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Leviticus
Chapter Nineteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 19
This
chapter contains various laws
ceremonial and moral
tending to the
sanctification of men
in imitation of the holy God
Leviticus 19:1; as
concerning the reverence of parents
and observing the sabbaths
Leviticus 19:3;
against idolatry
Leviticus 19:4;
about offering and eating of peace offerings
Leviticus 19:5;
concerning harvest and gleaning of fields and vineyards
Leviticus 19:9;
respecting the breach of several of the commandments of the law
as the eighth
ninth
and third
particularly
Leviticus 19:11;
and others relating to the ill usage of the deaf and blind
and having respect
to persons rich or poor in judgment
and acting the part of a tale bearer among
people
Leviticus 19:14;
and bearing hatred and ill will to any of their neighbours
Leviticus 19:17;
and others forbidding mixtures in the generation of cattle
sowing fields
and
wearing apparel
Leviticus 19:19;
and concerning the punishment of a man that lay with a bondmaid
and the
offering he should bring for his atonement
Leviticus 19:20;
then follow certain laws concerning fruit trees
when the fruit of them should
be eaten
Leviticus 19:23;
and concerning eating with blood
using enchantments
and observing times
and
managing the hair of the head and beard
and avoiding to make any marks
prints
and cuttings in the flesh for the dead
Leviticus 19:26; a
caution not to prostitute a daughter to whoredom
and to observe the sabbath
and reverence the sanctuary of God
and pay no regard to wizards and familiar
spirits
Leviticus 19:29; to
show reverence to ancient persons
and not to vex and distress strangers
Leviticus 19:32;
and to do no injustice in weight and measure
Leviticus 19:35;
all which instructions are to be carefully observed
and put in execution
Leviticus 19:37.
Leviticus 19:1. And
the Lord
spoke to Moses
saying
YLT 1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses
saying
And the Lord spake unto Moses
.... About the same
or
quickly after he had delivered the above laws to him; and there are many in
this chapter
which were before given
and here repeated:
saying; as follows.
Leviticus 19:2.
2 “Speak to all the
congregation of the children of Israel
and say to them: ‘You shall be holy
for I the Lord
your God am holy.
YLT 2`Speak unto all the company of the sons of
Israel
and thou hast said unto them
Ye are holy
for holy [am] I
Jehovah
your God.
Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel
.... They
could not be all spoke to together
but tribe after tribe
or family after
family; or rather the heads of the tribes
and at most the heads of families were
convened
and the following instructions were given
to be communicated to
their respective tribes and families. Jarchi says this section was spoken in
the congregation
because the greater part of the body of the law
or the more
substantial parts of it
depend upon it; and indeed all the ten commandments
are included in it
with various other laws
both judicial and ceremonial. Aben
Ezra remarks
that all the congregation are spoken to
to include the
proselytes
because they had been warned of incests
as the Israelites
in the
preceding chapter; see Gill on Leviticus 18:26
and say unto them
ye shall be holy: a separate people from
all others
abstaining from all the impurity and idolatry they are cautioned
against in the foregoing chapter
and observing the holy precepts expressed in
this:
for I the Lord your God am holy; in his
nature
essence
originally
independently
immutably
and perfectly; and the
more holy they were
the more like they would be to him; See Gill on Leviticus 11:44 and
See Gill on Leviticus 11:45;
where the same words are used
after the laws given about creatures clean and
unclean to be eaten
as here
after those about impure copulations and incests.
Leviticus 19:3. 3 ‘Every
one of you shall revere his mother and his father
and keep My Sabbaths: I am
the Lord
your God.
YLT 3`Each his mother and his father ye do fear
and My sabbaths ye do keep; I [am] Jehovah your God.
Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father
.... This has
respect to the fifth command
which is the first with promise
and is here
referred to first
because a man has his beginning in the world from his
parents
and by them he is trained up in the observance of all the other laws
of God
equally to be respected; and the fear of them is not servile
but
filial
joined with love and affection to them
and includes an inward esteem
and reverence of them
an outward respect unto them
a readiness to obey their
commands
and giving due and equal honour unto them; See Gill on Exodus 20:12;
Pythagoras
Phocylides
and other Heathens
next to honouring God
exhort to
the honour and reverence of parents:
and keep my sabbaths; this is expressed in the
plural number
because there were various sabbaths. The seventh day sabbath
and the seventh year sabbath
and the jubilee
which was once in seven times
seven years; the seventh day sabbath is chiefly meant: this follows upon the
other
because it lay upon parents to teach their children the observance of
the sabbath
and to train them up in it; and indeed the fear of them greatly depends
on it
for children that are sabbath breakers have seldom much respect to their
parents; and besides this suggests
that though children are to honour
reverence
and obey their parents
yet not in anything that is contrary to the
laws of God; and
particularly should they suggest to them that sabbaths were
not to be observed
they should not hearken to them:
I am the Lord your God; that gave them their
being
parents being but instruments
and who had a right to enjoin them what
laws he pleased; and among the rest had ordered them to observe the sabbath
and which in gratitude they were obliged unto
as well as in point of duty.
Leviticus 19:4. 4 ‘Do
not turn to idols
nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the Lord your God.
YLT 4`Ye do not turn unto the idols
and a molten
god ye do not make to yourselves; I [am] Jehovah your God.
Turn ye not unto idols
.... From the one only
true and living God to them that are not gods
as the word used signifies
who
are nothing; for
as the apostle says
an idol is nothing in the world
1 Corinthians 8:4
is of no worth and value
of no consequence and importance
of no avail and
usefulness to its devotees; wherefore to turn from the true God to such as
these is the greatest stupidity
as well as wickedness: or "look not"
at themF7אל תפנו
"ne respiciatis"
Montanus
Tigurine version
Drusius. for help or
assistance
for they are not able to give it: and to look at them so as to view
them attentively
and consider their likeness
the Jews sayF8Pesichta
Maimonides. is forbidden; and even in the heart and mind
as Aben Ezra
observes
to have respect unto them was not right; or in the thoughts
as
Gersom:
nor make to yourselves molten gods; of gold
silver
or
brass
melted and cast into a mould
as the golden calf was
to which respect
may be had. These laws have a respect unto the first and second commandments
Exodus 20:3
I am the Lord
your God; who only is to be
worshipped
and who has forbid the making and worshipping any image
molten or
graven
and who will therefore resent idolatry of every sort
and punish for
it.
Leviticus 19:5. 5 ‘And
if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord
you shall
offer it of your own free will.
YLT 5`And when ye sacrifice a sacrifice of
peace-offerings to Jehovah
at your pleasure ye do sacrifice it;
And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord
.... Which
were of three sorts
a thanksgiving
a vow
and a voluntary offering
Leviticus 7:11; the
latter seems to be here meant
as appears by what follows:
ye shall offer it at your own will; a voluntary freewill
offering
of their own accord
and not by force
as Aben Ezra; and in such
offerings they were left to their liberty to offer what they pleased
it might
be of the flock
or of the herd
a male or a female
Leviticus 3:1. The
Targum of Jonathan is"for your acceptation;'that is
that should be
offered
and in such a manner as to be accepted of you with God; which sense is
countenanced by Leviticus 19:7; and
becomes acceptable
when what follows about eating them is attended to.
Leviticus 19:6. 6 It
shall be eaten the same day you offer it
and on the next day. And if
any remains until the third day
it shall be burned in the fire.
YLT 6in the day of your sacrificing it is eaten
and on the morrow
and that which is left unto the third day with fire is
burnt
It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it
and on the morrow
.... The
meaning is
that if it could be
it was best to eat it all up the same day it
was offered
but if not
the remainder was to be eaten on the morrow
but by no
means to be kept any longer; this shows that that sort of peace offering is
intended
which was either a vow or a voluntary offering
Leviticus 7:16; and
the Jews gather from hence
that sacrifices were to be slain in the day
and
not in the nightF9Bartenora in Misn. Zebachim
c. 13. sect. 7. &
Misn. Yoma
c. 8. sect. 1. :
and if ought remain unto the third
it shall be burnt with fire; as it is
ordered
Leviticus 7:16;
that so the owner might have no profit by it
and therefore be under no
temptation to keep it longer than the fixed time.
