25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the moner in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lobd thy God shall choose:
26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lustcth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsocvor thy aool » deeireth: ' atxl thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,
27 And > the Levite that ts within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for ' he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
2S If lAt the end of three years, thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
29 ™ And the Levite, (hecauae "he natli no port nor inheritance with thee) and the Btranger,
tuagint and Tulgate translate it the (amdopard: but this Creature is only found in the torrid rone; and pririxib^ was never seen in Judea — conseqaently eoold never be prescribed as a clean animal, to be used as ordinary food. I must once more be permitted to any, that to ascertain the natural history of the Bible is a hopeless case. Of a few of its animals and vegetables wc are comparatively certain; but of the great majority we know aJmost nothing. GuessinK and conjecture are endless, and they have, on these subjects been sufficiently employed. What learning, deep, soIh), extensive learning and judgment could dt^ has already been done by the tncompai^le J7oeAar^ in his Hierozoicon. The learned reader may consul! this work, and while he gains much gencml Information, will tKtve to regret that he can apply so little of it to the main and grand question. As I have consulted every authority within my reach, on the subject of the clean and unclean animals^ mentioiwd in the law, and have detailed all the infonoalioo I eoold collect, ui my notes on Lev. xL I must refer myreaders to what I have there lud down.
Verse 13. Tike vuUure after hia kind] The word mo daah, is improperly translated ru/(ur«, Lev. xi. 14. but means a kite OT gUae. The word Tfi dayah, in this verse, is not only difierent from diat in Leviticus, but means also a different animal— ffoperly enough translated vxdture. See the note on Lev. xi. 14.
Verse 21. Tlum ehatt not etethe a kid in kU moAer'a milk] Wr. Calmet thinks that this precept refers to the paschal lamb only, which was not to be offered to God till It was weaaed frMB its mother;— but see the Dole on Exod. xxiii. 19.
Vene 22. Tfunt ehalt truly tiOu] Heaningthe second tithe, which they themselves were to eat, ver. 23. for there was iLjb-a tithe that was given to the LeMee; out of which they paid a tenth part to the priests, Nomb. xviii. 24 — 29. HoL z. 37, 36. Then of that which remained, the owners separated a second til/u, which they otc before the Lord, the ^rvf and Mconef year; and In the /Aln' year, it was given to the Levites and to the poor, DeuL xiv. 28, 29. In the fouHh and Jtfth yenn, it was eaten again by the owners, and in the eLrai year was given to the poor. The eeventh year was a sabbath to the land: and then all diings were common: Ezod. xxiii. 10, 11. where see tfao notes. And aee AfnsirorA on Oiis place.
Veise 26. Or for ttrong drink] What the eikera or strong drink of the Hebrews was, see in the note on LeviL X. 9. This oiw verse sufficiently shows, that the Mosaic law made ample nrovision for the comfort and happineaa of the people. Thttt^altr^oiee, thou and thiru.
and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and ^11 cat and be satisfied; that ' the Lord thv Ood may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
niBbbUlul jmiB( nlei«,I. Thp imnaiir in wfaich Ihii nliwir ■haJI ukiBlan. >— & (V IcivUnf ID the piur. utlUlcill^njlhin la whicli Ll AmlJ tw Joiw. B— II. Of Hii HcAirtw wtanl w>ii> hu vr«v1 nc yev^ mnl whu at^sU he diinuvl nil nsndDue >iih hi! nuuuT, LS-IA Of iSp fciilii«> of ihi asck ind henl, IS, 'A KacUnA riuUI otkrfi tJwt huuiy hl«mL«h|^lr Hk acrinn to be boui tba fl«Mi uij Ibc uiir-leBD, ueepl the tdoud, which is uew to be cubd, bui poiuvl «u upon thi frooml, 'H, S3.
2 And this is the manner of the release: Every icreditor that lendeth ouskt unto his neighbour shall release it; he ahaU not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord's release.
3 *' Of aforeigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother, thine hand shall release;
4 • Save when there shall be no poor among yoa: * for the Lord shall greatly bless thee, in the land which the Lord thy God gireth thee, far an inheritance to possess it:
5 Only "if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee
6 For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he » promised thee; and * thou shalt lend unto many
nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and ■ thou ■halt reign over many nations, but thej shall not reign over thee.
7 IT If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land, which the Lord thy Gi3d giveth thee, * thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor idiut thim hand from thy poor brother:
8 y But thou shalt open thine hand wide onto him, and shalt surety lend him sufficient for his need, tn thai which he wanteth.
9 Beware that there be not a ■ thought in thy * wicked heart, saying, The seventh yeiir, the year of release, is at nand: and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought^ and " he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
10 Thou shalt surely give him, and * thine
Verse 29. And the Levile, becaute he fuUh no part nor inlurUanee\ And hence much of hia support depended on the mere free-wiU-oSerings of (he people. God chose to make bis ministers thus dependent on the people, tliat they might be induced (amone other motives) to lu>our for dieir spiritual profiting; that the people thus blewed umier their ministry, might tbel it their duty end privile^ to support utd iwaet mem comfortable.
Vem I. At the end of every seren years thou Aalt make a reUase.] For on explanation of maiw OiingB recorded in this chapter, see the notes on Exooiu xu. uid xziii. and Leviticus xxv.
Verse 8. Tliou thatt open thine hand ivfde] l^y benevolence shall be in nroporti(m to his distress and pover^, and thy ability, iliou shalt have no other nue to reeulate thy chari^ by.
Verse 9. Beware mat Vure be ntrf a thought in thy videed Heart} ^rVa laaV Idiabca beliSl, thy bdial keart, that is, thy jeood-for-nothing, or unprofitable heart; see on cbsp. xiv. 13,
And thine eye be etit\ An evil eye ingniflea a covetous dlqKMitioii. See the same form of exm«sBioa,ufled by our LOTd, _in the same sense, MatL vi. 23. if thine eve be evil— i. e. if thou be a covetous person. Evil ev« is, by oar Xiocd, opjmsed to nnfile i»/e, i. e. a person of liberal, benevolent mind. Covetousness darkens the soul: liber- »Uw and bencTolenee enlighten it.
heart shall not be grieved when thou givest onto him: becanse that ' for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy wiH-ks, and in au that thou putteat thine hand unto.
11 For « the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thoa shall open thine -hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
12 TF A?td if tlw brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee, six years; then in the seventh ye^- thou shalt let him go free from thee.
13 And when thou sendest him oat free from thee, thou shalt not let him go awav empty:
14 Thou shalt furnish him IjberaUy out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress; o/'lA^ wherewith the Lord thy God hath ' blessed thee thou shalt give imto him.
15 And ^ thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Loan thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to-day.
16 And it shall be, > if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he levetn thee and thine house, because he is well with thee:
17 Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust if through his ear unto the door, and be shall be thy servant lor ever. And also unto thy maidservant thon ahalt do likewise.
18 It shall not seem hard unto thee, when then sendest him awav fVee from thee; for he hath been worth "a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years; and the Lobd thy God shall I iless thee in all that thou doesL
19 IT " All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto ths Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor with the firstling ^ thy sheep.
20 0 Thou shalt eat it before the Lord tbr God, year by year, in the place which the L<UD shall choose, thou and thy household.
21 p And if there be ar^ blemish therein, a* ^ it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, tbon shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy Goo.
22 Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: « the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike* as the roebuck, and as the hart.
23 ' Only thou shalt not eat the Mood thereof, thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.
lation to the poor and the oppressed, that ihey have a sots friend in Ood, who vril] bear their cry and redress dieir
Verse 11. the poor ^taU never eeaaeoitt^ the tati] To this passage our Lord appears to allude, Itarlt xiv. 7..fVr ye have tw poor with you alwage. God leaws ihase in mercy among men, to exercise the feelings of conqiMwon, tenderness, nwr^, Ae. And viihout occsskw afforded to enreise these, man would soon faocenaa Sum or a Inute.
Verse 13. Thou Aatt turf let kim gv tnem ewtptif] Because, during the time he served thee, lie made no pn^eitf for himself, having been always honest towards thee-~uiil now when he leaves thee, he has nothing to begin dM world with.
Verse 14. 7^ sftoif /umisA out ^ tkyjotk] Thou shalt give him tome catlU to breed with. Omt V thy Jtoor-~«>mt corn for meed and for bread. And out <r thy vinepreee — an adequate provision of wine, for pceaent
Verse20. TltmtehaU eat xi.'-Ut the placevMAA»hmd ehall chooee] TTiu* God in bis mercy made tbeir dtety and interest go hand in band. And in evMy am Ood acts Am with his creatures E well, therefore, might Satan a^DoA Job serve Ood for nougfati No I nor does God dniga Oat any man should.
Verse 21. {T Aere be any btmM] See the oMss «■ Lev.xziL20. Ood will have both a perfect pri•■^ and • perfect olfering.
naBBiAilf Abihto bt obii>TR>1, 1, til* baa of the panvnr snl of uniinmid (nDil.J— 0. Tin /m.l Hfi/.B-ti Tbtf»t.-t:if In'ttrn'vlr:t,l3—l\. AU IIm »ba u Bppfar bt&irv Uic I iorJ IhrW la (hf jmr, none lo ooiiie «inmT, each lo
thy God: for ' in the month of Abib, the Lord thy God brought thoe forth out of Egypt " by night.
2 Thou ehalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and *the herd, in the * idace which the Lord shall choose to place his name there.
3 " Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it: fleven days ehalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou earnest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day, when thou cameat forth out of the tand of Egypt, all the days of thy life.
4 ' And there ahall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; ■ neither ■hall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remeiin all night unto the morning.
5 ThoD mayest not ■sacrifice the passorer within any of thy gates, which the Lokd thy God giveth thee:
6 But at the place which the Lord thy God diall choose, to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at ** even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou earnest forth out of Egypt.
7 And thou shalt ' roast and eat ii ^ in the place which the Lord thy Gdd shall choose: and thou Bhalt turn in the morning and go unto thy tents.
8 days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and * on the seventh day shall be a ' solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.
9 IT 'Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from «ucA tiiae as thou begionest to put the sickle to the iwrh.
10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy QoA, with *■ a tribute of a freewillHstiering of tny hand, which thou shalt give vntothe LORD thy God, t according aa the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:
11 And ^thou shalt tejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and ihy daughter, arid thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite thatu within thy gates, and the stran-
y«rse 1. Kup the jiauover] A feast >o called, because tile soffBl that destrogred the fint-bom of the Esyptians, neing uie blood ot mt afipointed sacrifice sprinkua on the liDiels and door-poMs of the laraeliles' bouses, ixMHcforer TUBM and did aoi destroy any ot their firat-bcmi. See the notea cm Exod. xii. 2, &c.
Tone 3. Bread lUJIuifjoR] Because being baked without Uavsn it was unsavouiy, and put them in mind of ibeir afflictive boodase in EgyW.
