Chapter 19 begins the second part of the Book of Leviticus, the part biblical scholars have called the Holiness Code. This name is not accidental: in it the words...
Chapter 19 begins the second part of the Book of Leviticus, the part biblical scholars have called the Holiness Code. This name is not accidental: in it God's words are repeated like a refrain, "be holy, because I, Yahweh your God, am holy." What, then, does holiness mean here? Today, as a rule, we understand holiness as righteousness, and specifically Christian righteousness. Those who have become models of such righteousness are the ones we usually call saints. Yet in the Book of Leviticus, and especially in its second part, holiness is understood in a sense already not very different from the New Testament sense.
Here holiness means the state of a person's sanctification, the very state a person acquires when he remains in God's presence. A person became such every time he came to the altar and participated in sacrifice, for there at the altar God was completely and really present, and a person, if he was open to Him, changed just as completely and really as a result of meeting Him.
The problem, however, was that after returning to ordinary everyday life, a person again slid back, becoming what he had been before the encounter with God. The state of sanctification, or holiness, was not stable; it was only temporary, although for truly believing people it was regular enough, since such people usually came to the altar no less than once a week.
For a believing Yahwist, purity had traditionally been considered the main thing: the state of purity made a person ready to meet God and to be sanctified. Now, however, the aim of the believing Yahwist's life becomes not purity, but sanctification itself, holiness as an ordinary, everyday state. This was, of course, an immense task: the revelation had been received, but how to carry it out was not yet clear.
New revelations were needed here, and they came through the prophets, those whom biblical scholars usually call the later prophets, beginning with Amos and ending with Malachi. For the moment, however, the Book of Leviticus offers those seeking a full spiritual life and a relationship with God strict and unwavering observance of all the commandments and all the norms of ritual purity. The goal is clear: to live in such a way as to allow no defilement at all in one's life, not even the slightest. It seemed that if one lived this way, the goal would be reached. It took the experience of many centuries to understand that everything is not so simple and that the goal is not reached by this method; but that is another story.
19 Various Precepts to be holy, Lev 19:1-2.
To honour parents and sabbaths, Lev 19:3.
To shun idolatry, Lev 19:4.
Duty to eat their peace - offering, Lev 19:5-8.
To leave gleanings for the poor, Lev 19:9-10.
Not to steal, lie, swear falsely, or defraud, Lev 19:11-13.
Not to curse the deaf, or put a stumbling - block before the blind, Lev 19:14.
Not to judge unjustly, carry tales, or bear false witness, Lev 19:15-16.
To reprove sinners, not to revenge themselves; to love their neighbours, Lev 19:17-18.
Not to mix different things, Lev 19:19.
Not to lie with their bond - maids, Lev 19:20-22.
Not to eat of the fruit of the land for four years, Lev 19:23-25.
Not to eat blood, use enchantments, or heathen customs, Lev 19:26-28.
Or prostitute their daughters, Lev 19:29.
To reverence God and his sanctuary, Lev 19:30.
Not to regard wizards, Lev 19:31.
To honour the aged, Lev 19:32.
Love and right the stranger, Lev 19:33-34.
Do no injustice, Lev 19:34-36.
19:2 Be ye holy - Separated from all the forementioned defilements, and entirely consecrated to God and obedient to all his laws. I am holy - Both in my essence, and in all my laws, which are holy and just and good.
19:3 His mother - The mother is put first, partly because the practice of this duty begins there, mothers, by perpetual converse, being sooner known to their children than their fathers; and partly because this duty is commonly neglected to the mother, upon whom children have not so much dependence as they have upon their father. And this fear includes the two great duties of reverence and obedience. And keep my sabbaths - This is added, to shew, that, whereas it is enjoined to parents that theyshould take care the sabbath be observed both by themselves and their children, it is the duty of children to fear and obey their parents in this matter. But that, if parents should neglect their duty herein, or by their command, counsel, or example, draw them to pollute the sabbath, the children in that case must keep the sabbath, and prefer the command of God before the commands of their parents.
19:4 Idols - The word signifies such as are no Gods, or nothings, as they are called, Co1 8:4, many idols having no being, but in the fancy of their worshippers, and all of them having no virtue or power to do good or evil, Isa 41:23.
19:5 At your own will - Or, according to your own pleasure, what you think fit: For though this in general was required, yet it was left to their choice to determine the particulars.
19:6 On the morrow - He speaks here of that sort of peace - offerings, which were offered either by vow or freely for the obtaining of some mercy, for the other sort, which was by way of gratitude for mercies received, were to be eaten the same day.
19:10 I am the Lord your God - Who gave you all these things with a reservation of my right in them, and with a charge of giving part of them to the poor.
19:12 Ye shall not swear falsely - This is added, to shew how one sin draws on another, and that when men will lye for their own advantage, they will easily be induced to perjury. Profane the name - By any unholy use of it. So it is an additional precept, thou shalt not abuse my holy name by swearing either falsely or rashly.
