A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Leviticus · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
Verſ. 3. AFter the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, ye ſhall not do, &c.]
That is, you muſt not think their doings a warrant for you whom I have choſen as a peculiar people to my ſelf: the rule is generall, but the intent is thence to inferre the neceſſity of their obeying theſe particular laws concerning unlawfull marriages that do immediately follow. And withall a reaſon is implyed of the giving theſe laws, to wit, le…t the Iſralites ſhould be corrupted by that they had ſeen in Egypt, and ſhould ſee in Canaan.
Verſ. 5. Ye ſhall therefore keep my ſtatutes and my judgements, which if a man do he ſhall live in them.]
This is in it ſelf the voice of the law, and propounded to them a way of righteouſneſſe and life, which man by reaſon of his frailty and co… ruption was never able to attain, as S. Paul ſaith alluding to this place, Rom. 10. 5. Moſes deſcribeth the righteouſneſſe which is of the law, that the man that doth th…ſe things ſhall live by them. But therefore we muſt know that God did not propound this to the Iſraelites, as intending that they ſhould thereby be juſtified and ſaved or not at all, but much as Chriſt propounded it to that rich man, Matth. 19. 17. If thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments: namely, firſt, to diſcover unto them how weak and unable they were to obtain life in this way, and ſo to beat them off from all confidence in their own works; ſecondly, to make them know that this obedience which God required of them was a due debt, and muſt be paid either by them or by their ſurety; thirdly, to bring them hereupon to look out after a Mediatour, and ſo the law was a ſchoolmaſter to bring them unto Chriſt that they might be juſtified by faith; and fourthly, as including a promiſe of life even to the evangelicall deſire and endeavour of believers to keep all the laws and commandments of God.
Verſ. 6. None of you ſhall approch to any that is near of kin to him to uncover their nakedneſſe.]
That is, to lie with them carnally, yea though it be under pretence of marriage; yet withall whatever immodeſt carriage is contrary to the reſpect we ought to bear to ſuch as are thus nearly allied to us is alſo by conſequence forbidden too. But by near kin is onelyonly meant ſuch near kindred as are afterwards particularly expreſſed: for elſe how ſhould we know how farre this prohibition were to reach?
Verſ. 7. The nakedneſſe of thy father or the nakedneſſe of thy mother thou ſhalt not uncover.]
Some by diſcovering the nakedneſſe of the father here underſtand that the daughter ſhould not lie with the father: but I find the act of uncovering ſtill aſcribed to the male; and indeed it were a very improper ſpeech to uſe the phraſe concerning the woman. The words therefore are rather to be underſtood thus: In the beginning of this verſe the law is given that man ſhould not lie neither with his fathers wife (for that is meant here by the fathers nakedneſſe) nor with his own mother; in the next clauſe of this verſe the reaſon of the laſt is given, becauſe it was a thi…g odious in nature to uncover the nakedneſſe of a mans own mother, ſhe is thy mother, &c. In the next verſe the firſt is confirmed, he muſt not lie with his fathers wife, becauſe it is his fathers nakedneſſe, which doth evidently explain this. The husband and the wife are both one fleſh, and therefore whoever uncovereth the nakedneſſe of his fathers wife doth all one as if he did uncover his fathers nakedneſſe.
Verſ. 9. The nakedneſſe of thy ſister, the daughter of thy father, &c.]
That is, thou ſhalt not marry not lie with thy ſiſter, whether ſhe be the daughter of thy father and mother both, or the daughter of thy mother onelyonly (for here the Lord ſpeaks onelyonly of ſiſters by the ſame venter, of ſiſters by a mother in law he ſpeak… verſ. 11.) Whether ſhe be born at home or abroad, that is, whether the ſiſter be lawfully born at home in marriage, or unlawfully abroad by fornication: for his fathers and mothers baſtard that is begotten out of marriage is his ſiſter, and therefore he might not uncover her nakedneſſe.
Verſ. 10. The nakedneſſe of thy ſonnes daughter, &c.]
And ſo other of further deſcent: how much more then his next daughter, though ſhe be not named?
Verſ. 11. The nakedneſſe of thy fathers wives daughter, &c.]
That is, the daughter of thy father, not the daughter of thy mother. See above verſ. 9.
Verſ. 16. Thou ſhalt not uncover the nakedneſſe of thy brothers wife.]
To wit, except in that ſpeciall caſe, when a man deceaſing without children his nex… broth…r by an expreſſe exception of the law, Deut. 25. was to marry the wife of the deceaſed, and to raiſe up …ee… unto his brother, as Onan the ſo…ne of Judah did, Gen. 38. 8.
