yet were burning or rather 2. after it for the daily burnt-offering was first to be offered both as more eminently respecting Gods honour which ought to be preferred before all things and as the most solemn and stated sacrifice which should take place of all voluntary and occasional oblations and as a sacrifice of an higher nature and use being for expiation and atonement without which no peace could be obtained nor peace-offering offered with acceptance which is upon the wood that is on the fire it is an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the LORD 6 And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace-offering unto the LORD be of the flock male or female he shall offer it without blemish 7 If he offer a lamb for his offering then shall he offer it before the LORD 8 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering and kill it before the Tabernacle of the Congregation and Aarons sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar 9 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace-offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD the fat thereof and the whole rump e Which in sheep is fat and sweet and in these parts was very much larger and better than ours as is agreed both by antient and modern writers and therefore was fitly offered to God it shall he take off hard by the back-bone and the fat that covereth the inwards and all the fat that is upon the inwards 10 And the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them which is by the flanks and the caul above the liver with the kidneys it shall he take away 11 And the Priest shall burn f i. e. The parts now mentioned and for the rest they fell to the Priest Levit. 7. 31. it upon the altar it is †Heb. the bread 〈◊〉 16. chap. 21. 6. the food g i. e. The fewel of the fire or the matter of the offering It is called food Heb. bread to note Gods acceptance of it and delight in it as men delight in their food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD 12 And if his offering be a goat then he shall offer it before the LORD 13 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it and kill it before the Tabernacle of the Congregation and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about 14 And he shall offer thereof his offering even an offering made by fire unto the LORD the fat that covereth the inwards and all the fat that is upon the inwards 15 And the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them which is by the flanks and the caul above the liver with the kidneys it shall he take away 16 And the Priest shall burn them g The parts mentioned among which the tail is not one as it was in the sheep because that in goats is a refuse part upon the altar it is the †Heb. bread food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour All the fat h This is to be limited 1. to those beasts which were offered or might be offered in sacrifice as it is explained and restrained Levit. 7. 23 25. 2. to that kind of fat which is here above mentioned and required to be offered which was separated or easily separable from the flesh for the fat which was here and there mixed with the flesh they might eat Deut. 32. 14. Neh. 8. 10. is the LORDS 17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings i Not onely at or near the Tabernacle nor onely of those beasts which you actually sacrifice but also in your several dwellings and of all that kind of beasts that ye eat neither fat k This was forbidden 1 To preserve the reverence of the holy rites and sacrifices 2. That they might be taught hereby to acknowledge God as their Lord and the Lord of all the creatures who might reserve what he pleased to himself 3. To exercise them in obedience to God and self-denial and mortification of their appetites even in those things which probably many of them would much desire nor * Gen. 9. 4. chap. 7. 23 26. 17. 10 14. Deut. 12. 16. 1 Sam. 14. 33. Ezek. 44. 7. blood l This was forbidden partly to maintain reverence to God and his worship partly out of opposition to Idolaters who used to drink the blood of their sacrifices partly with respect unto Christs blood thereby manifestly signified and partly for moral admonition about avoiding cruelty c. CHAP. IV. 1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying 2 Speak unto the children of Israel saying * Num. 15. 24 If a soul shall sin a This must necessarily be understood of more than common sins and daily infirmities for if every such sin had required an offering it had not been possible either for most sinners to bear such a charge or for the altar to receive so many sacrifices or for the Priests to manage so infinite a work And for ordinary sins they were ceremonially expiated by the daily offering and by that on the great day of atonement Levit. 16. 30. through ignorance b Or errour either not knowing his fact to be sinful as appears by comparing ver 13 14. or not considering it but rashly and unadvisedly falling into sin through the power of some sudden passion or temptation as the Hebrew word signifies Psal. 119. 67. Compare Iob 19. 4. Psal. 19. 