Leviticus 19:7. 7 And
if it is eaten at all on the third day
it is an abomination. It shall
not be accepted.
YLT 7and if it be really eaten on the third day
it [is] an abomination
it is not pleasing
And if it be eaten at all on the third day
.... Or
"in eating be eaten"F11האכל יאכל "comedendo
comedetur"
Drusius. any of it
be eaten
the least bit of it:
it is abominable; it is as any common
thing
as if it was no sacrifice; yea
as if it was corrupt and putrefied
flesh; nay
as what is abominable to God: and therefore it follows:
it shall not be accepted; of the Lord
but
rejected
his will not being attended to.
Leviticus 19:8. 8 Therefore
everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity
because he has profaned
the hallowed offering of the Lord; and that person shall be
cut off from his people.
YLT 8and he who is eating it his iniquity doth
bear
for the holy thing of Jehovah he hath polluted
and that person hath been
cut off from his people.
Therefore everyone that eateth it shall bear his iniquity
.... Be
chargeable with sin
be pronounced guilty
and endure the punishment
which is
cutting off
Leviticus 7:20
because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the Lord; the flesh of
the peace offerings
by keeping it longer than the fixed time for it
when it
was liable to corruption and putrefaction; for after the inwards and the fat of
them were offered
as Aben Ezra says
the flesh was holy
and to be eaten as an
holy thing
and within the time the law required
or otherwise it was profaned
and polluted:
and that soul shall be cut off from among his people; be deprived
of his civil and religious privileges
or be punished by the hand of the civil
magistrate
or else by the immediate hand of God.
Leviticus 19:9. 9 ‘When
you reap the harvest of your land
you shall not wholly reap the corners of
your field
nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.
YLT 9`And in your reaping the harvest of your land
ye do not completely reap the corner of thy field
and the gleaning of thy
harvest thou dost not gather
And when ye reap the harvest of your land
.... Of the
land of Canaan
when come into it
which having sown
and it was harvest
either barley harvest or wheat harvest
or both
and especially the latter
to
which reaping seems best to agree:
thou shall not wholly reap the corner of the field; but a part
was to be left for the poor. This follows upon the peace offerings: and
as
Aben Ezra observes
as the fat of them was to be given to God
so somewhat of
the harvest was to be given for the glory of God to the poor and stranger. In
the Misnah is a whole treatise
called "Peah"
which signifies
"the corner"
in which there are many decisions concerning this
affair; and among the rest
whereas it is not fixed in the law how large the
corner should be
what quantity should be left
how many ears of corn
or what
a proportion of the field
this is there determined by the wise men
who say
they do not leave less than a sixtieth part; for though they say there is no
measure (certain) for the corner
yet the whole is according to the largeness
of the field
or according to the multitude of the poor
or according to the
plenty of the increaseF12Misn. Peah
c. 1. sect. 2.
so that
as
these were
more or less were left: and though the place to be left is called a
corner
it was a matter indifferent in what part of the field it was; for so it
follows
they give (or leave) the corner at the beginning of the field
or in
the middleF13Ibid. sect. 3. ; and Ben Gersom observes
that the
corner was at the end of the field
where the harvest is finished; and it is plain
where the harvest is finished
he says
the corner should be left; for the law
does not precisely determine
only that part of the corner should be left to
the poor; and it is of no consequence to the poor whether it is in the middle
of the field or in the end of it; but MaimonidesF14Hilchot Mattanot
Anayim
c. 2. sect. 12. thinks it was to be left at the end of the field
that
the poor might know where to come for it: and in the above treatise the times
are also set when the poor should come and gather it
which they might not do
at any time; and there were three times on a day they had leave to come
in the
morning
in the middle of the day
and at the evening sacrificeF15Misn.
Peah. c. 4. sect. 5.
i.e. about three o'clock in the afternoon; the morning
was appointed
as the commentators sayF16Maimon & Bartenora in
ib.
for the sake of women that had young children
who were then asleep
the
middle of the day for the sake of nurses
and the evening for the sake of
ancient persons:
neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest; ears of corn
which fall from the hand or sickle of the reaper
or in gathering the reaps to
bind up in sheaves. In the above treatise it is asked
what is a gleaning? that
which falls in reaping; if the reaper reaps his handful
or plucks up an
handful
and a thorn strikes him
and it falls out of his hand to the ground
lo
it is the owner's; but if out of the middle of his hand
or out of the
middle of the sickle
it is the poor's; if from the further part of his hand
or of the sickle
it is the owner's; but if from the top of his hand (or tip of
his fingers) or the point of the sickle
it is the poor'sF17Ib.
sect. 10. : and it is further saidF18Maimon. & Bartenora in
Misn. Peah
c. 6. sect. 5.
"two ears are a gleaning
but three are
not
'and so Jarchi on the text
that is
when three fall together; this is
according to the school of Hillel
but according to the school of Shammai
if
there were three ears that fell together
they were the poor's
if four they
belonged to the owner.
Leviticus 19:10. 10 And
you shall not glean your vineyard
nor shall you gather every grape of
your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am
the Lord
your God.
YLT 10and thy vineyard thou dost not glean
even
the omitted part of thy vineyard thou dost not gather
to the poor and to the
sojourner thou dost leave them; I [am] Jehovah your God.
And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard
.... Or cut
off the little clusters which are
as Aben Ezra observes
like an infant
as
the word signifies
infant clusters
which were small in comparison of the
large ones
as infants are to men; those which had but a grape or two
or very
few upon them
were not to be cut off
but left for the poor: and Gersom says
if the whole vine consisted of such clusters
it all belonged to the poor:
neither shall thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; every
particular single grape; these were such as were left on the vine after the
large clusters were gathered
and a man upon viewing it again might not gather
such as had only a single grape or two upon them; for the Misnic doctors sayF19Maimon.
& Bartenora in Misn. Peah
c 6 sect. 5.
two grapes or berries make a
"peret" (the word here rendered "every grape")
but three
do not; so that if there were three grapes upon a cluster it was the owner's
and might be gathered
but if fewer
then it belonged to the poor; or this may
be understoodF20So it is interpreted by R Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed
fol. 59. 1. also of such single grapes that fell to the ground in gathering
which might not be taken up by the owners
but were to be left to the poor;
and
as Gersom says the grape gatherers might not put a bushel under the vines
in the time of gathering
to catch the single grapes that fell:
thou shall leave them for the poor and stranger: for the poor
Israelite
and the stranger that sojourns with you
as Aben Ezra interprets it;
the stranger intends a proselyte
not a proselyte of the gate
but a proselyte
of righteousness
as Gersom and it is a rule laid down by MaimonidesF21Mattanot
Anayim
c. 1. sect. 9.
that every stranger spoken of concerning the gifts of
the poor is no other than a proselyte of righteousness
one that has been
circumcised upon embracing the Jewish religion
and agreeing to conform to all
the laws and rituals of it; though the same writer observes
that they do not
restrain the poor of the Gentiles from these gifts
but they are in general included
among the poor of Israel; and they come and take them because of the ways of
peace; for the sake of peace
to promote peace and harmony among them:
I am the Lord your God; that gave them fields
and vineyards
and times of harvest
and vintage
and blessed them with
fruitful seasons
and therefore had a right to require such things of them; and
they were in duty and gratitude bound to observe his commands; and this shows
his regard unto
and concern for the poor
and that he is the father and patron
of them.
Leviticus 19:11. 11 ‘You shall not steal
nor
deal falsely
nor lie to one another.
YLT 11`Ye do not steal
nor feign
nor lie one
against his fellow.