Verſ. 18. Neither ſhalt thou take a wife to her ſister to vex her, &c.]
This is all one with one wife to another, as it is tranſlated in the margin of our Bibles, as Ezek. 1. 9. the wings of the beaſt are ſaid to touch a woman to her ſister (as it is directly in the Hebrew words) that is, one another. Though the ordinary expoſition be that this is meant of ſiſters, that man having married any woman muſt not afterward marry her ſiſter to vex her, &c. yet theſe reaſons ſo farre ſway me, that I cannot but underſtand it of any two women: Firſt, becauſe inceſt with ſiſters is above forbidden, verſ. 9. 11. Secondly, becauſe polygamie is no where elſe forbidden if not here, unleſſe to the King, Deut. 17. 16. Thirdly, becauſe the following words cannot, unleſſe extremely forced, be brought to agree with that expoſition of ſiſters; for would not the marriage of her husband with another woman vex her as much as with her ſiſter? happely more. And why is it added in her life? as if it were lawfull for a man to marry his wives ſiſter after his wives deceaſe: thoſe things winne me to think that it is meant of any two women.
Verſ. 19. Alſo thou ſhalt not approch unto a woman to uncover her nakedneſſe as long as ſhe is put apart, &c.]
To wit, though ſhe be thy lawfull wife.
Verſ. 21. And thou ſhalt not let any of thy ſeed paſſe through the fire to Molech.]
Molech was an idol worſhipped by the Ammonites and other heathen, called alſo Moloch, Amos 5. 26. But ye have born the tabernacle of your Moloch: and is thought of ſome to be the ſtarre Saturn, the higheſt; or the Sunne, the chief of the Planets, thence called the ſtarre of your God, Amos 5. 26. And it is derived of Melech, which ſignifies a Prince or King. It is thought by many to b… the ſame idol that is ordinarily in Scripture called Baal, which they gather by comparing together 2. Kings 23. 10. And he defiled Topheth which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his ſonne or his daughter to paſſe through the fire to Molech. Jer. 19. 5. They built alſo the high places of Baal, to burn their ſonnes with fire for burnt-offerings unto Baal, &c. chap. 7. 31. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the ſonne of Hinnom, to burn their ſonnes & their daughters in the fire, &c. & chap. 32. 35. Now to this idol they cauſed their children to paſſe through the fire two wayes: for ſome burned them to death, or at leaſt killed them, and then burnt them on their altars: for ſo it is ſaid of Ahaz, 2. Chron. 28. 3. He burnt incenſe in the valley of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire. &c. and of the Iſraelites in generall, Pſal. 106. 37, 38. They ſacrificed their ſonnes and their daughters unto devils, and ſhed innocent bloud. But ſome onelyonly made them to go through between two fires, as a ſigne of their conſecration. This ſinne is here forbidden amongſt whoredomes and inceſts, becauſe as all idolatry is ſpirituall fornication, ſo this eſpecially, becauſe their ſeed was here given away unlawfully, which i… therefore called a going a whoring after Molech, Levit. 20. 3, 5. But though this idol be here named, yet under this the like wicked ſervice to any idol is forbidden.
N…ith…r ſhalt th…u profane the name of thy God.]
This is added as a reaſon why in the foregoing law they were forbidden to let their ſeed paſſe thorow the fire to Molech, to wit, becauſe it would be a vild profanation of Gods holy name, and that firſt, in regard it would be an horrible vilifying of the Lord God to forſake him, and yield ſuch …onour to ſuch a baſe idol-god; and ſecondly, becauſe horrible wickedneſſe in a people called by his name, that is, called the people and ſervants of God, would be a diſhonour to God, and would cauſe the name of God to be blaſphemed even among the Gentiles.
Verſ. 24. For in all theſe the Nations are defiled which I caſt out before you.]
That is, with all theſe inceſtuous mixtures the Canaanites defiled themſelves, and ſo provoked me to caſt them out of the land; and therefore take you heed that you do not provoke me by the ſame ſinnes. Now hereby it is manifeſt that all the ſeverall ſorts of inceſt before mentioned are ſinnes againſt the law and light of nature▪ becauſe the Lord abhorred the heathen that had no other law, and puniſhed them ſo ſeverely for theſe very ſinnes.
Verſ. 26. Ye ſhall therefore keep my ſtatutes and my judgements.]
The mention of Gods ſtatutes here doth intimate what a ſhame it would be for them that had the light of the word, to walk in theſe evil courſes, whereinto the heathen fell becauſe they lived in darkneſſe.