Commentari biblici

Some ceremonial precepts there are in this chapter, but most of them are moral. One would wonder that when some of the lighter matters of the law are greatly enlarged upon (witness two long chapters concerning the leprosy) many of the weightier matters are put into a little compass: divers of the single verses of this chapter contain whole laws concerning judgment and mercy; for these are things which are manifest in every man's conscience; men's own thoughts are able to explain these, and to comment upon them. I. The laws of this chapter, which were peculiar to the Jews, are, 1. Concerning their peace-offerings, Le 19:5-8. 2. Concerning the gleanings of their fields, Le 19:9,10. 3. Against mixtures of their cattle, seed, and cloth, Le 19:19. 4. Concerning their trees, Le 19:23-25. 5. Against some superstitious usages, Le 19:26-28. But, II. Most of these precepts are binding on us, for they are expositions of most of the ten commandments. 1. Here is the preface to the ten commandments, "I am the Lord," repeated fifteen times. 2. A sum of the ten commandments. All the first table in this, "Be you holy," Le 19:2. All the second table in this, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour" (Le 19:18), and an answer to the question, "Who is my neighbour?" Le 19:33,34. 3. Something of each commandment. (1.) The first commandment implied in that which is often repeated here, "I am your God." And here is a prohibition of enchantment (Le 19:26) and witchcraft (Le 19:31), which make a god of the devil. (2.) Idolatry, against the second commandment, is forbidden, Le 19:4. (3.) Profanation of God's name, against the third, Le 19:12. (4.) Sabbath-sanctification is pressed, Le 19:3,30. (5.) Children are required to honour their parents (Le 19:3), and the aged, Le 19:32. (6.) Hatred and revenge are here forbidden, against the sixth commandment, Le 19:17,18. (7.) Adultery (Le 19:20-22), and whoredom, Le 19:29. (8.) Justice is here required in judgment (Le 19:15), theft forbidden (Le 19:11), fraud and withholding dues (Le 19:13), and false weights, Le 19:35,36. (9.) Lying, Le 19:11. Slandering, Le 19:14. Tale-bearing, and false-witness bearing, Le 19:16. (10.) The tenth commandment laying a restraint upon the heart, so does that (Le 19:17), "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart." And here is a solemn charge to observe all these statutes, Le 19:37. Now these are things which need not much help for the understanding of them, but require constant care and watchfulness for the observing of them. "A good understanding have all those that do these commandments."

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

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.

Ch. Leviticus 19:1-37. A Miscellany of Laws, Moral and Ceremonial

The fragmentary character of this ch. is apparent on a first reading. The ch. thus affords ample ground for the conclusion that it is composite, although it may be impossible to trace with certainty the process of compilation. The commands and exhortations are (with the exception of Leviticus 19:6-8; Leviticus 19:20-22) in the second person, with numerous shiftings between singular and plural. The natural inference is that material from various sources has been gathered by a compiler who has not allowed himself much editorial freedom.

This ch. contains precepts relating to religious observances (sabbath Leviticus 19:3; Lev 19:30; sacrifice Leviticus 19:5-8; Lev 19:21-22, etc.), moral duties (towards parents 3, against stealing and lying Leviticus 19:11-12, etc.), administration of justice (Leviticus 19:15; Lev 19:35), care of the poor and stranger (Leviticus 19:9-10; Lev 19:33-34), just weights and measures (Leviticus 19:36), etc. They are introduced by the command, ‘Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy’ (Leviticus 19:1). They illustrate the spirit in which commands should be obeyed by a holy people serving a holy God. Many of them are also found in the Decalogue (Exodus 20), the book of the Covenant (Exodus 21-23), and Deut., though expressed in different terms. No reason for their selection or arrangement is apparent, and their position between chs. 18 and 20, which contain almost identical precepts on matters of a very different character, is remarkable.

The introductory command in Leviticus 19:2, together with the reference to the deliverance from Egypt (Leviticus 19:36), forms an exhortation similar to that of Leviticus 11:44 a, Leviticus 11:45, and the phrase, ‘I am the Lord,’ or more fully, ‘I am the Lord your God,’ occurs more frequently than in chs. 18 or 20

Leviticus 19:1-2 set forth the fundamental principle which gives the Laws of Holiness their special character (see pp. xlviii f.). The remainder of the ch. may be divided thus (excluding for the moment Leviticus 19:5-8; Leviticus 19:21-22): (1) Leviticus 19:3-4, which have a kinship with the first part of the Decalogue (Exodus 20:3-12), (2) Leviticus 19:9-21, analogous to certain precepts in the latter part of the Decalogue, (3) Leviticus 19:23-37, consisting of a special introduction (Leviticus 19:23) and supplementary directions of a more general nature. In this last part (as in Leviticus 19:2-8) the 2nd pers. pl. prevails, and the sing. (on the whole) in Leviticus 19:9-19.

