A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Leviticus · Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
Verſ. 1. THere ſhall none be defiled for th… dead among his people.]
That is, none of the inferiour prieſts ſhall by reaſon of mourning for the dead defile themſelves, to wit, by touching their dead bodies, or being in the houſe where their dead bodies were, or coming nigh them, a…d ſo conſequently being preſent at their funeralls, &c. And ſeverall reaſons may be given why this was forbidden: 1. that they might not too frequently be thereby diſabled from attending the work of their prie…ly office; 2. that hereby it might be ſeen, that there was a higher degree o… holineſſe required in the prieſts then in the reſt of the people; 3. that they might be the clearer types of the Meſſias, who ſhould be ſo exactly holy; 4. that their ref…aining to mourn might be a reall in…ruction to the people of the hope of the reſurrection; and 5. to teach us what purity is required in thoſe that are by Chriſt made prieſts unto God, Rev. 1. 6.
Verſ. 2. But for his kinne that is near to him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, &c.]
Amongſt others here expreſſed for whom the prieſts might defile themſelves, the brother is one. But why then were Eleazar and Ithamar the ſonnes of Aaron forbidden to bewail the death of Nadab and Abihu their brethren, Lev. 10. 6. Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes le…t you die, &c. I anſwer, that charge was extraordinary and peculiar: 1. Becauſe hereby they were required to teſtifie their ſubmiſſion to that ſevere proceeding of the Lord againſt their brethren; and 2. Becauſe they were newly that day entred upon the execution of their prieſtly office, for which it was not therefore fit they ſhould diſable themſelves by defiling themſelves with the dead, there being no other prieſts at that time to do the work in their ſtead.
Verſ. 3. And for his ſiſter a virgin that is nigh unto him, &c.]
That i…, his own ſiſter by father or mother, if unmarried; but if ſhe were married, he might not be a mourner at her buriall to defile himſelf thereby, becauſe ſhe was then tranſplanted into another familie.
Verſ. 4. But he ſhall not defile himſelf, being a chief man among his people, to profane himſelf.]
Some reade this place as it is in the margin of our Bibles, But being a husband among his people he ſhall not defile himſelf for his wife, &c. and then the ſenſe muſt be, that though the prieſts might defile themſelves for thoſe their neareſt kindred, mentioned in the former verſes, yet they might not defile themſelves for their wives. But the wife being nearer to the husband then the neareſt of his kindred can be, it is hard to ſay why the prieſts ſhould be allowed to defile themſelves for their near kindred and not for their wives: and farre more probably we may conceive that by allowing them to mourn for their near kindred, their defiling themſelves for their wives is implyed as farre more neceſſary; which alſo we may the rather think, becauſe to Ezekiel, being a prieſt, this is given in charge as a ſtrange and unuſuall thing, that he ſhould not mourn for his wife when ſhe dyed, Ezek. 24. 16, &c. and hence it is that few approve of this tranſlation. But reading it then, as it is in the text of our Bibles, But he ſhall not defile himſelf, being a chief man among his people, to profane himſelf, all the difficulty lies in knowing what is meant here by being a chief man among his people: concerning which I find three ſeverall opinions of Expoſitours. For firſt, ſome underſtand it of the high prieſt, that being a chief man, that is, the high prieſt, he might not defile himſelf, no not for his neareſt kindred; which they ſay is afterwards more fully expreſſed verſ. 10. But becauſe the laws againſt the high prieſts mourning are afterwards ſet down by themſelves, I think it very improbable that this ſhould be meant of the high prieſt. Secondly, ſome underſtand by a chief man here the maſter or chief man of the houſe or family, where there is a dead corps to be buried; and ſo take the meaning of the words to be this, That no prieſt ſhould defile himſelf for any but for his near kindred before mentioned, no though he were the chief man or maſter of the familie where they dyed. And thirdly, ſome by a chief man underſtand any of the prieſts, and conceive the meaning of this place to be, that though none of the people were allowed to defile themſelves for the dead ſo as to profane themſelves, that is, after the profane manner of the heathen, according to that Law, chap. 19. 18. yet the prieſt eſpecially might not do it, being a chief man among his people. So that according to this interpretation, the emphaſis of this prohibition lies in theſe words, to profane himſelf. The inferiour prieſts might defile themſelves for their neareſt kindred, but yet not ſo as to profane themſelves, to wit, after the manner of the heathen, by making baldneſſe upon their heads, &c. as it is expreſſed in the following verſe: though none of the people might do this, yet not the prieſt eſpecially, being a chief man among his people.
Verſ. 5. They ſhall not make baldneſſe upon their heads, &c.]
That is, when they did mourn for their kindred. See chap 19. 28.
Verſ. 6. For the offering of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God they do offer.
See the note upon chap 13. 11. The word and here is not in the originall: ſo that by the bread of their God is meant both the ſacrifices burnt upon the altar, and the heave-offerings, which were the prieſts portion: and they are ſo called, partly becauſe they were offered upon the altar, the table of the Lord, Mal. 11. 12. and partly becauſe they were eaten by the prieſts of the Lord.
Verſ. 7. They ſhall not take a wife that is a whore or profane.]
That is, neither a common whore, nor a woman whoſe chaſtity had been violated, though ſhe did not as a common whore proſtitute her ſelf. Some alſo conceive that under this word, profane, all thoſe were forbidden to be taken in marriage by the prieſts, that were for any other cauſe of ill name and baſely eſteemed, as a baſtard, or one that was of light behaviour; yea it ſeems that they might not marry a widow, unleſſe ſhe were a prieſts widow: For ſo it is expreſſely ſaid, Ezek. 44. 22. They ſhall take maydens of the ſeed of the houſe of Iſrael, or a widow that had a priest before. Now all this was to maintain in the people an high opinion of the dignity of the prieſthood, and that they might be the fitter to be types of Chriſt.
