10"" And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; "^ I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
11° For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar, p to make an atonement for your souls; for 1 it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither
p. 108, edit. Gale, who gives a case of this abominable kind that took place in Egypt while he was in that country. See also many examples in Bochart, vol. ii., col. 641; and see the note on chap. xx. 16.
Verse 1 1. For the life of the flesh is in the Mood ] This sentence, which contains a most important truth, had existed in the Mosaic writings for 3600 years before the attention of any philosopher was drawn to the subject. This is the more surprising, as the nations in which philosophy flourished were those which especially enjoyed the Divine oracles in their respective languages. That the blood actually possesses a living principle, and that the life of the whole body is derived from it, is a doctrine of Divine revelation, and a •doctrine which the observations and experiments of the most accurate anatomists have served strongly to confirm. The proper circulation of this important fluid through the ivhole human system was first taught by Solomon in figurative language, Eccles. xii. 6; and discovered, as it is called, and demonstrated by Dr. Harvey in 1628; though some Italian philosophers had the same notion a little before. This accurate anatomist was the first who fully revived the Mosaic notion of the vitality of the blood; which notion was afterward adopted by the justly celebrated Dr. John Hunter, professor of anatomy in London, and fully established by him bj' a great variety of strong reasoning and accurate experiments. To support this opinion Dr. Hunter proves, —
1. That the blood unites living parts in some circumstances as certainly as the yet recent juices of the branch of one tree unite with that of another; and he thinks that if either of these fluids were dead matter, they would act as stimuli, and no union would take place in the animal or vegetable kingdom; and he shows that in the nature of things there is not a more intimate connection between life and a solid than between life and a fluid.
2. He shows that the blood becomes vascular, like other living parts of the body; and he demonstrated this by a preparation in which vessels were clearly seen to arise from what had been a coagulum of blood; for those vessels opened into the stream of the circulating blood, which was in contiguity with this coagulated mass.
3. He proved that if blood be taken from the arm in the most intense cold that the human body can suffer, it will raise the thermometer to the same height as blood taken in the most sultry heat. This is a very powerful argument for the vitality of the blood, as it is well known that living bodies alone have the power of resisting great degrees of heat and cold, and of maintaining in almost every situation while in health that temperature which we distinguish by the name of animal heat.
4. lie proves that blood is capable of being acted upon by a stimulus, as it coagulates on exposure to the air, as certainly as the cavities of the abdomen and thorax become inflamed from the same cause. The more the blood is alive, i. e., the more the animal is in health, the sooner the blood coagulates on exposure; and the more it has lost of the living principle, as in cases of violent inflammation, the less sensible it is to the stimulus produced by being exposed, and coagulates more slowly.
5. He proves that the blood preserves life in different parts of the body. When the nerves going to any part are tied or cut, the part becomes paralytic, and loses all power of motion, but it does not mortify. But let the artery be cut, and then the part dies and mortification ensues. It must therefore be the vital principle of the hlood that keeps the part alive; nor does it appear that this fact can be accounted for oil any other principle.
6. He thinks this vitality farther proved from the case of a person who was brought to St. George's hospital for a simple fracture of the os humeri, and who died about a month after. As the bones had not united, he injected the arm, and thus found that the coagulated blood which filled the cavity between the extremities of the fractured bones was become vascular, and in 8ome places very much so, which vessels, had it been dead matter, it never could have produced.
This system has been opposed, and arguments have been adduced to prove that the principle of vitality exists not in the blood but in the nervous system. But every argument on this ground appears to be done away by the simple consideration that the whole nervous system, as well as every other part of the body, is originally derived from the blood; for is it not from the blood of the mother that the fetus has its being and nourishment in the womb ] Do not all the nerves, as well as the brain, &lc., originate from that alone? And if it be not vital can it give the principle of vitality to something else, which then exclusively (though the effect of a cause) becomes the principle of vitality to all the solids and fluids of the body 1 This seems absurd. That the human being pro- 56B ceeded originally from the blood admits of no doubt; and it is natural and reasonable to suppose that as it was the cause under God which generated all the other parts of the body, so it still continues to be the principle of life, and by it alone all the wastes of the system are repaired. Two points relative to this subject are strongly asserted in Divine revelation, one by Moses, the other by St. Paul.
1. Moses says, The life of the flesh is in the BLOOD, ver. 11. This has been proved by the most indisputable facts.
2. St. Paul says, God hath made of one blood all nations of men, Acts xvii. 26. And this is demonstrated, not only from there being only one pair from whom all the nations of men have been derived, but also from the fact that every human being, from the first-born of Eve to the present hour, has been formed out of and supported by the mother's blood; and that from the agency of this fluid the human body, after being born into the world, has its increment and support. The reason given by God for the law against eating blood is perfectly conclusive: / loill set my face against that soul that eateth blood — for the life (B'£3 J nephesh) of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls (LDDT^iilDi naphshotheychem, your LIVES:) for it is the blood (because it is the life, "wySJ nephesh) that maketh an atonement for the soul (jyDJJ bannephesh, for the life; for the word is the same in all these cases.) By transgression a man forfeits his life to Divine justice, and he must die did not inercy provide him a substitute. The life of a beast is appointed and accepted by God as a substitute for the sinner's life (in reference to the life of Christ, which was to be given for the life of the ivorld;) but as this life is in the blood, and as the blood is the grand principle of vitality, therefore the blood is to be poured out upon the altar: and thus the life of the beast becomes a substitute for the life of the tnaii.
And it is well worthy of being remarked, that Christ not only died for sinners, but our redemption is every where attributed to his blood, and the shedding of that blood; and that on the altar of the cross, this might make an atonement for the lives and souls of men, he not only bowed his head, and gave up the ghost, but his side was opened, the pericardium and the heart evidently pierced, that the vital fluid might be poured out from the very seat of life, and that thus the blood, which is the life, should be poured out to make an atonement for the life of the soul.
The doctrine of Moses and Paul proves the truth of the doctrine of Harvey and Hunter; and the reasonings and experiments of Harvey and Hunter illustrate and confirm the doctrine of Moses and Paul. — • Here then is a fiirther proof of the truth and author!- ty of Divine revelation. See the note on Gen. ix. 4; Dr. J. Corrie's Essay on the Vitality of the Blood; and the article Blood, in the Encyclopedias.
14 'For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore 1 said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off".
Verse 14. Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of Jlesh] Independently of the moral reasons given above, we may add, 1. That blood, being highly alkalescent, especially in hot climates, is subject to speedy putrefaction. 2. That it affords a gross nutriment, being very difficult of digestion, so much so that btilPs blood was used in ancient times as poison, " its extreme viscidity rendering it totally indigestible by the powers of the human stomach." 3. It is allowed that when blood was used in this country in great quantities, the scurvy was more frequent than at other times. 4. It appears from history that those nations who lived most on it were very fierce, savage, and barbarous, such as the Scythians, Tartars, Arabs of the desert, the Scandinavians, &c., &c., some of whom drank the blood of their enemies, making cups of their sculls!
15'" And every soul that eateth a. m. 2514. ^ that which died of itself, or An. Exod. isr. 2. that which was torn with beasts, ^bib or Nisan. whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, yhe shall both wash his clothes, "and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.
16 But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then «• he shall bear his iniquity.
Verse 15. That which died of itself, or that which loas torn^ Because, in both cases, the blood was retained in the body; hence the council at Jerusalem forbade things strangled as well as blood, because in such beasts the blood was coagulated in the veins and arteries. See Acts xv. 28.
Every thing considered, surely there is as little propriety in eating of blood as there is necessity to do it. They who will do otherwise must bear their iniquity. If blood eating be no offence, then they have no sin to answer for. The principal subjects of this chapter have been already so amply handled in the notes, that there is no need to add any thing bv way of reflection or improvement.