13. The words may be thus rendred in or about every or any of the commandements of the Lord which should not be done or which concern things that should not be done to wit in any negative commands And there is great reason why a sacrifice should be more necessary for these than for other sins because affirmative precepts do not so strictly and constantly bind men as the negative do and if a man through ignorance have neglected them he may yet recover his errour and fulfil them against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which †Heb. shall not be done ought not to be done c and shall do against any of them d Then he shall offer according to his quality which is here to be understood out of the following verses 3 If the Priest that is anointed e i. e. The High-priest who onely was anointed after the first time See Exod. 29. 7. and 30. 30. and 40. 15. Lev. 10. 7. Numb 3. 3. His anointing is mentioned because he was not compleat High-priest till he was anointed do sin f Either in doctrine or practise which it is here supposed he may do And this is noted as a blot and character of imperfection in the Priesthood of the law whereby the Israelites were directed to expect another and better High-priest even one who is holy harmless and separate from sinners Heb.
4. There was indeed a law that that sin-offering whose blood was not carried into the Tabernacle which was the case here should not be burnt but eaten Lev. 6. 30. and 10. 18. But that concerned the people not the priests who did not eat but burn their own sin-offerings Leviticus 4. 3 12. 15 Thou shalt also take one ram and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram 16 And thou shalt slay the ram and thou shalt take his blood and sprinkle it round about upon the altar o Which signifies that not onely our persons but our very Altars and Sacrifices and best services need the sprinkling of Christs blood upon them to render them acceptable to God 17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces and wash the inwards of him and his legs and put them unto his pieces and ‖ Or upon unto his head 18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar it is a burnt-offering unto the LORD it is a sweet savour p Heb. A savour of rest wherewith God will be well-pleased and for which as representing Christ who offered up himself he will graciously accepte of the offerings of the priests for themselves and for the people an offering made by fire unto the LORD 19 And thou shalt take the other ram q For a peace-offering So here were all the three sorts of sacrifices which were afterwards to be offered by them for the people and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram 20 Then shalt thou kill the ram and take of his bloud and put it upon the tip of the right ear r These parts are conscerated in the name and stead of all the rest the ear as the instrument of hearing and receiving the mind and will of God in all their sacred administrations and in their whole conversation the hand and foot as the instruments of action and execution of that which they hear and understand to be the mind of God And the right parts are chosen rather than the left as being usually more vigorous and expeditious And all these parts are sprinkled with this blood to shew the absolute necessity of Christs blood to qualifie them for an acceptable and successful discharge of their office of Aaron and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons and upon the thumb of their right hand r These parts are conscerated in the name and stead of all the rest the ear as the instrument of hearing and receiving the mind and will of God in all their sacred administrations and in their whole conversation the hand and foot as the instruments of action and execution of that which they hear and understand to be the mind of God And the right parts are chosen rather than the left as being usually more vigorous and expeditious And all these parts are sprinkled with this blood to shew the absolute necessity of Christs blood to qualifie them for an acceptable and successful discharge of their office and upon the great toe r These parts are consecrated in the name and stead of all the rest the ear as the instrument of hearing and receiving the mind and will of God in all their sacred administrations and in their whole conversation the hand and foot as the instruments of action and execution of that which they hear and understand to be the mind of God And the right parts are chosen rather than the left as being usually more vigorous and expeditious And all these parts are sprinkled with this blood to shew the absolute necessity of Christs blood to qualifie them for an acceptable and successful discharge of their office of their right foot and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about 21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar and of * chap. 30. 25. the anointing oyl and sprinkle it upon Aaron and upon his garments and upon his sons and upon the garments of his sons with him and * Heb. 9. 