Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 3 · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
1. Lawes for the punishment of him that giveth of his … to Molech, 6, of him that goeth to Wizards, 9, of him that curseth his parents, 10. of adulterers, 11, 14, 17, 19. of … persons, 13. of them that lye with mankinde, 15, or with beasts, 18, or with a woman in her …. 7, 12, 26, Holinesse and obedience … required: 23, the manners of the heathens to be avoided: 25, difference to be put betweene beasts clean and uncleane. …, Wizards must be stoned to death.
ANd Iehovah spake unto Moses, saying. And thou shalt say, unto the sons of Israel; Every man of the sonnes of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, that giveth of his feed, unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land, shall stone him with stones. And I, will set my face, against that man; and will cut him off, from among his people: because he hath given, of his seed unto Molech; that hee might defile my sanctuary; and to prophane, the name of my holinesse. And if the people of the land, hiding shall hide their eyes from that man, when hee giveth of his seed unto Molech; that they put him not to death: Then I, will set my face, against that man, and against his familie: and will cut off him, and all that goe-a-whoring after him, to goe-a-whoring after Molech, from among their people. And the soule, that turneth unto (them that have) familiar spirits, and unto wizards; to goe-a-whoring after them: I will also set my face, against that soule; and will cut him off, from among his people. And yee shall sanctifie your selves; and be holy: for I am Iehovah, your God. And yee shall keepe, my statutes; and doe them: I am Iehovah, that sanctifieth you. For every man, that curseth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death: hee hath cursed, his father or his mother, his bloods shall be upon him. And the man, that committeth-adulterie with a mans wife; that committeth-adulterie, with his neighbours wife: the adulterer, and the adulteresse, shall surely bee put to death. And the man that lyeth with his fathers wife, hath uncovered his fathers nakednesse: both of them shall be surely put to death, their bloods shall be upon them. And the man, that lyeth with his daughter-in-law; both of them shal be surely put to death: they have wrought confusion, their bloods shall be upon them. And the man, that lyeth with a male, like copulation with a woman; they have done abhomination, both of them: they shall be surely put to death, their bloods shall be upon them. And the man that taketh a wife, and her mother, it is wickednes: they shall burne him and them, with fire: that there be no wickednes, among you. And the man that giveth his copulation with a beast; hee shall surely bee put to death: and yee shall kill the beast. And the woman, that approcheth unto any beast, to lye downe thereto; thou shalt even kill the woman, & the beast: they shal surely be put to death, their bloods shall be upon them. And the man that taketh his sister, his fathers daughter or his mothers daughter, and seeth her nakednes, and shee see his nakednesse, it is impietie; and they shal be cut off, in the eyes of the sonnes of their people; he hath uncovered, his sisters nakednes, he shall beare his iniquity. And the man, that lyeth with a woman having-her sicknes, and uncovereth her nakednes, discovereth bee fountaine; and she, uncovereth the fountaine of her bloods: even both of them shall be cut-off, from among their people. And thou shalt not uncover the nakednes of thy mothers sister, or of thy fathers sister: for he discouereth his neere-kinne, they shall beare their iniquity. And the man, that lyeth with his aunt; hee hath uncovered, his uncles nakednes; they shall beare their sinne, they shall dye childles. And the man, that taketh his brothers wife, it is uncleannes: he hath uncovered his brothers nakednes, they shall bee childles. And ye shall keepe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and doe them: that the land spue you not out; which I bring you thither, to dwell therein. And ye shall not walke, in the statutes of the nation; which I send out, from before you: for all these things, have they done; and I am yrked with them. And I have said unto you; you, shall inherit their land; and I, will give it unto you, to inherit it; a land that floweth with milke, and honey: I, am Iehovah your God; which have separated you, from the peoples. And yee shall separate, betweene the cleane beast and the uncleane, and betweene the uncleane fowle, and the cleane: and yee shall not make your soules abominable, by beast or by fowle; or by any thing that creepeth on the ground; which I have separated unto you, for uncleane. And ye shall be holy unto me, for I Iehovah, am holy: and have separated you, from the peoples, to be mine. And man or woman, when there is in them a familiar-spirit, or (that is) a wizard, they shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones, their bloods shall be upon them.
Annotations.