The people are commanded to avoid the doings of the Egyptians and Canaanites, 1-3. They are to do God'' s judgments, and to keep his ordinances, that they may live, 4, 5. Marriages with those who are neair of kin are prohibited, 6. None to marry with his mother or step-mother, 7, 8; with his sister or stepsister, 9; with his grand-daughter, 10; nor with the daughter of his step-mother, 11; nor with his aunt, by father or mother, 12, 13; nor ivith his uncle's wife, 14; nor tvith his daughter-in-law, 15; nor sisterin-law, 16; nor loitha woman and her daughter, son's daughter, or daughter's daughter, 17; nor with two sisters at the same time, 18. Several abominations prohibited, 19—23, of which the Canaanites, <!fc.,were guilty, and for ivhich they were cast out of the land, 24, 25. The people are exhorted to avoid these abominations, lest they be treated as the ancient inhabitants of the land were treated, and so cast out, 26—28 Threatenings against the disobedient, 29, and promises to the obedient, 30.
3 ^ After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and ° after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I
4 * Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the
5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: ^ which if a man do, he
A ND the Lord
NOTES ON CHAP. XVIII. &c., as mentioned in the preceding chapter, verse 7,
Verse 3. The doings of the land of Egypt — the! and the abominations mentioned in this chapter from land of Canaan] The worshipping of demons, beasts, | verse 21 to 23.
to any that is ^ near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord.
7 ^ The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shall thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
8 • The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
9 ^ The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
10 The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.
1 1 The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
12 ^ Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister:.she is thy father's near kinswoman.
1 3 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of
Verse 6. Any that is near of kin] nty3 "iNty Sd col shear besaro, any remnant of his flesh, i. e., to any particularly allied to his own family, the prohibited degrees in which are specified from the 7th to the 17th verse inclusive. Notwithstanding the prohibitions here, it must be evident that in the infancy of the world, persons very near of kin must have been joined in matrimonial alliances; and that even brothers must have matched with their own sisters. This must have been the case in the family of Adam. In these first instances necessity required this; when this necessity no longer existed, the thing became inexpedient and improper for two reasons: 1. That the duties owing by nature to relatives might not be confounded with those of a social or political kind; for could a man be a brother and a husband, a son and a husband, at the same time, and fulfil the duties of both T Impossible. 2. That by intermarrying with other families, the bonds of social compact might be strengthened and extended, so that the love of our neighbour, &c. might at once be felt to be not only a maxim of sound policy, but also a very practicable and easy duty; and thus feuds, divisions, and wars be prevented.
the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.
15"^ Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter-in-law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
16° Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it w thy brother's nakedness.
17 •'Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
1 8 Neither shalt thou take 1 a wife to her sister, ' to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
19 ^ Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
20 Moreover * thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.
21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed '^ pass through the fre-^to ^ Molech, neither
marriage, unless the brother died childless. In that case it was not only lawful for her to marry her brother-in-law, but he was obliged by the law, Deut. xxv. 5, to take her to wife.
Verse 18. A wife to her sister] Thou shalt not marry two sisters at the same time, as Jacob did Rachel and Leah; but there is nothing in this law that rendered it illegal to marry a sister-in-law when her sister was dead; therefore the text says. Thou shalt not take her in her life time, to vex her, alluding probably to the case of the jealousies and vexations which subsisted between Leah and Rachel, and by which the family peace was so often disturbed. Some think that the text may be so understood as also to forbid polygamy.
Verse 19. As long as she is put apart] See the note on chap. xv. 24.
Verse 21. Pass through the fire to Molech] The name of this idol is mentioned for the first time in this place. As the word "]bn molech or melech signifies king or governor, it is very likely that this idol represented the sun; and more particularly as the fire appears to have been sa much employed in his wor-
A. M. 2514. shall thou '^ profane the name of An. Exod. isr. 2. thy God: I am the Lord. Abib or Nisan. ^2 ^ Thoushalt not he with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination.
23 y Neither shalt thou he with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is ^ confusion.
24 * Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: ^ for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
25 And ° the land is defiled: therefore I do ^ visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself ^ vomiteth out her inhabitants,
26 ^ Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations: neither any of your own
ship. There are several opinions concerning the meaning of passing through the fire to Molech. 1. Some think that the semen humanum was oifered on the fire to this idol. 2. Others think that the children were actually made a burnt-offering to him. 3. But others suppose the children were not burnt, but only passed through the fire, or between two fires, by way of consecration to him. That some were actually burnt alive to this idol several scriptures, according to the opinion of commentators, seem strongly to intimate; see among others, Psa. cvi. 38; Jer. vii. 31, and Ezek. xxiii. 37—39. That others were only consecrated to his service by passing between two fires the rabbins strongly assert; and if Ahaz had but one son, Hezekiah, (though it is probable he had others, see 2 Chron. xxviii. 3,) he is said to have passed through the fire to Molech, 2 Kings xvi. 3, yet he succeeded his father in the kingdom, chapter xviii. 1, therefore this could only be a consecration, his idolatrous father intending thereby to initiate him early into the service of this demon. See the note on chapter xx. 2.
Verse 22. With mankind^ This abominable crime, frequent among the Greeks and Romans as vvell as the Canaanites, may be puni-shed with death in this country.
Verse 23. With any beast] This abomination is also punishable with death by the laws of this country.
Any tvoman stand before a beast] That this was often done in Egypt there can be no doubt; and we have already seen, from the testimony of Herodotus, that a fact of this kind actually took place while he was in Egypt. See the note on chap. xvii. 7, and xx. 16.
Verse 25. The land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.] This is a very nervous prosopopoeia or personification; a figure by which any part of inanimate nature may be represented as possessing the passions and reason of man. Here the land is represented as •D intelligent being, with a deep and refined sense of
27 (For all these abominations ^bib or Nisan. have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled:)
28 That s the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. "
29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their
30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, ^ that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye ' defile not yourselves therein: ^ I am the Lord your God.
moral good and evil: information concerning the abominations of the people is brought to this personified land, with which it is so deeply, affected that a nausea is produced, and it vomits out its abominable and accursed inhabitants. It was natural for the inspired penman to make use of such a figure, as the description he was obliged to give of so many and enormous abominations must have affected him nearly in the same way in which he represents the land to be affected.
Verse 30. Shall ye keep mine ordinance] The only way to be preserved from all false worship is seriously to consider and devoutly to observe the ordinances of the true religion. He who in the things of God goes no farther than he can say. Thus it is ivritten, a7id thus it behoves me to do, is never likely to receive a false creed, nor perform a superstitious act of worship.
1. How true is that word. The law of the Lord is PERFECT! In a small compass, and in a most minute detail, it comprises every thing that is calculated to instruct, direct, convince, correct, and fortify the mind of man. Whatever has a tendency to corrupt or injure man, that it forbids; whatever is calculated to comfort him, promote and secure his best interests, that it commands. It takes him in all possible states, views him in all connections, and provides for his present and eternal happiness.