22. he shall be hallowed and his garments and his sons and his sons garments with him 22 Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump and the fat that covereth the inwards and the caul of the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them and the right shoulder for it is a ram of consecration s Of the Priests in their office Therefore the right shoulder was burnt which in other sacrifices was given to the Priest 23 And one loaf of bread and one cake of oiled bread and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD 24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and shalt ‖ Or Shake to and fro wave them t Either toss them from one hand to another as giving all from themselves to God or shake them to and fro towards the several parts of the world to note Gods dominion over all places and people and the extent of that true and great sacrifice represented in these types to all for a wave-offering before the LORD 25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands and burn them upon the altar for a burnt-offering for a sweet savour before the LORD it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD 26 And thou shalt take * Lev. 8. 29 the breast of the ram of Aarons consecrations and wave it for a wave-offering before the LORD and it shall be thy part u To wit the breast alone whereas both shoulder and breast were given to Aaron afterwards the reason whereof might be either because Moses was not a proper and compleat Priest as Aaron afterward was but onely appointed by God for this time to do that work Or because now there were in a manner two Priests the one consecrating to wit Moses the other consecrated to wit Araon and therefore these parts were divided the breast given to the former to be eaten the shoulder offered unto God for the latter verse 22. he being not yet a perfect Priest and therefore not in a capacity of eating it 27 And thou shalt sanctifie * Lev. 7. 34. Num. 18. 18. Deu. 18. 3. the breast of the wave-offering and the shoulder of the heave-offering which is waved and which is heaved up x This was done by throwing the parts upward and catching them again of the ram of the consecration even of that which is for Aaron and of that which is for his sons y The words may be rendred thus of which breast and shoulder of the ram shall be Aarons portion and of which shall be the portion of his sons So there is onely an Ellipsis of the verb substantive which is most common and the Hebrew prefix Lamed designs a thing belonging to the person to whom that is prefixed as it is in other like cases as Gen. 40.
out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire in the day o This was their portion appointed them by God in that day and therefore to be given to them in after ages Or from the day c. and thence forward the Hebrew preposition beth being put for min as it is frequently when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priests office 36 Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel * Exod. 40. 13 15. chap. 8. 12 30. in the day that he anointed them by a statute for ever throughout their generations 37 This is the law of the burnt-offering of the meat-offering and of the sin offering and of the trespass offering and of the consecrations p i. e. Of the sacrifice offered at the consecration of the Priests and of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings 38 Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai CHAP. VIII 1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses a This is here premised to shew that Moses did not confer the Priesthood upon Aaron by vertue of his relation or affection to him but by Gods appointment which also appears from the following story saying 2 * Exod. 29. 1. Take Aaron and his sons with him and the * Exod. 28. 2. 4. garments and * Exod. 30. 24. the anointing oyl and a bullock for the sin offering and two rams and a basket of unleavened bread 3 And gather thou all the congregation b The elders which represented all and as many of the people as would and could get thither that all might be witnesses both of Aarons commission from God and of his work and business together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 4 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 5 And Moses said unto the congregation * Exod. 29. 4. This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done 6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water 7 And he put upon him the coat c The linen breeches prescribed Exod. 28. 42. are not here mentioned because they were not to be put on at his consecration but afterwards in the execution of his office and girded him with the girdle and clothed him with the robe and put the Ephod upon him and he girded him with the curious girdle of the Ephod and bound it unto him therewith 8 And he put the breast-plate upon him also * Exod. 28. 〈◊〉 he put in the breast-plate the Urim and the Thummim 9 And he put the mitre upon his head also upon the mitre even upon his forefront did he put the golden plate the holy Crown * Of which see Exod. 29. 6. as the LORD * Exod. 28. 3â—… c. commanded Moses 10 * Exod. 30. 