Terse 11. Tlimi iXaUr^ouxl Hie oAriogs of the leraeUiea were to be eaten vilh lesttvity, communicated to their firienda with liberality, and bestowed on the poor with great seneronty, that they might partake with them in these ■acredrepast^ with joy before the Lord. To answer these views, it was necessary lo eat the flesh «4ule it was firesh, as in that climate putrefaction soon took place: theieforo they were commanded to let itothingreinBin until the momin^ ver. 4. Hiis cmsidention ia eufficient to account for the comnuutd here, without heving recourse to (hose moral and evai^elical reasons that are assigned by the learned and devout Mr. Ainsworth for the command. How beneficent, and cheerful is the design of this institution I Harmer, vol. i. p. 396.
Terse 16. Thrte Umu in a year] See Exod. xxiii. 14. where aU the Jewish feaau are exphined. See also Lerit. zxin. 34.
ger, and the fatherless, and the widow that are among vou, in the place which the Loan thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
12 1 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
13 T[ » Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, afler that thou haat gathered in thy " corn and thy wine:
14 And ° thou Ehalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fhtherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15 P Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God, in the place which the LoBD shall choose; because the Lord thv God shall bless thee in all thine increase, ana in alt the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
16 TT Three times inayear Bhallallthymales ap)>^ before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the mast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and ' they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
17 Every man ahcul give ■ as he is able, t according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
18 "Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord th^ God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
19 'Tnou shalt not wrest judgment; 'thou shidt not respect j>erson8, » neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the ' words of the righteous.
20 ■ That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest ' live, aibd inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
21 11 ''Thou shall not plant thee a grove of any trees, near unto the altar of the Lobd thy God, ivfLi'ch tiiL>u ijhult make tiiee,
AO >-i. riilm Id U. wUIkdI UhMiJi, I- tmn axir.L lad of Idohtrr ud ibrir '-rn. nl, rnnk-ull maim in |ulf<n>nit tij Ik l-iij bcfon Iht priHI
Terse 18. Judges and qfflcers shall Ihou make^ JVDOxa, laiaonr shopheteem, among the Hebrews^ were probably the same ^oarmagistraUg, or JuaU^m the pma. Orpicaas, D'"tf3» ahotereem, seam to have been the same as our inquest, terjeanU, beadlea, &c. whose office it was to go into houses, shops, &c. and examine veigkU, meamrea, and the civil eonduut of the people. When they found any thing amiss, ihcr brought uw person oflending before ilie magiatrate, and he was punished the o^er on the spot. They eeem also lo have acted as heralds in the army, eoap. XX. S. See also Rab. Maimon id aanhedrin. In China fiw all minor oflences, the person, when found guilty, is punished on the spot, in the presence of the magistrate OT mandarin of justice.
Terse 21. Tlwu snalt itot plant thee a grote, Ac] We have already seen that rroeea were planted about idol temples, for die purposes of the obscene worship performed in them. See oDco. xii. 1. On this account, Cioa would have no groves or thickets about his altar: imit there might be no room fiir suspicion that any thine contrary t« the strictest purity was tiwuacled there. E^ery part of the divine, worship waa publidy performed for the purpose of general edificauoo.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XVU." Terse 1. Wkerin u blemiA'\ Qod must not have that offered to him, which thou wouldest not use tfajreelf. lliiB not only refen to the perfect sacciSce vftenA by Christ Ml
' sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evil-lhvourednesa: lor this is on abomination unto the Loud thy God.
2 Tf « If there be found amoog you, withm any of lay gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickednesB in the sight of the Lobd thy God, ''in transgressing his covenant,
3 And hatn gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either ■ the sun, or moon, or any oi^ tne host of heaven, ^ which I have not commanded:
4 > And it he told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and inquired diligently, aod behold, it be true, and the thing certaui, thia such abimiiDation is wrought in Israel:
5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked tiuag, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
6 " At the mouth of two witneeaes, or three witoesses, shall he that is worthy of death be
Eut to death; but at the mouth of one witness e shall not be put to death.
7 " The hands of the witnesses shall be first npon him to pat him to death, and ailerward the hands of all the people. So >■ thou shalt put the evil awny from among yon. /
8 IT 1 1f there arise a matter too hard for thee ia judgmeot, ' between blood and blood, between plea and plea, between stroke and stroke, beir^ matters oT controversy within th^ gates: then shalt thou arise, ' and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose;
9 And t thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and ■ unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inauire; " and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment:
10 And thou ahalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Load
JudB, but to tliat sincerity and upri^tnea of heart, which God requiroa in all those who approach him in (he way of worship.
Verae 4. ^ it be told tkee] In a private way by any ctmfidenlial peraon. And thou, host Keard of it— «o thatit ■ppaara to be notorious, very likely lo be tme, and publicly ■eandalous. And hast inquired ^tgenify-~»oa^tU)GtA out the truth of the report, by the moat careful examinar tion of persons reporting, eircanutancea of the ease, &c. And behold it is true — uie report is not founded on va^ue nimoar, hearsay, or malice. And the thing ia certain— aufaatantieted by the fullest evidence. TTien thali thmt bring Jortk the nan — ver. 6. As the char^ of idolatry was the most solemn and awfiil that coum be brouefat waaM an Inaelita, because it affected his l^e, there£re God required that ate charge ahoald be wubHantiated by the most unequivocal ftet^ and the moat ecnnpetent witnesses. Hence all the preesutioiw mentioned jn the feurdi verse, must be carefully used in order to arrive at so affeetiiu' and so awful a truth.
Verae 6. Too mtnaseg\ 0?ne mieht be deeeived, or pnjwiliced, or malicious — therefore God required tvo sob- ■taotial wiUMBOS for the support of the «luu^.
Terse 6. then arite a matter too hard far thee] These direenotn are given to the common magitiratea, who might not be able to judge of, or applythe law in all cases that might be brought before them, l^e priests and Levites, who were lawyers by birth and continual practice, were reasonably coiisiaend as the best qualified to decide on difficult points.
Terse 12. Tfu man that wiil doprttumptaouHyl The man who refused to abide 1^ this final determination forfinled hie life, as being then m a state of re&efSon against the highest authority; and consequently, the pidilic could have no pledge for bis conduct
Verse 15. One from among tky brethren shall thou »et king oter 2&ee] It was on the ground of this commuid that the Jews proposed that instdioos question to our Lord, I» it tavifid to give ttibuU to CiBtar.OR IfOt Hau. Hit. 17. ftv mSr mn then under uie anlboritf of a
sliiUI choose, shall show thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:
11 According to the sentenceofthe law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which thev shall tell tbee, thon ahalt do: thou shnlt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right barwl, nor to the left.
12 And * the man that will do presumptuously, ' and will not hearken imto the priest, r that standeth to minister there, before the Lobd thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and * thou shalt put away the evil from IsrseL
13 ■ And all tiie people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
14 If When thou art come into the land which the Lord tlty God giveth thee, and ehalt possess it, and shatt dwell therein, and dialt sa/, ^ I will set a king over me, iike as all the nations that are about me;
15 Thou shcdt in any wise set Aim king over thee, "whom the Lord thy God shall cnoose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
16 But he shall not multiply * horses to himselT. nor cause the people ' to return to E^^ypt, to the end that he should midtipty horses: Rirasmoch as « the Lord hath said unto you, * Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that I his heart torn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
18 ^ And it shall be, when he aitt'eth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of ■ tktxt wAtcA is before the priests the Levites:
19 And " it shall be with him, and he dutH read therein all the days of his Itfe: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
foreign power. Had Christ said, Vcr: tbea thnr vooU nave condemned him by this law. Had he said, Noi Iben they would have accused him to Ossar. See this mbjeet discussed iu great detail, in the notes on fifatt izii. 16, Ac
Terse 16. lie thcdl not multij^y hor»e»\ As horwt* ap. pear to have been generally fumished by Egypt, God pronibits these, 1. Lest there AmAd be such commeice with E^pt aa nu^t lead 10 idolatiy. 2. Lest the petHdenri^ depend on a well-t^pointed cowry as a neons of seetmly, and so cease from trusting in the strength and prooeetira of Ood. And 3. That they might not be tempted to extend their dominion by means of cavalry, and so get scattered among the surrounding idolatroos natioas, and ihns cease, in process of time, to be that diaUnct and separate pemle which God intended ihey should be; and without whidi die propheeiea relative to the MessiBh, could not be known to nave dieir doe and foil aecompIMimenr.
Verse 17. Neither ekall he multiptv wivea] For this would necessarily lead to foreign atttaneeB, and be ihe means of introducing the mannert and cttatoms of other nations; and their iMo/ry also. Solomdn sinned agahxt this precept and brou^t ruin on hsoself and on dw land by iL See I Kiiws zi. 4.
Terse 18. fle sftoU miUefttm a ctmr^dUs law] nm ■nttin rrnnn Mithnehha-torakhaxxoAtm iteration at AtpHeote of thia lav — translated by the Septnagini, m iemf^ roiiww T»vn, T%i4 Deuteronvmy. Prom thia version, bed) the Tulgate Latin, and all the modem versions have akea the name of this book. And from the original word, the Jews call it AfiaAneA. See the Pr^aee to thia book.
Out ^ that whidi is before the prietta the LeviUa\ It is likely diis meana^ that (be copy \rfiich the king was 10 write out, was to be taken from the autograph in the tabernacle before the Lord: frOm which, as a Btandsjd, every copy was taken; and with which, doubtlesa, every transcript was compared: and it is probable^' that the prMs and the Levites had the revising of every copy th^ ws* taken off; in order to prevent errois frnn ereeph^f iaSa die sacred text.
20 That hia haart be not lifted up above his brethren, and he ■ turn not anae from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his ikingdom, he, and liu children, in the midst of
*m^^ npHE prieats the Levitee, and all the r~^Z~ X tribe of Levi, ° ehall have no part nor inheritance with Israetj they i> shall eat the oSeringB of the Lobs made by fire, and his inheritance.
S Therefore dull tbev have no jpheritance among their brethren: the Losn is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
3 II And this shall be the priest's due from the peo{Me, from them that offer a sacrilice, whether %t be ox or aheep; and ^ they diall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cKeelu, and the maw.
4 ' The first'lruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the drst of the fleece of thy ■heep, shalt thou give him.
5 For * the Lord thy God l^h chosen him out of all thy tribes. ' to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, nim and his sons for ever.
6 H" And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he " sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind 'unto the place which the Lord shall choose;
surest way to faring the king to an acquaintance with the divine lav, to oblige himtovrite outanircopy of it, with hia own h&nd, in which he wu to read daily. This woa eswntially aeoessary, aa these lawe of God were all pei^ manent, and no laraelitiah king could make any new law. Titt kings of this people being ever conaidered as only the ti^g-ertnta of Jehovim.