Ye shall not steal
.... Which is the eighth command; See Gill
on Exodus 20:15;
though Jarchi thinks something different from that law is here intended; that
this is a caution against stealing of money
that in the decalogue against
stealing of souls
or men. And it may be observed
that one is expressed in the
singular number
the other in the plural
as here
and takes in more; not the
actual thief only
but he that sees and is silent
who
as Aben Ezra observes
is even as the thief; and perhaps this follows upon the preceding laws
to
suggest
that he that deprives the poor of the corner of the field
and of the
gleaning Of the harvest and vintage
is as if he robbed; and the last mentioned
writer seems to make the force of this depend on that: and MaimonidesF23Mattanot
Anayim
c. 4. sect. 16. on the above law observes
that he that put a basket
under a vine
in the time of gathering grapes
robbed the poor:
neither deal falsely; in any respect
defrauding and over reaching in trade and commerce
particularly not being
faithful to a trust committed to them; so Aben Ezra restrains it to what is
deposited with a man to keep
which he denies he ever had; and he observes
that he that knows it
and does not bear witness of it
is as he that deals
falsely; and such an one
according to a former law
having sworn falsely
and
when convicted
was obliged to restore the principal
and add a fifth part
and
bring a trespass offering to make atonement for his sin likewise
Leviticus 6:2
neither lie one to another; in common speech and
conversation
in trade and business
and particularly by demanding money of a
man who never had anything of him
as Aben Ezra; and who owes him nothing
and
yet affirms
with a lie
that he is indebted to him
and insists on payment.
Leviticus 19:12. 12 And
you shall not swear by My name falsely
nor shall you profane the name of your
God: I am the Lord.
YLT 12`And ye do not swear by My name to falsehood
or thou hast polluted the name of thy God; I [am] Jehovah.
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely
.... Or
"to a falsehood"F24לשקר "ad
fallaciam ullam"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator; so Ainsworth.
to
any of the above cases; as that a man has not the deposit of another's in his
hands
when he has; or that such a man owes him so much money
when he does
not
or any other false thing. Stealing
dealing falsely
lying
and false
swearing
are mentioned together
as following one another
and as tending to
lead on
the one to the other
as Jarchi observes;"if thou stealest
this
will lead thee on to deal falsely
and then to lie
and after that to
swear;'and who further remarks
because it may be thought a man is guilty only
because of the proper name (of God he may swear by); therefore to comprehend
all the surnames (or epithets of God
such as gracious
merciful
&c.) it
is said
"ye shall not swear by
my name falsely": every name which
is mine
by which he is called; and so Gersom
any epithet or attribute of his
or any word or phrase by which he is described
as he that made the heavens
or
that dwelleth in the heavens
or liveth for ever and ever
and the like; and
the word being of the plural number
ye shall not swear
takes in
as Aben Ezra
thinks
him that causes to swear
as well as him that swears:
neither shall thou profane the name of thy God: through
swearing falsely by it
or through any rash or vain oath in common
conversation; not only perjury in a court of judicature
but all profane oaths
curses
and imprecations are forbidden
as breaches of the third command
which
this refers to; See Gill on Exodus 20:7
I am the Lord; whose name is holy
and
who can and will revenge every abuse of it in a profane way
and to the injury
of men.
Leviticus 19:13. 13 ‘You
shall not cheat your neighbor
nor rob him. The wages of him who is
hired shall not remain with you all night until morning.
YLT 13`Thou dost not oppress thy neighbour
nor
take plunder; the wages of the hireling doth not remain with thee till morning.
Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour
neither rob him
.... Not
defraud him secretly
nor rob him openly and by force
as Aben Ezra; not
defraud him in buying and selling
in retaining wages due to him
and refusing
to return to him what has been committed to trust
or to repay him what has
been borrowed of him: the Vulgate Latin is
"thou shall not calumniate him"
or get anything from him
by raising a calumny upon him; nor rob him by coming
into his house
or entering into his fields
and taking away his goods
or his
cattle without his will
and in a forcible manner; or by meeting him on the
highway and demanding his money
and taking it from him:
the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night
until the morning; unless he that is hired agrees to it; for then it may be kept
two or three days
or a week
or for whatsoever time may be agreed upon between
them: this must be understood of one that is hired by the day
whose wages are
due at night
and who may want his money to buy food for his family
and
therefore should not without his consent be detained from him; and not of one
that is hired by the week
or by the year
whose wages are not due until the
end of the week or year for which he is hired; and the Jewish writersF25Vid.
Misn. Bava Metzia
c. 9. sect. 11. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib. Jarchi
& Ben Gersom in loc. observe
that this Scripture speaks of a day hireling
or a day labourer
whose wages became due at night; as another Scripture
Deuteronomy 24:15;
speaks of a night hireling
or a night labourer
whose hire is not due until
the pillar of the morning arises
or the sun is up
and therefore it must be
paid him before it goes down; to detain the wages of such
or defraud them of
it
is a very crying sin; see Jeremiah 22:13.
Leviticus 19:14. 14 You
shall not curse the deaf
nor put a stumbling block before the blind
but shall
fear your God: I am the Lord.
YLT 14`Thou dost not revile the deaf; and before
the blind thou dost not put a stumbling block; and thou hast been afraid of thy
God; I [am] Jehovah.
Thou shalt not curse the deaf
.... Who are naturally
so
born deaf
or become so through some accident
and cannot hear what is
objected to them
and they are cursed for; and so cannot reply in their own
defence
and remove the calumny cast upon them
if it be such which is the
cause of their being cursed; and therefore there is something mean and base as
well as wicked in cursing such: the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan render it
"him that heareth not"
and respects any absent person who is not
within the hearing of the curse
and so equally incapable of answering for
himself as a deaf man: Gersom observes
that this is a caution not to curse any
Israelite; for if we are cautioned
says he
not to curse a deaf man who hears
not
and therefore cannot be moved at it
much less should we curse him that is
not deaf
from whence quarrels and fightings arise:
nor put a stumblingblock before the blind: to cause him
to fall; and in this negative is implied
that a man should be serviceable and
helpful to the blind as much as may be; as to lead
and guide
and direct them
in the way
and not put them out of it
as well as not do anything to cause
them to stumble in it; Jarchi and Ben Gersom interpret this figuratively
of
ignorant persons imposed upon by the bad advice of others: on the other hand
agreeably to this sense
Job says
he was "eyes to the blind"
Job 29:15; gave
good advice to the ignorant
instructed them what ways and methods to take to
do themselves justice
or obtain it
which otherwise they knew not:
but shalt fear thy God: who
as Aben Ezra
observes
can punish thee by making thee deaf and blind also; by striking them
with deafness and blindness at once; wherefore the awe and fear of God should
be on persons
and make them cautious and fearful how they abused those in such
circumstances:
I am the Lord; the Lord God
omnipresent and omniscient
that hears when the deaf are cursed
though they do
not; and sees the stumblingblocks laid before the blind
and knows who laid
them
though they do not
and will revenge such abuses and injuries: the
apostle seems to have respect to this law in Romans 14:13
Leviticus 19:15. 15 ‘You
shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor
nor
honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
YLT 15`Ye do not do perversity in judgment; thou
dost not lift up the face of the poor
nor honour the face of the great; in
righteousness thou dost judge thy fellow.