〈◊〉 And Moses took the anointing oyl and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein and sanctified them 11 And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times d To signifie the singular use and holiness of it which it was not only to have in it self but also to communicate to all the sacrifices laid upon it and anointed the altar and all his vessels both the laver e Where the Priests washed themselves and the sacrifices and vessels or instruments of the holy ministration See Levit. 6. 28. and his foot to sanctifie them 12 And he * Exod. 29 Ecclus. 45. â—… poured f In a plentiful manner as appears from Psal. 133. 2. whereas other persons and things were onely anointed or sprinkled with it of the anointing oyl upon Aarons head and anointed him to sanctifie him 13 * Exod. 29. â—… And Moses brought Aarons sons and put coats upon them and girded them with girdles and †Heb. 〈◊〉 put bonnets upon them as the LORD commanded Moses 14 * Exod. 29. â—… 10. And he brought the bullock g There were indeed seven bullocks to be offered at his consecration one every day Exod. 29. 35 36. but here he mentions onely one either by a common Enallage of number or because he here describes onely the work of the first day and leaves the rest to be gathered from it of which see ver 33. for the sin offering and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin-offering 15 And he flew it and Moses took the blood and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger and purified the altar and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar and sanctified it to make reconciliation upon it 16 And he took all the fat that was upon the inwards and the caule above the liver and the two kidneys and their fat and Moses burned it upon the altar 17 But the bullock and his hide h Which in the offerings for the people was not burnt but given to the Priest his flesh and his dung he burnt with fire without the camp as the LORD * Exod. 29. 〈◊〉 commanded Moses 18 * Exod. 29. 1â—… And he brought the ram for the burnt-offering and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram 19 And he i Either Moses as in the following clause the pronoun being put for the noun or some other person by Moses his appointment which may be the reason why he is not named here as he is to the sprinkling of the blood which was an action more proper to the Priest and more essential to the sacrifice as the learned have observed killed it and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about 20 And he cut the ram into pieces and Moses burnt the head and the pieces and the fat 21 And he washed the inwards and the legs in water and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar It was a burnt-sacrifice for a sweet favour and an offering made by fire unto the LORD * Exod. 29. 18. as the LORD commanded Moses 22 And * Exod. 2â—… 1â—… he brought the other ram the ram of †Heb. fillings consecration and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram 23 And he slew it and Moses took of the blood of it and put it upon the tip k The lowest and softest part of the ear called the tip or lap of the ear See Exod. 29. 20. of Aarons right ear and upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the great toe of his right foot 24 And â—…e brought Aarons sons and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear and upon the thumbs of their right hands and upon the great toes of their right feet and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about
this knowingly this was a gross sin Ezek. 18. 6. and they being accused and convicted were punished with death Levit. 20. 18. for as there was a turpitude in the action so it was very prejudicial to the children then begotten who were commonly weak or leprous or otherwise disordered which was also an injury to the Commonwealth of Israel and redounded to the dishonour of God and of the true Religion that the professours thereof gave such publick evidence of their intemperance and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean 25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many dayes out of the time of her separation or if it run beyond the time of her separation r To wit the seven dayes mentioned Levit. 12. 2. as suppose she had the Emerods c. all the dayes of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the dayes of her separation she shall be unclean 26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the dayes of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean as the uncleanness of her separation 27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the even 28 But if she be cleansed of her issue then she shall number to her self seven dayes s From the stopping of her issue as it is apparent And this was for trial whether it was onely a temporary obstruction or a real cessation and after that she shall be clean 29 And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles or two young pigeons and bring them unto the priest to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 30 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin-offering and the other for a burnt-offering and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness 31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness that they die not in their uncleanness when they defile my tabernacle t Which they did both ceremonially by coming into it in their uncleanness and morally by the gross neglect and contempt of Gods express and positive command to cleanse themselves that is among them 32 This is the law of him that hath an issue and of him whose seed goeth from him and is defiled therewith 33 And of her that is sick of her flowers and of him that hath an issue of the man and of the woman and of him that lieth with her which is unclean CHAP. XVI 1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses after * chap. 10. 