'Verse 20. Ha, and kio chitdren, in Ae midst qf Irrael] From, this verse it has been inferred that tihe crown in Israsl waa designed to be hertdilary, and this ia very probable I fiir long experience haa proved, to almost ul the nations of the world, that kercdiiary suece»»ion in the
3;a] government is, on the whole, the aaieet, and best cuwed to Mcure the public tranquillity.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XVin. Verse }. The pritaU the Lwite»—Aaa hate nojiari] Timx it, nys Rob. Uaimon, they shall hsve no port lo tho tpoiU taken from an enemy.
Terse 2. "Hit Lord is th^r inkeritance\ He is the portion of their Boula; and as to their bodies, they shall live by the offerings of the Lord nude fay lire, i. e. the meat' ^ferinif, the sin-ofertng, and the treieptue-^tring. And whatever was the LonPs right in these or other offerings, he gave to the prieats.
Verses. Qferaaaer^ke] nsny^nsi Zobathet/haxebath. "nie word nat xabath, a used, not only to sifnify an animal sacrificed to the Lord, but also one killed for eommm use: see Qea. zliii. 15. Prov. xvii. 1. Ezek. zxv. 6. And in this latter sense it probably ahould be understood here; and cortsequestly, that the command in this verae relates to what thepeopte were to allow the prieats and Levites, from the animala slaai for common use. Hie porta to be ghren to tbe priests wan, I. Tb» ahouider, probsUy cut off from the beast, with tbe dcin on; «q Mattnonida.
Verse 4. TTu fira^fntU also 0^ thy com, qf thy witu, and Iff thine oil, &&] AJl these j^s/;^ito waafiratlinga were |be Lord's portaon. and these he gave to tho priests.
Verse Bl Hu taU qfhia pa/rtmo»y!j So we find, that thoi;^rii the Levites might have no port of the land 1:^ lot, yet they were permitted to make purchases of houae^ goods, and c&ttle — ^yea, of fields also. See the ' case of UnaihsLr, 1 Kings ii. 26. and of Jeremiah, Jer. zxzii. 7, 8.
Verse 10. To pan thnmgh the Jire} Probably in the way of consecration to Moloch, or some other dei^. It is not lifcely that their being burnt to death is here intended. Bee OB Xsv. xviii. 2L
7 Then he shall (nixuBter in the name of the LoBD his God, * as all his brethren the Levitea do, which stand there before the Lobd.
8 They shall have like ■ portions to eat, beside ' that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.
9 J[ When thou art come into the land whiui the Lobd thy Qod f iveth thee, ' thou shalt not learo todo alter the abominations of thoK nations.
10 There ehall not be found among you aw^ one that maketh his son or his daughter ' to pass throughthe fire, ^or that usetb divination, oraa observer of times, or an enchuitor, or a witch,
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Loan: and ■because of these ^mioatioiui the Loan thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13 Thou shalt he ''perfect with the Lord thy
14 For these nations, which thou shalt r possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and imto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy G(>d hath not suflered thee so to do,
15 TF The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.
16 According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb < in the day of the assembly, saying, ^ Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17 And the Lord said unto me, > They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
IHvinatian\ ovep Koatm, keaamtem, one who endeavours to find out fiituniy by au^n'es, using lota, Ac.
Obeerver qf limea] ppo Meonen, one who pretends to foretell future events by present occurrences; and who predicts great political or physical changes from the aspects of planets, eclipses, motion of tbe cUmda, &c. Slc See on uen. xli. 9.
EiuAaiUer] »K0 MenacheAf from fMc&osA, to vteis aUenlitely, one who inspected tbe entrails ot beaals, obseiVed tbe Agfat of t»rd% etc. Ae. and drew auguries thence. Some think divination by aarperda is mewt^ which was common among the heathen.
A vrUck] tp/so MccaaKtph, probably thoee who by means of drugs, herbs, perfumes, dbc. pretended to bring certain oelealial inSuences to their aid. See the note on Lev. xix. 26.
Verse 11. Aiharmer\ tan -en C%oA«r cAoAer, one whs uses speUf— s peculiar conjuncfton, as the term implies of wordis or thmgs, tying knots, Ac. for the purposes <n divination. Tliie was a custom among tbe heathen, as ve leom from the following verses:
A eonauUer with familiar spirUt] 3m htm Shotl oft, a Pythoitess, one who inmiirea by tbe means of one spirit to get oracular answers from another of a supwior onier. See on Lev. xtx. 31.
A vizard] "•iyv Yldeoni, a wise one, a knowing one. Wizard was formerly considered as die masculine of wiUA, both practising divination by similar means. Sea tbe notes on Ezod. xxii. 18. l.ev. ziz. 31.
Or a necromancer] B>non r>i DoreA el fta-mdtm, one vba aeeke from, or inquirea of, the dead. Sudt as the witch at Endor, who profassed lo evoke tho dead, ia order to get them to disclose the secrets of tbe qririnwl world.
Verse 15. Hie Lord thy God wiU raiae up unto thee a Proph^ Instead of diviners, obaervera q/" tiraea, Ac Ood here promises to give them an ir^faUibU guide, who should tell them all thugs that make for their peace; so that his declarations ihould completely answer the end of all tbe knowledge that was pretended to be gained by the persons already specified.
18 " I wiilraise them tip a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and "will put my words in hiB mouth; "and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19 p And it shall come to pass, that whOBOever will not hearken unto my words which he ehali speak in my name, I wilt require it of him.
20 H But 1 the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to epcak, or ' that shall apeak in the name of other pods, even that prophet flhall (lie.
21 IF And if thou say in thme heart, How shall we know the word which the Lobd hath not spoken?
22 • When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, ' if the thin^ follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thin^ which the Lord bath xiot spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it "pre- Bumptaously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Thna ciiis at ntafF to be uppiuiuil in th« nudn of lbs pnuiard Uod; Um lud teliii<li<HsillniDi)impvu.iriiT itialKpUccd In Mdi, lo wfaidi > pniia' wit to mbt pRparal. 1-^ In vhaL aaemoC muKlBucliur Iha bmrfilor tlKBC eillii
vv cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou * succeedest them, and dwelLeat in their cities, and in their houses;
This prophet ia the Lord Jesus, who waa in the bosom of the Father, and who came to dedare him to mankind. Every word spoketi by him, is a living, infallible oracle from God himself ana must be received and obeyed aa such, on pain of the eternal displeasure of the Almi^ty. See ver. 19. and Acts iii. 2^ 23. and Me ibe oonchinon of this chapter.
Verse 22. At thing follov) not] It is worthy gf remark, that the prophets in ^neral precUcted those thines irhich were shorlly to come to pass, that the people mimt h&ve the fullest proof of their divine misnon; and of the existence of OotTs providence in the administration of the ofiiiirB of men.
The promise contained in the ISih and 18th verses of this chapter has long been considered of the first importance in the controversies between the Christiaiu and Jewit. Christ, says Mr. Ainsworth, was to be a man, and of the stock of the Jews by promise, because the people could not endure to hear the voice of (Jon, ver. 16. And OS ii was in respect of his prophecy, so of the priesthood; Jar every his^h priest w taken from among men, Heb. V. 1. and of hia kingdom, as in Deut. xvii. 16. From among thy brethren Sialt thoutel a king over Viet Hkeunlo nte.
for it 13 written, There arose not a prophet in Israel like unto Mosea, whom the Lord kntw face to face, in all the ngna and leondera wliich the Jjord tint him to do; Deut. xxxiv. 10, 11, 12. Tliis therefore cannot be understood of the ordinary prophets, whith were raised up in Itrael, but of Christ only, as the apostles exi>ound it; ActsiL 22 — 26. 2. Christ wai like unto Moae» in respect to his office of mediation between God atid his people, Deut. v. S. 1 Tim. ii. 5. but greater than Mosea, as t»ine the mediator of a belter eocenant (or testament) uhtdi wat eatabliahed upon belter promiaes, Heb. viii. 6. 3. Chriat was like unto Moses in excelleneyi for aa Mosea excelled all the prophets, in speaking to God mouth to mouth, Numb. xii. ^ 7, 8. so Christ excelled him and all men, in that, beiiig tn the botom qf &ie f\tiher, he hath come down from heaven, and hath declared Ood unto us, John i. 18. and iii. 13. 4. Christ was like to Moees in faii/\fulneaa, btit (herein also excellins: for Motes was faithful in uod' s house a« a aervantj^Ml f^riat as Oie son over hia own housf, Heb. iii. 2, 5, 6. 5. Christ was like to Moses in si^ns and wonders, wherein he alao excelled Atiaes, as the history of the Gospel shows. For he was a pn^et migkti/ ia detd and loord bt^re Ood mui alt
2 * Thoa shah separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.
3 Thou ahalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coast of thy land, which the Lc«d thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee tnither.
4 IT And ' this w the case of the slayer^faidi shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoao killeth his neighbour ignorautly, wbom he hated not 'in time past;
5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his haod ftteheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree. and the ■ head slippeth from the ^ helve, ana ' lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he 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 was not worthy of death, inasmuch as ho hated him not ' in time past.
7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Then shalt separate three cities for thee.
8 Ana if the Lono thy Ood ' enlarge tfay 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 Ood, and to walk ever in his ways; ^ then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:
Iht peopU, Luke zxiv. 19. A man approved ^ Gad tmong them, by miradts, Hgns, and teonden, viiiek God did by Him in the midst qf them, Acts ii. 22l For he did among them, the works mich no lOktr man did, John XV. 24. I7n/o.ftim— that is, not unto the divinci^ wizards, or any sticb like, but unto him, and him onK— as, £Rm thou shalt serve, Deut. vi. 13. is ezpouitded. Htm fmUh Matt. iv. 10. And thourii this is principally meant of 3hrist in i>er«im, of whom God said, Hear him. Matt. xvii. 6. yet it implies also his ministers, as himself said, He Otathear^ you, heareth ms, Ltdce x. 16. To these may be added, 6. As Moses wa« king amon^ fats peopU^ in this respect Chriat ia like to him, but infinitely greater, for he ia King of kings, and Lord of lords, Rev. xix. 16. 1 Tim. V. IS. And 7. He was like to Hoses as a legislator, Moses gave laws to Israel by the audumty and commandment of God, which the Jews have ever acknowledged as coming from the immediaie ingaiatiaa at the Almighty: these are contained in the FeoMteath. Christ gave a new law, the Gospel contained in the fo«r evangeUata and Acts of the Apostles, on which the Christian church is founded, aiid hj which all genuine CSiristians are Eovemedjboth in heart and life. To all which may be added, 8. That God never commiasiooed any human beings to give laws to mankind, Uit Moees sod Christ) and therefore, as a laweiver, Chriat alone naembles Koses; text, to the present nour, none but tbetbaehna have given laws in the name of Qod^ which he baa ratified and confirmed by the moat indtUntshlc and iafidhfab signs, proofs, and miracles."
