Leviticus 19

Laws, commanding the Israelites to be holy, v. 1, etc. to honour father and mother, to keep the Sabbath, 3. to shun Idolatry, 4. duly to slay and use the thank-offerings, 5. to remember the poor in harvest-time, 9. to do no wrong to their neighbor, neither in judgement, nor without, 11. nor to be against him in heart, but to do him good in words and deeds of pure love, 17. not to mix different things, 19. not to suffer whoredom, 20. at what time they should eat the fruits of the Land of Canaan, 23. to eat no blood, and to use no sooth-saying, etc. 26. to make no Heathenish marks of mourning, 27. nor to prostitute their daughters for whoredom, 29. but to have God and his Ordinances in esteem, 30. and not the sooth-sayers, 31. to honour the ancient, 32. to right the strangers, 33. yea every one in all kind of commerce and dealing, 35.

1. Moreover the LORD spoke unto Moseh, saying:

2. Speak to all the Congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them; ye shall be holy: [i.e. live according to all my Laws and Commandments, in all matters Moral, Ceremonial, and Civil; of all which, some are rehearsed in this Chapter] for I the LORD your God, am holy. [not only thoughts, words and deeds, but also in my being , and essence, holiness itself]

3. Every one shall fear, (Or, stand in aw of) his mother, and his father, [the mother is set before the father here, because children stand most in need of their mothers in their mothers in their younger years, and when they are grown up to riper, some most neglect and despise them] and keep my Sabbath; I am LORD your God. [See above chapter 18. on verse 2. as also below here verse 4, 10, 12, and 14, & c.]

4. Ye shall not turn your selves to the idols, [The Hebrew word doth properly signify things of nothing, or, that are not; wherefore the Apostle saith well, that the idol is nothing in the world, 1 Cor. 8. 4. for it is but a vain Ceremony of the vain heart of man, 1 Samuel 12:21.] and make you no molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

5. And when ye shall offer a Thank-offering [See above chapter 3. on verse 1.] unto the LORD, ye shall offer the same according to your well pleasing; [i.e. of your own accord, free, willingly, and cheerfully, without any constraint. For these thank-offerings were enjoined indeed, yet not precisely limited; so that every one might dispose therein, according as he found his heart disposed. See above chapter 7. verse 16. and compare this with the free-will-burnt-offering, above chapter 1. verse 3.]

6. It shall be eaten on the day of your offering, and the second day : but that which remaineth over on the third day, shall be burnt with fire.

7. And if on the third day it be eaten at all, [Heb. eating, eaten] it is an abominable thing, [see above chapter 7. on verse 18.] it shall not be acceptable.

8. And whoso eateth that, he shall bear his iniquity, [see above chapter 5. on verse 1.] for having prophaned (unhallowed) the holy (thing) of the LORD; [see above chapter 5. on verse 15.] therefore shall that soul be extirpated out of her people. [See Gen. 17. on verse 14.]

9. Likewise when ye shall Harvest in the Harvest of your Land, thou shalt not wholly Harvest off the corner of thy field; and not gather up that which is to be gathered of thy Harvest. [i.e. the residue or remainder of the scattered ears, that are to be gathered up yet.]

10. In like manner shalt thou not glean thy Vineyard, [viz. after that the principal grapes shall be cut off, and the gathering of the Vintage is done, the Vineyard being once over with gathering] and gather up the grapes fallen off from thy Vineyard: thou shall let them remain for the poor and the stranger; I am the LORD thy God.

11. Ye shall not steal: and ye shall not lie [Or, not deny, what ye have taken in custody to keep for others] nor deal falsely every one against his neighbor.

12. And ye shall not swear falsely by my Name: for ye would [Oth. and ye shall not] prophane the Name of your God: [See above chapter 18. on verse 21.] I am the LORD.

13. Thou shalt not oppress nor rob thy neighbor deceitfully: the wages (or hire) [Heb. work, or labour. See Job 7. on verse 1. Jer. 22. on verse 13, etc.] of the day-labourer shall not lodge with thee till the morning.