2. the death of the two sons of Aaron when they offered before the LORD and died 2 And the LORD said unto Moses Speak unto Aaron thy brother that he * Exod. 30. 10. Heb. 9. 7. come not at all times a Not whensoever he pleaseth but onely when I shall appoint him to wit to take down the parts and furniture of it upon every removal and to minister unto me once in the year Exod. 30. 10. into the holy place ‖ i. e. Into the Most Holy or the Holy of Holies as the following words demonstrate which is sometimes called onely the holy place as Heb. 9. 2 3 the positive degree put for the comparative which is not unusual in Scripture within the vail b To wit the second vail See Levit. 4. 6. before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark that he die not c For his irreverence and presumption for * Exod. 40. 35. 1 King 8. 12. I will appear d Visibly and gloriously That is as it were my presence-chamber whither the Priest shall not dare to come but when I call him in the cloud e Either in that dark place for there was no light came into it and clouds and darkness go together and one may be put for the other or in a bright and glorious cloud which used to be over the mercy-seat or rather in the cloud of incense mentioned afterward ver 13. by the mercy-seat 3 Thus f In this manner or upon these terms shall Aaron come into the holy place with * a young bullock g i. e. with the blood of it as it is explained ver 14. So it is a Synecdoche the whole put for the part For as for the body of it that was to be killed and offered without upon the Altar of burnt offerings for a sin offering h For his own and families sins for a goat was offered for the sins of the people and chap. 4. 3. a ram for a burnt-offering 4 He shall put on the * Exod. 28. 39 4â—… holy linen coat i It is observable that the High-priest did not now use his peculiar and glorious robes but onely his linnen garments which were common to him with the ordinary priests The reason whereof was either because this was not a day of feasting and rejoycing but of mourning and humiliation at which times people were to lay aside their ornaments Exod. 33. 5. Some conceive that under the linen garments here named are comprehended his more glorious robes also by a Synecdoche But that doth not appear neither from hence nor from other places alledged Had onely his holy garments been mentioned in general all might have been understood but when onely the linen apparel is mentioned here and after ver 23. and when that is so particularly expressed in four several parts of it and not a word of the other either here or in the rest of the chapter it seems presumptuous to adde them here without any ground or evidence Or because it was fit he should not exalt but abase himself when he was to appear before the divine Majesty and therefore he was to come in the meanest of his Priestly habits Or that it might be an evidence of the imperfection of this Priesthood and of the great difference between the Levitical and the true High-Priest Christ Jesus whose prerogative alone it is to go into the true Holy of Holies with his glorious robes when this must carry thither the characters of his meanness and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh and shall be girded with a linen girdle and with the linen mitre shall he be attired These are holy garments k Because appropriated to an holy and religious use for which reason other things are called holy See Exod. 29. 31. and 30. 25. and 2 Chron. 5. 5. therefore * Exod 30 â—…0 shall he wash his flesh in water and so put them on 5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin-offering and one ram for a burnt-offering 6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin-offering which is for himself and make * Heb. 9. 7. an atonement for himself and for his house l i. e.
countenance have been upright and pleasant which now is sad and dejected And if thou doest not well sin lieth at the door t Sin is here taken either 1. Properly so the sense is sin will be growing upon thee one sin will bring in another and that maliâ—… and purpose of revenge against thy Brother which now lies hid in the secret chamber of thy Mind and Heart lies at the door ready to break forth into the view of the World in open Murder Or 2 For the punishment of sin as it is taken Gen. 19. 15. Levit. 5. 1. and 2â—… 20. Numb 18. 1. 2 King 7. 9. Zach. 14. 19. So the sense is if thou wilt go on in sin and execute thy wicked purpose which I perceive lies working in thy Heart be sure thy sin will find thee oâ—…t as is said Numb 32. 