Leviticus 19

AND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, ye shall be holy Separated from all the forementioned defilements, and intirely consecrated to God and obedient to all his Laws and Statutes.: for I the LORD your God am holy Both in my essence, and in all my Laws, which are holy and... ust and good, and in all my actions: Whereas the Gods of the Heathens are unholy both in their Laws and Institutions, whereby they allow and require filthy and abominable actions, and in their practices, some of them having given wicked examples to their Worshippers..

Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father The mother is put first, partly because the practise of this duty begins there, mothers, by perpetual converse being more and sooner known to their children then their fathers, and partly because this duty is most commonly neglected to the mother, upon whom children have not so much dependance as they have upon their Father. And this fear includes the two great duties of reverence and obedience., and keep my sabbaths This is here added, to show, that, whereas it is enjoyned to Parents that they should take care that the Sabbath be observed both by themselves and by their children, it is the duty of children to fear and obey their Parents in this matter, and moreover, that, if Parents should neglect their duty herein, or by their command, counsel, or example draw them to pollute the Sabbath, yet the Children in that ca... e must keep the Sabbath, and in all such cases prefer the command of God before the commands of their Parents or Superiours.: I am the LORD your God.

Turn ye not Turn not your hearts and faces from me, whom alone you pretend to respect, unto them. He intimates, that their turning to Idols is a turning from God, and that they could not serve both God and Idols. unto Idols The word signifies such as are no Gods, or nothings, as they are called 1 Cor. 8. 4. many Idols having no being, but only in the fancy of their Worshippers, and all of them having no virtue or power to do good or evil, Esa. 41. 23., nor make to your selves molten gods Nor graven Gods neither, as appears from Exod. 20. whereby we learn, that such expressions are generally to be understood Synecdochically.: I am the LORD your God.

And if he offer a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will Or, according to your own good pleasure, what you think fit: For though this in the general was required, yet it was left to their choice to determine the particulars. See Levit. 7. 16. Or rather, to your acceptation, i. e. in such manner as it may be accepted by God on your behalf, which is explained in the next verse, and not in such manner as to lose the end you aim at to wit, Gods acceptance: for if ve do otherwise than God has prescribed, it shall not be accepted, as he addes ver. 7. but on the contrary severely punished, ver. 8..

It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow By which clause it appears that he speaks here only of that sort of peace-offerings, which were offered either by vow or freely for the obtaining of some mercy desired; for the other sort, which was by way of gratitude for mercies received were to be eaten the same day. Levit. 7. 15.: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.

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

Therefore every one that eateth it, shall bear his iniquity (i. e.) The punishment of his iniquity, instead of acceptation he shall receive punishment., because he has prophaned the hallowed thing of the LORD, and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

And 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 thy harvest.

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 Who gave you all these things with a reservation of my authority over you and right in them, and with a charge of giving part of them to the poor..

Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsly, neither lie one to another Or, one against another to the defrauding of him of any of his goods, to which kind of lying the words foregoing and following seem here to restrain it, though it be true, that all sorts of lying are unlawful..

And ye shall not swear by my name falsly This is here added, to show, how one sin draws on another, and that when men will lye for their own advantage they will easily be induced to perjury., neither shalt thou prophane the name of thy God By any unholy use of it. So it is an additional precept, thou shalt not abuse my holy name by swearing either falsly or rashly. Or this may be a reason of the former prohibition, because in so doing thou wilt prophane the name of thy God.: I am the LORD.

Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages Heb. The work, put for the wages, as Deut. 24. 15. Iob 7. 2. Ier. 22. 13. of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night Because his urgent necessities require it for present subsistence., until the morning.

Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind To make them fall. Under these two particulars are manifestly and especially forbidden all iniuries done to such as are unable to right or defend themselves; of whom God here takes the more care, because they are not able to secure themselves., but shalt fear thy God Who both discerns the iniuries you do them and can avenge them, though the blind and deaf cannot.: I am the LORD.

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor So as through pity to him to give an unrighteous sentence. Compare Deut. 1. 17. and 10. 17. Prov. 24. 23., nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judg thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer Who makes it his business to go up and down from one to another, and divulge evil and false reports concerning others, which though many times it proceeds only from levity and talkativeness, yet apparently tends to the great injury of our neighbour. See Prov. 11. 13. Ier. 6. 28. and 9. 4. among thy people: neither shalt thou stand To wit, in judgement as a false accuser or false witness: For accusers and witness use to stand, whilst the Judges sate, in Courts of Judicature. against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.