2. As the human soul is polluted and tends to pollution, the great doctrine of the law is holiness to the Lord: this it keeps invariably in view in all its commands, precepts, ordinances, rites, and ceremonies. And how forcibly in all these does it say. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God loith all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and luith all thy mind, and with all thy strength; and thy neighbour as thyself. This is the prominent doctrine of the preceding chapter; and this shall be fulfilled in all them who believe, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to them that believe. Reader, magnify God for his law, for by it is the knowledge of sin; and magnify him for his Gospel, for by this is the cure of sin. Let the law be thy schoohnaster to bring thee to Christ, that thou mayest be justified by faith; and that the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in thee, and that thou mayest walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
8 Therefore every one that
Exhortations to holiness, and a repetition of various laws, 1,2. Duty to parents, and observance of the Sabbath, 3. Against idolatry, 4. Concerning peace-ofFerings, 5-8. The gleanings of the harvest and vintage to be left for the poor, 9, 10. Against stealing and lying, 11; false swearing, 12; defrauding iAe hireling, 13. Laws in behalf of the deaf aw<^ the blind, 14. Against respect of persons in judgment, 15; tale- bearing, 16; hatred a«^ uncharitableness, 17; revenge, 18; unlawful mixtures in cattle, seed, and garments, 19. Laios relative to the bondmaid that is betrothed, 20-22. The fruit of the trees of the land not to be eaten for the first three years, 23; but this is lawful in the fourth and fifth years, 24, 25. Against eating of blood, and using incantations, 26; superstitious cutting of the hair, 27; and cutting of the flesh in the times of mourning, 28; prostitution, 29. Sabbaths to be reverenced, 30. Against consulting those luho are wizards, and have familiar spirits, 31. Respect must be shown to the aged, 32. The stranger shall not be oppressed, 33, 34. They shall keep just measures, weights, and balances, 35, 36. Conclusion, 37.
2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, * Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.
3 '' Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and " keep my Sabbaths: I ajn the
4 '^ Turn ye not unto idols, ® nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.
5 And ^ if ye offer a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the Lord, ye shall offer it at your own vj'xW.
6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if aught remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.
7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.
Verse 3. Ye shall fear every man his mother, cj-c] Ye shall have the profoundest reverence and respect for them. See the notes on Gen. xlviii. 12, and on Exod. XX. 8, 12.
Verse 4. Turn ye not unto idols] dS'Sn elilim, literally nothings; and to this St. Paul seems to allude 1 Cor. viii. 4, where he says, We know that an idol is NOTHING in the ivorld.
Verse 7. If it be eaten — on the third day] See the note on chap. vii. 15.
9 And ^ when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the comers of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of the harvest.
10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God.
11 ^ Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, ' neither lie one to another.
1 2 And ye shall not ^ swear by my name falsely, ^ neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.
Verse 9. When ye reap the harvest] Liberty for the poor to glean both the corn-fields and vineyards was a Divine institution among the Jews; for the whole of the Mosaic dispensation, like the Christian, breathed love to God and benevolence to man. The poor in Judea were to live by gleanings from the corn-fields and vineyards. To the honour of the public and charitable spirit of the English, this merciful law is in general as much attended to as if it had been incorporated with the Gospel.
Verse 13. The wages — shall not abide with thee all
14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, ° nor put a stumbling-block before the blind, but shalt P fear thy God: I am the Lord.
15 'Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge i-hy neighbour.
16 'Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people; neither shalt
17 * Thou shalt not hate thy Abib or Nisan. brother in thine heart: "^ thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, ^ and not suffer sin upon him.
18 "" Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, * but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.
19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: y thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: ^ neither shall a garment mingled of
night] For this plain reason, it is the support of the man's life and family, and they need to expend it as fast as it is earned.
Verse 1 4. Thou shalt not curse the deaf] Or speak evil of him, because he cannot hear, and so cannot vindicate his own character.
Nor put a stumbling-block before the blind] He who is capable of doing this, must have a heart cased with cruelty. The spirit and design of these precepts are, that no man shall in any case take advantage of the ignorance, simplicity, or inexperience of his neighbour, but in all things do to his neighbour as he would, on a change of circumstances, that his neighbour should do to him.
A''erse 16. Thou shalt not go up and doion as a talebearer] S''J1 rachil signifies a trader, a pedlar, and is here applied to the person who travels about dealing in scandal and calumny, getting the secrets of every person and family, and retailing them wherever he goes. A more despicable character exists not: such a person is a pest to society, and should be exiled from the habitations of men.
Neither shalt thou stand against the blood, <ifc.] Thou shalt not be a false witness, because by such testimony the Uood — the life of an innocent man may 06 endangered.
Verse 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother] Thou shalt not only not do him fl,ny kind of evil, but thou shalt harbour no hatred in thy heart towards him. On the contrary, thou shalt love him as thyself, ver. 18. Many persons suppose, from misunderstanding our Lord's words, John xiii. 34, A neiu commandment give
1 unto you, that ye love one another, &c., that loving our neighbour as ourselves was first instituted under the Gospel. This verse shows the opinion to be unfounded: but to love another as Christ has loved us, i. e., to lay down our lives for each other, is certainly a new commandment; we have it simply on the authority of Jesus Christ alone.
or know him to be addicted to any thing by which the safety of his soul is endangered, thou shalt mildly and affectionately reprove him, and by no means permit him to go on without counsel and advice in a way that is leading him to perdition. In a multitude of cases timely reproof has been the means of saving the soul. Speak to him privately if possible; if not, write to him in such a way that himself alone shall see it.
Verse 19. Gender with a diverse kind] These precepts taken literally seem to imply that they should not permit the horse and the she-ass, nor the he-ass and the coiv, (as they do in the East,) to couple together; nor sow different kinds of seeds in the same field or garden; nor have garments of silk and woollen, cotton and silk, linen and icool, &c. And if all these were forbidden, there must have been some moral reason for the prohibitions, because domestic economy required several of these mixtures, especially those which relate to seeds and clothing. With respect to heterogeneous mixtures among cattle, there is something very unnatural in it, and it was probably forbidden to prevent excitements to such unnatural lusts aa those condemned in the preceding chapter, ver. 22, 23. As to seeds, in many cases it would be very improper to sow different kinds in the same plot of ground. It would be improvident to sow oats and ivheat together: the latter would be injured, the former ruined. The turnip and carrot would not succeed conjointly, where either of them separately would prosper and yield a good crop; so we may say of many other kinds of seeds; and if this be all that is intended, the counsels are prudential agricultural maxims. As to different kinds oi garments, such as the linsey woolsey, the prohibition here might be intended as much against pride and vanity as any thing else; for it is certain that both these articles may be so manufactured in conjunction as to minister to pride, though in general the linsey woolsey or drugget is the clothing of the poor. But we really do not know what the original word i:D;rty shaatnez, which we translate linen and woollen, means.
Abib or Nisan. go And whosoever Heth Carnally with a woman that is a bondmaid, ^ betrothed to a husband, ^ and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; ^ she shall be ^ scourged: they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.
2 1 And ^ he shall bring his trespass-offering unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass-offering.
22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass-offering before the Lord, for his sin which he hath
it is true that in Deut. xxii. 11, where it is again used, it seems to be explained by the words immediately following, Thou shall not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of linen and looollen together; but this may as well refer to a garment made up of a sort of patch-work differently coloured and arranged for pride and for show. A folly of this kind prevailed anciently in this very land, and I shall give a proof of it, taken from a sermon against luxury in dress, composed in the fourteenth century.
" As to the first sinne in superfluitie of clothing, soche that maketh it so dere, to the harme of the peple, nat only the cost of enbraudering, the disguised endenting, or barring, ounding paling, winding or bending and semblable wast of clothe in vanite. But there is also the costlewe furring in their gounes, so moche pounsing of chesel, to make holes; so moche dagging with sheres foorth; with the superfluitie in length of the forsaied gounes, — to grete dammage of pore folke. — And more ouer — they shewe throughe disguising, in departing of ther hosen in ivhite and red, semeth that halfe ther members were slain. — They departe ther hosen into other colours, as is ivhite and bleive, or while and blacke, or blacke and red, and so forth; than semeth it as by variaunce of colour, that the halfe part of ther members ben corrupt by the fire of Saint Anthony, or by canker, or other suche mischaunce." The Parson'' s Tale, in Chaucer, p. 198. 'Urry''s edit. The reader will pardon the antiquated spelling.