23. Thou shalt not long enjoy the Fruits of thy wickedness but a dreadful judgment shall tread upon the heels of thy sin and lie like a furious Mastive-dog at the very door of thy house to seize upon thee at thy first coming in or going out For that person or thing which is very near to us or at hand is said to be at the doors Matth. 24. 33. Iam. 5. 9. And ‖ Or subject unto thee unto thee shall be his desire and thou shalt rule over him u Those two clauses may relate either 1. To sin which may be here spoken of as a person as it is Rom. 7 8 9 11 c. So the place may be rendred and expounded thus The desire of sin is to thee i. e. to assault seduce conquer and destroy thee As it is said Luke 22. 31. Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you c. Or thus its desire objectively not subjectively taken i. e. Thy desire intention or resolution of smning that evil motion of thy heart against thy Brother shall be against as the Hebrew particle el oft signifies thee i. e. howsoever at present it pleaseth thee yet it is really not only against him but against thy self and will certainly turn to thy own ruine But for so the particle and is commonly taken If thou be wise give no place to it but resist it do thou rule for the future tense is oft put imperatively as in the Ten Commandements and it frequently signifies not what a man can or shall do but his duty or what he ought to do as is evident from Gen. 20. 9. Mal. 1. 6. Luke 3. 14. over it i. e. conquer and subdue it which is thy duty or thou shalt rule over it i. e. by my grace assisting thy endeavours thou shalt be enabled to subdue thy evil concupiscences and passions and so over-rule prevent or remove those punishments which otherwise sin will infallibly bring upon thee Or 2. To Abel and so the sense is And as for thy Brother Abel to whose Faith and Piety I have given this publick and honourable testimony which thy naughty heart makes an occasion of envy and malice and intention of Murther that thou mayst not by a mistake be led to the perpetration of so horrid a crime know that this favour of mine concerns only his spiritual priviledge and the happiness of the Life to come which thou despisest but it makes no change in civil rights nor doth it transfer the domimon from thee whose it is by Birth unto him nor doth he so understand it for notwithstanding this unto thee shall be his desire subject i. e. he shall and will nevertheless yield to thee as his Superiour and thou according to thy own hearts desire shalt rule over him If it be said the name of Abel is not here mentioned it may be answered that this is sufficiently included in the pronouns his and him and it is not unusual to put those relative pronouns alone the antecedent being not expressed but to be gathered either from the foregoing or following words of which see my notes on Gen. 3. 1. 8. And Cain †Heb spake to c. talked with Abel his Brother x Either 1. Familiarly and friendly as he used to do thereby to make him secure and careless Or by way of expostulation and contention And it came to pass when they were in the Field y Into which Abel was led either by his own employment or by Cains perswasion this being a fit place for the execution of his wicked purpose that Cain rose up against Abel his Brother and * Matth. 23. 35. 1 John 3. 12. Jude 11. slew him z Possibly with stone or club or with some Iron tool belonging to Husbandry 9. And the LORD said unto Cain where is Abel a Not that God was ignorant where he was but partly to convince him of his sin and to lead him to Repentance and partly to instruct Judges to enquire into causes and hear the accused speak for themselves before they pass sentence thy Brother b Whom nature and near relation obliged thee to love and preserve And he said I know not Am I my Brothers Keeper c Why dost thou enquire of me concerning him who is of age to look to himself Is he such a stripling that he needs a Guardian Or didst thou ever make me his Guardian 10. And he said what hast thou done d I hear thy words but what say thy actions What an hideous crime hast thou committed In vain dost thou endeavour to hide it or deny it The voice of thy brothers †Heb. bloods Blood e In the Hebrew it is Bloods either to aggravate the crime Or to shew the plenty of the blood spilt Or to charge him with the Murder of all those that might naturally have come out of Abels loyns which was a far greater crime in the nonage of the World when the World greatly wanted people * Rev. 6. 10. crieth unto me from the ground f Upon which it was spilt by thy bloody hands 11. And now art thou cursed g As the earth was cursed for thy Fathers sake so now art thou cursed in thy own person from the Earth h Or In regard of the Earth which shall grudge thee both its Fruits and a certain dwelling place which hath opened her mouth to receive thy Brothers blood from thy hand i Which had more humanity to thy Brother than thou hadst for it kindly received and covered that blood which thou didst cruelly and unnaturally shed upon it 12. When thou tillest the ground k Or That ground which doth or shall fall to thy share which besides the first and general curse inflicted upon the whole Earth shall have this peculiar curse added to it it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength l i. e. It s vertue and fruit in such proportion as it hath hitherto done A fugitive and vagabond m Banished from thy own Land and Kindred and fathers house and from