Thou shalt not hate To prevent murder, last spoken of, he forbids hatred, which is the common cause, and a degree, of murder, 1 Iob. 3. 15. thy brother The same with neighbour, as it follows, i. e. every man, Matth. 5. 44. for it is manifest, that Gods Law commanded them to love strangers no less than Israelites. in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour If thy brother has done thee or others any injury, thou shalt neither divulge it to others as a tale-bearer, nor hate him, and smother that hatred by sullen silence, as 2 Sam 13. 22 nor justifie and flatter and encourage him therein, but shalt freely and in love not with hatred tell him of his fault., and not suffer sin upon him (i. e.) Not suffer him to lye under the guilt of any sin, which thou by rebuking of him, and the... by bringing him to true Repentance couldst in some sort free him from. But the phrase of suffering sin upon him seems imperfect and unusual in Scripture, and I doubt whether the Hebrew verb Nasa be ever used for permitting or suffering. The words may be rendred thus, And (or so) thou shalt not bear sin for him. or for his sake, thou shalt not make thy self guilty of his sin, as thou wilst assuredly do, if thou dost not perform thy duty of rebuking him for his sin, which is a likely way, and a course appointed by God to remove the gu... lt of his sin from him, and consequently, as it was his fault that he sinned and contracted guilt, so it is thy fault, that his guilt continues upon him. Many things favour this sense. 1. This is the proper and usual signification of the word, Nasa, 2. The same words are used in this sense, Levit. 22. 9. Numb. 18. 32. 3. The preposition al is oft used thus, as Gen. 37. 8, 34. Iudg. 9..... 1 Kin... 16. 7. 4. This phrase of bearing sin or iniquity is constantly used in this book for being guilty and lyable to punishment. And so the sense is here full and complete, and a very weighty reason here given to enforce the foregoing precept..

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge Heb. nor keep, either 1, The injury here supposed, in thy memory: So it is opposed to those who say they will forgive, but not forget, an injury. Or 2. Anger or ha... ed, in thy heart. So this verb is used, Ier. 3. 12. Na.... 1. 2. against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour By which he understands not the Israelites only, as some would persuade us, but every other man with whom we converse, as plainly appears 1. By comparing this place with verse 34. where this very law is applied to strangers. 2. Because the word neighbour is explained by another man, Levit. 20. 10. Rom. 13. 8. See more on Exod. 20. 18., as thy self Either 1. My Laws. So this is fitly promised, because otherwise some of the following commands might seem tri... ing and obedience to them unnecessary: Or 2. My Ordinances, to wit, of nature, or the order which I have appointed in creatures, as the word is used Iob 26. 10. and 38. 33. Psal. 148. 6. Prov. 8. 29. and therefore they shall not confound those things that I have distinguished, which were in some sort to reproach and correct my works, and which may seem to be done in some of the following instances.: I am the LORD.

Ye shall keep my statutes f. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind This was prohibited, partly to restrain the curiosity and boldness of men, who might attempt to amend or change the works of God: Partly that by the restraints here laid even upon brute-creatures men might be taught to abhorre all unnatural and unlawful lusts: Partly to teach the Israelites to avoid mixtures with other Nations either in Marriage or in Religion: Which also may be signified by the following prohibitions.: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed See of this and the next Deut. 22. 9, 10, 11.: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman that is a bondmaid betrothed to an husband Or, reproached or despised, and therefore forsaken, of her husband. For as his continuance with her in his and her masters family and service is mentioned as an evidence that he loved her, Exod. 21. 5, 6. So on the contrary his forsaking of her was a reproach to her and a sign of contempt. and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her, she shall be scourged Heb. There shall be a scourging, which may belong, either 1. To her alone, as the Jews understand it, for the mans punishment follows, ver. 21, 22. Or, 2. To both of them, for 1. Both were guilty. 2. It follows, they shall not be punished with death, which may seem to imply that they were to be punished by some other common and considerable punishment, which scourging indeed was, but the paying of a ram was a small penalty and very unsuitable to the greatness of the offence. And the offering of the ram as a trespass-offering for the sin against God is not inconsistent with making satisfaction other wayes for the injury done to men, as we may see Livit. 6. 4, 5, 6. but only added here as a further punishment to the man, either because he only could do this, and not the Woman, who being a bondwoman had nothing of her own to offer: Or because his Sex and his freedom aggravated his sin.: they shall not be put to death Which they should have been, had she been free, Deut. 22. 23, 24., because she was not... ree The reason of this difference is not from any respect which God leaves to persons, for bond and free are alike to him, but because bondwomen were scarce Wives, and their Marriages were scarce true marriages, being neither made by their choice, but by their masters authority, nor continued beyond the year of release, but at her Masters or Husbands pleasure: Of which see Exod. 21. 4, &c.:

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

And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass-offering before the LORD, for his sin which he has done: and the sin which he has done shall be forgiven him.