Dr. Jorlin, in his Remarks on Boeltsiaslical HiUory, hits drawn a parellel between MoMs and Christ, in a ereat. number of particulars, which he concludes ibua: '* Let us aearch all the records of universal hiatmy, and see if we can find a man who waa so Uks to Msses aa Chrat was, and so like to Christ as Moses was. If we cannot find such a one, then have we found HIM, of wbom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, to be JeMS of Nazareth, the Son of God." On this sulwct see Ainsworth, Calmet and Dodd, who have all mlmd das striking correspondenGe between Moses and ChriM.
Verse 3. Thau shalt prepare tkes a vay] Jews inform us^ that the roads tp the cities of refuge wenwds very broad, thirty-two culuta; and even, ao that ibsft should be no impedimenta in the way; and oOBSlSBdy, keM in good repair.
JO That innocent blood be not Bhed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee /or an iDheritance, and ao blood be upon thee.
11 If But 1 if any man hate hia neighboar, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and •mite him ^ mortaJly that he die, and fleeth into one of theee cities:
12 Then the elders of his cit;^ shall send and fetch him tiienoe, and dellTer him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13 > Thine eye shall not {Hty him, " but thou shalt put away thg guilt of innocent blood from laraeLthat it may eo well with thee.
14 T * Thou shalt not remove thy nei^hboar'a landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou ahalt inherit in the land that the LosD thy God giveth thee to pOMess it.
15 ^ " witness shall not rise up against a man for any ioiquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, OT at the mouth of three wilnessea, shall the matter be est^rfiahed.
16 IT If a false witness v riae up afainat any man to testify against him vtAaficAicAu wrong:
17 Then Both, the men. between whom the oontroversir ia, shall stand before the Lord, ' before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those davs;
18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness a fwie witnees, aaii hath testified laUely against hia brother;
19 ■ Then shall ye do unto him, as he bad thought to tmve done unto his brother: so t shalt thou put the evil awa^ from among von.
20 " And those whidi remain snail hear, and
oAerwtu^ found oeceuaiy, and Bccordtogly, six eitiei were wpointed, diree on either lide Jordiui. See Joah. XX. 1, occ la iniiuuioii of theM cities of refuge, the heatbena had tbeir omto, and the CatboUu their wivi- Ugad dOan. Sw ExOcL xxL 13, 14. sad on numb. xxzT. 6) Ac
Tern II. If any man hate Mm nst^ftbour] See on Exod. xxi. 13.
Verse 14. Tlioti ilialt not remove thy netghhour't landmark] Before the extensive use of fences, loaded proper^ was marked out by ttom» or j>ooU, set up so u to ascertain the divisions of bmity estates. It was easy to remove one of these tandnmrka, and nt it in a' (u^ent piaoe; and thus die dishonest man enlaned his own •■tate by contracting that of hia nei^bour. The Urmini, or landmarks, among the HonMUii^ were beU very saered, aDd were at last deinod.
To these Urmini, Nona Pemialhia commanded offerings of broth, cakes, ud first-froits^ to be made. And Ovid informs us, that it was customary to sacrifice afomfr ■ft them, and sprinkle them with its blood.
And from Tibulhis it a[^>ears, that they somatimsa adorned them widi flowers and garlands.
la the diseats there is a vague law, de ttrmino mate, Digeator, lio. xlvii. Tit. 21. on which Calmet remarks, that though the Romans had no determined punishment lar Aoae who removed llie aneieat landmans: vM, if •loacs were Caond to have done it with an evil oangn, tkey were put to death; that persons of quality were tWrtiroti exiled, when fsuod guiltyi and that odien MS snteneed to Mcunia^ finasL or eorporaj punishment Voi-L-61
fear, and ahal] henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
21 ' And thine eye shall not pity; but 'life shall go for lile. eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for fooL
WHEN thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest
■ horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lohd thy God it f with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt
2 And it shall oe, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priests shall approach and speak unto the people,
3 And shall say unto them. Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enenuea: let not your hearts * faint, fear not, and do not ■ tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
4 For the Lord your God ia he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to aave-you.
5 If And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man ia there that hath built a new house, and hath not ' dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
Verse 19. TlienMhatt ye do unto him, a» he had thought to have done unto hia orother] Nothing can be mora equitable or proper than this^ that if a man endeavour to do any injuiy to, or take away the life of anodier, on detection, he shall be caused to undergo the same e^ which ho intended for hia innocent nei^htMur.
Some of our excellent English laws have been made on diis very Ground. In the 37th of Edw. III. ch. 1& it is ordained, that all those who make su»estion, shall incur the same pain which tho other should iM^-e had, if he were attainted, in case his auneatiODa be found evil. A similsr law was made on the^Sih of ibe same reign, ch. 9. By a law of the 12 Ttblea, a Mse witnesi waa thrown down the Tarpeian rock. In dunt fiUse wilneaaaa have been execrated 1^ all nations.
Verse 21. Ltfo—for life, eye for eye, Ac.] TTie operation of such a law as this must have been v«v salutary. If a man inrized his own inemben^ he would naturally avtrid injuriu^ those of odiers. It is a pity that this law were not still in force; it would certainly prevent many of those savage acta which now both disgrace and injure Booie^.
Verse 1. n^Un thou goeat out to home] This refers chiefly to the battles diey were to have widi the Canaanilea, in order to ijet possession of the promised land: for it eannot be eonadeved 10 ai^lv to any wars which ihey might have with the surrounding nations, for political reasons; as the divine asnstance could not be expected in wars, which were not undertaken by the divine command.
Verse 2. The prUtta ahall approach, and apeak unto tha people] The priest, on these occasions, was the representative of that Ood whose servant he was, and whose worship he conducted. It is remarkable diat almost all ancient nations took their priests with (hem to bottle, as they did not expect success without having the object of their adoration widi them; and they supposed they secartd his presence, bv having that of his representative.
Verse B. Thai Aom built a a«u> hauae, and hath not. dedicated U.] From the title of Psal. ixx.—Apaatmor aongat^detUeationqflhahouae^ David — itisevident that it was a custom in Israel to oedictiie a new hmise to God, with praver, praise, and thanksgiving; and ihis was done in Otder io seeurt! ihr divine presence blessing |
6 And what man is he that hath ^ntsd a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten ofitl lethim also go and rcrarn unto his house, lest he die in the bLittle, and another man eat of it.
7 • And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her 1 let him go and return unio his houne, leat he die in the battle, and another man take her.
8 And the oSicera shall epeak further unto the people, and they shall say, ^ What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted 1 let him
fo and return unto his house, lest his brethren's eart < faint, as well as his heart.
9 And it shall be, when the oBicershave made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make obtains of the armies to lead the people.
10 ^ When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, > then proclaim peEU^Q unto it.
11 And it shall be, if it make thee anBwe^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 shaU serve thee.
12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou Bhalt besieffe it:
13 And when the Lord thy God hath deUrered it into thine hands, ^ thou shall smile every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
for DO jMous or aeniible nMa could imagine he could dwell ■B&ly in a house that was aot under the immediaie proteotion of God. Hence it has been a custom in the moit WlxurouB nations to consMtate a part of a new house to dte deity they vorrfiipped.
The nouses of the inhalrilanU of Btmny, in Africa, are generally divided into three apartments: one is a kind of 0tate room, or parlour; another servos for a common room, or kitchen; and ihe diird is dedicated to the Juju, the serpent god, which ihey worship: for even those savages believe, that in ever? nouse their god should have bis temple I At fhe times oi dedication among the Jews, besides prayer and praise, a feul was made, to which the relatives and neighbours were invited. Something of this custom is observed in some parts of our own country, in what is called warming Qie house: but, in these cases, the feaating only is kept up — the prayer and proisB forgotten! so that the dedication appears to be rather more to Bacchus, tbao to Jdiovah, the author <tf every good and perfect gift.
Terse 7. Betrothed a and hoik not taken A^r.] It was customary among the Jews to contract matrimony, espouse or betroth, and for some considerable time to leave the parties in tlie housn of their respective parents: when the Dridegroom had mode proper pre]>arations, then the bride waabrouglit home to his house, and thus the marria^ was consummated. 'Hie provisions in this verse nwr to a ease of tltia kind: for it was deemed an excesnve hardship for a person to be obliged to go to battle, where there was a probability of his bemg slain, who had left a new house unfinished: a newly-purchased heritage half tilled, or a wife with whom he had just contracted marria^ Homer repreaeitu the ease of Protesilatis as very afflicting, who was obliged to go to the Tn^n war, leaving his wife in the deepest distress, and his house unfinished.
Verse 8. Wiiai man is there that it^ficarful and fainihearUd?] The original i-i roc, signifies tetuhr, or nofihearttd. And a ao/l heart ilic man must have, who jn each a contest, after such a uermission, could turn his back upon his enemies, and on his brethren. However, such were the troops cominuided by Gideon, in his war against die Midianites; for, after he gave diis permission, out of 32,000 men, only 10,000 remained to tighu JndKes vii. 3. There could be no deception in a business of uiis kindj for the departure of the 23,000 was the fullest proof of tb^ daatinllinesi which th^ ooukl possUdy give,
14 But the women, and the little ones, and ithe cattle, and aJl that is in the city, even bU the spoil thereof, shalt thou take anto thyselT; and " thou shalt ebt the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy Giod hath given thee.
15 Thus shalt thoa do onto Ml the cities wAtch are very far off from ihee, which are not of the cities or these nations.
16 IT But * of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee firr an in* heritance, thou shalt save alive Dothing ttuU breathe th:
17 But thon shalt utterly destroy (heDn: namt' ly, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaaoites, and the Perizzites, the Htvites, and the J»- buBites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded
18 That p they teach you not to do after tSi their abominations, which they bav* done unte their gods; so should ye i sin against the Lord
19 1J When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take jt^ thoa shalt not destroy the trees therec^bf forcing an axe aeainst them: for thoa mayest eat t^ tnies, and tnou shalt not cut them down (' for the tree of the field is man's Uffs) ■ to employ them hi the siege:
greatly divided concerning the objects of this law. TTie text, taken in connexion with the context, see verses IB. appears to state, that this proclamation, or offer of peace to a ci^, is mdy to be understood of those citieB which were situated heyond As Hmiit ^ Ou seMit anathematized natim*, because these latter are conowaded to bs totally destroyed. Nothing can be clearer than dus from the bare letter <if the texty unless some of the vortk, taken separately, can be showed to have a different meaning. For the common interpretation, the following nasoes are given:
Ood, who knows all things, saw that they were incurable in their idolatry) that the cup of their iniquity was full; and as their Creator, Sovereign, and Judgv, be determined to destroy them from off the face of the earth, " lest they should teach the Inaelites to do after all ibeir abomination^" ver. IS. Aher all, many plausible argameots have been brought to prove that even these sevea Canaaoitish nations might be received into mer^, provided, let. Tliev renounced their idolauy; 2dlr, Became subject to the Jewsi and 3dly, Paid, annual tribuia: and that it was only in case that these terms were rejected, that they were to leave alive, in such a city, nothing thai breathed, ver. 16.