of the sacrifice in their hands as we find Exod. 29. 24. by that right putting them into their office and sanctifie them that they may minister unto me in the priests office 42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover †Heb. flesh â—… their nakedness their nakedness from the loins even unto the thighs g Including both Compare Exod. 20. 26. they shall †Heb. â—…e reach 43 And they shall be upon Aaron and upon his sons when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place that they bear not iniquity and die It shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him CHAP. XXIX 1 AND this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them to minister unto me in the priests office * Lev. 8. 1 â—… Take one young bullock and two rams without blemish a See Exod. 12. 5. Mal. 1. 13 14. 2 And * Lev. 6. 20. unleavened b To shew that the Priests should be and that Christ really was free from all malice and hypocrisie both which are compared to leaven Luk. 12. 1. 1 Cor. 5. 8. and that all the services offered to God by the Priests were to be pure and unmixed bread and cakes unleavened tempered with oyl and wafers unleavened anointed with oil of wheaten flower shalt thou make them 3 And thou shalt put them into one basket and bring them c To the door of the Tabernacle as it follows ver 4. in the basket with the bullock and the two rams 4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and shalt wash them with water d Taken out of that laver Exod. 30. 18. This signified the universal pollution of all men and the absolute need they have of washing especially when they are to draw nigh to God And this outward washing was onely typical of their spiritual washing by the blood and spirit of Christ in order to their acceptance with God 5 And thou shalt take the garments and put upon Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breast-plate and gird him with * chap. 28. the curious girdle of the ephod e Not about the loins but about the paps or breast as Christ and his ministers are represented Rev. 1. 13. The linnen breeches are here omitted because they were put on privately before they came to the door of the Tabernacle where the other things were put on 6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head and put the holy crown f i. e. The plate of gold chap. 28. 36. as appears by comparing Lev. 8. 9. upon the mitre 7 Then shalt thou take the anointing * chap. 〈◊〉 oyl and pour it upon his head and anoint him g Which signified the gifts and graces of the holy ghost wherewith Christ was and the Priests ought to be replenished See Isa. 61. 1. 1 Ioh. 2. 27. But here ariseth a difficulty for this anointing is sometimes spoken of as peculiar to the High-priest as Lev. 21. 10. sometimes as common to all the Priests Exod. 30. 30. and 40. 14 15. which may be thus reconciled The oil was sprinkled upon all the Priests and their right ears thumbs and toes and their garments ver 20 21. Lev. 8. 30. but it was poured out upon the head onely of the High-priest Psa. 133. 2. who herein was a type of Christ who was anointed above his fellows Psal. 45. 7. Heb. 1. 9. 8 And thou shalt bring his sons and put coats upon them 9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles Aaron and his sons and †Heb. bind put the bonnets on them and the priests office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute h So long as the Iewish Pedagogy and Policy lasts and thou shalt †Heb. fill the hand of * chap. 28. 41. consecrate Aaron and his sons 10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation and * Lev. 1. 4. Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock i To signify that they offered it for themselves and for their own sins which the offerer performing this rite was to confess Lev. 16. 21. that they acknowledged themselves to deserve that death which was inflicted upon this innocent creature for their sakes and to testify their faith in the future sacrifice of Christ upon whom their sins were to be laid and by whose blood they were expiated and that they humbly begged Gods mercy in pardoning their sins and accepting them to and in their holy office 11 And thou k Moses who though no Priest yet for this time and occasion was called by God to this work shalt kill the bullock before the LORD by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 12 And thou shalt take of the bloud of the bullock and put it upon * chap. 27. 2. and 30. 2. the horns of the altar l Not of incense as some would have it but of the burnt-offerings as may appear 1. because it was that altar at the bottom whereof the bloud was to be poured as it is here expressed but that was not done at the altar of Incense as is evident and confessed Compare Lev. 16. 18 c. 2. it was that altar upon which the parts of the sacrifices were burnt as it here follows ver 13. for there is no distinction here between the two altars It is true in the following sin-offerings of the Priests the blood was put upon the horns of the altar of incense Lev. 4. 