14. Thou shalt not curse the deaf nor set any offence (stumbling-block) before the face of the blind: fear before thy God; I am the LORD.

15. Ye shall do no wrong in judgement; Thou shalt not receive the face of the poor, [i.e. in judging and sentencing, not regard the qualification or condition of men’s persons, but judge and pronounce according to the merit and justice of the cause. See the same phrase, Deuteronomy 10:17. and Psalms 82:2. Compare Deuteronomy 1:17. and Proverbs 24:23.] nor prefer the face of the great: [i.e. not favour nor further him in his wrongful cause. See the like phrase, Exodus 23:3.] in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor.

16. Thou shalt not walk (as) a Tale-bearer, among thy people; [i.e. thou shalt not go up and down, or here and there, so spread ill rumours of thy neighbor, and to catch up others every where for to spread them. See the like phrase Proverbs 11:13. and 20. 19. Jeremiah 6:28. and 9. 4. The Hebrew word here rendered Tale-bearer, doth properly signify one, that carrieth things about after the manner of Pedlers, buying something of one body, and by and by selling it again to another. For thus it is with such Tale-bearers, hearing somewhat of one, and by and by telling it another, for some paultry profit, to the abuse of his neighbor.] Thou shalt not stand against the blood of thy neighbor: [i.e. thou shalt not only not kill thy neighbor, but likewise not be instrumental, that through false witness, he may be put to death] I am the LORD.

17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother, [i.e. thy neighbor: see Gen. 19. on verse 7. and 29. 4. or, thy country-man. See Exodus 2:11. 1 Samuel 30:23. Revelation 22:1. where the brother is taken for Country-men] in thy heart: thou shalt carefully reprove [Heb. rebuking, rebuke] thy neighbor, and shall not suffer the sin in him. [Oth. that thou do not bear the sin for him, or, for his sake: meaning the punishment he deserved, being made to bear the same with him.]

18. Thou shalt not avenge, nor keep (anger) against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self: I am the LORD.

19. Ye shall keep my Institutions; Thou shalt not suffer any two kind of thy beasts to have to do together: Thou shalt not sow thy field with two sorts (of seed) [So Deut. 22. verse 9.] and a garment of two sorts-stuff, intermingled, [as of woolen and linen. See Deuteronomy 22:11.] shall not come upon thee.

20. And when a man shall have lain with a woman, by copulation of seed, [Compare above chapter 18. 22.] that is a maid-servant, despised by the man, [understand him, to whom she was betrothed, or married, and afterwards despised and abandoned by him. Oth. by every one despised, i.e. so much despised, that she was not made free, but left in slavery or bondage. Oth. betrothed to a man] and is not redeemed at all, [Heb. not redeeming, redeemed] nor any freedom is given her: they shall scourged; [Heb. scourging, or, beating, shall be (made) See of this punishment, Deuteronomy 25:2, 3.] they shall not be put to death; for she was not made free. [If she had been made free, she must have been put to death, Deuteronomy 22:24.]

21. And he shall bring his guilt-offering to the LORD, at the door of the Tent of the Congregation, a Ram for a guilt-offering.

22. And the Priest shall make expiation for him, with the Ram of the guilt-offering, over his sin, which he hath sinned, before the face of the LORD; and forgiveness shall he made him for the sin, he sinned.

23. Also when ye shall be come into the Land, and have planted every Tree for food, ye shall circumcise the foreskin therefore, its fruit: [i.e. ye shall hold the first-fruits thereof unclean, like the foreskin, and not use but throw away the same] three years it shall be uncircumcised to you, [i.e. unclean, and consequently unfit for use] there shall be nothing eaten of it.

24. But in the fourth year all his fruit shall be a holy thing, [They were to be consecrated to the LORD, to praise him for the fruitfulness of the Trees: and therefore they were to be given to the Priests, who did eat the food prepared for, and dedicated unto God. Heb. holiness] for praise-giving to the LORD.

25. And in the fifth year ye shall eat the fruit thereof, for to multiply the revenue thereof for you] I am the LORD thy God.