19:14 Before the blind - To make them fall. Under these two particulars are manifestly forbidden all injuries done to such as are unable to right or defend themselves; of whom God here takes the more care, because they are not able to secure themselves. Fear thy God - Who both can and will avenge them.
19:15 The poor - So as through pity to him to give an unrighteous sentence.
19:16 Stand against the blood - In judgment as a false accuser or false witness, for accusers and witnesses use to stand, whilst the judges sit in courts of judicature.
19:17 Thou shalt not hate - As thou dost, in effect, if thou dost not rebuke him. Thy brother - The same as thy neighbour, that is, every man.If thy brother hath done wrong, thou shalt neither divulge it to others, nor hate him, and smother that hatred by sullen silence; nor flatter him therein, but shalt freely and in love, tell him of his fault.And not suffer sin upon him - Not suffer him to lie under the guilt of any sin, which thou by rebuking him, and thereby bringing him to repentance, couldst free him from.
19:18 Thy neighbour - Every man, as plainly appears,
19:19 Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender - This was prohibited, partly to restrain the curiosity and boldness of men, who might attempt to amend or change the works of God, partly that by the restraint here laid even upon brute - creatures men might be taught to abhor all unnatural lusts, partly to teach the Israelites to avoid mixtures with other nations, either in marriage or in religion, which also may be signified by the following prohibitions.
19:20 She shall be scourged - Heb. There shall be a scourging, which probably may belong to both of them, for
19:23 As uncircumcised - That is, As unclean, not to be eaten but cast away. This precept was serviceable,
19:24 Holy - Consecrated to the Lord, as the first - fruits and tithes were, and therefore given to the priests and Levites, Num 18:12-13, Deu 18:4 yet so that part of them were communicated to the poor widows and fatherless and strangers. See Deu 14:28. To bless the Lord, bywhose power and goodness the trees bring forth fruit to perfection.
19:25 That it may yield the increase - That God may be pleased to give his blessing, which alone can make them fruitful.
19:26 Any thing with the blood - Any flesh out of which the blood is poured. Neither shall ye use enchantments - It was unpardonable in them, to whom were committed the oracles of God, to ask counsel of the devil.And yet worse in Christians, to whom the son of God is manifested, to destroy the works of the devil. For Christians to have their nativities cast, or their fortunes told, or to use charms for the cure of diseases, is an intolerable affront to the Lord Jesus, a support of idolatry, and a reproach both to themselves, and to that worthy name by which they are called. Nor observe times - Superstitiously, esteeming some days lucky, others unlucky.
19:27 The corners of your heads - That is your temples, ye shall not cut off the hair of your heads round about your temples. This the Gentiles did, either for the worship of their idols, to whom young men used to consecrate their hair, being cut off from their heads, as Homer, Plutarch and many others write; or in funerals or immoderate mournings, as appears from Isa 15:2 Lev 19, Jer 48:37, . And the like is to be thought concerning the beard or the hair in the corner, that is, corners of the beard. The reason then of this prohibition is because God would not have his people agree with idolaters, neither in their idolatries, nor in their excessive sorrowing, no nor so much as in the appearances of it.
19:28 Cuttings in your flesh - Which the Gentiles commonly did both in the worship of their idols, and in their solemn mournings, Jer 16:6.
19:29 Do not prostitute - As the Gentiles frequently did for the honour of some of their idols, to whom women were consecrated, and publickly prostituted.
19:31 Wizards - Them that have entered into covenant with the devil, by whose help they foretel many things to come, and acquaint men with secret things. See Lev 20:27 Lev 19, Lev 19, Deu 18:11, Lev 19, Lev 19, Sa1 28:3, Sa1 28:7, Sa1 28:9, Ki2 21:6.
19:32 Rise up - To do them reverence when they pass by, for which end they were obliged, as the Jews say, presently to sit down again when they were past, that it might be manifest they arose out of respect to them.Fear thy God - This respect is due to such, if not for themselves, yet for God's sake, who requires this reverence, and whose singular blessing old age is.
19:33 Vex him - Either with opprobrious expressions, or grievous exactions.
19:34 As one born among you - Either
1, as to the matters of common right, so it reacheth to all strangers.Or 2, as to church - privileges, so it concerns only those who were
proselytes.Ye were strangers - And therefore are sensible of the fears, distresses, and miseries of such, which call for your pity, and you ought to do to them, as you desired others should do to you, when you were such.
19:35 In mete - yard - In the measuring of lands, or dry things, as cloth, ribband. In measure - In the measuring liquid or such dry things as are only contigious, as corn or wine.
19:36 A just ephah and a just hin - These two two measures are named as most common, the former for dry, the latter for moist things, but under them he manifestly comprehends all other measures.
19:37 Therefore - Because my blessings and deliverances are not indulgences to sin, but greater obligations to all duties to God and men.