8 That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the LORD. 9 They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them. 10 p There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. n Exod. 22. 31, ch. 17. 15. Ezek. 44. 31. • Exod. 29. 43. Numb. 18. 22. 32. p See 1 Sam. 21. 6. 11 But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: a they shall eat of his meat. 12 If the priest's daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things. 13 But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, s as in her youth, she q Numb. 18. 11, 13. r Gen. 38. 11. s ch. 10. 14. Numb. 18. 11, 19. money. At the same time it by no means follows, that the slavery which existed among them was of a nature similar to that which is unhappily es state of separation for a day, i. e. till sunset, and be incapable of all priestly offices and privileges till he had washed his clothes and his body, and this under the penalty of'bearing sin,' or suffer-tablished among us, or which can be ing condign punishment by being cut off by the immediate hand of God, as a bold profaner of his service. Strangers, Sojourners, and Hired Ser-nation, who from being reduced to a vants interdicted from eating the Holy Things. 10. There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing. That is, not one of another nation, a foreigner, but one that is not of the seed of Aaron, of the family of some priest, is not to be maintained by him out of his share of the sacrifices. -T Sojourner. Heb. 2 tosheb, from yâshab, to dwell. Gr. napotkos, ¬ a stranger-resident. By a 'sojourner of the priest' is to be understood one that should be a boarder or lodger with him, a transient inmate of his house. Such an one was not to eat of the consecrated things, but was to live upon what accrued to the priest from his common tithes. So also with the hired servant. 11. If the priest buy any soul with justly pleaded as a precedent to warrant it. Those who were thus purchased,' and held in this servile relation, were generally those of their own . state of poverty, had sold their own services, or those whose services had become forfeited by a breach of the laws, or lastly, those who were obtained from the surrounding heathen in the manner which will be considered in the Notes on Lev. 25. It is certain, however, that from whatever source they were obtained, they were treated like the rest of the family to which they belonged, and had privileges entirely unknown to modern servitude. See Note on Gen. 15. 3.¶ He that is born in his house. The children of his slave. 12, 13. If a priest's daughter be married to a stranger. That is, to one who was not of the stock or family of the priests, in relation to whom other Israelites were counted as 'strangers. By marrying out of the priestly line | כי יקנה נפש קנין .his money. Heb O ki yikneh nephesh kinyan kispho, when he shall buy a soul the purchase of his money. It is evident from this that there were among the ancient Hebrews persons who were bought with she of course lost the right which she had to her share of the Levitical maintenance while she remained at home in her father's house. An exception tc this rule is stated in the next verse, their holy things: for I the LORD do sanctify them. 17 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, y Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his free-will-offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt-offering: y ch. 1. 2, 3, 10. Numb. 15. 14. bring upon them iniquity. But after all it is scarcely possible to determine whether the priests or the people are intended. when a priest's daughter so married Gr. which has εnagovoι εp' έavrovs avoμiav, was left a widow, or had been divorced, | without children. In this case, she was permitted to return and become a member of her father's family as before, and ate of his food, like the rest of his family. The case of one who ate of the Holy 14. If a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly. Heb. bishgâgâh, through unadvised error. Though the act were done ignorantly and unintentionally, yet in order to inspire the utmost caution in respect to holy things, the priest was to affix a value to the thing eaten, which the offender was obliged to pay, together with a fifth part of the value in addition; all which went to the priest. 15, 16. They shall not profane, &c. That is, the priests should not profane the holy things by suffering them to be eaten by strangers. The phrase in the next verse, 'suffer them to bear the iniquity,' may be rendered 'cause them to bear,' meaning that they shall not by their negligence cause the people to fall under the punishment which God would inflict for such a trespass. Otherwise it may be understood of the priests themselves, which appears to be intimated by the marginal reading, 'lade themselves with the iniquity of trespass in their eating.' This is favored by the Free-will and Thank-offerings for Vows to be without Blemish. 18. Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel. | As the enactments that follow had respect to the quality of the sacrifices | which were to be offered by the congre. gation, the congregation had, of course, as much concern in them as the priests, and therefore they are addressed to the whole people collectively. They constitute a strict injunction that all sacrifices by way of present, or free-will offering to God, made either by Israelite or proselyte, for thanksgiving for former mercies, or by way of vow for procur| ing blessings desired, should be perfect in their kind. No beast that was marked by any apparent defect, superfluity, excrescence, deformity, or disease, was permitted to come upon the altar. For the reason of this statute, see Note on Lev. 1., prefatory remarks.