EVery man] or Any man whosoever. Hebr. man …; as Levit. 17. 3. Targum Ionathan explaineth it, yong man or old man; the Greeke hath, If any. Here God appointeth punishments for the transgression of such Lawes, as were given in the two former chapters. that sojourneth] or, that is a stranger: in Greeke, proselytes. of his seed] that is, any of his children. Molech] an Idoll to which the heathens offred their children; whereof see Lev. 18. 21. he shall surely be put to death] or, he shal be put to dye the death: Heb. dying he shall be made to dye. So after in verse 9. 10. 11. 12. &c. the people of the land] the Chaldee expounds it, the people of the house of Israel. stone him] his sinne being proved before the Iudges by witnesses, the hands of the witnesses were first to be upon him, and afterward the hands of all the people, Deut. 17. 6. 7. Foure manner of deaths were in Israel for malefactors, Stoning, Burning, Killing with the sword, and Strangling: And the Hebrewes reckon eighteen euil doers which were to be stoned, (& that was the sorest death;) sundry of them are mentioned in this chapter: of all the rest, see the notes on Exodus 21. 12. The manner of stoning is said to be thus; when the malefactor came within foure cubits of the place of execution, they stript him out of his clothes, but covered his nakednesse before; and a woman was not stoned naked, but in one linnen garment. The place of stoning was high; unto which the malefactor with his witnesses went up: his hands being tyed: One of the witnesses stroke him behinde upon his loynes; if that kild him not, the other witnesses threw a great stone upon his heart; if hee dyed not with it, all Israel threw stones upon him. Talmud Bab. in Sanhedrin, chap. 6. and Maimony in Sanhedrin, chapter 15. section 1.
Vers. 3. And I will set] Heb. will give; that is, will oppose and set firmly: for which in verse 5. Moses useth the word set. This is meant, if the sinne were not knowne, or could not be proved by witnesses sufficiently before men, that God himselfe would cut off the sinner, which the Chaldee and Greeke doe interpret destroy, or make to perish. So Chazkuni expoundeth it, I will set my face, when he transgresseth without witnesses and evident-proofe. The Hebrewes reckon sixe and thirtie which for their sins are threatned by the law to be cut off; and they are these, 1. Hee that lyeth with his mother; 2. or with his fathers wife; 3. or with his daughter-in-law; 4. or with mankinde; 5. or with a beast; 6. and the woman that lyeth downe to a beast; 7. hee that lyeth with a woman and her daughter; 8. or with another mans wife; 9. or with his sister; 10. or with his fathers sister; 11. or with his mothers sister; 12, or with his wives sister; 13. or with the wife of his fathers brother; 14. or with the wife of his mothers brother; 15. or with a woman that hath her sicknesse; 16. The blasphemer; 17. the Idol-server; 18. he that giveth of his seed to Molech; 19. hee that followeth him that hath a familiar spirit; 20. hee that prophaneth the Sabbath; 21. the uncleane person that eateth the holy thing; 22. the uncleane person that commeth into the Sanctuarie. 23. Hee that eateth fat; 24. or blood; 25. or that eateth that which remaineth of the sacrifices, when it is a polluted thing; 26. or that eateth uncleane meats; 27. Hee that slayeth sacrifices without the sanctuarie; 28. & be that offreth them without; 29. He that eateth Leaven at the Passeover; 30. he that eateth any thing on Atonement day; 31. or that worketh on that day; 32. Hethat maketh an Oile, like the holy oile of the Sanctuary; 33. or maketh anincense like the holy incense; 34. or, that anointeth mans flesh with the holy oile of the Sanctuary; 35. He that observeth not the Passeover, 36. or that observeth not the Law of circumcision. For these they are guilty to be cut off, if they transgresse presumptuously, if ignorātly, they must bring a sinoffring, &c. Thalmad Bab. in Ch… it hu…. chap. 1. All these are expressed in Moses Law, and yet hee that gathered these in the Thalmud, (as Maimony in his Annotations upon the same place observeth,) reckoneth but the generals, and leaveth the particulars. For where he saith, He that lyeth with a woman and her daughter; he implieth also, a woman with her sonne: so a woman and her sons daughter, a woman and her daughters daughter: and his mother, and his mothers mother, and his fathers mother, and his daughter, and his sons daughter, and his daughters daughter. And under the name of the Idolserver, is implied hee that poureth out a drink-offring, or that burneth incense, or that boweth downe, or that sacrificeth, and such like. So hee speaketh of him that hath a Familiar spirit, and not of the Wizard [who is in the same estate, Lev. 20. 6.] Of these forementioned, some are to dye by the hand of the magistrate, some are to be beaten, but not put to death; as elsewhere is observed. defile my Sanctuary] that is, the Tabernacle, (Exod. 25. 8.) or Temple: which was defiled, when God was sacrificed unto other where, or by other wayes then he commanded, (Levit. 17. 4. 5.) or when they sacrificed to idols, and yet would come into the Sanctuarie to serve God also; whereas the Temple of God, hath no agreement with Idols, 2 Cor. 6. 16. And thus the Prophet reproveth them, for that they burned incense to Baal, and walked after other gods; and yet came and stood before him in the house whereupon his name was called, Ier. 7. 9. 10. and to prophane] that is, as the Greek explaineth it, and that he might prophane. Of prophaning Gods name, see Levit. 18. 21.