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment
.... This is
said with respect to judges and witnesses
as Aben Ezra notes; that the one
should not bear false witness in a court of judicature to the perversion of
justice
and the other should not pronounce an unrighteous sentence
justifying
the wicked and condemning the righteous:
thou shalt not respect the person of the poor; that is
in
judgment
or in a court of judicature
when a cause of his is brought before
it; though privately his person may be respected
and he relieved in his
distress as a poor man; but in a court of justice his person and character as a
poor man are not to be regarded; the cause is not to be given either for him or
against him on that account
without regard to the justice and equity of it; he
may be pitied in other respects but in a cause between him and another
even a
rich man
not pity
but justice
must take place; see Gill on Exodus 23:3
nor honour the person of the mighty; not fear to put him to
shame and blushing
by giving the cause against him
if he is in the wrong; his
riches
his grandeur
his honour
must not came into any account
or have any
weight or influence on the court to pervert justice: the Jewish writers
particularly
MaimonidesF26Hilchot Sanhedrin
c. 21. sect. 1
2
3. suggest that
there was to be no difference between a rich man and a poor man while their
cause was trying; that they were to be clothed either both in a rich habit
or
both in a mean one; and that their posture was to be alike
whether sitting or
standing; as well as that no favour should be shown to one more than to
another; as that one might have liberty to speak as much and as long as he
pleased
and the other bid to be short; or the one be spoken tenderly to
and
the other harshly:
but in righteousness shall
thou judge thy neighbour; be he rich or poor
doing justice to both
and showing no
partiality to either; see Proverbs 18:5.
Leviticus 19:16. 16 You
shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take
a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
YLT 16`Thou dost not go slandering among thy
people; thou dost not stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I [am] Jehovah.
Thou shall not go up and down as a talebearer among thy
people
.... The word used signifies a merchant
and particularly one
that deals in drugs and spices
and especially a peddler in those things
that
goes about from place to place to sell them; and such having an opportunity and
making use of it to carry stories of others
and report them to their
disadvantage
hence it came to be used for one that carries tales from house to
house
in order to curry favour for himself
and to the injury of others; and
such a man is a detestable person
and ought not to be encouraged
see 1 Timothy 5:13
neither shall thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; either by
bearing a false testimony
whereby his blood is in danger of being shed when
innocent; or by being silent
and not hearing a testimony for him
whereby the
shedding of his innocent blood might have been prevented; either way may be
interpreted standing against it: the Jewish writers think
that a man by this
law
is bound to do all he can to preserve the life of his neighbour
when it
is by any means in danger
by drowning
or by thieves and wild beasts
so
Jarchi:
I am the Lord; the just and righteous
One
who will resent and punish for all unjust proceedings in courts of
judicature
secret tale bearing
doing any injury to another
or not preventing
it when in the power of his hands.
Leviticus 19:17. 17 ‘You
shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your
neighbor
and not bear sin because of him.
YLT 17`Thou dost not hate thy brother in thy heart;
thou dost certainly reprove thy fellow
and not suffer sin on him.
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart
.... Although no
hatred may be expressed either by words or deeds
yet being in the heart is a
breach of the sixth command
see Matthew 5:21; and
of this a man may be guilty
when he does not attempt to save the life of his
neighbour
either by bearing a testimony for him
or by delivering from danger
as preserving him from drowning
from wild beasts and thieves
as in Leviticus 19:16; or
when he does not reprove him for sin
as in the next clause
but suffers him to
go on in it to his ruin
either of which by interpretation is an hatred of him:
thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour
for any sin
committed by him
though secretly
yet known; which rebuke should be private
and repeated as may be found necessary
and given gently in meekness and
tenderness:
and not suffer sin upon him; unconvinced of
unrepented of and persisted in
which may prove of fatal consequence to him;
and therefore to let him alone
and go on in it without telling him of it
and
reproving him for it
would be so far from acting the kind and friendly part
and showing him love and respect
that it would be an evidence of hating him at
heart
at least it might be strongly suspected: or
"and not bear sin for
him"F1לא תשא
עליו חטא "ne feras
propter eum peccatum"
Tigurine version; so Sept. Syr. Ar. Targum
Jonathan
Aben Ezra
Ainsworth. ; become a partner with him in his sin
and so
become liable to bear punishment for it; which is a strong reason for reproving
sin
in a proper manner
lest we should be partakers of other men's sins; see 1 Timothy 5:20.
Leviticus 19:18. 18 You
shall not take vengeance
nor bear any grudge against the children of your
people
but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
YLT 18`Thou dost not take vengeance
nor watch the
sons of thy people; and thou hast had love to thy neighbour as thyself; I [am]
Jehovah.
Thou shalt not avenge
.... That is
not avenge
ourselves on him that has done us an ill thing
but leave it to him to whom
vengeance belongs
see Romans 12:19; which
is done when a man does an ill thing for another
or denies to grant a favour
which he has been denied by another; Jarchi thus illustrates it
one says to
him (his neighbour) lend me thy sickle; he answers
no (I will not); on the
morrow (the neighbour comes
who had refused
and) says to him
lend me thy hatchet;
he replies
I will not lend thee
even as thou wouldest not lend me; this is
vengeance: this was reckoned mean and little
a piece of weakness with the very
HeathensF2-----quippe minuti
&c. Juvenal. Satyr. 13. :
nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people; those of the
same place
city
or kingdom; or "not observe"F3ולא תטר "et non
observabis"
Montanus. the injury done
take no notice of it
nor lay it
up in the mind and memory
but forget it; or "not keep"F4"Non
servabis"
Pagninus
Drusius; "neque iram asservato"; Junius
& Tremellius
Piscator. or retain enmity
as the Targum of Jonathan
supplies it; and so do an ill turn
or refuse to do a good one; or if that is
done
yet upbraids with the former unkindness; for upbraiding with unkindness
shows that a grudge is retained
though the suit is not denied:
but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; sincerely and
heartily
as a man loves himself
doing all the good to him as a man does to
himself
or would have done to himself
and hindering all the mischief done to
him he would have himself preserved from: Jarchi observes
that it was a saying
of R. Akiba
that this is"the great universal in the law
'and it does
indeed comprehend the whole of the second table of the law
and is the summary
of it
and is pretty much the same our Lord says of it
that it is the second
and great commandment
and like unto the first
on which two all the law and
the prophets hang
Matthew 22:37; and
so the Apostle Paul makes all the laws of the second table to be comprehended
in this
Romans 13:9
I am the Lord; the Creator of all men
and who has commanded them to love one another
and to whom alone vengeance
belongs
and who expects obedience to the above laws of his.
Leviticus 19:19. 19 ‘You
shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another
kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of
mixed linen and wool come upon you.
YLT 19`My statutes ye do keep: thy cattle thou dost
not cause to gender [with] diverse kinds; thy field thou dost not sow with
diverse kinds
and a garment of diverse kinds
shaatnez
doth not go up upon
thee.
Ye shall keep my statutes
.... Those which follow
and which are of a different sort from what are last mentioned
of a moral
nature
and are planted in the heart
as Aben Ezra says; are agreeably to the
law and light of nature
and part of the work of the law written on the heart
as the apostle calls it
Romans 2:15; but
the following are of positive institution
and depend upon the will of the
lawgiver
the reasons of which are not so apparent and manifest; and therefore
Jarchi calls them the decree of the king
who gives no reason for it;
ordinances and appointments of a ceremonial kind
which
though there is a
meaning in them
and a reason for them
yet not clear and plain:
thou shall not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind; or
"cause them to gender"F5תרביע
"non facies coire"
V. L. Pagninus
Drusius. for cattle do not
usually of themselves gender with a diverse kind
unless directed and solicited
to it
as a male of one kind with a female of another; for instance
an horse
with a she ass
or an he ass with a mare
and even creatures that were like one
another
yet of different kinds
were not to mix together; as a wolf and a dog
a hound and a fox
goats and roebucks
goats and sheep
a horse and a mule
a
mule and an ass
an ass and a wild ass; for though they are like one another
they are of different kindsF6Misn. Gelaim
c. 1. sect. 6. : a
creature thus gendered was not forbidden to be used
as a mule; and if a clean
creature and gendered of clean ones
though of a different kind
it might be
eaten
as MaimonidesF7Hilchot Gelaim
c. 9. sect. 3. affirms; for
not the creature gendered was unlawful for use
but the act of causing to
gender is what is forbidden: the design was to preserve the order of beings
and the nature of creatures as they were at the first creation; that there
might be no change among them
or anything taken from or added to what God had
made; not to separate what God had joined
or join what God had separated
which to do must reflect upon his wisdom; as also
that men and women
as PhiloF8De
Special. Leg. p. 784. observes
might abstain from unlawful converse
from
unnatural lusts and mixtures; and as Ainsworth thinks
this was to lead Israel
to the simplicity and sincerity of religion
and of all the parts and doctrines
of the law and Gospel in their distinct kinds
as faith and works
to mingle
which together in our justification before God is forbidden; or rather to teach
the saints not to mix with the men of the world
in evil conversation
or in
superstitious worship; to which may be added
to show that spiritual
regeneration is not partly of corruptible and partly of incorruptible seed
nor
partly of the will of man
and partly of the will of God; nor partly of the
power of man
and partly of the power of God
but wholly of the Spirit and
grace of God:
thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: or seed of
divers sorts
as wheat and barley
and which
according to the JewsF9
was not mingled unless there be two grains of wheat and one of barley
or one
of wheat and two of barley; or wheat
and barley
and rye: they also include
herbs and trees in this law
and make an graft of them a forbidden mixture;
hence
they sayF11Misn. Celaim
c. 1. sect. 7
8.