Neither ſhall they take a woman put away from her husband.]
That is, divorced, …nd not for the cauſe of adultery, which to the Iſraelites was permitted under Moſes Law, Deut. 24. 1, 2. but it was for the hardneſſe of their hearts, as our Saviour ſaith, Matth. 19. 8.
Verſ. 8. Thou ſhalt ſanctifie him therefore, &c.]
That is, thou Moſes, thou ſhalt command him thus to be ſanctified, Ex…d. 19. 10. And the Lord ſaid unto Moſes, Go unto th… people, and ſanctifie them to day and to morrow, &c. or elſe it is an Apoſtrophe to the people, that they ſhould, as much as in them lay, take care that the prieſts did thus carry themſelves as holy perſons.
Verſ. 9. She ſhall be burnt with fire.]
Other perſons were not put to death for ſimple fornication, neither the man nor woman, Exod. 22. 16, 17. And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he ſhall ſurely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuſe to give her unto him, he ſhall pay money according to the dowry of Virgins: onelyonly the prieſts daughter, becauſe of the diſhonour done to her fathers houſe, is appointed here to be burnt; and it may well be thought by the rule of Analogy the ſame puniſhment was to be inflicted on the prieſts wife, if not his ſonnes, when guilty of the ſame ſinne.
Verſ. 10. And he that is the high prieſt among his brethren, upon whoſe head the anointing oyl was poured, and that is conſecrated to put on the garments, ſhall not uncover his head, &c.]
Either therefore the uncovering of the head was it ſeems then an expreſſion of mourning, though afterward a contrary cuſtome was uſed, to wit, when they mourned to cover their heads; or elſe that which is forbidden the high prieſt here is, that he ſhould not take off his miter to the end he might put on a covering on his head after the faſhion of mourners, as it is noted before, chap. 10. 6.
Verſ. 12. Neither ſhall he go out of the Sanctuary, nor profane the Sanctuary of his God.]
That is, he ſhall not go out of the Sanctuary to mourn for his neareſt dead friends, becauſe this forſaking of the Sanctuary and the ſervice thereof would be a kind of vilifying of Gods Sanctuary and ſervice; and if he ſhould return again from his dead friends into the Sanctuary, this would be a manifeſt defiling and profaning of the Sanctuary.
For the crown of the anointing oyl of his God is upon him.]
That is, becauſe being the anointed high prieſt, and ſo advanced above the reſt of the prieſts, he may not doe that which the other prieſts may doe. The oyl of anointing poured upon the high prieſts head is here called the crown of the anointing oyl, both becauſe by that anointing he was ſeparated to a place of ſpeciall dignity above his brethren, and alſo becauſe therein he was a type of Chriſts royall prieſthood; yet withall happely this phraſe may be uſed with reſpect had to the plate of pure gold, faſtened to the miter, which was upon the high prieſts head when he was anointed, and is called the holy crown, Exod. 29. 6, 7. Thou ſhalt put the miter upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the miter: then ſhalt thou take the anointing oyl and poure it upon his head, and anoint him.
Verſ. 13. And he ſhall take a wife in her virginity.]
And ſo the high prieſts wife was a figure of the church, which is to be chaſt, pure, holy, 2. Cor 11. 2. I have espo…ſed you to one husband, that I may preſent you as a chaſt virgin to Chriſt. Rev. 14. 4. Theſe are they which were not defiled with women: for they are virgins: Theſe are they which follow the lamb whitherſoever he goeth.
Verſ. 14. But he ſhall take a virgin of his own people to wife.]
That is, of the Iſraelites, not of any other nation, though a virgin, Ezek. 44. 22. They ſhall take maidens of the ſeed of the houſe of Iſrael, or a widow that had a prieſt before. Some would have a virgin of his own people to be a virgin of his own tribe; but it is evident that the high prieſt was not bound to marry to none but to the tribe of Levi, for Jehoſhubeath the daughter of King Jehoram was the wife of J…hoi…da, 2. Chron. 22. 1.
Verſ. 15. Neither ſhall he profane his ſeed among his people.]
That is, he ſhall not by marrying any of theſe here forbidden render his ſonnes unfit for the prieſtly office. So that this is added to imply one reaſon why the prieſts might not marry any of theſe before mentioned, to wit, becauſe any blemiſh in his wife would tend to the reproch and diſhonour of his children born of her, and ſo make them unfit to ſucceed their father, or to execute the prieſts office.
Verſ. 17. Whoſoever be of thy ſeed in their generations that hath any blemiſh, &c.]
This law, whereby all Aarons poſterity that had any blemiſh in their bodies were excluded from the prieſts office, was firſt, to ſignifie the perfection of Chriſt, of whom the prieſts were types, who had not indeed the leaſt blemiſh of ſinne in him; and ſecondly, to ſignifie how perfectly pure all the Saints ſhould be through Chriſt, of whom it is ſaid, Rev. 14. 5. that they are without fault before the throne of God; and thirdly, how pure all thoſe ſhould be that are imployed in ſacred functions from any thing that might be a blemiſh to their profeſſion and miniſtery.
Verſ. 22. He ſhall eat the bread of his God, both of the moſt holy and of the holy.]
Herein the blemiſhed prieſts had a priviledge above the unclean, who might not eat of the holy things, Levit. 22. 3. What man ſoever of the ſeed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running iſſue, he ſhall not eat of the holy things, untill he be clean.
Verſ. 23. OnelyOnly he ſhall not go in unto the vail, &c.]
That is, into that part of the Sanctuary wherein the vail was that hanged before the ark, to wit, to dreſſe the lamps, or to order the ſhewbread, &c.