" What could exhibit," says Dr. Henry, " a more fantastical appearance than an English beau of the 14th century? He wore long pointed shoes, fastened to his knees by gold or silver chains; hose of one colour on the one leg, and of another colour on the other; short breeches which did reach to the middle of his thighs; a coat the one half ivhite, the other half black or blue; a long beard; a silk hood buttoned under his chin, embroidered with grotesque figures of animals, dancing men, &c., and sometimes ornamented with gold and precious stones." This dress was the height of the mode in the reign of King Edward HI.
done; and the sin which he hath a. m. 2514. done shall be forgiven him. An. Exod. Isr! 2.
23 And when ye shall come into Abib or Nisan. the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall notbe eaten of:
24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be ^ holy, s to praise the Lord withal.
25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God
26 ^ Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood; * neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.
Something of the same kind seems to have existed in the patriarchal times; witness the coat of many colours made by Jacob for his son Joseph. See the note on Gen. xxxvii. 3. Concerning these different mixtures much may be seen in the Mishna, Tract. Kilaim, and in Ainsworth, and Calmet on this place.
Verse 20. A woman that is a bondmaid] Had she been free, the law required that she should be put to death; (see Deut. xxii. 24;) but as she was 2, slave, she is supposed to have less self-command, and therefore less guilt: but as it is taken for granted she did not make resistance, or did consent, she is to be scourged, and the man is to bring a ram for a trespass-offering.
Verse 23. Three years shall it be as uncircumcised] I see no great reason to seek for mystical meanings in this prohibition. The fruit of a young tree cannot be good; for not having arrived at a state of maturity the juices cannot be sufficiently elaborated to produce fruit excellent in its kind. The Israelites are commanded not to eat of the fruit of a tree till the fifth year after its planting: in the three first years the fruit is unwholesome; in the fourth year the fruit is holy, it belongs to God, and should be consecrated to him, ver. 24; and in the fifth year and afterward the fruit may be employed for common use, ver. 25.
Verse 26. Neither shall ye use enchantment] xS Ityn^n lo thenachashu. Conjecture itself can do little towards a proper explanation of the terms used in this verse. t^nJ nachash in Gen. iii. 1 we translate serpent, and with very little propriety; but though the word may not signify a serpent in that place, it has that signification in others. Possibly, therefore, the superstition here prohibited may be what the Greeks called Ophiomanteia, or divination by serpents.
Nor observe times.])n)yr\ i<h) velo teonenu, ye shall not divine by clouds, which was also a superstition much in practice among the heathens, as well as divi nation by the flight of birds. What these prohibitions may particularly refer to, we know not. See the notes on Gen. xii. 8.
27 ''Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shall thou mar the corners of
Verse 27. Ye shall not round the corners of your /leads] This and the following verse evidently refer to customs which must have existed among the Egyptians when the Israelites sojourned in Egypt; and what they were it is now difficult, even with any probability, to conjecture. Herodotus observes that the Arabs shave or cut their hair round, in honour of Bacchus, who, they say, had his hair cut in this way, lib. iii., cap. 8. He says also that the Macians, a people of Libya, cut their hair round, so as to leave a tuft on the top of the head, lib. iv., cap. 175. In this manner the Chinese cut their hair to the present day. This might have been in honour of some idol, and therefore forbidden to the Israelites.
The hair was much used in divination among the ancients, and for purposes of religious superstition among the Greeks; and particularly about the time of the giving of this law, as this is supposed to have been the era of the Trojan war. We learn from Homer that it was customary for parents to dedicate the hair of their children to some god; which, when they came to manhood, they cut off and consecrated to the deity. Achilles, at the funeral of Patroclus, cut off his golden locks which his father had dedicated to the river god Sperchius, and threw them into the flood: —
But great Achilles stands apart in prayer, And from his head divides the yellow hair, Those curling locks which from his youth he vowed, And sacred threw to Sperchius'' honoured flood. Then sighing, to the deep his looks he cast. And rolled his eyes around the watery waste. Sperchius! whose waves, in mazy errors lost, Delightful roll along my native coast I To whom we vainly vowed, at our return.
From Virgil we learn that the topmost lock of hair was dedicated to the infernal gods; see his account of the death of Dido: —
" Nondum illi flavum Proserpina vertice crinem Abstulerat, Stygioque caput damnaverat orco —
The sisters had not cut the topmost hair. Which Prosferpine and they can only know,
Nor made her sacred to the shades below— This offering to the infernal gods I bear; Thus while she spoke, she cut the fatal hair.
If the hair was rounded, and dedicated for purposes of this kind, it will at once account for the prohibition in this verse.
The comers of thy heard.] Probably meaning the hair of the cheek that connects the hair of the head with the beard. This was no doubt cut in some peculiar manner for the superstitious purposes mentioned above. Several of our own countrymen wear this said hair in a curious form; for what purposes they know best: we cannot say precisely that it is the ancient Egyptian custom revived. From the images and paintings which remain of the ancient Egyptians, we find that they were accustomed to shave the whole hair off their face, except merely that upon the chin, which last they cut off only in times of mourning.
Verse 28. Any cuttings in your flesh for the dead] That the ancients were very violent in their grief, tearing the hair and face, beating the breast, &c., is well known. Virgil represents the sister of Dido " tearing her face with her nails, and beating hei breast with her fists."
Nor print any marks upon you] It was a very ancient and a very general custom to carry marks on the body in honour of the object of their worship. All the castes of the Hindoos bear on their foreheads or elsewhere what are called the sectarian marks, which distinguish them, not only in a civil but also in a religious point of view, from each other.
Most of the barbarous nations lately discovered have their faces, arms, breasts, &c., curiously carved or tatooed, probably for superstitious purposes. Ancient writers abound with accounts of marks made on the face, arms, &c., in honour of different idols; and to this the inspired penman alludes. Rev. xiii. 16, 17; xiv. 9, 11; XV. 2; xvi. 2; xix. 20; xx. 4, where false worshippers are represented as receiving in their hands and in their forehead the marks of the beast. These were called crLy/iara stigmata among the Greeks, and to these St. Paul refers when he says, I bear about in my body the marks (stigmata) of the Lord Jesus; Gal vi. 17. I have seen several cases where persons have got the figure of the cross, the Virgin Mary, &c., made on their arms, breasts, &c., the skin being first punctured,, and then a blue colouring matter rubbed in, which is never afterward effaced. All these were done for superstitious purposes, and to such things probably the prohibition in this verse refers. Calmet^ on this verse, gives several examples. See also Mart" ner^s Tonga Islands, vol. i., p. 311-313..573
An. Exod. isr. 2. daughter, to cause her to be a AbiborNisan. ^hore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
30 ° Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and ^ reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
3 1 "» Regard not them that have famihar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I a?n the Lord your God.
32 "■ Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and ^ fear thy God: I af?i the Lord.
33 And ' if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not "^ vex him.
34 ^ But the stranger that dwelleth with you
Verse 29. Do not prostitute thy daughter] This was a very frequent custom, and with examples of it writers of antiquity abound. The Cyprian women, according to Justin, gained that portion which their husbands received with them at marriage by previous public prostitution. And the Phoenicians, according to Augustine, made a gift to Venus of the gain acquired by the public prostitution of their daughters, previously to their marriage. " Veneri donum dabant, et prostitutiones filiarum, antequain jungerent eas viris." — De Civit. Dei, lib. xviii., c. 5; and see Calmet.