they do not
ingraft one tree in another
nor one herb in another
nor a tree in an herb
nor an herb in a tree
of which they give instances: and there are various
sorts of seeds
herbs
roots
and trees
which are and are not of divers kinds
and some that are alike and yet diverse; for they have a whole treatise of such
like things
called "Celaim"
or divers kinds: as to the mystical
sense
the "field" may represent the church of God
which is not an
open but an enclosed field
enclosed by the grace of God
and separated from
others by it
well manured and cultivated by the Spirit of God
and through the
word and ordinances
as means
in which manner of fruit and flowers grow
and
is the property of Christ; see Song of Solomon 4:12;
the seed may signify the word or doctrine of the Gospel
sown by the ministers
of it
skilfully and plentifully
which should be pure and unmixed
not
contradictory
nor inconsistent
but all of a piece; the doctrines of it
as
those of election
justification
peace
pardon
and salvation
are to be
represented
not as partly of works and partly of grace
but as entirely of the
grace of God through Christ: or good and bad men may be signified by the
mingled seed; good men
who are made so by the grace of God
and are the good
seed
or the good ground which receives it
which hear the word
understand it
and bring forth fruit; bad men
such as are of bad principles and practices
these are not to be mixed together in a church state; bad men are neither to be
received nor retained:
neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon
thee; for
as JosephusF12Antiqu. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 11.
says
none but the priests were allowed to wear such a garment
and with which
the MisnahF13Celaim
c. 9. sect. 1. agrees; in which it is asserted
that the priests have no other clothing to minister in
in the sanctuary
but
of woollen and linen; which seems to be a better reason of this prohibition
than what MaimonidesF14Moreh Nevochim
par. 3. c. 37. gives
that it
was on the account of idolatrous priests
who used to go clothed with such a
garment
and a metal ring on their fingers: the Jewish tradition is
nothing is
forbidden on account of divers kinds (i.e. in garments) but wool and flax;
camels' wool
and sheep's wool
mixed together
if the greater part is camels'
it is free
but if the greater part is sheep's wool
it is forbidden
if half
and half
it is forbidden; and so flax and hemp mixed together; also that
nothing is forbidden on such account but what is spun and woveF15:
the design of this
as of the other
seems to be in general to caution against
unnatural lusts and impure mixtures
and all communion of good and bad men
and
particularly against joining the righteousness of Christ with the works of men
in the business of justification: Christ's righteousness is often compared to a
garment
and sometimes to line linen
clean and white; and men's righteousness
to filthy rags
Revelation 19:8;
which are by no means to be put together in the said affair; such who believe
in Christ are justified by the obedience of one and not of more
and by faith
in that obedience and righteousness
without the works of the law
Romans 5:19 Romans 3:28; to
join them together is needless
disagreeable
and dangerous.
Leviticus 19:20. 20 ‘Whoever
lies carnally with a woman who is betrothed to a man as a concubine
and
who has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom
for this there shall be
scourging; but they shall not be put to death
because she was not free.
YLT 20`And when a man lieth with a woman with seed
of copulation
and she a maid-servant
betrothed to a man
and not really
ransomed
or freedom hath not been given to her
an investigation there is;
they are not put to death
for she [is] not free.
And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman
.... Has
carnal knowledge of her: a man and woman are expressed
signifying those that
are of age
Aben Ezra observes
that according to the mystical exposition of
these words
this same carnally lying is as of divers kinds
of a free man with
a bondwoman
and so follows upon the above law and in connection with it: the
woman is described as one
that is a bondmaid; either meaning a
Canaanitish maid
as Jarchi
or an Israelitish one
as Aben Ezra
whom her
father had sold
Exodus 21:7
betrothed to her husband: to an Hebrew servant
as
Jarchi
or who was promised marriage
either by her master or his son
as Aben
Ezra
Exodus 21:8
and not at all redeemed
nor freedom given her: or redeemed
and not redeemed
as Jarchi; or
as the Targum of Jonathan
not yet redeemed
with an entire redemption (or wholly redeemed) with silver
nor a writing of
her freedom given her
part of the redemption price being paid
but not the
whole; so that she was
as Jarchi and Ben Gersom express it
half a bondmaid
and half free:
she shall be scourged; and not he
as the
Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi remark
though the Vulgate Latin version renders
it
"both shall be beaten"; and the original text does not clearly
determine it whether one or both should be scourged
since it may be rendered
"there shall be a scourging"F15בקרת
תהיה "vapulatio erit"
Fagius
Vatablus
Ainsworth; "flagellatio adhibetor"; Junius & Tremellius
Piscator. ; and seeing both were guilty of sin
it is reasonable to suppose
that both should be scourged
but this is contrary to the sense of the Jewish
writers; so KimchiF16Sepher Shorash. rad. בקר.
observes
the word is תהיה in the singular number and
feminine gender
and not in the plural; wherefore
according to the simple
sense
she is to be beaten
and not he to be beaten; and this was done with the
thong of an ox's hide
as is the sense of the word used
according to Gaon
and
so some in Aben Ezra; and so it is remarked in the MisnahF17Ceritot
c. 2. sect. 4.
all the uncleannesses
whether of a man or woman
are alike as
to stripes and sacrifice
but with respect to a bondmaid
he (i.e. God) hath
not made the man equal to the woman as to stripes
nor the woman to the man as
to sacrifice:
they shall not be put to death
because she was not free; otherwise
adultery was punished with death of both parties
when committed with a woman
married to an husband
Deuteronomy 22:22;
and she a free woman
but this not being so
were not guilty of death
because
as Jarchi says
her espousals were no espousals
whereas they would had she
been free
and so have been guilty of death: this difference the law made
between a bond and free woman
but in Christ Jesus and under the Gospel
dispensation there is no difference
Galatians 3:28.
Leviticus 19:21. 21 And he shall bring his
trespass offering to the Lord
to the door of the tabernacle of meeting
a ram as a trespass offering.
YLT 21`And he hath brought in his guilt-offering to
Jehovah
unto the opening of the tent of meeting
a ram [for] a guilt-offering
He shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord
.... To the
priest of the Lord
to offer it for him; he
and not she
as the Targum of
Jonathan has it; See Gill on Leviticus 19:20
unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; where all
offerings were to be brought
Leviticus 17:4
even a ram for a
trespass offering; which was the usual creature for such a sacrifice
Leviticus 5:15; the
woman was not obliged to bring any
she being a bondmaid; and so having nothing
of her own
but what was her master's
her circumstances are considered
and
scourging was sufficient.
Leviticus 19:22. 22 The
priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering
before the Lord
for his sin which he has committed. And the sin which he has committed shall be
forgiven him.
YLT 22and the priest hath made atonement for him
with the ram of the guilt-offering before Jehovah
for his sin which he hath
sinned
and it hath been forgiven him because of his sin which he hath sinned.
And the priest shall make an atonement for him
.... By
offering his sacrifice for him
typical of the atoning sacrifice of Christ:
with the ram of his trespass offering before the Lord; presented
before him at the door of the tabernacle
and offered up on his altar:
for his sin which he hath done; or "sinned"
which is so expressed
according to Jarchi
to take in his sin
whether done
ignorantly or presumptuously:
and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him; upon the
atonement made
as all the sins of God's people are forgiven through Christ
upon the foot of his atoning sacrifice
see Hebrews 9:22.
Leviticus 19:23. 23 ‘When
you come into the land
and have planted all kinds of trees for food
then you
shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as
uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten.
YLT 23`And when ye come in unto the land
and have
planted all [kinds] of trees [for] food
then ye have reckoned as uncircumcised
its fruit
three years it is to you uncircumcised
it is not eaten
And when ye shall come into the land
.... The land
of Canaan
whither they were now going:
and shall have planted all manner of trees for food; such that
brought forth fruit that was eatable
as figs
grapes
olives
&c. so that
all such trees as did not bear fruit fit for man's food came not under the
following law; nor such as grew up of themselves and were not planted; nor such
as were planted for any other use than for fruit; nor such as were planted by
the Canaanites before the Israelites came into their land; for so say the Jews
what were planted for an hedge or for timber are free from the law; and add
at
the time our fathers came into the land
what they found planted was free
what
they planted
though they had not subdued it (the land)
was bound:
then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised; not fit to be
eaten
but to be taken off and cast away as the foreskin of the flesh:
three years it shall be as uncircumcised unto you
it shall not be
eaten of; which was a provision partly for the benefit of fruit trees
newly planted
whose fruit
when they first bear
gardeners frequently take off
immediately
and do not suffer them to grow to any perfection
by which means a
tree will grow stronger
and will bear more and better fruit another year; and
partly for the health of man
which physical reason is given by Aben Ezra
who
observes that the fruit that comes unto the third year there is no profit by
it
but is hurtful; and chiefly because
as it is proper that the first fruits
should be given to the Lord before any is eaten
so it is right that it should
be given seasonably
and when it is brought to its perfection: three years were
to be reckoned
as Jarchi and Ben Gersom say
from the time the tree was
planted.
Leviticus 19:24. 24 But
in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy
a praise to the Lord.
YLT 24and in the fourth year all its fruit is holy
-- praises for Jehovah.
But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy
.... Separated
and devoted to the service of God
to be given to the priest
or to be bought
again of him; wherefore the Targum of Jonathan adds
at the end of the verse
"redeemed from the priest"
a redemption price being given to the
priest; and
as Jarchi observes
as the tithe was not eaten without the walls
of Jerusalem
but by redemption
even so likewise this:
to praise the Lord withal; for his abundant
goodness in blessing and making the trees fruitful
and bringing their fruit
unto perfection; and by devoting the first fruits to God
his name was praised
and glorified
as well as by eating them with joy and gladness before the Lord
in Jerusalem.
Leviticus 19:25. 25 And
in the fifth year you may eat its fruit
that it may yield to you its increase:
I am the Lord
your God.
YLT 25And in the fifth year ye do eat its fruit --
to add to you its increase; I [am] Jehovah your God.
And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof
.... And so in
all succeeding years as long as the tree lasted and bore:
that it may yield unto you the increase thereof; may be so
abundantly blessed
and produce so large an increase as to answer the three
years' want of any fruit from it
and the dedication of the fruit of the fourth
year to the Lord:
I am the Lord your God; who has promised this
increase
is both able and faithful to make it good.
Leviticus 19:26. 26 ‘You
shall not eat anything with the blood
nor shall you practice divination
or soothsaying.
YLT 26`Ye do not eat with the blood; ye do not
enchant
nor observe clouds.
Ye shall not eat anything with the blood
.... Or upon
over
or by the bloodF19על הדם "super sanguine"
Montanus
Munster;
"super sanguinem"
Fagius.
for this law seems different from that
in Genesis 9:4
and
from those in Leviticus 3:17; and
is variously interpreted by the Jewish writers; some of not eating flesh
the
blood not being rightly let out of it
as not being thoroughly cleared of itF20Joseph.
Antiqu. l. 6. c. 6. sect. 4. T. Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 63. 1.
and so comes
under the notion of things strangled; others of not eating of sacrifices until
the blood stands in the basinF21Targum Jon. in loc. T. Bab.
Sanhedrin
ib. ; and others of not eating any flesh whose blood is not
sprinkled on the altar
if near the holy placeF23Aben Ezra in loc. :
some think it refers to the custom of murderers who eat over the person slain
that the avengers of the slain may not take vengeance on them
supposing
something superstitious in it
because of what followsF24Baal
Hatturim in loc. ; though it rather has respect to an idolatrous practice of
the Zabians
as MaimonidesF25Moreh Nevochim
par. 3. c. 46. informs
us
who took blood to be the food of devils
and who used to take the blood of
a slain beast and put it in a vessel
or in a hole dug in the earth
and eat
the flesh sitting round about the blood; fancying by this means they had
communion with devils
and contracted friendship and familiarity with them
whereby they might get knowledge of future things; See Gill on Ezekiel 33:25
neither shall ye use enchantment; soothsaying or
divination by various creatures
as by the weasel
birds
or fishes
as the
TalmudistsF26T. Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 66. 1. Jarchi in loc. ; or
rather by serpents
as the word used is thought to have the signification of;
or by any odd accidents
as a man's food falling out of his mouth
or his staff
out of his hand
or his son calling after him behind
or a crow cawing to him
or a hart passing by him
or a serpent on his right hand and a fox on his left
or one says
do not begin (any work) tomorrow
it is the new moon
or the going
out of the sabbathF1Kimchi
Sepher Shorash. rad. נחש.
:
nor observe times; saying
such a day is a lucky day to begin
any business
or such an hour an unlucky hour to go out in
as Jarchi
taking
the word to have the signification of times
days
and hours
as our version
and others; but Aben Ezra derives it from a word which signifies a cloud
and
it is well known
he says
that soothsayers view and consult the clouds
their
likeness and motion; but some of the ancient writers
as Gersom observes
derive it from a word which signifies an eye
and suppose that such persons are
intended who hold the eyes of people
cast a mist before them
or use some
juggling tricks whereby they deceive their sight.
Leviticus 19:27. 27 You
shall not shave around the sides of your head
nor shall you disfigure the
edges of your beard.
YLT 27`Ye do not round the corner of your head
nor
destroy the corner of thy beard.
Ye shall not round the corners of your heads
.... The
extremities of the hairs of the head
round about
on the forehead
temples
and behind the ears; this is done
as Jarchi says
when any one makes his
temples
behind his ears
and his forehead alike
so that the circumference of
his head is found to be round all about
as if they had been cut as with a
bowl; and so the Arabians cut their hair
as HerodotusF2Thalia
sive
l. 3. c. 8. reports; see Gill on Jeremiah 9:26
neither shall thou mar the corners of thy beard; by shaving
them entirely; Jarchi and other Jewish writers say
there are five of them
two
on the right
as Gersom reckons them
one on the upper jaw
the other on the
nether
and two over against them on the left
and one in the place where the
nether jaw joins the right to the left
the chin; the same observes
that it
was the manner of idolaters to do the above things; and MaimonidesF3Moreh
Nevochim
par. 3. c. 37. Hilchot Obede Cochabim
c. 12. sect. 1. is of opinion
that the reason of the prohibition is
because the idolatrous priests used this
custom; but this law does not respect priests only
but the people of Israel in
general; wherefore rather it was occasioned by the Gentiles in common cutting
their hair
in honour of their gods
as the Arabians did
as Herodotus in the
above place relates
in imitation of Bacchus
and to the honour of him; and so
with others
it was usual for young men to consecrate their hair to idols; but
inasmuch as such practices were used on account of the dead
as Aben Ezra
observes
it seems probable enough that these things are forbidden to be done
on their account
since it follows
Leviticus 19:28. 28 You
shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead
nor tattoo any marks on
you: I am the Lord.
YLT 28`And a cutting for the soul ye do not put in
your flesh; and a writing
a cross-mark
ye do not put on you; I [am] Jehovah.
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead
.... Either
with their nails
tearing their cheeks and other parts
or with any instrument
knife
razor
&c. Jarchi says
it was the custom of the Amorites
when
anyone died
to cut their flesh
as it was of the Scythians
as HerodotusF4Melpomene
sive
l. 4. c. 71. relates
even those of the royal family; for a king they cut
off a part of the ear
shaved the hair round about
cut the arms about
wounded
the forehead and nose
and transfixed the left hand with arrows; and so the
Carthaginians
who might receive it from the Phoenicians
being a colony of
theirs
used to tear their hair and mouths in mourning
and beat their breastsF5Alex.
ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 7. ; and with the Romans the women used to tear
their cheeks in such a manner that it was forbid by the law of the twelve
tables
which some have thought was taken from hence: and all this was done to
appease the infernal deities
and to give them satisfaction for the deceased
and to make them propitious to them
as VarroF6Apud Servium in
Virgil. Aeneid. 3. affirms; and here it is said to be made "for the
soul"
for the soul of the departed
to the honour of it
and for its
good
though the word is often used for a dead body: now
according to the
Jewish canonsF7Misn. Maccot
c. 3. sect. 5.
whosoever made but one
cutting for a dead person was guilty
and to be scourged; and he that made one
for five dead men
or five cuttings for one dead man
was obliged to scourging
for everyone of them:
nor print any marks upon you; Aben Ezra observes
there are some that say this is in connection with the preceding clause
for
there were who marked their bodies with a known figure
by burning
for the
dead; and he adds
and there are to this day such
who are marked in their
youth in their faces
that they may be known; these prints or marks were made
with ink or black lead
or
however
the incisions in the flesh were filled up
therewith; but this was usually done as an idolatrous practice; so says Ben
Gersom
this was the custom of the Gentiles in ancient times
to imprint upon
themselves the mark of an idol
to show that they were his servants; and the
law cautions from doing this
as he adds
to the exalted name (the name of
God): in the Misnah it is saidF8Ibid. sect. 6.
a man is not guilty
unless he writes the name
as it is said
Leviticus 19:28;
which the TalmudistsF9T. Bab. Maccot
fol. 21. 1. and the
commentatorsF11 interpret of the name of an idol
and not of God:
I am the Lord; who only is to be
acknowledged as such
obeyed and served
and not any strange god
whose mark
should be imprinted on them.
Leviticus 19:29. 29 ‘Do
not prostitute your daughter
to cause her to be a harlot
lest the land fall
into harlotry
and the land become full of wickedness.
YLT 29`Thou dost not pollute thy daughter to cause
her to go a-whoring
that the land go not a-whoring
and the land hath been
full of wickedness.
Do not prostitute thy daughter
to cause her to be a whore
.... Not by
delaying to marry her
which is the sense the Jews giveF12Targ. Jon.
in loc. T. Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 76. 1.
but it refers to a wicked practice
among the Phoenicians or Canaanites
AthanasiusF13Contra Gentes
p.
21. speaks of
whose women used to prostitute themselves in the temples of
their idols; and to such filthy services
in a religious way
the Israelites
in imitation of them
are forbid to expose their daughters: such filthy
practices
under a notion of religion
were committed at Babylon
Corinth
and
other places; See Gill on Micah 1:7
lest the land fall to whoredom
and the land become full of
wickedness: of the wickedness of whoredom
both corporeal and spiritual
fornication and idolatry; both of which would be promoted by such abominable
practices
and in process of time the land be filled with them.
Leviticus 19:30. 30 ‘You
shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.
YLT 30`My sabbaths ye do keep
and My sanctuary ye
do reverence; I [am] Jehovah.
Ye shall keep my sabbaths
.... By attending to the
worship and service of God on sabbath days
they and their children would be
preserved from the idolatry of the Gentiles
and all the filthy practices
attending it:
and reverence my sanctuary; and not defile it by
such impurities as were committed in the temples of idols: the sanctuary being
an holy place
sacred to him whose name is holy and reverend
and where was the
seat of his glorious Majesty
and therefore not to be defiled by fornication or
idolatry
or by doing anything in it unseemly and unbecoming; see Gill on Mark 11:16
I am the Lord; who had appointed the
observance of the sabbath day
and dwelt in the sanctuary
and therefore
expected that the one would be kept and the other reverenced
and neither of
them polluted.
Leviticus 19:31. 31 ‘Give no regard to mediums
and familiar spirits; do not seek after them
to be defiled by them: I am
the Lord
your God.
YLT 31`Ye do not turn unto those having familiar
spirits; and unto wizards ye do not seek
for uncleanness by them; I [am]
Jehovah your God.
Regard not them that have familiar spirits
.... The word
used signifies "bottles"
and that sort of diviners here intended go
by this name
either because what they sat on when they divined was in the form
of a bottle
or they divined by one
or they were swelled and inflated as
bottles when they delivered out their answers
or spoke as out of a bottle or
hollow place; hence they are called masters or mistresses of the bottle: they
seem to be the same with the ventriloquists
and so the Septuagint version here
calls them; such whose voice seemed to come out of their bellies
and even the
lower parts of them; and such was the Pythian prophetess at Delphos
and very
probably the maid in the times of the apostles
who had a spirit of divination
or of Python
Acts 16:16; and so
the words may be rendered here
"look not to the Python"F14אל תפנו אל
האבת "ne respiciatis ad Pythonas"
Montanus; so Junius & Tremellius
Piscator.
or those who have the spirit
of Python; so Jarchi from the MisnahF15Misn. Sanhedrin
c. 7. sect.
7. interprets the word here used
"Baal Ob" or the master of the bottle
this is Python
one that speaks from under his arm holes:
neither seek after wizards; such as pretend to a
great deal of knowledge
as the word signifies; such as are called cunning men
who pretend to know where lost or stolen goods are
and to tell people their
fortunes
and what will befall them hereafter:
to be defiled by them; for by seeking to them
and believing what is said by them
and trusting thereunto
and expecting
events answerable to their predictions
they would be guilty of a gross sin
and so bring pollution and guilt on them; according to the Jewish canonsF16lbid.
such sort of persons as are cautioned against were to be stoned
and they
that consulted them to be reproved:
I am the Lord your God; who only is to be
regarded and sought unto for advice and assistance; see Isaiah 8:19.
Leviticus 19:32. 32 ‘You
shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man
and
fear your God: I am the Lord.
YLT 32`At the presence of grey hairs thou dost rise
up
and thou hast honoured the presence of an old man
and hast been afraid of
thy God; I [am] Jehovah.
Thou shall rise up before the hoary head
.... Or
"before old age"F17מפני שיבה "ante canitiem"
Pagninus; so Tigurine
version
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator.
which may be discerned by the
hoary or grey hairs upon the head; that is
before a grey-headed man
or an old
man
and one was reckoned so when he was of seventy years of age; for so it is
saidF18Pirke Abot
c. 5. sect. 21.
one of sixty years is arrived
to old age
and one of seventy to grey hairs. Fagius relates
that according to
the tradition of the Hebrews
a young man was obliged to rise up when an
ancient man was at the distance of four cubits from him
and to sit down again
as soon as he had passed by him
that it might appear it was done in honour of
him. And this was not only observed among the Jews
but anciently among
Heathens
who reckoned it abominable wickedness
and a capital crime
if a
young man did not rise up to an old man
and a boy to a bearded personF19"Improbitas
illo fuit"
&c. Juvenal. Satyr. 13. v. 53
54
55
56. . HerodotusF20Euterpe
sive
l. 2. c. 80. reports
that the Egyptians agreed in this with the
Lacedaemonians
and with them only of the Grecians
that the younger
when they
met the elder
gave them the way and turned aside
and when coming towards them
rose up out of their seat; and this law was enjoined them by Lycurgus
and which
AelianusF21Hist. Animal. l. 6. c. 61. commends as of all the most
humane. And this respect to ancient persons is due to them from younger
persons
because of their having been in the world before them
and of their
long continuance in it
and because of the favour and honour God has bestowed
upon them in granting them long life
as also because of the experience
knowledge
and wisdom
they may be supposed to have attained unto: the Targums
of Onkelos and Jonathan restrain this to such as are expert in the law; so
Jarchi says
there is no old man but he that has acquired wisdom; but it seems
not to be the intention of this law to limit the respect to such only; though
it must be allowed that ancient persons
who are wise and good
are worthy of
special regard
see Proverbs 16:31
and honour the face of the old man; who for the wrinkles of
it
and his withered countenance
might be liable to be despised. The Targum of
Jonathan interprets it
the face of a wise man
which agrees with what is
observed before; and so Jarchi
Ben Gersom
and other Jewish writers explain
it; and the former asks
what is this honour? he may not sit in his place
nor
contradict his words. All this may be applied to elders by office
as well as
in age
to magistrates
masters
and teachers; and particularly
as Ben Gersom
observes
this may admonish us to give honour to God
who is the Ancient of
days
who always was
and ever will be:
and fear thy God
I am the Lord; who has
commanded such reverence of ancient persons
and will punish for any marks of
irreverence shown them; and who is himself to be feared and reverenced above
all
being
from everlasting to everlasting
God
and whose name is holy and
reverend.
Leviticus 19:33. 33 ‘And
if a stranger dwells with you in your land
you shall not mistreat him.
YLT 33`And when a sojourner sojourneth with thee in
your land
thou dost not oppress him;
And if a stranger sojourn with you in your land
.... Ben
Gersom
and others
understand this of a proselyte of righteousness
who was
circumcised
and in all things conformed to the Jewish religion; but it may be
interpreted of a proselyte of the gate
who was not an idolater
since he is
described as one sojourning with them
and indeed of any stranger
who for a
time was providentially cast among them:
ye shall not vex him: with hard and grievous words
upbraiding him with his former ignorance and idolatry
and saying unto him
as
Jarchi observes
yesterday thou wast a worshipper of idols
and now thou comest
to learn the law; nor distress him by any means in business
or with law suits;
See Gill on Exodus 22:21.
Leviticus 19:34. 34 The
stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you
and you
shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am
the Lord
your God.
YLT 34as a native among you is the sojourner to you
who is sojourning with you
and thou hast had love to him as to thyself
for
sojourners ye have been in the land of Egypt; I [am] Jehovah your God.
But a stranger that dwelleth
with you shall be unto you as one born among you
.... Especially if a
proselyte of righteousness; for then he enjoyed the same privileges
civil and
religious
the Israelites did
for there was one law for them both
Exodus 12:49
and thou shalt love him as thyself; and show it by doing all
the good things for him they would have done for themselves in like
circumstances:
for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: and therefore
knew what hardships such were exposed unto; and it became them to put on bowels
of compassion
and show pity to those in a like condition
and particularly
consider
as Jarchi suggests
that they were idolaters there also
and
therefore ought not to upbraid strangers with their former idolatry:
I am the Lord your God; who showed kindness to
them when strangers in Egypt
and had brought them out of that land
and
therefore ought to obey his commands
and particularly in this instance.
Leviticus 19:35. 35 ‘You
shall do no injustice in judgment
in measurement of length
weight
or volume.
YLT 35`Ye do not do perversity in judgment
in
mete-yard
in weight
or in liquid measure;
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment
.... This is
repeated from Leviticus 19:15;
and in order to lead on to some other laws and instructions; though Aben Ezra
thinks this is said in connection with the preceding words
and in reference to
the stranger
agreeably to Deuteronomy 1:16;
but Jarchi refers it to what follows concerning weights and measures
and
observes
that a measurer is a judge; and if he acts deceitfully
he perverts
judgment
and does that which is detestable and abominable
and is the cause of
the five following things said of a judge; he defiles the land
and profanes
the name of God
and causes the Shechinah or divine Majesty to remove
or
causes Israel to fall by the sword
or carries them captive out of their land:
in meteyard
in weight
or in measure; the first of
these
according to Jarchi
signifies the measure of land
of fields
&c.
and so likewise of anything that is measured
not only by the rod or line
but
by the yard or ell
as cloth and other things
whether broad or narrow
that
are measured in their length; and the second may respect the weight of all
sorts of things that are weighed in scales
as money in former times
as well
as various sorts of goods; and the last has respect to the measure of both dry
and liquid things
by the bushel
peck
quart
pint
&c.
Leviticus 19:36. 36 You
shall have honest scales
honest weights
an honest ephah
and an honest hin: I
am the Lord
your God
who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
YLT 36righteous balances
righteous weights
a
righteous ephah
and a righteous hin ye have; I [am] Jehovah your God
who hath
brought you out from the land of Egypt;
Just balances
just weights
.... Which were for such
sort of things as were bought and sold by weight
and these were to be
according to the custom and usage which universally obtained among them
or
were fixed and settled by them; they were to be neither lighter nor heavier;
they were not to have one sort to buy with
and another to sell with
which was
not just
and was an abomination to the Lord
Proverbs 11:1; for
"weights"
it is in the original text "stones"
for those
were formerly used in weighing
and were with us: hence it is still in use to
say
so much by the stone. And according to MaimonidesF23Hilchot
Genibah
c. 8. sect. 4.
the Jews were not to make their weights neither of
iron
nor of lead
nor of the rest of metals
lest they should rust and become
light
but of polished rock
and the like:
a just ephah
and a just hin
shall ye have; the first of
these was the measure of things dry
as corn
and the like
the latter of
things liquid
as oil and wine; the one held three seahs or pecks
or ten
omers
Exodus 16:36; or
according to a nicer calculation
the ephah held seven gallons
two quarts
and
half a pint; and the other
according to some
held three quarts; but
as more
exactly calculated
it held a wine gallon
and a little more than a quart; see
Gill on Exodus 30:24. Some
Jewish writersF24Torath Cohanim apud Yalkut in loc. Maimon. &
Bartenora in Misn. Sheviith
c. 10. sect. 9. refer this to words
promises
and
compacts
expressed by yea and nay
which they were to abide by; that their yea
should be yea
and their nay
nay
Matthew 5:37; that
their affirmation should be just
and so their negation:
I am the Lord your God
which brought you out of the land
of Egypt; and therefore were under great obligations to observe his
commands
as follows.
Leviticus 19:37. 37 ‘Therefore
you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments
and perform them: I am
the Lord.’”
YLT 37and ye have observed all my statutes
and all
my judgments
and have done them; I [am] Jehovah.'
Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes
and all my judgments
.... Delivered
in this and the preceding chapters
and elsewhere
whether ceremonial or
judicial
or moral
as there were of each
which had been delivered to them;
and which are all comprehended in these two words
"statutes"
or
ordinances
which were the determinations of his sovereign will
and of mere
positive institution; and "judgments"
which were such laws as
respected their civil or religious conduct
formed according to the rules of
justice and equity: "all" and everyone of which were to be
"observed"
taken notice of
and regarded
in order to be put in
practice
as follows:
and do them; act according to them
in civil
moral
and religious life:
I am the Lord; who enjoined all these
things
and had a right to do so
and expected obedience to them
which it was
right fit that they should give.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》