Vers. 4. the people of the land] which the Chaldee expoundeth the people of the house of Israel: and so the Greeke saith, the homeborne of the land. hiding shall hide] that is, shall any waies hide; the Greeke explaineth it, with winking shall winke at; that is, neglect, or not regard no punish. That word Paul useth, in Act. 17. 30. the times of this ignorance, God wincked at.
Vers. 5. my face] the Chaldee expoundeth it, mine anger: and so face often signifieth, Psal. 21. 10. and 34. 17. Lam. 4. 16. See the notes on Gen. 32. 20. his familie] in Greeke, his kinred; and so the word familie signifieth, in Gen. 24. 38. the Chaldee translateth it, his helpers; that is, such as tooke part with him; as the next words doe declare. that goe a whoring after him] that is, commit idolatrie, as the Chaldec explaineth it, that erre: so in verse 6. the Greeke translateth, all that consent unto him. This judgment God executed upon the Iewes; for this idolatrie, and their other sins: as he signified by his Prophet, that he would give their city Ierusalem into the hand of the Chaldeans, who should set fire upon it, and burne it with the houses, upon whose roofes they had burnt incense unto Baal, &c. Because they, their Kings, their Princes, their Priests, and their Prophets, and the men of Iudah, and the inhabitants of Ierusalem, had set their abhominations in the house which was called by his Name, to defile it; and built the high places of Baal, to cause their sonnes and their daughters to passe through (the fire) unto Molech, &c. therefore it should be delivered into the hand of the King of Babylon; by the sword and by the famine, and by the pestilence. Ier. 32. 28. 29. 32. 34. 35. 36.
Vers. 6. the soule] that is, as the Chaldee expoundeth, the man. that turneth unto] or, looketh after; in Greeke followeth: meaning that consulteth with them, as Deut. 18. 11. familiar spirits] Targum Ionathan expoundeth it, them that aske of familiar spirits. Of these; and the wizards following (whom the Greeke calleth Inchanters,) see the annotations on Leviticus 19. 31. and Deuteronomie 18. 11. set my face] Hebr. give my face: in Chaldee, give mine anger against that man, and destroy him. This judgment was executed upon K. Saul, who dyed, for asking counsell of one that had a familiar spirit. 1 Chron. 10. 13. 1 Sam. 28.
Vers. 7. And] This may bee a reason of the former, Therefore ye shall sanctifie your selves; by abstaining from all evill, and doing good. be holy] or, be saints: for I am Iehovah, to weet, that sanctifieth you, as vers. 8. or, for I am holy, as the Greeke addeth, and as Moses wrote before, in Lev. 19. 2.
Vers. 9. For every man] or, any man: Hebr. man man, meaning any whosoever, as vers. 2. And this is inferred upon the former precept, be holy: For, otherwise judgements abide you. curseth] or revileth; speaketh evill, as the Greeke translateth; which the holy Ghost approveth in Acts 23. 5. See the notes on Exodus 21. 17. or] Hebrew, and, which the Greeke translateth or; and so in Matthew 15. 4. For death was his due, if he cursed either of them, and they are distinguished, to make him guilty for the one without the oth…r, as Chazkuni here explaineth it, and as Iarchi addeth, though it be after his parents death. Whose curseth his father, or his mother; his Lamp shall be p…tout, in obscure darkenesse. Prov. 20. 20. his bloods shall be upon him] that is, his death shall be upon his owne head; for he hath caused it by his sinne. So the Greeke translateth, he shall be guilty: and the Chaldee, he is guilty (or worthy,) to be killed; so after often in this chapter. The manner of his death was stoning; as is noted, upon Exod. 21. 10. and as Moses after sheweth for the rebellious sonne, Deut. 21. 21. And it is observed as a generall …, by the Hebrew doctors. Every place where it is … in the Law, they shall be put to death, THEIR BLOODS VPONUPON THEM, it is meant, by stoning. Maimony Issureibiah, c. 1. s. 6, and Sol. Iarchi on Lev. 20. 9.