Verse 31. Regard not them that have familiar spirits] The Hebrew word ni3X oboth probably signifies a kind of engastromuthoi or ventriloquists, or such as the Pythoness mentioned Acts xvi. 16, 18; persons who, while under the influence of their demon, became greatly inflated, as the Hebrew word implies, and gave answers in a sort of phrensy. See a case of this kind in Virgil,.^neid, 1. vi., ver. 46, &c.: —
" Deus ecce, Deus! cui talia fanti
Ante fores, subito non vultus, non color unus, Non comptaj mansere comae; sed pectus anhelum, Et rabie fera corda tument; majorque videri. Nee mortale sonans, afflala est numine quando Jam propiore Dei.''''
—Invoke the skies,
I feel the god, the rushing god, she cries. While yet she spoke, enlarged her features grew, Her colour changed, her locks dishevelled flew. The heavenly tumult reigns in every part, Pants in her breast, and swells her rising heart: Still swelling to the sight, the priestess glowed, And heaved impatient of the incumbent god. Pitt.
Neither seek after wizards] D'a^n" yiddeonim, the wise or knowing ones, from ^'T yada, to knoto or understand; called wizard in Scotland, ivise or cunninoman in England; and hence also the wise woman, the white witch. Not only all real dealers with familiar spirits, or necromantic or magical superstitions, are here forbidden, but also 2\\ pretenders to the knowledge shall be unto you as one born A. M. 2514. among you, and ^ thou shalt love An.Exod. isr.2. him as thyself; for ye were AbiborNisan. strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the
35 ^ Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in mete-yard, in weight, or in measure.
36 y Just balances, just ^weights, a just ephah, and '\ just hin, shall ye have: I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 ^ Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.
of futurity, fortune-tellers, astrologers, &c., &c. To attempt to know what God has not thought proper to reveal, is a sin against his wisdom, providence, and goodness. In mercy, great mercy, God has hidden the knowledge of futurity from man, and given him hope — the expectation of future good, in its place. See the note on Exod. xxii. 18.
Verse 33- If a stranger sojourn] This law to protect and comfort the stranger was at once humane and politic. None is so desolate as the stranger, and none needs the oflices of benevolence and charity more: and we may add that he who is not affected by the desolate state of the stranger has neither benevolence nor charity. It was politic to encourage strangers, as in consequence many came, not only to sojourn, but to settle among the Jews, and thus their political strength became increased; and many of these settlers became at least proselytes of the gate if not proselytes of the covenant, and thus got their souls saved. Hence humanity, sound policy, and religion said, Vex not the stranger; thou shalt love him as thyself. The apostle makes use of a strong argument to induce men to hospitality towards strangers: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares, Heb. xiii. 2. Moses also uses a powerful motive: Ye tvere strangers in the land of Egypt. The spirit of the precept here laid down, may be well expressed in our Lord's words: Do unto all men as ye would they should do unto you.
Verse 35. Ye shall do no unrighteousness] Ye shall not act contrary to the strictest justice in any case, and especially in the four following, which properly understood, comprise all that can occur between a maa and his fellow. 1. Judgment in all cases that come before the civil magistrate; he is to judge and decide according to the law. 2. Mete- yard, m"D3 bammiddah, in measures of length and surface, such as the reed, cubit, foot, span, ha7id''s breadth, among the Jews; or ell, yard, foot, and inch, among us. 3. Weight,
Of giving seed to Molech, CHAP. XX.
Vpt^DD bammishhal, in any thing that is weighed, the •weights being all according to the standards kept for the purpose of trying the rest in the sanctuary, as appears from Exod. xxx. 13; 1 Chron. xxiii. 29; these tveights were the talent, shekel, barleycorn, &c. 4. Measure, mil^03 bammesurah, from which we derive our term. This refers to all measures oi capacity, such as the homer, ephah, seah, hin, omer, kab, and log. See all these explained Exod. xvi. 16.
Verse 36. Just balances] Scales, steel-yard, &c. Weights, D'JDN abanim, stones, as the weights appear to have been originally formed out of stones. Ephah, hin, &c., see before.
Verse 37. Shall ye observe all my statutes'] ""npn chukkothi, from pn chak, to describe, mark, or trace out; the righteousness which I have described, and the path of duty which I have traced out. Judgments, 'I33K/D mishpatai, from DSiy shaphat, to discern, determine, direct, &c.; that which Divine Wisdom has discerned to be best for man, has determined shall promote his best interest, and has directed him conscientiously to use. See the note on chap. xxvi. 15.
ter, but they are such only to us; for there can be no doubt of their having been perfectly well known to tho Israelites, to whom the precepts contained in this chap ter were given. Considerable pains however have been taken to make them plain, and no serious mind can read them without profit.
2. The precepts against injustice, fraud, slander, enmity, &c., &c., are well worth the notice of every Christian; and those against superstitious usages are not less so; and by these last we learn, that having recourse to astrologers, fortune-tellers, &c., to get intelligence of lost or stolen goods, or to know the future events of our own lives, or those of others, is highly criminal in the sight of God. Those who have recourse to such persons renounce their baptism, and in effect renounce the providence as well as the word
3. The precepts of humanity and mercy relative to the poor, the hireling, and the stranger, are worthy of our most serious regard. Nor are those which concern weights and measures, traffic, and the whole system of commutative justice, less necessary to be observed for the benefit and comfort of the individual, and the safety and prosperity of the state
Of giving seed to Molech, and the punishment of this crime, 1—5. Of consulting wizards, 4"C., 6-8. Of disrespect ^o parents, 9. O/" adultery, 10. Of incestuous mixtures, 11, 12. Bestiality, 13—16. Different cases of incest and uncleanness, 17—21. Exhortations and promises, 22-24. The difference between clediXi and unclean animals to be carefully observed, 25. The Israelites are separated from other nations, that they may be holy, 26. A repetition of the law against wizards and them that have familiar spirits, 27.
children of Israel, ^ Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
Verse 2. That giveth any of his seed unto Molech] To what has been said in the note on chap, xviii. 21, we may add, that the rabbins describe this idol, who was probably a representative or emblematical personification of the solar influence, as made of brass, in the form of a man, with the head of an ox; that a fire <vas kindled in the inside, and the child to be sacrificed to him was put in his arms, and roasted to death. Others say that the idol, which was hollow, was divided into seven compartments within; in one of which they T^ut flour, in the second turtle-doves, in the third a ewe, in the fourth a ram, in the fifth a calf, in the sixth an ox, and in the seventh a child, which, by heating the statue ',n the outside, were all burnt alive toge-
3 And ° I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to ^ defile my sanctuary, and ^ to profane my holy name.
4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and ^ kill him not;
ther. I question the whole truth of these statements, whether from Jewish or Christian rabbins. There is no evidence of all this in the sacred writings. And there is but presumptive proof, and that not very strong, that human sacrifices were at all offered to Molech by the Jews. The passing through the fire, so frequently spoken of, might mean no more than a simple rite of consecration to the service of this idol. Probably a kind of ordeal was meant, the persons passing suddenly through the flame of a large fire, by which, though they might be burnt or scorched, yet they were neither killed nor consumed. Or they might have passed between tivo large fires, as a sort of purification. See the notes on ver. 14; and chap, xviii. 21.
An. Exod. isr. 2. against that man, and ° against Abib or N.san. j^jg family, and will cut him off, and all that ' go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their
6 And ^ the soul that tumeth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
7 ^ Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.
8 ™ And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: ° I a?n the Lord which sanctify you.
9 ° For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; p his blood shall be upon him.
1 0 And 1 the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, eve?i he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife.
the adulterer and the adulteress a. m. 2514. shall surely be put to death. An. Exod. Isr. 2.
1 1 r And the man that lieth with Abib 01: Nisan. his father's wife, hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
1 2 ^ And if a man lie with his daughter-inlaw, both of them shall surely be put to death: ^ they have wrought confusion; their blowl shall be upon them.
13 " If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
14^ And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
15"^ And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
1 6 And if a woman approach unto any beast,
mentions a custom of the Druids similar to this. They made an image of wicker-work, inclosed those in it whom they had adjudged to death, and, setting the whole on fire, all were consumed together.
Verse 9. Curseth his father or his mother] See the notes on Gen. xlviii. 12, and Exod. xx. 12. He who conscientiously keeps ihe fifth commandment can be in no danger of this judgment. The term SSp"" yekallel signifies, not only to curse, but to speak of a person contemptuously and disrespectfully, to make light of; Bo that all speeches which have a tendency to lessen our parents in the eyes of others, or to render their judgment, piety, &c., suspected and contemptible, may be here included; though the act of cursing, or of treating the parent with injurious and opprobrious language, is that which is particularly intended.
Verse 10. Committeth adultery'] To what has been said in the note on Exod. xx. 14, we may add, that the word adultery comes from the Latin adulterium, which is compounded of ad, to or ivith, and alter, another, or, according to Minshieu, of ad alterius torum, he that approaches to another mail's bed.
Verse 12. They have wrought confusion] See chap, xviii., and especially the note on ver. 6.
Verse 14. They shall be burnt loith fire] As there are worse crimes mentioned here, (see verses 1 1 and 17,) where the delinquent is ordered simpiy to be put to death, or to be cut off, it is very likely that the crime mentioned in this verse was not punished by burning alive, but by some kind of branding, by which they were ever after rendered infamous. I need not add that the original, liJIiy iy}<D baesh yishrephu, may, without violence to its grammatical meaning, be understood as above, though in other places it is certainly used to signify a consuming by fire. But the case in question requires some explanation; it is this: a man marries a wife, and afterward takes his mother-in-law or wife's mother to wife also; now for this oflfence the text says all three shall be burnt luith fire, and this is understood as signifying that they shall be burnt alive. Now the first wife, we may safely presume, was completely innocent, and was legally married; for a man may take to wife the daughter if single, or the mother if a widoto, and in neither of these cases can any blame attach to the man or the party he marries; the crime therefore lies in taking both. Either, therefore, they were all branded as infamous persons, and this certainly was severe enough in the case of the first wife; or the man and the woman taken last were burnt: but the text says, both he and they; therefore we should seek for another interpretation of they shall be burnt tvith fire, than that which is commonly given. Branding with a hot iron would certainly accomplish every desirable end both for punishment and prevention of the crime; and because the Mosaic laws are so generally distinguished by huinanity, it seems to be necessary to limit the meaning of the words as above.
Verse 1(5. If a woman approach unto any beast] We have the authority of one of the most eminent
17 ' And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness, ills a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
18 y And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath ^ discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19 ^ And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: ^ for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
20 "^ And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his imcle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.
21'* And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is ^ an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
22 Ye shall therefore keep all my ^statutes.
and all my judgments, and do a. m. 2514. them: that the land, whither I An. Exod. isr. 2. bring you to dwell therein, s spue ^bib or Nisan. you not out.
23 ^ xind ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and ' therefore I abhorred them."
24 But ^ I have said unto you. Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the Lord your God, * which have separated you from other people.
25 ™ Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: ° and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that ° creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.
26 And ye shall be holy unto me: ''for I the Lord am holy, and 1 have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
27 "^ A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: ^ their blood shall be upon them.
historians in the world, Herodotus, to say that this was a crime not unknown in Egypt; yea, that a case of this nature actually took place while he was there. EyeveTo 6' ev t(j> vofiu tovtg) erf e/nev tovto to repag, TvvaiKi Tpayog efiiGjETo avadavSov. Tovto eq eiridEi^LV avdpu-uv a~iKE-o. — Herod, in Euterp., p. 108. Edit. Gale, Lond. 1679. " In this district, within my own recollection, this portentous business took place: a goat coupled so publicly with a woman that every person knew it, &c." After this, need we wonder that God should have made laws of this nature, when it appears these abominations were not only practised among the Egyptians, but were parts of a superstitious religious system 1 This one observation will account for many of those strange prohibitions which we find in the Mosaic law; others, the reasons of which are not so plain, we should see the propriety of equally, had we ampler historic records of the customs that existed in that country.
Verse 22. The land, ivhither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.] See this energetic prosopopoeia explained in the note on chap, xviii. 25. From this we learn that the cup cf the iniquities of the Canaanitish nations was full; and that, consistently with Divine justice, they could be no longer spared.
Verse 2i. A land that floweth tvith milk and honey] See this explained Exod. iii. 8.
Verse 27. A familiar spirit] A spirit or demon, which, by magical rites, is supposed to be bound to appear at the call of his employer. See the notes on Gen. xli. 8; Exod. vii. 11, 22, 25; and chap xix. 31.
From the accounts we have of the abominations both of Egypt and Canaan, we maj' blush for human nature; for wherever it is without cultivation, and without the revelation of God, it is every thing that is vile in principle and detestable in practice. Nor would any part of the habitable globe materially differ from Egypt and Canaan, had they not that rule of righteousness, the revealed law of God, and had not life and immortality been brought to light by the Gospel among them. From these accounts, for which we could easily find parallels in ancient Greece and Italy, we may see the absolute need of a Divine revelation, without which man, even in liis best estate, differs little from the brute.
The priests shall not mourn for the dead, except for near relatives, such as mother, father, son, daughter, and sister if a virgin, 1—4. They shall not shave their heads nor beards, nor make any cuttings in the flesh, hecause they are holy unto God, 5,6. A priest shall not mnrry a woman who is a whore, profane, or divorced from her husband, 7, 8. Of the priesfs daughter who prof anes herself, 9. The high priest shall not uncover his head, or rend his clothes, 1 0; nor go in unto a dead body, 1 1; nor go out of the sanctuary, 12. Of his marriage and offspring, 13—15. No person shall bemade a priest that has any blemish, nor shall any person with any of the blemishes mentioned here be permitted to officiate in the ivorship of God, 16-24.
them, ^ There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:
2 But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
3 And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.
4 But ^ he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.
5 '^ They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
6 They shall be holy unto their God, and
Verse 1. There shall none be defiled for the dead] No priest shall assist in laying out a dead body, or preparing it for interment. Any contact with the dead was supposed to be of a defiling nature, probably because putrefaction had then taken place; and animal putrefaction was ever held in detestation by all men.
Verse 4. A chief man among his people] The word Sj^3 baal signifies a master, chief husband, &c., and is as variously translated here. 1. He being a chief among the people, it would be improper to see him in such a state of humiliation as mourning for the dead necessarily implies. 2. Though a husband he shall not defile himself even for the death of a wife, because the anointing of his God is upon him. But the first sense appears to be the best.
Verse 5. They shall not make baldness] See the note on chap. xix. 27. It is supposed that these things were particularly prohibited, because used superstitiously by the Egyptian priests, who, according to Herodotus, shaved the whole body every third day, that there might be no uncleanness about them when they ministered in their temples. This appears to have a 578
^ not profane the name of their a. m. 2514. God: for the offerings of the An. Exod. isr! 2. Lord made by fire, and « the Abib or Nisan. bread of their God, they do offer; therefore they shall be holy.
7 ^ They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman ^ put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.
8 Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: ^ for I the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy.
9 ' And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
10 ''And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and ' that is consecrated to
been a general custom among the heathen. In the book of Baruch, chap. vi. 31, the priests of Babylon are represented sitting iji their temples, zvith their clothes rent, and their heads and beards shaven, and having nothing upon their heads. Every person knows the tonsure of the Catholic priests. Should not this be avoided as an approach to a heathenish custom 1
Put away from her husband] Because this very circumstance might lead to suspicion that the priest and the divorced woman might have been improperly connected before.
Verse 9. She shall be burnt tvith fire.] Probably not burnt alive, but strangled first, and then burnt afterward. Though it is barely possible that some kind of branding may be intended.
1 1 Neither shall he ^ go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;
12° Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for P the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord.
1 3 And 1 he shall take a wife in her virginity.
14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or a harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.
1 5 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for "^ I the Lord do sanctify him.
see the note on Gen. xiv. 18. As the chief or high priest was a representative of our blessed Lord, therefore he was required to be especially holy; and he is represented as God's king among the people.
Verse 12. The crown of the anointing oil — is upon him] By his office the priest represented Christ in his sacrificial character; by his anointing, the prophetic influence; and by the crown, the regal dignity of our
Verse 13. He shall take a wife in her virginity.] n'Sinn bethuleyha. This is a full proof that nSin:3 hethulah is the proper Hebrew term for a virgin; from the emphatic root ^r\1 bathal, to separate; because such a person was in her separate state, and had never been in any way united to man.
Verse 17. Whosoever — hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.] Never was a wiser, a more rational, and a more expedient law enacted relative to sacred matters. The man who ministers in holy things, who professes to be the interpreter of the will of God, should have nothing in his person nor in his manner which cannot contribute to render him respectable in the eyes of those to whom he ministers. If, on the contrary, he has any personal defect, any thing that may render him contemptible or despicable, his usefulness will be greatly injured, if not entirely prevented. If however a man have received any damage in the work of God, by persecution or otherwise, his scars are honourable, and will add to his respectability. But if he be received into the ministry with any of the blemishes specified here, he never will and never can have that respect which is essentially necessary to secure his usefulness. Let no man say this is a part of the Mosaic law, and we are not bound by it. It is an eternal law, founded on reason, propriety, common sense, and absolute necessity. The priest, the prophet, the Christian minister, is the representative of Jesus Christ; let nothing in his person, carriage, or doctrine, be unworthy of the personage he a
17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, Abib or Nisan. Whosoever he he of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not * approach to offer the ' bread of his God.
18 For whatsoever man he he that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing ** superfluous;
20 Or crook-backed, or ' a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or ^ hath his stones broken:
2 1 No man that hath a blemish, of the seed of Aaron the priest, shall come nigh to * offer
represents. A deformed person, though consummate in diplomatic wisdom, would never be employed as an ambassador by any enlightened court, if any fit person, unblemished, could possibly be procured.
Verse 18. A blind man] That is, in one eye; for he that was utterly blind could not possibly be employed in such a service. A flat nose, like that of an ape; so the best versions. Any thing superfluous, such as six fingers, six toes, &c.
Verse 20. Crook-backed] Hunch-backed or gibbous. A dwarf, pT dak, a person too short or too thin, so as to be either particularly observable, or ridiculous in his appearance.
A blemish in his eye] A protuberance on the eye, observable spots or suffusions.
Scurvy, or scabbed] A bad habit of body, evidenced by scorbutic or scrofulous affections.
Sto)ies broken] Is ruptured; an infirmity which would render him incapable of fulfilling the duties of his oflice, which might be often very fatiguing.
In the above list of blemishes we meet with some that might render the priest contemptible in the eyes of men, and be the means of leading them, not only to despise the man, but to despise the ministry itself; and we meet with others that would be a very great impediment in the discharge of his ministerial duties, and therefore any person thus blemished is by this law precluded from the ministry.
The blemishes here enumerated have been considered by some in an allegorical point of view, as if only referring to the necessity of moral purity; but although holiness of heart and j-ighteousness of life be essentially necessary in a minister of God, yet an absence of the defects mentioned above is, I fully believe, what God intends here, and for the reasons too which have been already advanced. It must however be
A. M. 2514. the offerings of the Lord made An. Exod. isr! 2. by fire: he hath a blemish; ho
22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the y most holy, and of the ^ holy.
23 Only he shall not go in unto the veil,
granted, that there have been some eminent divines wno have been deformed; and some with certain blemishes have been employed in the Christian ministry, and have been useful. The Mosaic rule, however, will admit of but few exceptions, when even examined according- to the more extended interpretation of the Christian system.
" The Hebrews say there are in all 120 blemishes which disable the priest — eight in the head, two in the neck, nine in the ears, five in the h'Oivs, seven in the eyelids, nineteen in the eyes, nine in the nose, nine in the mouth, three in the belly, three in the back, seven in the hands, sixteen in the secrets, eight in a7iy part of the body, eight in the skin, and seven in the strength and in the breath.''^ — Ainsworth. In ancient times, even among heathens, persons of the most respectable appearance were appointed to the priesthood; and the emperor, both among the ancient Greeks and Romans, was both king and priest. It is reported of Metellus, that, having lost an eye in endeavouring to save the Palladium from the flames, when the temple of Vesta was on fire, he was denied the priesthood, though he had rendered such an e.xcellent piece of service to the public; yet the public opinion was that a priest who was defective in any member was to be avoided as omitious. — See Dodd. " At Elis, in Greece, the judges chose the finest looking man to caixy the sacred vessels of the deity; he that was next to him in beauty and elegance led the ox; and the third in personal beauty, &c., carried the garlands, ribbons, wine, and the other matters used for the sacrifice." — Athen. Deipnosoph., 1. xiii., c. 2.
nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that ° he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them.
24 ^ And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel,
Formerly the Church of England was very cautious in admitting to her ministry those who had gross personal defects; but now we find the hump-backed, the jolt-headed, bandy-legged, club-footed, one-eyed, &c., priests even of her high places. Why do our prelates ordain such ]
Verse 23. He shall not go in unto the veil] The priest with a blemish was not permitted to enter into the holy of holies, nor to burn incense, nor to offer the shew-bread, nor to light the golden candlestick, &c. In short, he w-as not pei-mitted to perform any essential function of the priesthood.
1. The great perfection required in the Jewish high priest was intended principally to point out the perfection of that priesthood of which the Jewish was only the type. And yet, as the apostle assures us, that law made nothing perfect, but pointed out that most perfect priesthood and sacrifice by which we draw near to
2. As none who had a blemish could enter into the holy of holies, and this holy of holies was a type of the kingdom of God, so nothing that is defiled can enter into heaven; for he gave himself for his Church that he might purify it to himself, and present it at last before the presence of the Divine glory having neither spot nor ivrinkle, nor any such thing, Eph. v. 27; a passage which evidently refers to the directions in the preceding verse. Reader, art thou become a. king and priest unto God and the Lamb ] and hast thou obtained, or art thou earnestly seeking, that holiness without which thou canst not see the kingdom of heaven 1
Of the uncleanness of the priests, by lohich they were prevented from ministering in holy things, 1-5. How they should be cleansed, 6, 7. The priest must not eat of any animal that had died of itself, or tuas torn by wild beasts, but must keep God's ordinances, 8, 9. No stranger, sojourner, nor hired servant shall eat of the holy things, 10. A servant bought with money may eat of them, 11. Who of the priest's family may not eat of them, 12, 13. Of improper persons who partake of the holy things unknowingly, 14-16. Freewill-offerings, and sacrifices in general, must be ivithout blemish, 17-25. The age at ivhich different animals tvere to be offered to God, 26, 27. No animal and its young shall be offered on the same day, 28. How the sacrifice of thanksgiving ivas to be offered, 29, 30. All God's testimonies to be observed, and the reason, 31—33.
2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they '^ separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they '' profane not my holy name in those things which they " hallow unto me: lam the Lord.
