Leviticus 24

AND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Command the children of Israel, that they bring At their common charge, because it was for their common good and service. This command was given before, Exod. 27. 20. unto thee pure oil-olive, beaten, for the lights, to cause the lamps to burn continually.

Without the vail of the testimony (i. e.) Which was before the Ark of the Testimony., in the tabernacle of the congregation shall Aaron Either by himself, or by his sons, Exod. 25. 37. order it from the evening unto the morning, before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.

He shall order the lamps upon the pure So called, partly because it was made of pure gold, partly because it was to be oft dressed and always kept clean. candlestick before the LORD continually.

And thou By the Priests or Levites, whose work it was to prepare them, 1 Chron. 9. 32. shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes Representing the twelve tribes. thereof: two tenth-deals (i. e.) Two Omers. See Levit. 23. 13. shall be in one cake.

And thou shalt set them in two rows Not one above another, but one besides another, as the frankincense put upon each ver. 7. shows., six on a row, upon the pure table So called because it was covered with pure Gold, Exod. 25. 24. and because it was always to be kept very pure and clean by the care of the Priests. before the LORD.

And thou shalt put pure frankincense Unmixed and uncorrupted, or of the best sort. upon each row, that it may be on the bread Or, to the bread, or for the bread, to wit, to be burnt before the Lord instead of the bread which could not conveniently be offered to God in that manner. And this was done every time that the bread was changed. for a memorial For that part which properly belonged to God, whereas the rest belonged to the Priests. See on Levit. 2. 2., even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD When it was called the show-bread, Heb. the bread of faces or of presence, i. e. the bread which was put upon the Table in the Lords presence. continually, being taken Such supplements are not unusual. Thus in the floor, 1 King. 22. 10. is put for sitting in the floor, 2 Chron. 18. 9. and burdens, 2 Chron. 2. 18. for carrying burdens, 1 King. 5. 15. And these cakes are said to be received from or offered by the children of Israel, because they were bought with the mony which they contributed, as may be seen Nehem. 10. 32, 33. as Iudas is said to purchase the field, Act. 1. 18. which was purchased by his money, Ma.... 27. 7. from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant By virtue of that compact made between me and them, by which they are obliged to keep this amongst other commands, and, they so doing, I am obliged to be their God and to bless them. And this may be here called an everlasting covenant, not only because it was to endure as long as the Iewish religion and policy stood, but also because this was to stand there everlastingly, or continually as is here said, and therefore the new cake; were first brought before the old were taken away.

And it (i. e.) The old bread now to be taken away. shall be Aarons and his sons, and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him, of the offerings Or, as one or being one of the offerings, &c. in regard of the incense which was offered by fire, and that for or in stead of the bread, as was said on ver. 7. and therefore the bread was reputed as if it had been so offered. of the LORD made by fire, by a perpetual statute.

And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian This circumstance seems noted, partly to show the danger of marriages with persons of wicked principles or practises, wherein the children, as one wittily and truly observes, like the conclusion, do commonly follow the worse part, and are more easily taught by word or example to do ten things agreeable to their corrupt natures, than one thing contrary to it; and partly by this severity against him who was a stranger by the father, and an Israelite by the mother, to show that God would not have this sin to go unpunished amongst his people, whatsoever he was that committed it., went out To wit, out of Egypt, being one of that mixed multitude, which came out with the Israelites, Exod. 12. 38. It is probable, this was done when the Israelites were near Sinai. among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman, and a man of Israel strove together This is added to show, that provocation to sin is no justification of sin. in the camp.

And the Israelitish womans son blasphemed the Name of the LORD The words of the Lord, or of Iehovah, are here conveniently supplied out of v. 16. where they are expressed, but here they are omitted for the aggravation of his crime, he blasphemed the name so called by way of eminency, that name which is above every name, that name which a man should in some sort tremble to mention, which is not to be named without cause and without reverence. For which reason the godly Iews did many times rather understand than express the name of God, as Mark 14. 62. the right hand of power, for of the power of God, as it is Luk. 22. 69 and the blessed for the blessed God, Mat. 26. 63. Mark 14. 61., and cursed Not the Israelite only, but his God also, as appears from ver. 15, 16., and they Either the people who heard him, or the inferiour Magistrate, to whom he was first brought. brought him unto Moses According to the order settled by Iethro's advice, Exod. 18. 26., (and his mothers name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)

And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be showed them For God had only said in general, that he would not hold such guiltless, i. e. he would punish them, but had not declared how he would have them punished by men..

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Bring forth him that has cursed, without the camp, and let all that heard him, lay their hands upon his head Whereby they gave publick testimony that they heard this person speak such words, and did in their own and in all the peoples names desire and demand justice to be executed upon him, that by this sacrifice God might be appeased and his judgments turned away from the people, upon whom they would certainly fall if he were unpunished., and let all the congregation stone him The same punishment which was before appointed for those who cursed their parents, whereas it deserved a far more grievous death. Thus God in this life mixeth mercy with judgment and punisheth men less than their iniquities deserve..

And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth (i. e.) Speaketh of him reproachfully and with contempt. They therefore are greatly mistaken that understand this of the heathen Gods, whom their worshippers are forbidden to reproach or curse. But Moses is not here giving laws to Heathens, but to the Israelites, nor would he concern himself so much to vindicate the honour of Idols, nor does this agree either with the design of the holy Scriptures, which is to beget a contempt and detestation of all Idols and Idolatry; or with the practise of the holy Prophets, who used oft to vilify them. See 1... ing. 18. 27. Ier. 10. 11. his God, shall bear his sin (i. e.) The punishment of it shall not go unpunished. Some say he was to be beaten with stripes: other say, with death, which is described ver. 16.

And he that blasphemeth the Name of the LORD This some make a distinct sin from his God mentioned ver. 15. but the difference they make seems arbitrary and without evidence from reason or the use of the words. And therefore this may be a repetition of the same sin in other words, which is common. And as this law is laid down in more general terms ver. 15. so both the sin and the punishment are more particularly expressed ver. 16. Or the first part of ver. 16. may be an application of the former rule to the present case. And as for him that blasphemeth, &c. or, is blaspheming, &c. in the present tense, which is fitly used concerning words just now uttered and scarce yet out of their ears, he shall, &c. And so the following words, as well the stranger, &c. may be a repetition and amplificatio... of the former law., he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation To show their zeal for God, and to beget in them the greater dread and abhorrency of blasphemy. shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.

And he that killeth any man This law is repeated here, either to justifie this sentence of putting blasphemers to death, from the same severity executed for a less crime: or, to prevent the mischievous effects of mens striving or contending together, which as here it caused blasphemy, so it might in others lead to murder., shall surely be put to death.

And he that killeth a beast, shall make it good, beast for beast.

And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he has done, so shall it be done unto him.

Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he has caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.

And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.

Ye shall have one manner of law To wit, in matters of common right, but not as to Church priviledges., as well for the stranger, as for one of your own countrey: for I am the LORD your God.

And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed, out of the camp, and stone him with stones: and the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.