--¶ Or of the strangers in Israel. Heb. min haggër, from the stranger, collect. sing. Gr. των προσηλύτων των προσκει μevov pos autous ev Iopanλ, of the proselytes joined unto them in Israel; i. e. such of the surrounding heathen nations as had renounced idolatry and be. 19 z Ye shall offer at your own | bed, ye shall not offer these unto will a male without blemish of the the LORD, nor make an offering beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats. by fire of them upon the altar unto 20 a But whatsoever hath a blem- the LORD. ish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. 21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD c to accomplish his vow, or a free-will-offering in beeves, or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted: there shall be no blemish therein. 23 Either a bullock, or a lamb that hath any thing fsuperfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a free-will-offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. 24 Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof 22 & Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scab-in your land. z ch. 1. 3. 3 Deut. 15. 21, and 17. 1. Mal. 1. 8, 14. Eph. 5. 27. Heb. 9, 14. 1 Pet. 1. 19. b ch. 3. 1, 6. c ch. 7. 16. Numb. 15. 3, 8. Deut. 23. 21, 23. Ps. 61. 8, and 65. 1. Eccles. 5. 4, 5. d ver. 20. Mal. 1. 8. come converts to the faith of Israel, but had not been circumcised. These were usually called proselytes of the gate, and differed entirely from the strangers alluded to, v. 25, as will be seen by the Note in loc. 19. At your own will. Rather, according to the Heb. ' for your favorable acceptance. See Note on Lev. 1. 3. Gr. dɛkтα, acceptable. Thus too, Sol. Jarchi, Bring the thing that is meet to make you acceptable before me, that it may be to your favorable acceptation.' So in the next verse, the leading word in the clause, 'it shall not be acceptable for you,' is in the original precisely the same (177 râtzon). 25 Neither gfrom a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of h e ch. 1. 9, 13, and 3. 3, 5. f ch. 21. 18. Numb. 15. 15, 16. h ch. 21. 6, 17. a blemished beast under no circumstances was allowed, but for the maintenance of the priests, or for sacred uses in general; as, for instance, to be sold for the reparation of the temple, &c. 24. Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut. That is, castrated; of which there were four modes, expressed by these four terms.-T Neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land. Heb. 1290 83 DDV-8 beartzekem lo taasu, in your land ye shall not make or do (it). That is, as the Hebrews understand it, ye shall not do this thing, ye shall not be in the practice of castrating your animals in any part of your land. Otherwise it may be understood as in our version, which is sustain·¶ That mayest thou offer fored by the Greek. See Note on Deut. 23.1. a free-will offering. The most obvious construction of this passage is, that the two kinds of defect just mentioned, though they prevented the acceptance of an animal for a vow, did not for a free-will offering, which would seem to have been considered of less value. But the Hebrew writers understand by free-will offering, in this case, not an offering for sacrifice on the altar, where 23. That hath any thing superfluous or lacking. That is, deformed by any peculiar elongation or contraction of its limbs. בן בכר מיד 25. Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer. Heb. 3 73 772 miyad bën nâkâr, from the hand of the son of an alien. That is, a Gentile, a foreigner, one not of the seed of Israel. Gr. addoyevns, of another stock. The Hebrew writers for the most part expound this of blemished beasts, brought by Gentiles to be offered to the Lord, which was sometimes the case with your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you. 26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 27 k When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 28 And whether it be cow, or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day. 29 And when ye will moffer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will. 30 On the same day it shall be eaten up, ye shall leave n none of it until the morrow: I am the LORD. 31 Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD. .q 32 p Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which rhallow you, m ch. 7. 12. Ps. 107. 22, and 116. 17. Amos 4. 5. n ch. 7. 15. o ch. 19. 37. Numb. 15. 40. Deut. 4. 40. P ch. 18. 21. q ch. 10. 3. i Mal. 1. 14. k Exod. 22. 30. 1 Deut. 22. 6. | Matt. 6. 9. Luke 11. 2. r ch. 20. 8. those who were convinced of the folly of idolatry, and felt the prompting of a better service towards God. This is recognized by Maimonides: If the heathen (Gentile) bringeth peace-offerings, he offereth them for burnt-offerings, for the heathen's heart is towards heaven; they are often prompted to worship. We see something of this kind in the case of Cyrus, Ezra 6. 8-10. But though their sacrifices were allow ed, yet the victims were required to be no less perfect than those of the Israelites. As they were to bring no blem ished offering, so they were to take none such from the hand of a stranger. Such offerers were obliged to adhere to the rites of the country observed by the priests. Thus Alexander the Great, when he was at Jerusalem, offered sacrifice to God according to the directions of the high priest. Josephus, Lib. 11., at the end.- ~¶ Because their corruption is in them. That is, their faults are in them, the faults above mentioned; which might as a general rule be presumed, coming from the source they did. It would be natural that the ideas of the heathen on these matters would be very loose. The Age at which different Animals were to be offered to God. dam. Before the eighth day they were not fit for food, and therefore not for sacrifice, which was the bread or food of God, as it is frequently termed. See Note on Ex. 22. 30. 28. Ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day. This precept seems to be confined to sacrifices, which were to be devoid of all appearance of cruelty. The Jews in general understand it as inculcating mercy. Maimonides expressly remarks, that it was designed to prevent the slaughter of the young in the presence of the dam, because this occasions to animals extreme grief; nor is there, in this respect, a difference between the distress of man and that of the irrational creation.' The Targum of Jonathan beautifully introduces the verse with this paraphrase:- And my people, the children of Israel, as our Father is merciful in heaven, so be ye merciful on earth.' CHAPTER XXIII. THE JEWISH FESTIVALS. The present chapter partakes in great measure of the character of the nineteenth, containing a republication of certain laws. The inspired historian having previously given full details of the statutes relative to holy persons, 27. It shall be seven days under the holy things, and holy places, now enters 33. That brought you out of the | land of Egypt, to be your God: I s Ex. 6. 7. ch. 11. 45, and 19. 36, and 25. am the LORD. 39. Numb. 15. 41. upon the consideration of holy times. The laws relative to the annual fast, the feast of trumpets, and the three great annual festivals, are here all brought together in one view, in their chronological order, along with the law of the Sabbath; and additions to the ceremonies, as before prescribed, are interspersed. These festivals constituted a very peculiar feature of the Hebrew polity. Their influence, involving as they did the meeting of the mass of the male population in one place three times every year, cannot be too highly estimated. The journey itself, taking place at the finest season of the year, would naturally be deemed rather a recreative excursion than a hardship, in a country so small as that which the Hebrews were destined to occupy. One grand design of these re-unions appears to have been to counteract the dividing tendency of the separation into clans or tribes. By being thus brought into contact on an equal footing, they were reminded of their common origin, and of their common objects. The fact was brought home vividly to their thoughts that they were the sons of the same father, worshippers of the same God, and heirs of the same promises. The beginnings also of idolatry were likely to be checked by the frequent renewal of these acts of worship and homage. Persons of distant towns and different tribes met together on terms of brotherhood and fellowship; and old relations were renewed, and new ones formed. Several sections are devoted by Michaelis to the statement of the political and other advantages resulting from these festivals. Among other conside rations, he observes, that if any of the tribes happened to be jealous of each other, or, as was sometimes the case, involved in civil war, still their meet ing together in one place for the purpos es of religion and sociality, had a tendency to prevent their being completely alienated, and forming themselves into two or more unconnected states ; and even though this had at any time happened, it gave them an opportunity of again cementing their differences, and re-uniting. This is so correctly true, that the separation of the ten tribes from the tribe of Judah, under Rehoboam and Jeroboam, could never have been permanent, had not the latter ab. rogated one part of the Law of Moses relative to festivals. Another effect of these meetings re garded the internal commerce of the Israelites. From the annual conventions of the whole people of any country for religious purposes, there generally arise, without any direct intention on their part, annual fairs, and internal commerce. Such festivals have always been attended with this effect. The famous old fair near Hebron arose from the congregation of pilgrims to the terebinth-tree of Abraham. The yearly fairs among the Germans had a similar origin. Among the Mohammedans similar festivals have always had the same results. Witness the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which, in spite of many adverse circumstances, has given birth to one of the greatest markets in the world. Now the very same effects and to a still higher degree, must, even without any intention on the part of the legislator, have resulted from the high festivals of the Hebrews, to which the whole people were bound to assemble ; and more particularly as far as regards internal trade. Let us only figure to ourselves what would necessarily follow from such festivals being established. Every man would bring along with him every portable article which he could spare, and which he wished to turn |