Verse 17. BiU thou sAoU uUerlv dtatroy Ouam] TLe above reaaoaing vUl gain considerable strensth, provitfaA we could translate esiinn o-irm >3 Id haekarem ltdn rhnrni, thou thaU vitaiy wbduc them — slaviiiv them, if ihey resist, and thus leaving noibiog alive that breaUwd t or totally expel thmjrom the land, or reduce th«D to a state of slavery in it, that they mi^t no longer axist as a people, "nils certainly made them an anaaima as a w- <ion, wholly dsstrcying their poHtiatt existence. PrtAa- Uy this vas so tinderstood by tiie GHuomitas, via. that they eimer must be slain, or utterly leave the land, whk^ tast was certainly in their power i uid, therefore, by a stramvem, ihey got the princes of Israel to make a league with tbem. When the deceit was discovered, the Israelites, (hough ooc bound by their oath, because they were deceived Vf ikft Olbeonites, and therefore were under no obliealian to fiilfil their part uf the covenant; yet, thourii ihey had diia cossnuuuf befbre tb^ eye^ did not believe thai they wm iMHind to put even those deceivers to death; but ibey destroyed their pt^Uieat exittenet, by making them inser* of mod and drawer* voter to the eongrtgatitM: i. slaves to Ihe Israelites, see Josh. ix. tlarab and btr household also were spared; so that it does not •ppai' dm the Israelites belie^ned duii d>er were bound to pot every Canaanite to death. ITiair ponliesf existeitoe was nsAr the anadtema, and this the Hebrews annibilaied.
That many of the Canaaaites eontinned in the laad, even to the dajrs of Solomon, we have the fullest proof; for we read, 2 Cfaron. viii. 7. '-'All the people of tbalaad dial were left of the Hittites, Amantea, Per^sile^ Ifivil and JebnsitB^ who w«w left in the Ihu^ vbon llM4i drea of Israel cansurosd ast, tbso j
20 Only the treee wbich tbou kaoweet that ther i« not trees for meat, thou Bhalt destrov' and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarlu a^nst that city that maketh war -wl,th thee, until ^ it be subdued.
the Lord thy God giveth thee to pos- ■esB it. lytng in the field, ana it be not known who bath BUiin him:
2 Then thr elders and thy iudges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities whicii are round about him that is slain:
3 And it shall be, that the citr vhich i$ next onto the slain man, even the elders of that city «hall take a heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;
4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer into a rough valley, wiiich is neither cared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:
psT tribute to this day." Tbua Solomon deatroyed iheir poliiical exiiitence, but did not consider htmaelf bound by the law of Ood to put them to death.
VcTM 19. (For the tree oflhejteldim man'* life) to ^mphj/ them in the m^e.] llie original ia ezeeedinjgly obicure, uid hoa been vanoualy transUted, num f y oikh ■■a ■ms3 fiBD ta'jkt haadam itt kaaaadek tabo mipancyea bamaUoT. The rollowing are the chief veraioni; — For, O man, the trie* of the field arejbr thee to emptoj/ tmem <n the »iege~rOT, f\)r it £> man, and the tree 0/ the Jteld that mutt go before thee, for a butvark — or, For it is a tree, and not men, to increaet the namber of tho»e who tome againtt thee to the eeige — or, lastly, ITu tree qf the
C(w as) a man, to go before Ay Jaoe for a biwark. KRM is auffieieauy elesr, though the alrict grtmmmtiaU mesiung of the words eanDot be eanly ucenained. It «^ a merctfiu praririOD to apare all frait'Deahng trees, because they yielded the fruit vhich supported man's life. Ami it was sound policy also, for even the conquerors must perish if the means of life were cut off. It is -diabolic cnielty to add to the mieerie* ^ ■war the horrors of ya> mine I and this is done where the trees of the field are cut down, the dvlces broken to drown the load, the Tillages buritt, and tne crops wilfully spoiled. O, txterabU var.' Subversive of all the ehariues of life I latere are several eurioui particulars in these Terses: 1. The pe<^ bad the most positive assurances from Ood, that their enemies should not be able to prevail against them by atrenrdi, numbers, nor alratagem, because Ood Amdd go leitA them, to lead and direct them, and should fight for them; and against hia might nnoe could prevail. 2. All such interferences were Btaadins proofs of Uie beii^ of Ood, of hia especial providence, and of the trudiof iheir religion. 3. Though God promised them mieki protectioo, yet they were to expect it ia the diligent use of their own prudence eod industry. The prieaU, the officen, and the [>te, hod their respective parts to act- in Ibis bueioese:
tf ftev did their duty respectively. Ood would take care that tney should be aucceasfol. Tnoae who will not help diamaehree with the strength whioh Ood has already given iheB, shall not have any mrtber ossiBtanee from bim. In all eoah caaos^ the panble of the talenio i^ords an aocu* rate rule. 4. Their goinc to war aniiut their enemies Riuat not deprive tharn of mer^ siM tenderness toward their btethrcn. He who had buiU a home, and hod not yet dwelt in tit who had p/onletf a vinojfard, aodhad not eaien of its fruits; who Wad betrothed a wife, and had not yet taken her to his hoase, he was not obli^d to go to battle, lest he fell in the war, and the fruits of Ids industry •sd affection should be enjoyed by othere. He who was /kinl-keartod was also permitted to return, lest he ahsuld gm w*T in the heat of mtOa, and hb example have a f»> tal iaftienM on others.
Tetas 4. Shmtl bring dawn As ke^er unto a nttgk MUqj piw ^(V iiadbat itatt, mq^ bs tnndalsd a rifpid
5 And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near; for " them the Losd thy God hath chosen to miniflter unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and ' by their ■ word shall every coQtroverev and every stroke be tried:
6 And all the eiders of that city, that are next unto the shiin man, ' shall wash their hands over the heifer that ie beheaded in the valley:
7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither Imve our eyes seen it.
8 Be merciful, O Loko, unto thy people Xsrad, whom thou bast redeemed, ' and lay not innocent blood ■ unto thy. people of IsraeVs charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
9 So ■shalt thou put away the guiil qf mnoceot blood from among you, when thou snalt do that which is right in the s^ht of the Lord.
10 IT When thou goest forth to war against dUne enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, -
1 1 And seest among the captives a beantiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldst have her to thy wife;
13 Then thou ahalt Wing ner hiune to thine house; and she shall shave ner head, and *> pare * her naits 1
otream, probably passing through a piece of uncultivated grountL where the eldara of the city were to strike off the head of the heifer, and to wash their hands over her in token of iheir innocence. The spot of ground, on whid) (be sacrifice was made, must be uneultivated, becauie it vna considered to be a sacrifice to make atonement for the murder, and consequently would poihUe the land. This regulation was calculated to keep murder in abhorrence, and to make the magistrates alert in their offiosi that delinquents mt^t be discovered sad punished, and thus public expense saved.
Verse' 6. Shall uxuA ffidr handa over the he\fer} WeAiing the bonds, in reference to such a subjeet as this, waa a rile sneiently used, to signify that the penons thus waging were innocent of the crime in question. It was, proba" bly, from the Jews that Pilate leant thia symbolioal mediod of expressing his iimooenee.
Verse U. And eeeal — a beautiful woman] NofbrciUe possession was allowed even in ^ia case; whan the woman was taken in war, and was, by the general consent of ancient nationi^ adjudged as a parr of the spoila. ft the person to whoee lot or share such a woman fell, as ii here deeeribed, diose, he ni^t have her for a w^'e, on ewtain coodttiou; but ha was not permitted to use bsr under snr inferior eharaeter.
Verse 13. £Ae thall shave her head] This was in hAen of her renouncing her religion, and becoming a proselyte to that of die Jews. Thia is still a custom in the east: when a Christian turns Mohammedan hie head is shaven, and he is earned through the city, crying, 3f ^ tcJIT J**"? •^■0S^_> »a alahUa aUah we Afohammed retool i AUah. " Thna is no god bat Ood, and Mohammed is the prophet of God."
Pare her naiU] mtn W nnvji veSeeiah et teipareniah I — She tkall make her naiU, Now, whether this signifies paring or leuing them grow, is greatly doubted araimg Teamed men. Possibly it means neither, but colouring the nails, staining them red with the ktnnah, whidi is much praeitied in India to the present day; and which was uraoubtedly practised among the ancient Egyptians, aa ia evident from the nails of mummies whidi are mund thus stained. The htrmah, according to Haaselquist, grows in India, and in Upper and Lower E^ypt t it ftowera from May to August, llie manner of using it ia-diia: ths leavea are powdered, and made into a paste with water: they bind thia paste on the nails of their fingers and toes, and let it stand on all nisht; in the morning UMy are found to be of a beautiful redjiah yellow, and this laau three weeka or a month j after which, they renew the apphcatioiL They often stain the palms of their hands and the eoles of their feet tn the aame way, aa Oppeara from manv padntinn of eastern bHlies, done in India and Persia, woiw otrw ue before me. "HiiB staining the soles of ths feel whh the Htmiak ia probably meant la 2 San. xiz.24. Mephihoehetk had noi dreeted, tUiatally. awde) kiefatt- ■ihay had not been A^eoloared.
13 And she flhall put the raiment of her captivity from oS her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shiiit go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
14 And it shall be, if thou Imve no deligbt in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shall not sell her at all for money, thou stuJt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast * humbled her.
15 TT If a man have two wives, one beloved, 'and another hated, and they have borne him children, boifi the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son be her's that was hated:
16 Then it shall be, t when he mabeth hia ■ons to inherit that which he hath, UkU he may not make the son of the beloved first-born before the Bon of the hated, irAicft is indeed the firatborn:
17 Bnt he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the first-born, ^ by eiving him a dou- Ue portion of all ' that he hath: for he m ^ the begrmning of his strength; >the right of the first-born u his.
18 ir If a man have a stubborn and rebellious Bon, which will not obey Che voice of his father, or the voice of hia mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
16 Then shall his father and hia mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of hia citr, and unto the gate of his place;
SO Ana they shall say unto the elders of hia city. This our aon w stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey otir voice; Ae it a glutton and a drunkard.
21 And all the men of hia city shall stone him with atones, that he die; 'so shalt thou put evil away from among you; "and all Israel ahall Jiear, and fear.
