Different abominations

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shalt thou profane the name of | nation, nor any stranger that so-
journeth among you:

An. Exod. Isr. 2. thy God: I am the LORD.
22 Thou shalt not lie with man-
kind as with womankind: it is abomination.
23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to
defile thyself therewith neither shall any
woman stand before a beast to lie down
thereto it is confusion.

24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these
things for in all these the nations are de-
filed which I cast out before
you:
25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do
d visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the
land itself, vomiteth out her inhabitants.

26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations: neither any of your own

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27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled :)

28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.

29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.

30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, h that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye i defile not yourselves therein : I am the LORD your God.

d Psa. lxxxix.

Chap. xix. 12; xx. 3; xxi. 6; xxii. 2, 32; Ezek. xxxvi. 20, xxxv. 34; Jer. ii. 7; xvi. 18; Ezek. xxxvi. 17.&c.; Mal. i. 12.- Chap. xx. 13; Rom. i. 27; 1 Cor. vi. 9; 32; Isa. xxvi. 21; Jer. v. 9, 29; ix. 9; xiv. 10; xxiii. 2; Hos. 1 Tim. i. 10.- -y Chap. xx. 15, 16; Exod. xxii. 19.—Chap. xx. ii. 13; viii 13; ix. 9. e Ver. 28.- Ver. 5, 30; chap. xx. 22, 12. Ver. 30; Matt. xv. 18, 19, 20; Mark vii. 21, 22, 23; 23.- Chap. xx. 22; Jer. ix. 19; Ezek. xxxvi. 13, 17.- Ver. 1 Cor. iii. 17.- Chap. xx. 23; Deut. xviii. 12. Num. 3, 26; chap. xx. 23; Deut. xviii. 9. Ver. 21. b Ver. 2, 4.

ship. There are several opinions concerning the meaning of passing through the fire to Molech. 1. Some think that the semen humanum was offered on the fire to this idol. 2. Others think that the children were actually made a burnt-offering to him. 3. But others suppose the children were not burnt, but only passed through the fire, or between two fires, by way of consecration to him. That some were actually burnt alive to this idol several scriptures, according to the opinion of commentators, seem strongly to intimate; see among others, Psa. cvi. 38; Jer. vii. 31, and Ezek. xxiii, 37-39. That others were only consecrated to his service by passing between two fires the rabbins strongly assert; and if Ahaz had but one son, Hezekiah, (though it is probable he had others, see 2 Chron. xxviii. 3,) he is said to have passed through the fire to Molech, 2 Kings xvi. 3, yet he succeeded his father in the kingdom, chapter xviii. 1, therefore this could only be a consecration, his idolatrous father intending thereby to initiate him early into the service of this demon. See the note on chapter xx. 2.

Verse 22. With mankind] This abominable crime, frequent among the Greeks and Romans as well as the Canaanites, may be punished with death in this country. Verse 23. With any beast] This abomination is also punishable with death by the laws of this country. Any woman stand before a beast] That this was often done in Egypt there can be no doubt; and we have already seen, from the testimony of Herodotus, that a fact of this kind actually took place while he was in Egypt. See the note on chap. xvii. 7, and xx. 16. Verse 25. The land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.] This is a very nervous prosopopæia or personification; a figure by which any part of inanimate nature may be represented as possessing the passions and reason of man. Here the land is represented as an intelligent being, with a deep and refined sense of

moral good and evil: information concerning the abominations of the people is brought to this personified land, with which it is so deeply affected that a nausea is produced, and it vomits out its abominable and accursed inhabitants. It was natural for the inspired penman to make use of such a figure, as the description he was obliged to give of so many and enormous abominations must have affected him nearly in the same way in which he represents the land to be affected.

Verse 30. Shall ye keep mine ordinance] The only way to be preserved from all false worship is seriously to consider and devoutly to observe the ordinances of the true religion. He who in the things of God goes no farther than he can say, Thus it is written, and thus it behoves me to do, is never likely to receive a false ereed, nor perform a superstitious act of worship.

1. How true is that word, The law of the Lord is PERFECT! In a small compass, and in a most minute detail, it comprises every thing that is calculated to instruct, direct, convince, correct, and fortify the mind of man. Whatever has a tendency to corrupt or injure man, that it forbids; whatever is calculated to comfort him, promote and secure his best interests, that it commands. It takes him in all possible states, views him in all connections, and provides for his present and eternal happiness.