The whole ch. may be referred to H, with the exception of Leviticus 19:21-22, which are shown by their character to belong to P. Leviticus 19:5-8, dealing with the time within which the Peace-Offering must be consumed, might also, as far as its subject is concerned, be ascribed to P but for the fact that its directions do not quite harmonise with the similar passage (Leviticus 7:15-18), which is undoubtedly part of P. There, of the three classes into which the Peace-Offering is subdivided, one only (the Thank-Offering) must be consumed on the same day, while the remainder of the other two (the vow and the Freewill-Offering) may be kept uneaten till the morrow. Here no such distinction is made. With Leviticus 19:5 cp. Leviticus 22:29, ‘that ye may be accepted,’ and the note on Leviticus 1:3.

Notwithstanding the parallelisms which have been traced between some parts of this ch. and certain precepts in the Decalogue any such influence on the arrangement of directions in this ch. is far from being established. Paton’s position, e.g., seems quite unjustified, when he says (loc. cit. p. 53), ‘It cannot be doubted that it was the intention of the original H to follow the order of thought of the Decalogue.’ It will be seen that so far as the commands are common to the two passages, they differ much in their order.

Le 19:1-37.

A REPETITION OF SUNDRY LAWS.

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.

Israelites must be holy, Leviticus 19:1,2; must honour their parents, and keep sabbaths, Leviticus 19:3; shun idolatry, Leviticus 19:4; duly to stay and eat their peace-offerings, Leviticus 19:5-8; in harvest-time leave gleanings for the poor and stranger, Leviticus 19:9,10; not steal, deceive, or lie, Leviticus 19:11; nor swear falsely, Leviticus 19:12; nor defraud, rob, or detain, Leviticus 19:13; nor curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind, Leviticus 19:14; nor judge unjustly, Leviticus 19:15; nor be tale-bearers; nor bear false witness against their neighbour, Leviticus 19:16; but rebuke their brother for sin, Leviticus 19:17; not revenge themselves, but love their neighbours, Leviticus 19:18; not to mix different things, Leviticus 19:19. The punishment of a man lying with a bondmaid, Leviticus 19:20-22. They must not eat of the fruits of Canaan till alter four years, Leviticus 19:23-25. To eat no blood, and use no soothsaying, Leviticus 19:26, nor any heathenish method of mourning, Leviticus 19:28, nor prostitute their daughters, Leviticus 19:29; but must reverence God and his ordinances, Leviticus 19:30; not regard conjurers and wizards, Leviticus 19:31; honour the ancient, Leviticus 19:32; love and right strangers, Leviticus 19:33,34; do no unrighteousness, either in judgment or commerce, Leviticus 19:35,36.

No text from Poole on this verse.

From the prohibition of moral uncleanness exhibiting itself in the form of incest and licentiousness, the legislator proceeds to a series of laws and commandments against other kinds of immorality, inculcating piety, righteousness, and kindness. Chapter 19 may be regarded as an extension of the previous chapter in this direction, after which the subject of chapter 18, is again taken up in chapter 20. The precepts now given are not arranged systematically, though, as Keil has remarked, "while grouped together rather according to a loose association of ideas than according to any logical arrangement, they are all linked together by the common purpose expressed in the words, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.' " They begin by inculcating (in verses 3, 4) duties which fall under the heads of

(1) the fifth commandment of the Decalogue,

(2) the fourth,

(3) the first,

(4) the second.

These four laws are, in their positive aspects,

(1) the religious law of social order, on which a commonwealth rests;

(2) the law of positive obedience to God's command because it is his command;

(3) the law of piety towards the invisible Lord;

(4) the law of faith, which trusts him without requiring risible emblems or pictures of him. In verses 11, 14, 16, 35, 36, obedience is inculcated to the eighth and the ninth commandments, which are the laws of honesty and of truthfulness; in verse 12 to the third commandment, which is the law of reverence; in verses 17, 18, 33, 34, to the sixth commandment, which is the law of love; in verses 20, 29, to the seventh commandment, which is the law of purity; in verses 9, 10, 13, the spirit of covetousness is prohibited, as forbidden in the tenth commandment, which is the law of charity. Thus this chapter may in a way be regarded as the Old Testament counterpart of the Sermon on the Mount, inasmuch as it lays down the laws of conduct, as the latter lays down the principles of action, in as comprehensive though not in so systematic a manner as the ten commandments.