And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food; then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised (i. e.) As unclean, not to be eaten but cast away, and counted abhominable, as the foreskins are.: three years This precept was serviceable, 1. To the trees themselves, which grew the better and faster being early stript of those fruits, which otherwise would have derived to themselves and drawn away much more of the strength from the root and tree. 2. To men, both because the fruit then was waterish, indigested and unwholesome, and because hereby men were taught to bridle their appetites, a lesson of great use and absolute necessity in a godly life. 3. To God, who required and deserved the first-fruits, which must be also of the best, and so they could not be in this time. shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.

But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy Consecrated to the Lord, as the first-fruits and tithes were, and therefore given to the Priests and Levites, Numb. 18. 12, 13. Deut. 18. 4. yet so that part of them were communicated to the poor Widows and Fatherless and Strangers. See Deut. 14. 28. to praise the LORD withal To bless the Lord by whose power and goodness the trees bring forth fruit to perfection..

And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof That God may be pleased to give his blessing, which alone can make them fruitful.: I am the LORD your God.

Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood (i. e.) Any flesh out of which the blood is not first poured. See 1 Sam. 14. 32. The Jews write, that the Egyptians and other Nations, when they offered sacrifices to the Devils, did eat part of the sacrifices beside the blood which was kept in basins for that end, which also they believed to be as it were the special food of the Devils., neither shall ye use inchantment, nor observe times To wit, superstitiously, by the observation of the clouds, or stars, or otherwise, by esteeming some days lucky, others unlucky. See Deut. 18. 10, 11. Esth. 3. 7..

Ye shall not round the corners of your heads (i. e.) Your Temples: Ye shall not cut off the hair of your heads round about your Temples. This the Gentiles did, either for the worship of the Devils or Idols, to whom young men used to consecrate their hair being cut off from their heads, as Homer, Plutarch, and many others write; or in funerals or immoderate mournings, as appears from Isa. 15. 2. Ier. 48. 37. And the like is to be thought concerning the beard or the hair in the corner, (i. e.) corners, of the beard. The reason then of this prohibition is because God would not have his people agree with Idolaters neither in their Idolatries nor in their excessive sorrowing, no nor so much as in the appearances and outward significations or expressions thereof., neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

Ye shall not make any cutting in your flesh Which the Gentiles commonly did both in the worship of their Idols, and in their solemn mournings, Ier. 16. 6. for the dead Heb. for a soul, i. e. either 1 improperly, for a dead body, as that word is sometimes used, as Lev. 19. 28. and 21. 1. Numb. 6. 6... or 2. properly, for the soul, ye shall not cut your flesh or your bodies, for your souls, or upon pretence of doing your souls any good, either in way of mortification, or in the worship of God, as they did 1 King. 18. 28. in like manner as others were willing to give to God the fruit of their body for the sin of their soul Mic. 6. 7., nor print any mark upon you: I am the LORD.

Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore As the Gentiles frequently did for the honour of some of their Idols, to whom diverse women were consecrated and publickly prostituted. lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.

Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary Not presuming to approach it with irreverence, or with any kind of uncleanness upon you.: I am the LORD.

Regard not them that have familiar spirits That have entred into covenant with the Devil, by whose help they foretell many things to come, and acquaint men with secret things. See Lev 20. 27. Deut. 18. 11. 1 Sam. 28. 3, 7, 9. 2 King. 21. 6., neither seek after wizards Another name expressing the same thing for substance, to wit, persons in league with the Devil, with some difference only in the manner of their operation.: I am the LORD your God.

Thou shalt rise up To do them reverence when they pass by, for which end they were obliged, as the Iews say, presently to sit down again when they were past, that it might be manifest they arose out of respect to them. before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God A reason of the former precept, both because old men in some respect do most resemble God, who is stiled the ancient of days, Dan. 7. 9, 22. and because this respect is due to for themselves, who may be unworthy or contemptible yet for Gods sake who requires this reverence, and whose singular old age is.: I am the LORD.

And sojourn with thee in your land, ye not vex him Either with opprobrious expressions, or grievous exactions..

But the stranger that dwelleth with you, shall be unto you as one born amongst you Either 1, as to the matters of common right, as it here follows: so it reacheth to all strangers. Or 2. as to Churchpriviledges: so it concerns only those who were proselytes of righteousness., and thou shalt love him as thy self: for ye were strangers And therefore are sensible of the fears, distresses, and miseries of such, which call for your pity, and you ought to do to them, as you would that others should do to you when you were such. in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in mete-yard In the measuring of lands, or any dry and continued things, as cloth, ribband. &c., in weight, or in measure In the measuring of liquid or such dry things as are not continued or contiguous, as of corn or wine, &c. Or, the former may note greater, the latter less, measures..

Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin These two measures are named as most common, the former for dry, the latter for moist things: but under them he manifestly comprehends all other measures. shall ye have: I am the LORD your God which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Therefore Because my blessings and deliverances are not indulgences to sin, but greater obligations to all duties to God and men. So that if religion and righteousness were utterly lost in the world, they ought in all reason to be found among you as my peculiar people and freed men. shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.