2. As the human soul is polluted and tends to pollution, the great doctrine of the law is holiness to the Lord: this it keeps invariably in view in all its commands, precepts, ordinances, rites, and ceremonies. And how forcibly in all these does it say, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; and thy neighbour as thyself! This is the prominent doctrine of the preceding chapter; and this shall be fulfilled in all them who believe, for Christ is

Various ordinances tending

LEVITICUS.

to promote holiness. the end of the law for righteousness to them that be- | schoolmaster to bring thee to Christ, that thou mayest lieve. Reader, magnify God for his law, for by it is be justified by faith; and that the righteousness of the knowledge of sin; and magnify him for his Gospel, the law may be fulfilled in thee, and that thou mayest for by this is the cure of sin. Let the law be thy walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

CHAPTER XIX.

Exhortations to holiness, and a repetition of various laws, 1, 2. Duty to parents, and observance of the Sabbath, 3. Against idolatry, 4. Concerning peace-offerings, 5-8. The gleanings of the harvest and vintage to be left for the poor, 9, 10. Against stealing and lying, 11'; false swearing, 12; defrauding the hireling, 13. Laws in behalf of the deaf and the blind, 14. Against respect of persons in judgment, 15; tale-bearing, 16; hatred and uncharitableness, 17; revenge, 18; unlawful mixtures in cattle, seed, and garments, 19, Laws relative to the bondmaid that is betrothed, 20-22. The fruit of the trees of the land not to be eaten for the first three years, 23; but this is lawful in the fourth and fifth years, 24, 25. Against eating of blood, and using incantations, 26; superstitious cutting of the hair, 27; and cutting of the flesh in the times of mourning, 28; prostitution, 29. Sabbaths to be reverenced, 30. Against consulting those who are wizards, and have familiar spirits, 31. Respect must be shown to the aged, 32. The stranger shall not be oppressed, 33, 34. They shall keep just measures, weights, and balances, 35, 36. Conclusion, 37.

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AND the LORD spake unto
Moses, saying,

8 Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity,

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2 Speak unto all the congrega- because he hath profaned the tion of the children of Israel, and say unto hallowed thing of the LORD: and that them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD soul shall be cut off from among his your God am holy.

a

C

3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

5 And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will.

6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow and if aught remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.

7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.

a Chap. xi. 44; xx. 7, 26; 1 Pet. i. 16.- Exod. xx. 12. e Exod. xx. 8; xxxi. 13. Exod. xx. 4; chap. xxvi. 1; 1 Cor. x. 14; 1 John v. 21. e Exod. xxxiv. 17; Deut. xxvii. 15, Chap. vii. 16.- - Chap. xxiii. 22; Deut. xxiv. 19, 20, 21; NOTES ON CHAP. XIX. Verse 3. Ye shall fear every man his mother, &c.] Ye shall have the profoundest reverence and respect for them. See the notes on Gen. xlviii. 12, and on Exod. xx. 8, 12.

people.

9 And 5 when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of the harvest.

10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

11 h Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

12. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

13 m Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour,

Ruth ii. 15, 16.—h Exod. xx. 15; xxii. 1, 7, 10; Deut. v. 19.
Chap. vi. 2; Eph. iv. 25; Col. iii. 9.- kExod. xx. 7; chap.
vi. 3; Deut. v. 11; Matt. v. 33; James v. 12.-
Chap. xvill.
21. Ecclus. x. 6; Mark x. 19; 1 Thess. iv. 6.

Verse 9. When ye reap the harvest] Liberty.for the poor to glean both the corn-fields and vineyards was a Divine institution among the Jews; for the whole of the Mosaic dispensation, like the Christian, breathed love to God and benevolence to man. The Verse 4. Turn ye not unto idols] □ poor in Judea were to live by gleanings from the literally nothings; and to this St. Paul seems to allude | corn-fields and vineyards. To the honour of the pub

elilim,

Against respect of persons,

CHAP. XIX.

tale-bearing, hatred, &c.

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with thee all night

morning.

neither rob him: the wages of thou stand against the blood of An. Exod. Isr. 2. him that is hired shall not abide thy neighbour: I am the LORD. An. Exod. Isr. 2. until the 17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: "thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

S

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.

14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, stumbling-block before the blind, P fear thy God: I am the LORD.

nor put a but shalt

15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in Judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

r

16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people; neither shalt

Deut. xxiv. 14, 15; Mal. iii. 5; Tob. iv. 14; James v. 4. Deut. xxvii. 18; Rom. xiv. 13.-P Ver. 32; chap. xxv. 17; Gen. xlii. 18; Eccles. v. 7; 1 Pet. ii. 17.- Exod. xxiii. 2, 3; Deut. i. 17; xvi. 19; xxvii. 19; Psa. lxxxii. 2; Prov. xxiv. 23; James ii. 9. Exod. xxiii. 1; Psa. xv. 3; 1. 20; Prov. xi. 13; xx. 19; Ezek. xxii. 9.- Exod. xxiii. 1, 7; 1 Kings xxi. 13; Matt. xxvi. 60, 61; xxvii. 4.1 John ii. 9, 11; iii. 15.

night] For this plain reason, it is the support of the man's life and family, and. they need to expend it as fast as it is earned.