VerM IB. One bdovd, and anoth«r kaied] That i& «M be bntU U— dmo dw other. l%i> is the true notkn ot lbs ward kaU in Seriptnre. So JaaA bated Leah, dkst ii^ he hmd her Iw tnsn he did Radui; and Jbcofr Aom I laud, but Baau hate I aArsn — that is, I have liiown & mora psitioaiar a^ection to the poeterity of JwxA thso I Jiave to the posterity of Enu. 8«e the note on Oen. xux. 31. From thii verse we lee that polygamy did •zist under the Hoeaie laws, and that it was put under eertaia ngulations; but it was not mjoinea: Hoaes merely mffertd it, becaoae of the hardnen of their bearta, aa our Lordiuatly remarks. See Matt. ziz. 8.
Verae IS — ^21. Tne Mtubbom, rebelliotu, gittUmunu, and druniai ton is to be tloned to death.] T^ia law, aevere aa it may aeem, muet have acted aa a powerful prevenUtiva of erimea. If auch a taw were in force now, and duly executed, how many deatha of diaobedient and profligate children would there be in all conten of the land I
Yerae 23. HU body thail not ranain ali nfeiU upon the tret\ Xta expoaure, for the apaee of oM day, was judmd auffieienC 'Rie law which required ihia, answered alt the enda of public juatice, exposed the ahame and in- &ray of the eonauct, but did not put to torture the fi^lin^ of hutnani^, by requiring a p«rpttual exhibition of a human being, a alow prey to the moat loatlwome prooeas of putre&otion. Did ever the spiking of the heads of stale eriminala prevent high treasoaT or the gibbeting of a tfiief or ft murderer, preveot either murdw- or robbery? Hwae queationa may be aafely anawered in the ntgatiTe; and the remaina of the ancient barbariam which requires these diaguatlng and abonttnable exhibitionaj and which •re depltHed by every feeling heart, ahould be banished with all posaibie aseed. In the case given in the text, Ood ooostdera the land aa defiled, while the body of the aseadad criminal ]»y expoaed: hence U was enjoined— ITuni fhali in any vUe bury kim that day.
/Vr he that U hanged ia aixurtd Codl "niat ta, he 4>as forfeited hia life to the law — for it ia wnttea, Cux*td ■it every one leho eoniiaueth not in all tidngt that are isritien in the book qf Ike law to do thmi; and on his body, in the execution of the aentenoe of tha law, the aurse was considered aa ali^tingi banee die neeesaity of renovingibeacotfiMdlU^antof sig^ Hewant^OaBt
22 \ And if a man have committed a sin ' worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
23 V His body shall not remain all nu'ht upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury hhn that day; (for ^ he that is banged t« ' accursed of God;) that *thy land be not defiled, which the Loan thy God giveth thee Jir am nUieritance.
2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know hira not, then thou shalt brine it unto^ne own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thon shalt restore it to him again.
3 In like manner shalt thou do with hie ass; and so shalt thou do with hia raiment: and with all lost things of thy brother's, whidi he Inth 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 bide thyself ft-ora them: thou shialt surely help him to lot them up
5 If The woman shalt not wear that wfaich pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Loan thy God.
6 i IT a bird'a neat chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground,
•re all these laws I How wondroualy well calculated lo repreas eriraes by showing the enomi^ of sin! It is wordiy of raiurk, that in £s hiflieticnof panidtmanC pi*- scribed by the Mosaic law, we ever find that JHercy aralka hand in nand with JndgmtnL
NOTES ON CHAPTER XXH. Verae t. Thou thali not aee Oty brother^* ax pr hit Aoqt go oafroy] The aame humane, mereiAil, and wiae regolaBtms which we met with before, Emd. xxm. 4, S. well caletdated to kaaa in remeufanMa die seeoaid graad branch of the law of Ood, Thou thait lov^thyneigtibomT at thytelf. A humane man cannot bear to aee even aai ctt fuil under hia burthen, and not endeavour to relieve him; and a man who loves hia neighbour aa himael^ cannot aee hia property in danger without endeavouring to preaerre it. Theae eomparatively mall mailer* were teats and proob of muters great in OienBMlveB, and in their canaequeneea. — See the note on Exod. xxiii. 4.
Verae 3. Thm mayeat net hid* th^J] Thoa aliab not keep out of the way of affording help, nor pnteeA ihou diost not aee occasion to render thy neighbour eay aervioe. The priest and the Levite, when thn' saw tfaa wotmded man, paaaed fay en tha oner side of tha «^ Luke z. 31, 32. "nUa was a notorious breaeb of the ma^ eiful law mentioaed above.
Verae 6. The woman Aall not war that wUob psr> tainith unto a man] "ua <^3 ketey geber, the inttrmatmit or armt of a man. As die woni^ g^>*r, ia bew oae^ which properly aienifies a atrmg man, or mm ^^^i ia very pnwable that armour ia here intended j eapeoial^ aa we know, that in the wordiip of Fenus, to i^efa wt of Attarte, or AaUorotf, amtng the CRnaanim bora a striking resemblance, the women were aocuatomeA to appew in armour before her. It esTtainly cannot mean a eimple change of dreaa, whereby die men might paaa far women, and vice verta* Tbia would have been impoaaitile in thoae countriea where the dresa of the aexeo bad bat little to distinguiah it: and where every man wore a bug beard. Itis,however,Bverygoodgenewprece{HQnderawal littralty; and applies partwolarly to those comitriea whan die dreas alone distuigitiabea between tha mala aad dw fcBMle. Tha okMo^havad gentlenaa magr at time
S'tting upon the young, or upon the eggs, * thou lalt not take the dam with the yoMxie: 7 But thou ehalt in any wise let the dam eo, mnd take the young to thee; ' that it mav oe Well with thee, ana thai thou mayest prolong tAv dayfe.
q IT When thou buiWest a new house, then thou ebalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou brin« not blood upon thine booae, u* any man fall Irom thence.
9 1' Thou ahalt not «ow 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 plough with an ox and ah ass together.
1 1 *Thou Shalt not wear a garment of divers Borts, as of woollen and linen together.
12 Thou shalt make thee < frmges upon the four * quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou eoverest thyself.
13 T! If any man take a wife, and • go in unto her, and hate her,
14 And give occasion of speech agfainst her. and briag up an evil name upon her, and eay, I took this woman, and when I came to her I found her not a maid:
15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and the mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsers virginity unto the elders of the aty in the gate:
18^ And the damsePa fhther shall say unto the dders, 1 gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;
17 And, lo, he hath given occasion of speech
mppear like a woman ia ihe female dreH; and the voman ■fpear s> a man, in the male's auire. Were thia to be tolerated in lociera, it would produce the greatest CMtfution. Clodtus, who dreMcd fiimaelf like a woman, that be mi^t mingle with the Roman ladiea in the Mat of ibe Bona Dta, was universally execrated.
Verae 7. TJuni tfiaU—Ut uu dam fro, and take the ymmf^ to Due s that it may be viell aUh Iau] Thia peMge may be understood literally. If they destroyed both young and old, mtut not the breed soon fail, and vroukl it not, in the end, be ill with them, and by thua cutting off the neaiM of their continual aapport, must not their days be ahortaned on the land ^ But we may look for a humane precspt in thu law. He young never knew the sweets ol Kberfy! the dam did: thev roi^t be taken and used for any utwfiil purpose } but the dam must not be brouc^t into a state of eaptiTity. They who can act otherwise, must either be very inconsiderate, or devoid of JieeUn^; and such persons can never be t^ijeets of God's peculiar care and attention, and therefore need not ezpeot that it fhall be well with dum, or that thay shall prolong their days on the earth. Every thing conuanr U the spirit of mercy and kindness the ever-bUM»ed God has in utter oUorrence. And w« should remember a iact: that he «ho can exercise cruelty towards a sparrow or a wren, will, when ciPcumstanees are faVourahle, be cruel to his fellOTP-creaturea. The poet Phocylides ha« a maxim in his ■dmonitory poem, very similar to that in the Sacred TexL
Terse 8. A btUtlement for thy ro^ Houses in the east ■re, m general, bitilt with flat roofs, and on them men valk to enjoy the fresh air, converse together, sleep, Alo. It was, therefore, necessary to have a sort of battlement or balhistrade to prevent peraons front ftJIing off. If a man Mglaeied to inaka a suSknent defenea Bj^inst such aocidrati^ and the death of another was occasioned by it, the owner of the house must be considered in the light of a nnnlerer.
Terse 9. Divert eeede] See the note on Leviticus xix. 19.
Terse 10. TTiou thalt nUplou^ vUh an or and an om] Aw cwMrallv supposed, that mixtures of diSismit aorts in oree*^ oe. ware enployed tat Mqwrstiiious panoses; and nmaOan pnUbHed ni this law. It is mora muif.
against ha; Baying, I fbond not thy daughter tt maid; and yet these are the (often* (if my ddighter's virginity. And they shall sprmid the cloth before the elders of the city.
13 And the elders of that citj shall take that man and chastise him;
19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the ihther of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: ana she shaJI be his wife; he tany not put her away all his days.
20 But H this tiling be true, ami the tokens ((f virginitv be not (bund for the damsel:
21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to thff door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath 'wrmight ftrily in Israel, to puty the whore in her father's hottse; c so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
22 TT " If a man be found lying vfith a woman married to a husband, then they shall both <^ them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: bo dudt thou put away evil from Israel.
23 IT If a damsel that is a virgin be * betrothed tmto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto tb« gate of that city, and ye shall etone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, bein^ m the city; and the man, because he hath ' humbled his neighbour's wife: > so tluKt shalt put away evil from among you.
25 1 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, nnd the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:
however that there was a physical reason for this: two beasta of a different species cannot associate comfonaMy together; and on this ground never pull pleasantly either in cart or plough: and every larmer knows thai it is of considerable consequence to the comfort of the cattle, to put those together that have an afi^tion for eadi other. This may be very frequently remarked in certain cattle^ which, on this account, are termed true yoke fellows. After all, it is very probable that the general design was to prevent imwoper alliances in civil and religioue life. And to this St. Pau^ seems evidently to refer, 2 Cor. vi. 14. Be ye not untntaUy yoked with unbelievert — which is simply to be understood as prohibiting all intercourse between Christians and idoUiera, in social, matrimonial, and religious life. And to teach the Jews the prq>rie» of this, a variety of precepts relative to improper uu heterogeneous mixtures were interspersed Ibrough their law; so that in civil and domeatie life, th^ m^tt haw tbcm ever before their eyes.
Verse 15. Tokens of the dametTa virginity,] "nits was a perfectly possible case in all places where girls were married at ten, twelve, and fourteen yean of age; whiA is freqtient in the east. I have known instances of persona having had two or three children at Aparate birdis ietbn they were fourteen years of age. Sucn tokens, therefore, as the text speaks of, must be infallibly exhibited by females ao-very youiu^on the consummation of their marriage.