Vers. 10. that committeth adultery] the Greek addeth in the second place, or that commits-adul…ry with his neighbours wife. It is expouuded in Deut. 22. 22. a woman maried to an husband. dye the death] the manner of their death, is not set downe, either here, or in Deuter. 22. 22. unlesse by that which is before and after, (for other unlawfull copulations) we say it is meant stoning to death: as the man that lyeth with a beast, vers. 15. is to bee stoned, because the wom…n for like beastlinesse is to be stoned, verse 16. The Pharisees which brought unto Christ a woman taken in adulterie, said, Moses commanded that such should be stoned, Ioh. 8. 4. 5. but whether that were this very case, is to bee considered. Also to lye with a bettothed woman, the punishment was stoning, as for humbling his neighbours wife, Deut. 22. 24. Howbeit the latter Pharisees, say the adulterers death was Strangling: Maimony in Sanhedrin, chap. 15. sect. 13. And in another place, he openeth this and the other like …wes more fully, thus. Who so presumptuously committeth any of all the unlawfull copulations spoken of in the l…w, is guilty of cutting off, Levit. 18. 29. and if they doe it ignorantly, they are bound to bring the Sinoffring appointed. And there be some of the Nakednesses [that is, the unlawfull copulations] which deserve death by the Iudges; more then the cutting-off, which is meet for them all. Of those which are to be put to death by the Iudges, some are to dye by stoning, and some by burning, and some by strangling. And these are they that are put to death by stoning: He that lyeth with his mother, or with his fathers wife, or with his sonnes wife, which is called his daughter-in-law; he that lyeth with mankinde; or with a beast; and the woman that lyeth downe to a beast. And these are burnt to death; He that lyeth with his wives daughter, whiles his wife liveth; or with her daughters daughter; or with her sons daughter; or with his wives mother; or with her mothers mother; or with her fathers mother. He that lyeth with his daughter; or with his daughters daughter, or with his sons daughter. Thou hast no unlawfull copulation puni…hed with Strangling, but for lying with a mans wife onelyonly, Levit. 20. 10. And the death which the Law speaketh of absolutely, [that is, without naming what kinde of death it shal be,] is Strangling. And if she be a Priests daughter, she is burned, Levit. 21. 9. and he that lay with her, is strangled: and if shee be a betrothed maid, they are both of them stoned, Deuter. 22. 24. and wheresoever the Law saith, Their bloods upon them; that is by stoning, For all other unlawfull copulations, there is cutting-off onelyonly; and not death by the Magistrate. Therefore if there be witnesses and evidence, the Iudges are to beat them: for all that deserve cutting-off, are to be beaten. Maimony in Issurei biah chap. 1. sect. 1.—7. Thus by their owne grant, this case is singular: and there is no other reason of the adulterers strangling, then the commanding of their death absolutely. Among the heathens also, adulterie was punished with death, as the King of Babylon rosted Zedekiah and Ahab in the fire, because they committed adultery with their neighbours wives, &c. Ieremie 29. 22. 23. This sinne is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and will root out all a mans increase; Iob 31. 12. Hee that d…h it, destroyeth his owne soule, Prov. 6. 32.
Vers. 11. their bloods upon them] that is, they shall be stoned: in Greeke, both of them are guilty; and the Chaldee saith, worthy to be killed. So in the rest that follow.
Vers. 12. wrought] or, done confusion, which the Greeke translateth, have done-impiously.
Vers. 13. like copulation with a woman] Hebr. with the lyings (or copulations) of a woman: see Levit. 18. 22.
Vers. 14. wickednesse] or, a wicked purpose: in Chaldee counsell of sinnes: in Greeke, an unlawfull act. See Levit. 18. 17.
Vers. 17. impietie] or, reproach, ignominie, as the Greeke and Chaldee doe translate it. cut-off] in Greeke, destroyed before the sonnes of their kinne: that is, soone and openly; to weet by the hand of God: and to be beaten by the Magistrate, as the Hebrewes say. See the notes on verse 10. his iniquitie] that is, the punishment due thereunto: as Gen. 19. 15.