Verse 14. Thou shalt not curse the deaf] Or speak evil of him, because he cannot hear, and so cannot vindicate his own character.

Nor put a stumbling-block before the blind He who is capable of doing this, must have a heart cased with cruelty. The spirit and design of these precepts are, that no man shall in any case take advantage of the ignorance, simplicity, or inexperience of his neighbour, but in all things do to his neighbour as he would, on a change of circumstances, that his neighbour should do to him.

Ecclus. xix. 13; Matt. xviii. 15; Luke. xvii. 3; Gal. vi. 1; Eph. v. 11; 1 Tim. v. 20; 2 Tim. iv. 2; Tit. i. 13; ii. 15. Or, that thou bear not sin for him; see Rom. i. 32; 1 Cor. v. 2; Tim. v. 22; 2 John 11.- -2 Sam. xiii. 22; Prov. xx. 22; Rom. xii. 17, 19; Gal..v. 20; Eph. iv. 31; 1 Pet. ii. 1; James v. 9- Matt. v. 43; xxii. 39; Rom. xiii. 9; Gal. v. 14; James it. 8.- -y Deut. xxii. 9, 10.- -2 Deut. xxii. 11.

or know him to be addicted to any thing by which the safety of his soul is endangered, thou shalt mildly and affectionately reprove him, and by no means permit him to go on without counsel and advice in a way that is leading him to perdition. In a multitude of cases timely reproof has been the means of saving the soul. Speak to him privately if possible; if not, write to him in such a way that himself alone shall see it.

Verse 19. Gender with a diverse kind] These precepts taken literally seem to imply that they should not permit the horse and the she-ass, nor the he-ass and the cow, (as they do in the East,) to couple together; nor sow different kinds of seeds in the same field or garden; nor have garments of silk and wool

Verse 16. Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-len, cotton and silk, linen and wool, &c. And if all bearer] rachil signifies a trader, a pedlar, and is here applied to the person who travels about dealing in scandal and calumny, getting the secrets of every person and family, and retailing them wherever he goes. A more despicable character exists not: such a person is a pest to society, and should be exiled from the habitations of men.

Neither shalt thou stand against the blood, &c.] Thou shalt not be a false witness, because by such testimony the blood-the life of an innocent man may be endangered.

these were forbidden, there must have been some moral reason for the prohibitions, because domestic economy required several of these mixtures, especially those which relate to seeds and clothing. With respect to heterogeneous mixtures among cattle, there is something very unnatural in it, and it was probably forbidden to prevent excitements to such unnatural lusts as those condemned in the preceding chapter, ver. 22, 23. As to seeds, in many cases it would be very improper to sow different kinds in the same plot of ground. It would be improvident to sow oats and wheat together: Verse 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother] Thou the latter would be injured, the former ruined. The shalt not only not do him any kind of evil, but thou turnip and carrot would not succeed conjointly, where shalt harbour no hatred in thy heart towards him. On either of them separately would prosper and yield a the contrary, thou shalt love him as thyself, ver. 18. good crop; so we may say of many other kinds of Many persons suppose, from misunderstanding our seeds; and if this be all that is intended, the counsels Lord's words, John xiii. 34, A new commandment give are prudential agricultural maxims. As to different I unto you, that ye love one another, &e., that loving kinds of garments, such as the linsey woolsey, the proour neighbour as ourselves was first instituted under hibition here might be intended as much against pride the Gospel. This verse shows the opinion to be un-and vanity as any thing else; for it is certain that both founded: but to love another as Christ has loved us, i. e., to lay down our lives for each other, is certainly a new commandment; we have it simply on the authority of Jesus Christ alone.

And not suffer sin upon him.] If thou see him sin,

these articles may be so manufactured in conjunction as to minister to pride, though in general the linsey woolsey or drugget is the clothing of the poor. But we really do not know what the original word y shaatnez, which we translate linen and woollen, means.

The fruit of a young

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thee.

b

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Abib or Nisan. 20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman that is a bondmaid, a betrothed to a husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged: they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

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d

tree not to be eaten.