Terse 17. TTiey thaU spread the clo(h, A usage of this kind, argues a roughnass of manners, which would ill compmt with the refinement of European idna on ao delicate a subject Attempts have been made to show that the law here is to be understood metaphorically t hut they so perfectly &il to establish any thing like a probability, that it would be wasting my own, and my reader's time, to detail them. A custom similar to that above, is obaerveo among the Mohammedans lo the present day.
Terae 22. Stall ftott of tkem die\ Thus we find, that in the most ancient of ul tawii^ adultery was punuriied with deadi in both the parties.
Veise25. And the man force her] A also, by theas ancient institutions, was punished with death; becmuse a woman's honour was conndered equally as precioui as her life, therefore the same ponisiiment was inflicted on the ravisher-aa upon the murderer. This olftnoe ia ooftsidered in the Mms point of view in the Britidt Uws{ and fey ihsn alsD, it is panisbad with cboA.
26 But unto the danMel thou shalt do nothiiu; (hert it in the damsel no sin worthy of death: tor ai whea a man riseth againet his neighbour, and Blayeth him, even bo it this matter:
x1 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and therevat none to save her.
29 1[ " If a roan find a damsel that is a virgm, Vhich l6 not betrothed, and lay bold on her, and iie with her, and they be found:
89 Then the man that lay with her shall give -onto the damsel's lather mly shekels of silver, and she sliall be his wife: " because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his
30 If ' A man shall not take his father's wife, nor « discover his father's skirt.
a A bastard shall not enter into the congregatioD of the Lord; even to hi* tenth generation, shaU he hot eater into the congregatioii of the
3 H ' An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter ioto the congregation of the LoRDj even to their tenth generation, stuiU they not enter into, the congregation of the Loan for ever:
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 Bc;or, of Pethor of Mesopotomia, to curse thee.
.5 Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee.
6 ' Thoa shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperily, all thy days for ever.
7 T[ Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; * for lie iff thy brother: thou ehalt not abhor an Egyptian: because -* thou wast a stranger in his laiid.
8 The children that are begotten of them,
Versa 30. A man thaU not lake ktafttOier^B tei/r] This u to be undentood u referrinK to the case of g. stepmalker, A man, in his old age, may nave married a young wife^ sod on his dyio^, his son, by a former wife, may desire td «qiou>e her: this the law prdtibita. It waa probcAly on pretence of hii having brolien this law that Solomon put nis fan^ter Adonijah to death, because he bad desired to have his Euher's concubine to wife, 1 Kin^e ii. 13 — 25. NOTES 0:V CHAPTER XXHI.
Verse 1. ShoU not ■:nier into the congregation, &o.] If by entering into Uv- congregation, be meant the bearing a eifU office among ilie people, such as masiBtrate, judge, &e. dten the reason of the law is very plain — no man ■with any such penouol deCsct as might render him conlamptible in the sight of others, idiould bear rule among dte people, lest the contempt (bit for his personal defects miglit be transferred to his important office; and thi^s his auuiority be disregarded. I^e general meaning of these words is simply, that the persons here deeignaied should not be BO incorpomtsd with the Jews as to partake of dieir
Yens 2. A baatard sftatf not «n/erl ^DS maimer, which is here rendered baatardj should m undentood as implying the qffgpring of an illegitimate or inctaluoue mixture.
Verse 3. An Ammonite or MoabUe\ These nations were sul^jeeted fbr thur ia^ety sad wiokednMs, ne vei.
9 11 When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
10 IT * If there be among you any man that ia
not clean, by reason of uncleanness that chaneeth him by night, then shall he abroad ont of the camp, he shalt not come within the camp:
11 But it shall be, when evening > cometh on, ^ he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, be shall come into the camp
12 ^ Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13 And thou shalt. have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou ° wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn baclc and cover that which cometh from- thee:
14 For the Loan thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall th^ camp be holy: that he see BO ■ unclean thing in thee, and turn awBy from thee.
15 ^ Thou ehalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped Irom his master unto thee:
16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one oi thv gates, where it > Uketh him best: ^ thou shaft not oppress him.
17 if There shall be no ■ whore ^ of the daughters of Israel, nor > a Sodomite of the eons of
18 1[ Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Loo thy God for any vow: for even both these art abomination unto the Lord thy God.
19 H ™ Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother: usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is tent upon usury:
20 Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou ehalt not lend upon usury: " that the Lord thy God may bless thee, in alt that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou giwst to possess iL
21 IT V When tbou shalt vow avow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slapk to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely reqture it of thee: and it would be sin in thee.
38 But if thou shalt forbear to tow, it daU b« no sin in thee.
4. and 6. to peculiar disgrace; and, on this account, ven not permitted to hold any office omon^ the Lsiveittea. But this did not disqualify them from being proettgtee.— Ruth, who was a MoabitesB, was married to Beu^ Sttd she became one of the progenitors of our Loid.
Ettn to their tenA generaiion} TiM /br mr, as the nextclause explains; see Neh. xiii. I.
Verse 12, &.C.] These directions may appear (rifting t> some, but they were essentially neceseary to ibis people is their present oimimstanoes. Decency and eleaBlinea promote healdi, end prevent many diseases.
Verse 15. Tnou maU not deliver — the gerrant vAuA tf eacaped^-mio thee] i. e. A servant who left an idtdatroua master that he might join himself to God and to his peoplsL In any other case, it would have been injustice to hire harboured the nioaway.
Vetse 18. Tie hire t^f a «Atn-<, or tht priee a dog Many public prostitutes dedicated to their gods a pan w their impure earnings; and some of these tvostitules wen publicly kept hi the temple of Venus Ifelyns, wheas gains were applied to the support of her abominsUK worship.
S3 4 That which is gone out of thr lipe thon ■halt keep and perrorm; even a free-wul-otfering, accordin' as thoa hast Tovred unto the Lord thy Clod, which thou hast promifled with thy mouth,
21 If When thou comest ioto thy neighbour's vineyard; ' then thoumayest eat grapes thy fiU, at thine own pleasure; but thou shut not put ana in thy veeseL
sd' When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, ■ then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand: hut thou shalt not more a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.
Tteiaaitf adinraidvlb^l^t. No nan ifakU ba iM%kI la andaidr* uu poblts am fur dw Sn< r»r of Ma Hiriif*, 0. IV miUKand*! not ba UUd b ■ ~ 1.9. The lumHtlBr iIkII bt piK IB •kuh, 7, Csanmiiic t?Bl^Or noKTU* pJaifH, Mii nuirnbia tkoaa oT tba pan- btfcn tadliaaa, or BnnwuliWiMn, 14,19. PKmu an] oWlrlm Ml not ba piM in dKih
to pass tb&i she find no favour in his ^es, because he hath found " some nocleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of * divMvement, and give it in her hand, and send her out his boose.
2 And when she is departed out of hta house, » she may go and be another man's wife.
3 And if 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 tatter huahand die, which took her to be his wife;
4 ■ Her former husband which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she IB deffled; for that is abomuiation before the Lord: and tnou shalt not cause the land to ain, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an in^ heritance.
Vcrw 24. Thou thalt vol put «ny »» (Ay vuaef\ Thou riialt canr none Kway with thee. Tha olu Engliah pro- -verb, Eat thjf JUij w pocket nwM— SBenu to Iwve been fcnuded OD toia Uw.
Tetw 2ft. T^uumayatpbuk 0w»ar»vUli Ain»hand\ It WM on the permiMion granted by this law that tb« dia* MplM phtcked the eon ot corn, aa related, Matt. xii. 1. Iliia wsi both a considMate and humaDs lair, and ta no dirfwDOUt to the Jewish code.
Tens 1. 8mm undtannut].Any eaon of dbUjb^ tor Mm gntX latimde of meaning, the fact iiMlf authorizes us to adopt; for it ia certain that a Jew might put away hti wife for any eaiut that teemed good to A*mae{/'— and bo hajrd were uieir bearto, that Mobm ntfftered this; and we find they continued tbu practice even to the time of om Lord, who atrongly reprehended tbem sn (ho account; and Aowed that mch licenM waa wholly inconaiatent with the original deaiga of muriags; see llatt. v. 31, &c. jtii. 3^ Ac and the notes there.
Vflraa 3. And vritt ha- a hiil divorcenuni] "Hieae bUl^ Ibough varying in expresaion, are the mne in sub- ■Caaee among the Jewa in all placea. TiM fbllowing, ooliMted from MaimonidM and othera, ia a general form, and eontaina alt the particulara of such inaUrumenta. The reader who ia eunoua, mwr find a lull aoeount <d divuvet in the KUioih. Rabb. of Bartoloei^ and the fbllowing fining in that work, toI. it. p. 560.
A. in year from the creation of the world t or,(Tomthe ■nppuiaiion (of Alexander) after the account that we are Mcnstomed to count by, here, in the place B. L, C. the eon of D. of the place B. (or if there be any other nam« which I bav^ or my father hath bad, <3r which my p(a«^ or my fuSier^a place hath had) have voluntarily, Bnd with the wiUingnetB of my soul, without constraint, dismiaaed, and left, and put away thoe, even thee E. the dau^ter of P. of the city G. (or if thou have any other name or surname, ifaou or thy father, or thy p^e, or ihy fiither'a place,) who but been my -m-Sm heretofore! mt now I diwmaa thee, and lasve thee, sind put thee away, dnt Ihou mayeat be free, and hm« power o*w thy own lin, id ^ away tobennrried le MjaodwhoiBduM wilt| sadnM aenwabeteAuMl of
5 1' When a man hath taken a new wif^, he shall not ip out to war, 'neither shall he be
chariEfed with any business: hut he shall be free at home one vear, and shall ' cheer up his wife, which he hatn taken.
6 IF No man shall take the nether or the upper mill-Btone to pledge: for he tak^th a mm*< lifb to pledg^.
7 Tl >• If^ a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; ■ and thon shidt put evil awar from among you.
8 If Take heed in ' the plague of leprosy, that thoQ observe dilieently, and do according to all that the priests the Levitea shall teach you: as I Commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.
9 • Remember what the Lord thy God did ' nnto Miriajn by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Ee^pt.
10 T[ When thou Sxm\ « lend ihy brother anr thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fettui his pledge.
11 Thou shalt stand abroad, and. the nnn to whom thou dost \vcA shall bring out the pledge
12 And if the man &e poor, thon shalt not sleep with his pledge:
13 ^ In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he mav Bleep in his own raiment, and i bless thee t and k it snail be righteoumess unto thee before the Lord thy God.
