Leviticus 12

" Qnin Diis sacrificare hodie pro pucro yoIo Quinto die, quod fieri oportet." Where Scaligcr observes, that the Greeks were wont to purify their children on the fifth day; but the Latins on the /eighth, if they were daughters; and on the ninth; if they were sons; which was called Dies lustricus. According to the days of the separation for her infirmity, shall she be vncleanJ] That is, her case shall be the same with that pf a meristrupus woman, who was in a state of the highest uncleanncss, (xv. 19, SO,) For everything she touched was unplean, and r#ade those so who touched that tiring. Vcr. 3. And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin phall be circumcised.] This is here mentioned to shew, that one reason for not circumcising the child till the eighth daywas, its mother’s wncleajmess (hie fir.s ( t seven day* of her lying-in; which wade the child unplean ajsp,

Leviticus 12:1

joLND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. The directions in this chapterare given to Moses alone; whereas those in the foregoing were delivered unto Aaron also; as those are in like manner which follow, about the leprosy, (xiii. 1.) because Aaron and his sons were peculiarly concerned in those matters,* to make an exact differencebetween clean and unclean, (x. 10, 11. xiv. 57.) in which there was some difficulty; and therefore they are charged by God himself, to attend carefully to the laws he gave about them. But there was no such difficulty in what belonged to the purification of women,; and therefore it was sufficient that they received admonitions from Moses concerning it.

Leviticus 12:2

If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man-child. Whether it were born alive or dead; were an’ abortive, or come to its full time: this made no difference, as the Hebrew doctors understand it. She shall be unclean seven days.] " For the first seven days after the birth of the child, she was neither to partake of any holy thing, nor to have common conversation with others; her husband not being permitted to eat and drink with her all that time: for they that attended her became unclean also. And so they were accounted among the* heathen, as Dilhcrrus observes out of Plautus, in his Dissert. Special, de Cacozelia Gentilium, cap. 3. where he saith, the women that assisted at the labour solemnly washed their hands, and had a sacrifice offered for them on the fifth day after the delivery. Plautus’s words indeed will not warrant all this, which I find in his Truculcntus, act. 2. seen. 4. where the harlot says, she will sa-* crifice for the child on the fifth day, according to tho custom: —

Leviticus 12:4

And she $bc$ then continue. Frpjm the seven.days’ end- In the bloQd ff for purification.] fri the purification pf her blood: for all the following days were days of purification; not pf entire separation, Three-and-ihirty days.] All the days of her uncleanncss.were forty; and for the first seyep days she was to be separate frpm all conversation with her neighbours; but the following three-and-thirty she had free conversation with them, and was only excluded from the sanctuary, and from eating of the peace-offerings, or the paschal lamb, and (if she were the wife of a priest) of the tithes, and pther lesser holy things; of which otherwise she might have eaten. She shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of Jier purification be fulfilled,] If JUaimpnides may be credited, the Zabij, an ancient sort of idolaters in those eastern parts, had a great number of tedious and tiresome customs about the purification of their childbed women; from all which God freed his peppje, by restraining them only frpm coming into his sanctuary, or partaking of holy things; but, otherwise, leaving them at liberty to perform alj planner of offices in their family, dur^ Jug the time of their purification, (More Nevoch. paT. iii. pap. 47.) It is apparent, also, that other gentiles kept their women from their temples, a long time after their ehildr birth; and that superstitious people would not so much as go within their doors. See Dilherrus, in the fprenaxued book and chapter.

Leviticus 12:5

And if she bear a maid-child, then shall sjie be unclean two weeks, as in her separation. The time of strict separati6n, when they brought forth a female, was double to that which was prescribed (ver. 2.) when they brought forth a male. And so also was the time of their purification: which lasted threescore and six days, as they in the other cape by thirty and three. The reason of which difference, not only the Jews, hut others also, derive from the greater redund#ncy(as R.Levi Barzploni$a calls it,Pracccpt. clxvi.) of blood in the latter case than in the former; and from the slowness of nature in its operation, which made the purgation longer before it was effected. Hippocrates himself treats of this difference, in his book dc Natura Pucrp. where he saitb, women are sooner purged after Uio birth of males than of female^: (see Joh.Meursius in his Syntagma do Puerpcrio, cap, C, 7.) The natural weaknesses of women also, during this time, required quiet, and little company: from which the very temper of their blood, in those climates, made a longer separation more necessary than in these colder regions. But if there were no such apparent reason to be given of these things, yet " vel ex ipsa veneranda antiquitatp, et simplicitate suscipienda forent et jninim6 contemnenda," (as Conrad. Pellicanus speaks upon the foregoing chapter, yen 35.) they ought, for the sake of their venerable antiquity and simplicity, to be duly regarded, and not to be despised,

Leviticus 12:6

And when the days of her purification arc fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter,. Which were not till the pnd pf the fortieth day. for a son, and the eightieth day for a daughter. And therefore, the offerings here mentioned were not offered till the day after, viz* the forty-first day for the one, and the eighty-first day for the other; because, UIJ then her purification was not perfected, as Jtfairooriidcs observes in his hook de Sacrifices, (Trot* y. sect. £,) where he observes, al$p, that they might not eat pf holy things, fill these sacrifices h$4 been offered for them. And sh€ shall bring a land) of ffa first year.] Which then was in its greatest perfeptipp, as hath been often noted. For a burnt-offering,] In gratitude to God for giving her a safe deliverance, arid bestowing a child upon her, and raising her up to her former strength, and bringing her again to his sumptuary. Where, by this offering, she also commended herself and child to his continued care and blessing, ^rd implored his Divine gujdjance and assistance in its education. For tbe$e offerings, as I observed before, were a kindpf supplication, which they that brought them made to God: and there was nothing that pious people could more earnestly desire on such occasions, than that God would take their little ones into his tuition. Who are continually liable to so many dangers, that without the special favour of God, and the custody of his angels, they could never grow to be able to take any care of themselves. They are the words of Conradus Pellicanus upon this place: who thence infers, how necessary it is that the pcopleof the phurch should be admonished frequently, to commend their children unto God both by private and by public prayers, and take care of their instruction, " lest they become like the horse and the mule, that have no understanding." And a young pigeon, or a turtle-dpve, for a sin-offering.] To complete her purification from her uncleanncss. For that is here meant by sin; the impurity which the law;caadc, by separating such persons from others, and from the sanctuary for a time. And thus a sin-offering is commanded to be brought by a leper, when he was cleansed; who was charged only with a legaj uncleanness, not a moral. And it is more plain, from what is ordained concerning menstruous women, whose courses were purely natnral, and yet they were to offer a sin-offering when they were gone, (xv. 30.) bopau$e the la>v accounted that a state of uncleanness: and from the case of ^ Nazaritc, who had unwillingly touched a dead body, Numb. v. 11. where it is said, he had sinned by the dead; t. e. was legally polluted. And this may be the reason, perhaps, why a burnt-offering is here mentioned before the sin-offering, which is wont to precede the other, (ver, 7, 8.) It may be conceived, indeed, that in all the forcmentioned pases, those persons (especially lepers) had some way ofuigitized by Microsoft <&) CHAP. XII.] UPON LEVITICUS. fended God, before or in their state of separation; arid therefore were to have their sin (properly so called) ex-^ piatedby a sin-offering. And R. Bechai also gives another probable account of it; that this sacrifice was offered not for her own sin, but the sin of her first parent, the mother of all living, who brought sin and sorrow into the world: for from a bad stock there cannot sprout good branches; and therefore God appointed this offering for the expiation of that primary sin. Unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest’) It was a most wise constitution (as a person of excellent learning, Dr. Alii:, observes), which bound this people, from their first coming into the world, to their going’ out of it, to have a dependance upon the priests and the Levites, (who* for that purpose were dispersed through all the tribes of Israel, that people might be instructed by them how to govern themselves in all the passages of human life.) For there are laws not only about marriages and successions, but about their lying-in, whether of a son or daughter, and about all they were to do while that time lasted, and when it ended; and indeed all the time they lived, and when they went out of the world; in their funerals, and mourning for the dead. Vet. 7. Who shall offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement for her. ~] By this offering she was restored to the liberty of God’s house, and to partake of holy things. For so it follows. And she shall be cleansed from the issue of her bldod.) No longer separated: from the holy society. Tftti is the lata for her that hath born a male or a fa male.) All this principally respected the woman; yet not excluding heir child; who (it appears by St. Luke, ii. 22.) was on this day of his mother’s purification presented unto tlie Lord. That indeed had respect to the law about the first-born: but a very ancient MS. and the Syriac, and Origen, taking this for the day of their purification, and not merely of hers (KaOapi<xixov clvtwv), it plainly shews the child could not be admitted into the Divine presence, no more than the mother, till the days abovementioned were accomplished. Vcr. 8. And if she be not able (o bring <£ lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, and two young pigeons, &c] “this was a merciful provision for the poorer sort> as in other cases, (v. 7. 11.) And from this very place we may learn, in how mean a condition the mother of our Lord was; who for her purification did not bring a lamb (unto which her piety, no doubt, would have prompted her, if she had been able), but only this lower sort of offering, as we read Luke ii. 24. And the priest shall mate an atonement for her, and she iliall be clean.) This Sacrifice was as available as the other to restore her to communion with God’s people. The Greeks imitated this; among’ whom the fortieth day was insignis (as Censorinus speaks), famous or remarkable upon more accounts than one. For women with child did not go to the temple ante diem quadragesimum, before the fortieth day: and after then* delivery, commonly, they Were not fit fo go out till forty days more (his Words are, " Quadraginta diebus pleraeque fcetae graviores sunt, nee sanguinem idtcrdam continent”), during which time their little ones were sickly, never smiled, nor were out of danger. Which is observed by that great physician Celsus, (lib. ii. cap. 1.) " Maifme, ofririis pueritia prfmum circa quadragesimum diem perfclltafar." Arid therefore, tvhferi this day was past, they were* wotit tbkeep a feast (as Censorinus there tells us, cap. 11. de Die Natali), which they called Tctfaapakg&t6v at wMcfr tiriie, ii & fikely, tney Offered sacrifices also, as the Jetvlsfi Women did. *