Vers. 18. having her sicknesse] her menstrual-infirmitie, for which she was separated as uncleane, even from her husband: therefore the Greeke translateth it put-apart, and the Chaldee, uncleane. See the annotations on Levit. 12. 2. and 15. 19.—24. the fountaine] or well, figuratively so called, because of the issve, as in Levit. 12 7. The Greeke here in the first place, keepeth the metaphore, hee hath uncovered her fountaine, the Chaldee saith, her ignominie: in the second place, the Greeke translateth, she hath uncovered the issue of her blood, where the Chaldee saith, the uncleannesse of her blood. The Holy Ghost also explaineth it so, for where it is said, in Marke 5. 29. the fountaine of her blood was dried up: an other Evangelist saith, her issue of blood stanched, Luke 8. 44. By the Hebrew doctors, the wombe wherein the childe is formed, is called the Fountaine. Maimony in Issureibiah, chap. 5. sect. 3. Therfore also they exempt virgins from this pollution; as is noted on Levit. 15. 19. cut-off] in the Greek and Chaldee, destroyed; to weet by the hand of God, for presumptuous doing against this Law: Levit. 15. 31. and by the Magistrates, (if it were knowne,) she was beaten. Maimony in Issureibiah, chap. 1. sect. 22. And from the Law for washing her in Levit. 15. they teach, that the woman which hath her sicknesse, or hath an issue, or hath borne achilde, if shee wash not her selfe in water; who so lyeth with any one of them, though it be after many yeeres, is guilty of cutting-off. Maimony ibidem chap. 4. sect. 3. But those legall washings, figured our better cleansing by the blood of Christ, Esa. 4. 4. 1 Ioh. 1. 7.
Vers. 20. his aunt] which the Chaldee expoundeth his uncles (or fathers-brothers) wife: see Levit. 18. 14. childlesse] meaning either that God will give them no children, or soon take them away if he doe give them. For, by the Hebrew canons, the Magistrates might not put them to death, but beat them onelyonly for this sinne. See the notes on verse 10.
Verse 21. shall be childlesse] the Greeke translateth, shall dye childlesse; as verse 20. Sol. Iarchi hereupon noteth; Childlesse, meaneth, if he have children, he shall bury them; if he have no children, hee shall dye without children: therefore the scripture differeth, saying (in verse 20.) they shall dye childlesse; and (in verse 21.) they shall be childlesse. They shall die childelesse, if he have any at the time of transgression, he shall have none at his death, for he shall bury them whiles he liveth: they shall be childlesse, for if hee have none when he transgresseth, he shall be all his daies, as he now is.
Vers. 22. And] or, Therefore ye shall keepe. spue] or, vomit you not out; which the Greeke and Chaldee turne, loathe, or abhorre you. See Levit. 18. 25. 26. 28.
Verse 23. nation] in Greeke, nations, in Chaldee, peoples. amyrked] or, am grieved with, and consequently doe abhorre them, as the Greeke translateth it: and the Chaldee, my Word abhorreth them. Thus also God was affected with Israel and complained, Fortie yeeres I was yrked with that generation, Psal. 95. 10.
Vers. 24. milke and honey] that is, all good and comfortable blessings; which were also figures of heavenly graces: see the notes on Exod. 3. 8. separated] in Greeke disparted (or disbounded) you from all the nations. Gods lawes are as a wall and hedge to keepe his people from the statutes and manners of the wicked. So Solomon said, Thou didst separate them to thy selfe for an inheritance; from all the peoples of the earth: 1 King. 8. 53.
Vers. 25. separate betweene the cleane beast] that is, put difference, by eating the cleane and refraining from the uncleane: according to the Law in Levit. 11. which thing is here spoken of upon their separation from the peoples, because their abstinence from uncleane beasts, figured their abstaining from the communion of uncleane peoples; as Act. 10. 12. 28. and as is shewed on Levit. 11. The Hebrewes say, this is mentioned after the unlawfull copulations aforesaid, because who so defileth him-selfe with them, degenerateth and is as it were transformed into the nature of uncleane beasts, &c. R. Menachem on Levit. fol. 151. for uncleane] that is, that you should count them unclean, and abstaine from them. The Greeke translateth, in uncleannesse.
Vers. 26. from the peoples] in Gre…ke, from all the nations; as in verse 24. to be mine] or, to bee unto me: which the Chaldee interpreteth, to serve before me.
Vers. 27. familiar spirit] or spirit of divination: see Levit. 19. 31. their bloods upon them] in Greeke, they are guiltie: in Chaldee, worthy to be killed. See before on verse 9.