26. Ye shall eat nothing with the blood: ye shall give heed to no bird’s noise (or Augury) [The Hebrew phrase signifieth to make observations, and take notice both of birds and other things, through vain arts, thereby to reveal, or prognosticate and foretell future and hidden matters. Thus this word is likewise used, 1 Kings 21:6. 2 Chron. 33. 6.] nor use juggling. [The Hebrew word seem to see, what they see not; as by some it is taken, Deuteronomy 18:10. 2 Kings 21:6, 7. 2 Chron. 33. 6. Isaiah 2:6. and 57. 3, 7. Jeremiah 27:9. Others understand it of time-observing, or sooth-saying, by looking on the clouds, and the disposition of the sky or heaven, called Astrology.]

27. Ye shall not shave the corners of thy head round: either shalt thou spoil the corners of thy beard.

28. Ye shall make no incision in your flesh for a dead body, [Heb. soul; i.e. for the dead corps of any man, so below chapter 21. verse 1. 11. and chapter 22. 4. Numbers 9:6. Psalms 16:10.] nor make writing of printed mark in you; I am the LORD.

29. Thou shalt not prophane (unhallow) thy daughter, keeping her to whoredom; lest the Land commit whoredom, and the Land be filled with vile actions.

30. Ye shall keep my Sabbath, and ye shall fear my Sanctuary: [Or, stand in aw of it, honour it, observing and following the Laws and Ordinances, which are to be kept in it; and not appearing in the same, being unfit and unprepared, through Idolatry, or any other sin and uncleanness, see below chapter 26. 2.] I am the LORD.

31. Ye shall not turn your selves to sooth-sayers, [Or, to the sooth-saying spirits: For the word doth signify as well the spirits who being asked about unknown and hidden things, gave answers, when the sooth-saying men or women came to them to enquire. They are commonly indeed called sooth-sayers, but in good sooth and deed, are most unworthy of that name; their answers proving often false, and their telling truth deceitful and hurtful. See of them below chapter 20. 27. Deuteronomy 18:11. 1 Samuel 28:3, 9. 2 Kings 21:6. 1 Chronicles 10:13. Acts 16:16.] and to the Wizards, (or Negro-mancers) [The Hebrew word comes from knowing, because these men vaunted much of their rare knowledge, not only of things past and unknown to others, but likewise of things to come, and happen after, making use of vain and diabolical arts, to attain to their mystery. See of them below also chapter 20. verse 6, 27. 1 Samuel 28:3, 9. Isaiah 8:19.] and seek them not, defiling yourselves with them: I am the LORD your God.

32. Before the gray hair, thou shalt rise up, and shall bear reverence to the face of the ancient; and thou shalt fear (or stand in awe) before thy God; I am the LORD.

33. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee in your Land, ye shall not oppress him. [The Hebrew Verb here signifieth, to wrong and defraud one, whether it be unwittingly, or wittingly, and of design and purpose, yea and with violence.]

34. The stranger, sojourning with you, shall be among you, as an in-born of your selves: ye shall love him, as your selves, for ye were strangers in the Land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

35. Ye shall do no wrong in judgement with the ell, [Understand all manner of orders for hand-measure, or foot-measure, or any instruments, whereby the length and the breadth of any solid or contiguous matter is measured] with the weight, or with the measure. [whereby some liquid wares, and dry ones too, such as are not of contiguous bulk, are measured.]

36. Ye shall have a just balance, just (weighing) stones, [i.e. a just weight; for it was usual in those times, to put stones into the scales instead of other weights: See likewise, Deuteronomy 25:13, 15. Proverbs 16:11. Mich. 6. 11.] a just Hin: [this was a measure of liquid wares, containing as much as seventy two ordinary hen egg-shells. See of the same, Exodus 29:40. and below 23. 13. Numbers 15:4, 9.] I am the LORD your God, which carried you forth out of the Land of Egypt.

37. Therefore shall ye keep all my institutions, and all my rights, and shall do them: I am the LORD.