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Introduction
to Leviticus
INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS
This book is commonly called by the Jews
Vajikra
from the first word with which it begins
and sometimes תורת כהנים
"the law of the priests"F1T. Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 103. 2.
; and this is its name in the Syriac and Arabic versions: by the Septuagint
interpreters it is called λευιτικον
and by the Latins
Leviticus
or the
Levitical book
because it gives an account of the Levitical priesthood
as the
apostle calls it
Hebrews 7:11. It treats of the sacrifices under the Levitical
dispensation
and of the priests concerned in them
and of the times and
seasons in which they were offered
and of many other rites and ceremonies.
That it was wrote by Moses is not only generally believed by the Jews
but is
affirmed in the New Testament; see Matthew 8:4 compared with Leviticus 14:2
from whence
as well as from other citations out of it in other places
the
authority of it may be concluded. The matter of it was delivered to Moses
and
very likely by him then written upon the erection of the tabernacle
which was
in the second year of the Israelites coming out of Egypt
in the first month
and the first day of the month
Exodus 40:17 and it was on the same day that
the Lord spake to Moses out of it
and delivered to him the laws concerning
sacrifices
recorded in the first seven chapters; see Numbers 1:1 compared with
Leviticus 1:1 and on the eighth day of the same month
and some following days
the remainder of it was given to him
and written by him
see Leviticus 8:1 to
which agrees the Targum of Jonathan on Leviticus 1:1.
"when Moses had made an end of erecting
the tabernacle
Moses thought and reasoned in his heart
and said
Mount Sinai
its excellency was the excellency of an hour
and its holiness the holiness of
three days
it was not possible for me to ascend unto it
until the time that
the Word was speaking with me; but this tabernacle of the congregation
its
excellency is an excellency for ever
and its holiness an holiness for ever
it
is fit that I should not enter into it
until the time that be speaks with me
from before the Lord; and therefore the Word of the Lord called to Moses
and
the Word of the Lord spake with him out of the tabernacle of the congregation
saying;'
and to the same purpose the Jerusalem Targum.
It was written in the year from the creation of the world 2514
and about 1490
years before the coming of Christ. The various sacrifices
rites
and
ceremonies made mention of in it
were typical of Christ
and shadows of good
things to come by him: there are many things in it
which give great light to
several passages in the New Testament
and it is worthy of diligent reading and
consideration.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version
Bible
NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars
church leaders
and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version
while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order
grammar
vocabulary
and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou"
"thee"
"ye
" "thy
" and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example
"speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young
who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House
Grand Rapids
Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23
1697-October 14
1771) was an English Baptist
a biblical scholar
and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering
Northamptonshire.
In his youth
he attended Kettering Grammar School
mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve
Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor
William Wallis
on the text
"And the Lord called
unto Adam
and said unto him
where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel
Horsleydown
Southwark in 1719. In 1757
his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane
St. Olave's Street
Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748
Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist
which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself
which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.