3 Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed, among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things which the children of Israel hallow unto the Lord, ^ having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord.
4 What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath ^ a ^ running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things ^ until he be clean. And ^ whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or ' a man whose seed goeth from him;
5 Or '^ whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or ' a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath;
6 The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat
Verse 2. Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves^ The same subject is continued in this chapter as in the preceding, with this addition, that besides the perfection of the priests, it was indispensably necessary that the sacrifices also should be perfect. In the service of God, according to the law, neither an imperfect offering nor an imperfect offerer could be admitted. What need then of a mediator between a holy God and sinful men! And can we expect that any of our services, however sincere and well-intentioned, can be accepted, unless offered on that living Altar that sanctifies the gift ]
Verse 4. Is a leper, or hath a running issuel See the case of the leper treated at large in the notes on chapters xiii. and xiv.; and for other uncleannesses, see the notes on chap. xv.
Verse 10. There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing] For the meaning of the word stranger, see the note on Exod. xii. 43. The Jews suppose that stranger here means one who has had his ear pierced, (see the note on Exod. xxi. 6,) and that sojourner means a servant who is to go free on the Sabbatical year. Neither of these was permitted to eat of the holy things, because they were not properly members of the priest's family, and might go out and defile them-
7 And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because ^ it is his food.
8 ° That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the Lord.
9 They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, p lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the Lord do sanctify them.
10 1 There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.
1 1 But if tlie priest buy any soul "■ with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is bom in his house; * they shall eat of his meat.
12 If the priest's daughter also be married unto ' a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things.
13 But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is " returned unto her father's house, " as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof.
selves even with the abominations of the heathen; but the servant or slave that was bought with money, ver. 10, might eat of these things, because he was the property of the master for ever.
We see that it was lawful, under the Mosaic economy, to have slaves under certain restrictions; but these were taken from among the heathen, and instructed in the true religion: hence we find, as in the above case, that they were reckoned as a part of the priest^ s own family, and treated as such. They certainly had privileges which did not extend either to sojourners or to hired servants; therefore their situation was incomparably better than the situation of the slaves under different European governments, of whose souls their pitiless possessors in general take no care, while they themselves venture to profess the Christian religion, and quote the Mosaic law in vindication of their system of slavery. How preposterous is such conduct! and how intolerable!
Verse 13. But if the pries fs daughter be a widow— and is returned unto her father'' s house'] A wudow m Bengal not linfrequently returns to her father's house on the death of her husband: the union betwixt her and her own family is never so dissolved as among European nations. Thousands of widows in Bengal, whose husbands die before the consummation of marriage, never leave their parents. — Ward.
A. M. 2514. 14 "^ And if a man eat of the Aii.Exod.isr.'2. holy thing unwittingly, then he
iinto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing.
1 5 And ^ they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the Lord;
1 6 Or y suffer them ^ to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the Lord do sanctify them.
18 Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, ^Whatsoever he he of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill-offerings, which they will offer unto the Lord for a burnt-offering;
19 ^ Ye shall offer, at your own will, a male without blemish of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.
20 ■= But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
2 1 And ^ whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the Lord ® to accomplish
with the iniquity of trespass in their eating. ^ Ver. 9. ^ Chap,
Verse 14. Then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto W] The holy thing of which he has unknowingly eaten shall be fairly valued, and to this value he shall add one fifth more, and give the whole to the priest.
Verse 20. Whatsoever hath a blemish] The same perfection is required in the sacrifice that was required in the priest; see on ver. 2, and the notes on the preceding chapter.
Verse 23. That hath any thing superfluous or lacking] The term ^'nc sarua signifies any thing extended beyond the usual size, and the term £3lSp halut signifies any thing unusually contracted; and both mean any monstrosity, whether in redundance or defect. Such things, it seems, might be ofl^ered for a freewill-offering, because that was not prescribed by the law; God left it to a man's piety and gratitude to offer such additional gifts as he could: what the law required was indispensably necessary, because it pointed out the Gospel economy; but he that made a vow to offer such a sacrifice as the law had not required, could of course bring an imperfect offering. Some contend that the last clause of this verse should be thus read: If thou offer it either for a freewill-offering, or for a vow, it shall not be accepted. It was the 58?
his vow, or a freewill-offering in a. m. 2514 beeves or ^ sheep, it shall be An. Exod. isr. 2 perfect to be accepted; there Abib or Nisan. shall be no blemish therein.
22 ^ Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor make ^ an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the Lord.
23 Either a bullock or a ' lamb that hath any thing ^ superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill-offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
24 Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.
25 Neither ^ from a stranger's hand shall ye offer "^ the bread of your God of any of these; because their ^ corruption is in them, and blemishes he in them; they shall not be accepted for you.
27 ° When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the liORD.
opinion of the Jews, and it appears to be correct, that none of these imperfect animals were ever offered on the altar; but the person who made the freewill-offering of such things as he had, sold the animal, and gave its price for the support of the sanctuary.
Verse 24. Bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut] That is, no bullock or lamb that is injured in any of the above ways, shall be offered unto the Lord.
Verse 27. When a bullock — is brought forth] This is a most unfortunate as v/ell as absurd translation. The creature called an ox is a bull castrated; surely then a bullock was never yet brought forth! The original word "^W shor signifies a bull, a bullock, or indeed any thing of the 7ieat kind: here, even common sense required that it should be translated calf; and did 1 not hold myself sacredly bound to print the text of the common version with scrupulous exactness, I should translate the former clause of this verse thus, and so enter it into the text: When a calf, or a LAMB, or a KID is brought forth, instead of. When a bullock, a sheep, or a goat is brought forth, the absurdity of which is glaring.
29 And when ye will "" offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord, offer it at your own will.
30 On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave ^ none of it until the morrow: I am the Lord.
propriety of this precept it may be justly asserted, that the flesh of very young animals is comparatively innutritive, and that animal food is not sufficiently nourishing and wholesome till the animal has arrived at a certain growth, or acquired the perfection of its nature. There is something brutish in eating the young of beast or fowl before the hair and hoofs are perfect in the one, and the feathers and claws in the other. Before this period their flesh is not good for food. See the note on chap. ix. 1.
Verse 28. Ye shall not kill it and her young — m one day.] This precept was certainly intended to inculcate mercy and tenderness of heart; and so the Jews understood it. When it is necessary to take away the lives of innocent animals for the support of our own, we should do it in such a way as not to blunt our moral feelings; and deplore the necessity, while we feel an express gratitude to God for permission, to do it.
Verse 30. Leave none of it until the morroiv] See the note on chap. vii. 18.
Verse 32. Neither shall ye profane my holy name] God's name is profaned or rendered common when we
32 " Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but " I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the Lord which ^hal low you,
33 "^ That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.
treat his commands as we often do those of our fellows, when they do not appear to have self-interest to recommend them. He therefore profanes God's holy name who does not both implicitly believe and conscientiously obey all his words and all his precepts.
I luill be hallowed among the children of Israel] The words children of Israel., Sxiiy ''J3 beney Yishrael, which so frequently occur, should be translated either the descendants or posterity of Israel, or the people of Israel. The word children has a tendency to beget a false notion, especially in the minds of young people, and lead them to think that children, in the proper sense of the word, i. e., little ones,a.ie meant.
Verse 33. Brought you out of the land of Egypt] By such a series of miraculous interferences, to be your God — to save you from alL idolatry, false and superstitious tvorship, teach you the right way, lead and support you in it, and preserve you to my eternal kingdom and glory. God, infinite in his own perfections, has no need of his creatures; but they need him; and, as a source of endless felicity, he opens himself to all his intelligent offspring.