14 \ Thou shalt not < oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:
15 At his day ■> thou shalt give Am his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it j for he is
thine haitd for my name, from this day and for ever. And ttiua thou art lawful for any man; and this is unto thee horn m^ a writiiw of divorcement, and hocdt (inatrumeni) ot diamiaaio^ aaifftn einalle (rf putting away, aecoidmg to die law of Sloaea and laiaeL
Verse 4. She ie defiUd] Doea not this refer to her having been divorced, and married in consequence to another? Though Ood, for the hardnesa of their hearts, suffered them to put away their wives, yet he considered all after nuuriagea m that case^ to be polmtioo and defilement: and it is on Hda ground that our Lord argues in the placea leferred to above, that whoever marries the woman that ia put away, ia an adulterer— now this could not have been the case, if Ood had allowed the divorce to be a legal and pnmer aeponuion of the man from his wife: but in dw aii^i of God, nothing can be a le^l cause of sepamtion, but adultery on either side. In sudt a case, secording to the law of God, a man nay put away bia wile, and a wifb ' may put away nei buriMnd; see Matt zix. 9. for it aineara that the wife hod as much right to put away her husband, aa the husbcuAd had to put away bis wife, see Mark x. 12.
Verse 6. The nether or the upper miU-ttone] Small bandmtlla which can be worked by a single person were forroerly in use among the Jewa, and are atiil uaed in many parta of the East, /a therefore the day'a meal waajgeno^ ally ground for each day, ihey keeping no atock mfbio* hand; hence they were tbtbfdden lo take eidm- of dts ' stones to pledge, because in soch a faa^ die ftnily must bo widiotit bread: On thia leeoiint, die text lerma the millatone the man'e life.
Terse 12. But if the Hum be poor, &c] I>td not Ibis law predude pledgins sR/frefft eapedally in caae of dw abjectly poor? For who woutd take a pledge in the morning which he knew, if not redeemed, he must restore at n^t 7 However hie might resume his claim in the morning, and. have the pledge doily returned, and (hua keep up hia property in it, till the debt was discharged; see the note on Exod. xxii. 38. Hie Jews in several cmea did aet eoQtni7tothianile,and we find Asm- cuttingly npromd fiir itbribspropfaet, Amoi U. a
2K>or, and " Betteth hie heart upon it: • test be cry asainet thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto uiee.
16 TI p The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death Ibr the fathers: every man ehalt be put to death for hie own sin.
17 If Thou Bhalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherleBs; ' nor take tihe widow's raiment to pledge:
18 But ■ thou shall remember that thou wast a bondman in Elgypt, and the Lord thy Ood redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
19 T[ ' When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou sfaalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
20 When thou beatest thine olive tree, ' thou shalt not go over the boughs agaia: it shall be for the stranger, for the IktherleBs and for the widow.
Verae 16. He » poor, and attUth his heart upon ii\ How exceedingly n&tural is thiol The poor aervant who seldom sees money, yet finds from hia maoter'a affluence that it procurei all the conveniences.and comforts of life, longiforthe time when he ahalt receive his wages — should his pM be delayed afier the time » expired, he may natunllrn expected to cry unto God iwaiiiathiin who withhms b] see moat of toe Bobjecti of ihii chapter treated at lai^ on Exod. xxii. 21 — 27.
Veneie. 7%s/ather» shall not be put io death for the thildrm, d;c1 This law is explained and iltustnued in sufficient deiail, Ezek. xviii.
Verse 18. Thou shaU remsmber thai thou aaat a bondman] Most people who have affluence rose from comparative penury; for those who are bom to estates, frequently ■miander them away; such therefore should remember mat their feeliiu^ their l^trs 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 &om poverty to affluence; and it is ibe conduct of those men which gave rise to the rugged proverbj " Set a hegp* «> horaeback, and hs'll n£ to the devil."
Verse 19. When thou cuttest damn thine karveit] This is an addition to the law, Lev. xix. 9, xxiii. 22. The cortiers of the field, the gleanings, and (haJorgoUen sheaf, were all the property of the poor. "Hiis the Hebrews extended to any part of the fruit or produce of ft field which had been forgotten in the time of gener^ ingathering, as appears from the eoncluding venae of Uiis chapter. NOTES ON CHAPTER XXv7
Verse 1. They shall justify the righteous] This is a very important passage, ana is a ke^ to several others, "nie word pix tsadak, is used here precisely in the same «ense in which St. Paul sometimes used the corresponding word itsattA, not to juatifyt or make just, but to acquit, declare innocent, to remit punishment, or give reasons vhy such an one should not be puni^ed •ao bm the magistrates fp<Tin hiisadiku, shall acquit the rif^teous, declare him innocent; because he is fouiul to be righteous, and not loieked; so the Septuagint <« iigmtaooftatw ray itsmm, they Aall make righteous the righteous; declue him free from blanw — not liable to punishmentacquitted; using the same word with St. Paul when he speaks m a •iniutr's justification, i. e. bis acwiittance from Uame and puniibmanl, faeOBuae of- the death of Christ in his stead.
Verse 2. The jttd^e AoU cause him to lis down, and to be beaten before his face) Thie precept is literally followed in China: the culpnt receives, in the presence of the magistrate, the punishment which the law directs to be inflicted, lliua then, jusHee is done: Car the megisttMe ssMi that the letter of the law is duly Ailfilled, and thai the officers do not transgress it, either by indulgence on the one hand, or severity on the other. Th§ culprit reeeives notliing more nor less than what Justice requires.
Verse 3. Forty stripes ve may giee Mm, and »ot sx- OBit>i Aoeonting to 000*8 institution, « criminal may f«eeiTC,/br(ystriBM: notone morel But is the iiMituttw
21 When thou ntherest the grqiea cT thy vineyard, thou shut not glean tT* afterward: it shall be for the stranger^ for the fotherless,
22 And ' thou shatt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do thi» thing.
IF there be ' a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment,
that the judges may judge them; then they ■shall juBtify the righteons, and condemn the wicked.
2 And it shall be, if the wicked man be ■ worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cante him to lie down, ** and to be beaten belbre lus face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
3 ' Forty stripes he mav give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these, with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee. •
from above or not, that for any ofience, sentences a man to receive three hundred, yea, a ^Aousand stripes t Wfasi horrible brutality is this 1 and what a reproach to buman nature, and to the nation, in which such shocking barterilies are exercised and tolerated 1 Host of the i"h-t^'-^ of Great foitun have beard of Lord Macartneys Bmbossy to the Emperor ^ China; and ih^ hm htaii also of its complete &iltire I But ibey have not heud af the cause. It appears to have been partfy oecasiooed by the folkiwing cimimstance. A soldier hadbeen conviciee of some petty traffic with one of the natives, and he wss sentenceo, by a court martial, to receive sixty hshns I— Hear my author: " The soldiers were drawn ini in form, in the outer court of the palace where we resided: and iks poor culjtrit being bsiened to one of the ptUan of the greet portico, received his punishment witbo^ mirigMio*. The abhorrence excited in the breasts of the ChiiKse, at this cruel conduct, as it ^peered to them, was demonsDably proved by their wonjs and looks. They expressed their aaWHiishmeal that a people professing the mildeaL ^ most benevolent religion on eartn, as they wished to nave it believed could be guilty of such flagrvnt iuaueotiaB to its merdnil dictates. One of the pnocipal mandarin^ who knew a liule English, expressed the geoermJ sutrment, Englishmen too mudi cruel, too «mkA bad* "Accurate account of Lord Macartney's EmbaMr to Chinojjby en attendant on the Embassy."^ l^o. 17^. p. 88.
Tlie following is Mr. Ainsworth's note on tfiis *eni^ " This number forty, the Scripture uses sundry tiuiea ii eases of humiliation, affliction, and punishinent. As Motes twice humbled himself in &siing and prayer, forty days and forty ni^ts, DeuL ix. 9, 18. Elias fasted forty days, 1 Kings xix. 6. And our Saviour, Matt. iv. 2. Forty years isrosT was afflicted in the wilderness for their mas. Numb. xiv. 33, 34. And forty years Egypt was desolaie for treacherous dealing with tsrael, Eizek. zxiz. II, 12, 13. Forty days every woman was in purification froas her uncleanness, for a man-child that she bare, and twice (br^ days for a woman-child, Lev. xii. 4, 6. Forty days and forty ni^ts it raiiwd at Noah'a flood, Gen. vit. U. Forty days did Exekiel bear the iniquity of the bouse cf Judah, mek. iv. 6. Jonah preached — Yet forty daysmd Ninevdi AaU bs otaihrown, Jonah iii. 4. ^iJrVf ywV space the Canaanites ImkI to repent after tsrael cans oat of Egypty and wandered so many years in the vildcne^ Num. xiv. 33. And thrice forty jrears the old world had Noah preaching unto them repentance. Gen. vi. 3. It was forty days ere Chriat ascended into heaven, after his snrrection. Acts i. 3, 9. And for^ years' space be gmw unto the Jews, from the time that they killed hiia, befosc he desiroved their city and tem^ by the RMnaoa.
"By toe Hebrews this law IS expounded thus. Bom many stripes do the^ beat (an offender) wtlA 9 With fcriy, lacking one; as it is written, (Deut. xxv. 2, 3.) by inimber fortv, that is, the number which is next to forty, TJtmtmud, 6ab. in Maeeoth. ohap. iii. This, their unaerstsading, ii verv ancient, for so they practised in the aposllc^s days: as Paul testified, Qf the Jetssjtve times repeiiwd I forty (stripes) save one, 3 Cor. xi. Zt. But the reaM whioi ifa^ give-is iMt «Mid: «s when they ssj,.{T <l fcsd
A t If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and hai% no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without, unto a stranger: her "husband's brother shall go in unto her. and take her to him to wife, and perlbrm the duty of a husH band's brother unto her.
6 And H abfltl be, ikat the fl^et-born which she beareth ( shall succeed in the name of his brother ithiek U dead, that ^ his name be not put oot of
7 And if (he man like not to take his > brother's wifb, then let his brother's wife go up to the ^ ^ate unto the elders, and say, tAy husband's brother refaaeth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's bj^other.
8 "Then the elders of his city shall cdl him, Imd speak nnto him: and if he stand to it, and toy. ■ I like not to take her;
9 f hen shall his brother's wtifi come unto him Hi the presenee of the dders, cmd • loose his
Bfrom off his fbot, and epit in his foce, and answer and say, So sli^l It be done unto nan that will not r bnild up his brother's fcoQse,
10 And his name shall be ctdled hi Israel, The bouse of him that haih his shoe loosed.
other, and the ^'ffeofthe one drawcth near, for io deliver her husband out the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth Ibrth her hand, and taketh liiin by the secrets:
12 Then tliou shalt cut ofl' her hand, <« thine eye shall not 1)11? her,
13 1f ' Thou shalt not hav6 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 But tliou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shall thou have: ■ that thy days may be lengthened in tho land which the Lord thy Godjgiveih thee.
16 For * all that do such thin^, and all that do unrighteoQsly, ore an lamination unto tho Loan thy God.
17 H * Remember what Amaiek did unto thee bv the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypf;