Ordinances concerning CHAP. XXVII. different vows. chapter. However the above may have been, all the ancient versions agree in concluding both the chapters in nearly the same way; yet the 26th chap-" ter must be allowed to be by far the most natural conclusion of the book. stored to his favour; and under Christ Jesus, the great | end of the 26th and the other at the end of the 27th Shepherd, become, with them, one grand everlasting fold. Verse 46. These are the statutes, and judgments, c.] See on ver. 15. This verse appears to be the proper concluding verse of the whole book; and I rather think that the 27th chapter originally followed the 25th. As the law was anciently written upon skins of parchment, sheep or goat skins, pasted or stitched together, and all rolled up in one roll, the matter being written in columns, one of those columns might have been very easily displaced, and thus whole chapters might have been readily interchanged.It is likely that this might have been the case in the present instance. Others endeavour to solve this difficulty, by supposing that the 27th chapter was added after the book had been finished; and therefore there is apparently à double conclusion, one at the THE most important points in this chapter have already been particularly noticed in the notes; and to those. on the 15th, 34th, and 44th verses, the reader is especially referred. How unwilling is God to cast off his people! and yet how sure is their rejection if they refuse to obey and live to him! No nation has ever been so signally elected as the Jews; and yet no nation has ever been so signally and so awfully reprobated. O Britain, be not high-minded, but fear! Behold here the goodness and severity of God! CHAPTER XXVII. Laws concerning vows, 1, 2. Of males and females from twenty to sixty years of age, and their valuation, 3, 4. Of the same from five to twenty years, 5. Of the same from a month to five years of age, 6. of males and females from sixty years old and upwards, and their valuation, 7. The priest shall value the poor according to his ability, 8. Concerning beasts that are vowed, and their valuation, 9-13: Concerning the sanctification of a house, 14,,15. Concerning the field that is sanctified or consecrated to the Lord, to the year of jubilee, 16-24. Every estimation shall be made in shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, 25. The firstlings of clean beasts, being already the Lord's, cannot be vowed, 26. That of an unclean beast may be redeemed, 27. Every thing devoted to God shall be unalienable and unredeemable, and continue the Lord's property till death, 28, 29. All the tithe of the land is the Lord's, 30; but. it may be redeemed by adding a fifth part, 31. The tithe of the herd and the flock is also hiș, 32. tenth that passes under the rod shall not be changed,.33. The conclusion of the book, 34.. The a Num. vi. 2; see Judg. xi. 30, 31, 39; 1 Sam. i. 11, 28; Gen. xxviii. 20-22; Deut. xxiii. 21–23.NOTES ON CHAP. XXVII.. Verse 2. When a man shall make a singular vow] The verse is short and obscure, and may be translated thus: A man who shall have separated a vow, according to thy estimation, of souls unto the Lord; which may be paraphrased thus: He who shall have vowed or consecrated a soul, i. e., a living creature, whether man or beast, if he wish to redeem what he has thus vowed or consecrated, he shall ransom or redeem it according to the priest's estimation; for the priest shall judge of the properties, qualifications, and age of the person or beast, and the circumstances of the person who has vowed it, and shall regulate the value accordingly; and the money shall be put into his hands for the service, of the sanctuary. A vow (says Mr. Ainsworth) is a religious promise made unto the Lord, and for the most part with prayer, and paid with thanksgiving, Num. xxi. 2, 3; Psa. lxvi. 13, 14. Vows were either of abstinence, such as are spoken of Num. xxx., and the vow of the Nazarite, Num. vi.; or they were to give something to the Lord, as b Num. xviii. 16.- cExod. xxx. 13. sacrifices, Lev. vii. 16, or the value of persons, beasts, houses, or lands, concerning which the law is here given. A man might vow or devote himself, his children, (ver. 5, 6;) his domestics, his cattle, his goods, &c. And in this chapter rules are laid down for the redemption of all these things. But if, after consecrating these things, he refused to redeem them, then they became the Lord's property for ever. sons continued all their lives devoted to the service of the sanctuary; the goods were sold for the profit of the temple or the priests; the animals, if clean, were offered in sacrifice; if not proper for sacrifice, were sold, and the price devoted to sacred uses. is a general view of the different laws relative to vows, mentioned in this chapter. The per This Verse 3. From twenty years old even unto sixtyfifty shekels] A man from twenty to sixty years of age, if consecrated to the Lord by a vow, might be redeemed for fifty shekels, which, at 3s. each, amounted to 7. 10s. sterling. Verse 4. And if it be a female] The woman, at Things vowed, and A. M. 2514. kels. A. M. 2514, estimation shall be thirty she- good for a bad, or a bad for a 5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 6 And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver, 7 And if it be from sixty years old, and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8 But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him. 9 And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD, shall be holy. 11 And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the LORD, then he shall present the beast before the priest : 12 And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be. 13 But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation. 14 And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand. 15 And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his. 16 And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, thou feel thyself bound "to keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of thy life?" Was not this thy baptismal covenant ? And hast thou renounced IT? Take heed! God is not mocked: that which thou sowest, thou shalt also reap, If thou rob God of thy heart, he will deprive thee of his heaven. Verse 5. From five years old] The boy that was vowed might be redeemed for twenty shekels, 31. ster- Verse 11. Any unclean beast] See on ver. 2. ling; the girl, for ten shekels, just one half, 17. 10š. Verse 13. Shall add a fifth part] This was proVerse 6. A month old] The male child, five she-bably intended to prevent rash vows and covetous rekels, 15s., the female, three shekels, 9s. Being both demptions. The priest alone was to value the thing; in comparative infancy, they were nearly of an equal and to whatever his valuation was, a fifth part must value. None were vowed under a month old: the first- be added by him who wished to redeem the conseborn being always considered as the Lord's property, crated thing. Thus, if the priest valued it at forty could not be vowed, see ver. 26. shekels, if the former owner redeemed it he was obliged to give forty-eight. Verse 7. Sixty years old] The old man and the old woman, being nearly past labour, were nearly of an equal value; hence the one was estimated at fifteen shekels, 21. 5s., the other at ten shekels, 17. 10s. This was about the same ratio as that of the children, ver. 5, and for the same reason. Verse 10. He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, &c.] Whatever was consecrated to God by a vow, or purpose of heart, was considered from that moment as the Lord's property; to change which was impiety; to withhold it, sacrilege. Reader, hast thou ever dedicated thyself, or any part of thy property, to the service of thy Maker? If so, hast thou paid thy vows? Or hast thou altered thy purpose, or changed thy offering? Has he received from thy hands a bad for a good? Wast thou not vowed and consecrated to God in thy baptism? Are his vows still upon thee? Hast thou "renounced the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh?" Dost Verse 14. Shall sanctify his house] The yearly rent of which, when thus consecrated, went towards the repairs of the tabernacle, which was the house of the Lord. Verse 16. Some part of a field] Though the preceding words are not in the text, yet it is generally allowed they should be supplied here, as it was not lawful for a man to vow his whole estate, and thus make his family beggars, in order to enrich the Lord's sanctuary: this God would not permit. The rabbins teach that the land or field, whether good or bad, was valued at forty-eight shekels, for all the years of the jubilee, provided the field was large enough to sow a homer of barley. Then chomer was different from the y omer: the latter held about three quarts, the former, seventy-five gallons three pints; see the note on Exod. xvi. 16. Some suppose that the land was rated, not at fifty shekels for the whole of the years of the jubilee, for this would be but about 3s. per annum ; Things vowed, and A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490. A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490. then thy estimation shall be ac-year of the jubilee: and he shall An. Exod. Isr. 2. cording to the seed thereof: ha 17 If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to thy estimation it shall stand. 18 But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubilee, and it shall be abated from thy estimation. 19 And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation, unto it, and it shall be assured to him. 20 And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more. Abib or Nisan. 24 In the year of the jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong. 25 And all thy estimation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel. V 28 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. 29 None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death. Exod. xxx. 13; Num. iii. 47; xviii. 16; Ezek. xlv. 12. Heb. first-born, &c.- - Exod. xiii. 2, 12; xxii. 30; Num. xviii. 17; Deut. xv. 19. u Ver. 11, 12, 13.- v Ver. 21; Josh. vi. 17, 18, 19. Num. xxi. 2, 3. but that it was rated according to its produce, fifty persons devoted to destruction under the Mosaic disshekels for every homer of barley it produced. Verse 21. As a field devoted] It is cherem, a thing so devoted to God as never more to be capable of being redeemed. See on ver. 29. Verse 25. Shekel of the sanctuary] A standard shekel; the standard being kept in the sanctuary to try and regulate all the weights in the land by. See Gen. xx. 16; xxiii. 15. Verse 28. No devoted thing—shall be sold or redeemed] This is the cherem, which always meant an absolute unredeemable grant to God. Verse 29. Which shall be devoted of men] Every man who is devoted shall surely be put to death; or, as some understand it, be the Lord's property, or be employed in his service, till death. The law mentioned in these two verses has been appealed to by the enemies of Divine revelation as a proof, that under the Mosaic dispensation human sacrifices were offered to God; but this can never be conceded. Had there been such a law, it certainly would have been more explicitly revealed, and not left in the compass of a few words only, where the meaning is very difficult to be ascertained; and the words themselves differently translated by most interpreters. That there were pensation, is sufficiently evident, for the whole Canaanitish nations were thus devoted by the Supreme Being himself, because the cup of their iniquity was full; but that they were not sacrificed to God, the whole history sufficiently declares. Houbigant understands the passage as speaking of these alone; and says, Non alios licebat anathemate voveri, quam Chananæos, quos jusserat Deus ad internecionem deleri. "It was not lawful to devote any persons to death but the Canaanites, whom God had commanded to be entirely extirpated." This is perfectly correct; but he might have added that it was because they were the most impure idolaters, and because the cup of their iniquity was full. These God commanded to be put to death; and who can doubt his right to do so, who is the Maker of man, and the Fountain of justice? But what has this to do with human sacrifices? Just nothing. No more than the execution of an ordinary criminal, or a traitor, in the common course of justice, has to do with a sacrifice to God. In the destruction of such idolaters, no religious formality whatever was observed; nor any thing that could give the transaction even the most distant semblance of a sacrifice. In this way Jericho was commanded to be destroyed, Josh. vi. 17; Concerning the tithe of the A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490. 30 And I all the tithe of the rod, the tenth shall be holy An. Exod. Isr. 2. the land, whether of the seed unto the LORD. 31 And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490. An. Exod: Isr. 2. Abib or Nisan.. 33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, a neither shall he change it and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. 34 These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel, in Mount Sinai. * Gen. xxviii. 22; Num, xviii. 21, 24; 2 Chron. xxxi. 5, 6, 12; y Ver. 13. See Jer. xxxiii. 13; Ezek. xx. 37; Mic. vii. 14. Neh. xiii. 12; Mal. iii. 8, 10. a Ver. 10.b Chap. xxvi. 46. and the Amalekites, Deut. xxv. 19; 1 Sam. xv. 3: but in all these cases the people commanded to be destroyed were such sinners as God's justice did not think proper to spare longer. And has not every system of law the same power? And do we not concede such power to the civil magistrate, for the welfare of the state? God, who is the sovereign arbiter of life and death, acts here in his juridical and legislative capacity; but these are victims to justice, not religious sacrifices. It may be necessary just farther to note that two kinds of vows are mentioned in this chapter-1. The neder, (see on chap. vii.,) which comprehends all those things which, when once devoted, might be redeemed at a certain price, according to the valuation of the priest. 2. The cherem, those things vowed to God of which there remained no power of redemption; they were most holy, i. e., so absolutely devoted to God that they could neither be changed, alienated, nor redeemed probably because no mental reservation had been made, as in the above case may be supposed. On this ground the word was afterward applied to the most solemn and awful kind of excommunication, meaning a person so entirely devoted to the stroke of vindictive justice, as never to be capable of receiving pardon; and hence the word may be well applied in this sense to the Canaanites, the cup of whose iniquity was full, and who were consigned, without reprieve, to final extermination. Verse 30. All the tithe of the land] This God claims as his own; and it is spoken of here as being a point perfectly settled, and concerning which there was neither doubt nor difficulty. See my view of this subject Gen. xxviii., after ver. 22, to which I do not see the necessity of adding any thing. Verse 32. Whatsoever passeth under the rod] The signification of this verse is well given by the rabbins: "When a man was to give the tithe of his sheep or calves to God, he was to shut up the whole flock in one fold, in which there was one narrow door capable of letting out one at a time. The owner, about to give the tenth to the Lord, stood by the door with a rod in his hand, the end of which was dipped in vermilion or red ochre. The mothers of those lambs or calves stood without the door being opened, the young ones ran out to join themselves to their dams; and as they passed out the owner stood with his rod over them, and counted one, two, three, four, five, &c., and when the tenth came, he touched it with the coloured rod, by which it was distinguished to be the tithe calf, sheep, &c., and whether poor or lean, perfect or blemished, that was received as the legitimate tithe." It seems to be in reference to this custom that the Prophet Ezekiel, speaking to Israel, says: I will cause you to pass under the rod, and will bring you into the bond of the covenant-you shall be once more claimed as the Lord's property, and be in all things devoted to his service, being marked or ascertained, by especial providences and manifestations of his kindness, to be his peculiar people. This Verse 34. These are the commandments] conclusion is very similar to that at the end of the preceding chapter. I have already supposed that this chapter should have followed the 25th, and that the 26th originally terminated the book." Mr. Ainsworth, the whole of whose writings are animated with the spirit of piety, concludes this book with the following excellent remarks : "The tithes in Israel being thus sanctified by the commandment of God to his honour, the maintenance of his ministers, and the relief of the poor, it taught them and teaches us to honour the Lord with our substance, (Prov. iii. 9,) acknowledging him to be the author of all our increase and store; (Deut. viii. 13-18; Hos. ii. 8;) to honour his MINISTERS, and to communicate unto them in all good things, (1 Tim. v. 17, 18; Gal. vi. 6,) that they who sow unto us spiritual things should reap our carnal things, (1 Cor. ix. 11,) and to give ALMS of such things as we have, that all things may be clear unto us, (Luke xi. 41,) yea, even to sell that we have, and give alms; to provide ourselves bags that wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, Luke xii. 33." They who forget their Maker, his ministers, and the poor, are never likely to hear that blessed word in the great day: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you; for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; thirsty, and ye gave me drink; naked, and ye clothed me; sick and in prison, and ye came unto me." READER, thou hast now gone through the whole of this most interesting book; a book whose subject is too little regarded by Christians in general. Here thou mayest discover the rigid requisitions of Divine justice, the sinfulness of sin, the exceeding breadth of the commandment, and the end of all human perfec Concluding remarks. tion. CHAP. XXVII. And now what thinkest thou of that word, "Whatsoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law?" Rom. iii. 19. But who are under the law the condemning power of the pure, rigid, moral law of God? Not the Jews only, but every soul of man all to whom it is sent, and who acknowledge it as a Divine revelation, and have not been redeemed from the guilt of sin by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; for "cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them." By this law then is the knowledge, but not the cure, of sin. Hear then what God saith unto thee: "If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what farther need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law; Heb. vii. 11, 12. Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man; ibid. viii. 1, 2. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins; ibid. x. 4. But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testa ment, that, by means of death, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. And without shedding of blood is no remission. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation;" Heb. ix. 11, 12, 15, 22, 28. We see then that Christ was the END of the law for righteousness (for justification) to every one that believeth. "Unto him, therefore, who hath loved us, and washed as from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Rev. i. 5, 6. 'SECTIONS in the Book of Leviticus, carried on from Exodus, which ends with the TWENTY THIRD. Masoretic notes. The TWENTY-FOURTH, called " vaiyikra, begins chap. i. 6, and ends chap. vi. 7. The TWENTY-FIFTH, called 13 tsav, begins chap. vi. 8, and ends chap. viii. 36. The TWENTY-SIXTH, called 'ny shemini, begins chap. ix. 1, and ends chap. xi. 47. The TWENTY-SEVENTH, called yn tazria, begins chap. xii. 1, and ends chap. xiii. 59. The TWENTY-EIGHTH, called yn metsora, begins chap. xiv. 1, and ends chap. xv. 33. behar Sinai, The THIRTY-SECOND, called ' begins chap. xxv. 1, and ends chap. xxvi. 2. The THIRTY-THIRD, called 'рn bechukkothai, begins chap. xxvi. 3, and ends chap. xxvii. 34. These sections, as was observed on Exodus, have their technical names from some remarkable word, either in the first or second verse of their commencement. MASORETIC Notes on LEVITICUS. The number of verses in vaiyikra, i. e., Leviticus, is 859. The symbol of, which is pe final stands for 800, nun for 50, and teth for 9. The middle verse is the 11th of chap. xv.: And he that toucheth the flesh, &c. rial for 2, Its pareshioth, or larger sections, are 10, the memosymbol of which is taken from Gen. xxx. 11: ba gad, a troop cometh: in which beth stands & aleph for 1, 1 gimel for 3, and 7 daleth for 4. Its sedarim, or Masoretic sections, are 23. The symbol of which is taken from Psa. i, 2, In thy law shall he MEDITATE day and night. Its perakim, or modern chapters, are 27. The memorial sign of which is veeyeheh, Gen. xxvi. 3 : AND I WILL BE with thee, and will bless thee. yehgeh: The number of its open divisions is 52; of its close' divisions, 46: total 98. The memorial sign of which is ny tsack, Cant. v. 10'; My beloved is WHITE and ruddy. In this word tsaddi stands for 90, and cheth for 8. VERSES 859. WORDS 11,902. LETTERS computed to be 44,989. See the concluding note on GENESIS. Finished the correction of Exodus and Leviticus, April 2, 1827.-A. CLARKE. |