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linen and woollen come upon done; and the sin which he hath
done shall be forgiven him.
23 And when ye shall come into
the land, and shall have planted all manner of
trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit there-
of as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as
uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of:
24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof
shall be holy, to praise the LORD withal.
25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the
fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the
increase thereof: I am the LORD your God..
26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the
neither shall ye use enchantment, nor

21 And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass-offering.

22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass-offering blood; before the LORD, for his sin which he hath observe times.

a Or, abused by any. b Heb. reproached by or for man. e Or, they. d Heb. there shall be a scourging. Chap. v. 15; vi. 6.- Heb. holiness of praises to the LORD.

it is true that in Deut. xxii. 11, where it is again used, it seems to be explained by the words immediately following, Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of linen and woollen together; but this may as well refer to a garment made up of a sort of patch-work differently coloured and arranged for pride and for show. A folly of this kind prevailed anciently in this very land, and I shall give a proof of it, taken from a sermon against luxury in dress, composed in the fourteenth century.

"As to the first sinne in superfluitie of clothing, soche that maketh it so dere, to the harme of the peple, nat only the cost of enbraudering, the disguised endenting, or barring, ounding paling, winding or bending and semblable wast of clothe in vanite. But there is also the costlewe furring in their gounes, so moche pounsing of chesel, to make holes; so moche dagging with sheres foorth; with the superfluitie in length of the forsaied. gounes,―to grete dammage of pore folke.—And more ouer-they shewe throughe disguising, in departing of ther hosen in white and red, semeth that halfe ther members were slain.-They departé ther hosen into other colours, as is white and blewe, or white and blacke, or blacke and red, and so forth; than semeth it as by variaunce of colour, that the halfe part of ther members ben corrupt by the fire of Saint Anthony, or by canker, or other suche mischaunce." The Parson's Tale, in Chaucer, p. 198. Urry's edit. The reader will pardon the antiquated spelling.

"What could exhibit," says Dr. Henry, " a more fantastical appearance than an English beau of the 14th century? He wore long pointed shoes, fastened to his knees by gold or silver chains; hose of one colour on the one leg, and of another colour on the other; short breeches which did reach to the middle of his thighs; a coat the one half white, the other half black or blue; a long beard; a silk hood buttoned under his chin, embroidered with grotesque figures of animals, dancing men, &c., and sometimes ornamented with gold and precious stones." This dress was the height of the mode in the reign of King Edward III.

8 Deut. xii. 17, 18; Prov. iii. 9.- - Chap. xvii. 10, &c. ; Deut. xii. 23-Deut. xviii. 10, 11, 14; 1 Sam. xv. 23; 2 Kings xvii. 17; xxi. 6; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 6; Mal. iii. 5.

Something of the same kind seems to have existed in the patriarchal times; witness the coat of many colours made by Jacob for his son Joseph. See the note on Gen. xxxvii. 3. Concerning these different mixtures much may be seen in the Mishna, Tract. Kilaim, and in Ainsworth, and Calmet on this place.

Verse 20. A woman that is a bondmaid] Had she been free, the law required that she should be put to death; (see Deut. xxii. 24;) but as she was a slave, she is supposed to have less self-command, and therefore less guilt: but as it is taken for granted she did not make resistance, or did consent, she is to be scourged, and the man is to bring a ram for a trespass-offering.

Verse 23. Three years shall it be as uncircumcised] I see no great reason to seek for mystical meanings in this prohibition. The fruit of a young tree cannot be good; for not having arrived at a state of maturity, the juices cannot be sufficiently elaborated to produce fruit 'excellent in its kind. The Israelites are commanded not to eat of the fruit of a tree till the fifth year after its planting in the three first years the fruit is unwholesome; in the fourth year the fruit is holy, it belongs to God, and should be consecrated to him, ver. 24; and in the fifth year and afterward the fruit may be employed for common use, ver. 25.

Verse 26. Neither shall ye use enchantment] non lo thenachashu. Conjecture itself can do little towards a proper explanation of the terms used in this

verse.

nachash in Gen. iii. I we translate serpent, and with very little propriety; but though the word may not signify a serpent in that place, it has that signification in others. Possibly, therefore, the superstition here prohibited may be what the Greeks called Ophiomanteia, or divination by serpents.

Nor observe times.] y velo teonenu, ye shall not divine by clouds, which was also a superstition much in practice among the heathens, as well as divination by the flight of birds. What these prohibitions may particularly refer to, we know not. See the notes on Gen, xli, 8.

Unguibus ora soror fœdans, et pectora pugnis."
Æn., 1. iv., ver. 672.

Nor print any marks upon you] It was a very ancient and a very general custom to carry marks on the body in honour of the object of their worship. All the castes of the Hindoos bear on their foreheads or elsewhere what are called the sectarian marks, which

Those curling locks which from his youth he vowed, distinguish them, not only in a civil but also in a reli