many years in the wilderness, Num. xiv. 33. And tlirice forty years
.5 % 'h' Ijictlncn dwell to<:cllier,; " and one o( thcin die, and have no > child, the wife of the dead shall not "'""■
marry wilhoiit, unto a stiani^cr: her ' hiishand's hrotlici shall ^o in inito her, ami take her to him to wife, and perform ihe duly of a hu.sband's brother unto her.
the old world, had Noah preadiiiig untolliein repentance, Gtn. vi. 3. h was forty days ere Christ asccnrled into heaven, after his resurriction, Acts i. 3, y. y\rid forty years space he gave unto the.lews, from the lime that they killed him, before he diiitroyed llieir city and temple, by the Romans.
By the Hebrews this law is expounded thus. IIiau many stripes do they beat (an oflender) ivith T with forty, lacking one: as it is written, (Deut. xxv. 2, 3.) by number forty, that is, the number which is next to fortv, Thalmud. Bab- in Maccoth. chap. iii. This, their nnderslandin", is very ancient, for so they practised in the Apostles' days: as Paul testified, Of the Jens, five times received I forty (stripes) mve one, 2 Cor. xi. 24. But the reason which they give is not solid: as when they say: ff it had been vritten: FORTY IN NtJ.MBEU, / v:ould say it uere full forty; but being uritten in number forty, it means the number uhich reckons forty, next after it, that is thirty-nine. By this exposition tliey eoiilbiind the verses, and take away the distinction. I think rather this custom was taken up, by reason of the manner of their beating, forespoken of, which was, with a scourge that had three cords, so that every stroke was counted for three stripes, and then tlicy could not give even forty, but either thirty-nine, or forty-two, which was alwve the number set of God. And hereof they write tlius. When they judge, (or condemn) a dinner lo so many (stripes) as he can bear, they judge not but by strokes that are fit to be trebled; [that is, to give three stripes to one stroke, by reason of the three cords.] if they judge that he can bear twenty, they do not say he shall be beaten ii;ith one and tnenty; to the end that they may treble the stripes, but they give him eighteen. Maimony in Sanhedrin, chap. xvii. sect. 2. Thus he that was able to bear twenty stripes, had but eighteen: the executioner smote him but six times; for if he had smitten him the seventh, thev were counted one and twenty stripes, which was aljove the number adjudged: so he that was adjudged to forty, was smitten thirteen times, which being counted one for three, make Ihirty-nine. And so, R. Bechaios, writing hereof says. The strokes are trebled; that is, every one is three; and three times thirteen are nine and thirty.
Thy brother be vile,. r be contemptible. By this God leaches us to hate and despise the sin, not the sinner, who is. by this chastisement, to be amended. As the power which the Lord hath given, is to edification, not to destruction. 2 Cor xiii. 10."
Verse 4. Thou shatt not imizzle the oi, &c.] In Judea as well as in Egypt, Greece, and Italy they made use of beeves to triad out the coin; and Dr. >Sliaw tells us, thai the peo tie of Barbary continue to tread out iheir corn aft r the custom of the East. Instead of beeves, they frequently made use
An. Ksod.ur. wliicii slic beovclh ^ shall succeed in
that "his name be not put out of Israeh
7 And if ib.e man like not to take his " brother'.s wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the ■* gate unto the elders, and sav. My husband's brother rcluseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
8 Then the ciders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and j/'he stand to it, and; say, " I hke not to take her; j
9 Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the ciders, and ^ loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say. So shall it be done unto that man that will not ^ build up his brother's house.
10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hatli his shoe loosed.
of mules and horses, by tyin^ by the neck, three or four in like manner toorether, and whipping them afterwards, round aboul the nedilers, as they call the treading, floors, (tlie Libycee ares Hor) where the sheaves lie open and expanded, in the same manner as they are placed and prepared with us for threshing. This, indeed, is a much quicker way than ours, though less cleanly, for as it is performed in the open air, (Hos. xiii. 3.) u[)on any round, level plat of ground, daubed over with cow's dung, to prevent, as much as possible, the earth, sand, or gravel from rising; a great quantity of them all, notwitlistanding this precaution, must unavoidably be taken up with the grain, at the same time that the straw, which is their chief and only fodder, is hereby shattered to pieces: a circiuustance very pertinently alluded to 2 Kings xiii. 1. where the kin^ of Syria is said to hate made the Israelites, like the dust, by threshing. Travels, p. 138. While the'oxen were at work, some muzzled their mouths to hinder them from eating the corn, which Mo.ses here forbids; instructing the people by this symbolical precept to be kind TO ilieir servants and labourers, but cspe^'ially to those who ministered to thein in holy things: so 8l. Paul applies it, 1 Cor. ix. 89. 1 Tim. V. 18. Le Clerc considers the injunction as wholly.symbolical; and perhaps, in this view, it was intended to confirm the laws enjoined in the fourteenth and fifteenth verses of the former chapter. See Dodd and Shaxu.
Verse 9. And loose his shoe] It is difficult to find the reason of tlie.se ceremonies of degradation. Perhaps the shoe was the emblem of power; and by stripping it off, a deprivation of that power and authority was represented. Spitting
11 ^ When men strive togetlier one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near, for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the gecrets:
12 Then thou shalt cut off her hand, ''thine eye shall not pity Iter.
13^' Thou shalt not have in thy bag " divers weights, a great and a small.
14 Thou shalt not have in thine house 'divers measures, a great and a small.
1,5 Bt/t thou shalt have a perfect and just \y eight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: " that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
1 6 For ° all that do such things, and all that do um'ighteously, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.
17^° Remember what Amalek did unto thee by tlie way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
in the face was a mark of the utmost ignominy; but the Jews, who are legitimate judges in this case, say, that the spitting was not in his face, but before his face, on the grounds And this is the way in which the Asiatics express their detestation of a person to the present day; as Niebuhr, and other intelligent travellers assure us. It has been remarked that the prefix 3 beth, is seldom applied to 'J3 penet/; but when it is, it signifies as well before, as in the face, see Jos. xxi. 44. xxiii. 9. Esther ix. 2. and Ezek. xlii. 12. which texts are supposed to be proofs in point. The act of spitting, whether in or before the face, marked the strong contempt tlie woman felt for the man who had slighted her. And it appears, that the man was ever after disgraced in Israel; for so much is certainly implied in the saying, ver. 10. And his name shall be culled in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.