7. But it must be considered 1. that the blood was not poured out at the bottom of that altar 2. because Aaron and his sons were not yet compleat Priests but private persons and therefore did this at the same altar which the people used in their sin offerings Lev. 4. 25 30. with thy finger and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar 13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards and ‖ It seemeth by anatomy and the Hebrew Doctors to be the midriff the caul that is above the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them m The parts which in all sacrifices were burned unto God Lev. 3. 3. and 4. 10. to signify either the mortification of their inward and most beloved lusts or the dedication of the best of all sacrifices and of their inward and best parts to God and his service and burn them upon the altar 14 But the flesh of the bullock and his skin and his dung shalt thou burn with fire without the camp it is a sin-offering n To wit for the high-priest as is plain from the whole context and therefore ought to be burnt by that law Lev.
meets them is the same place which is sanctified by his glory and that was the Tabernacle verse 43. as it is expressed in our Translation and sufficiently implyed in the Hebrew by a common Ellipsis of the pronoun it i. e. that place where I meet with you to wit the Tabernacle shall be c. I will meet you to speak there unto you 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel and ‖ Or Israâ—… the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory s i. e. By my glorious presence and appearance of which see Exod. 40. 34. 35. Levit. 9. 24. 44 And I will sanctifie the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar I will sanctifie also both Aaron and his sons to minister to me in the Priests office 45 And * chap. 25. â—… Lev. 26. 1â—… 2 Cor. 6. 1â—… I will dwell t By my special grace and favour and blessing for by his essence he fills all places amongst the children of Israel and will be their God 46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt that I may dwell amongst them I am the LORD their God CHAP. XXX 1 AND thou shalt make * chap. 37. 25. an altar to burn incense upon a Incense signifies the prayers of Gods people Psal. 141. 2. Revel 8. 3. which are not acceptable to God except they be offered upon the true Altar Christ. This incense also was useful to correct the bad smell of the sacrifices which were offerred on another Altar not far from it Yea some sacrifices were offered upon this Altar as appears from verse 10. Levit. 4. 7. But here onely the principal and constant use of it is noted of shittim-wood shalt thou make it 2 A cubit shall be the length thereof and a cubit the breadth thereof four-square shall it be and two cubits shall be the height thereof the horns thereof b See Exod. 27. 2. Though these horns as they were for another use so they seem to be here of another form and for ornament more than for service shall be of the same 3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold the †Heb. roof top thereof c This was made hollow like a grate that the ashes might fall thorough it and the †Heb. wall sides thereof round about and the horns thereof and thou shalt make unto it a crown d A border which encompassed the Altar that the things laid on it might not fall of of gold round about 4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it by the two †Heb. ribs corners thereof upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal 5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim-wood and overlay them with gold 6 And thou shalt put it before the vail e Before the second vail in the holy place and near to the holy of holies and consequently to the Ark and Mercy-seat that is by the ark of the testimony before the mercy-seat that is over the testimony where I will meet with thee 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon †Heb. iâ—…cense of spicâ—…s sweet incense f Aaron was to do this for the first time but afterwards any Priest might do it as appears from Luke 1. 9. This not being done in the Holy of Holies which was the High-Priests peculiar every morning when * chap. 27. 20. he dresseth the lamps g i. e. Cleansed them and prepared them for the receiving of the new lights he shall burn incense upon it 8 And when Aaron ‖ Or settâ—…th up †Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ascend lighteth the lamps †Heb. between the two 〈◊〉 at even h The time when all the lamps were to be lighted 1 Sam. 3. 3. Sce Exod. 27. 20 21. he shall burn incense upon it a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations 9 Ye shall offer no strange incense i i. e. Of any other â—…ort than what I shall here appoint verse 34 c. thereon nor burnt-sacrifice nor meat-offering neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon 10 And * â—…ev 16. 14. 〈◊〉 23. 27. Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year k On the day of expiation Levit. 16. 19. Numb 29. 7. with the bloud of the sin-offering of atonements l To note that the prayers of the Saints are acceptable to God no otherwise but through the blood of Christ who was offered for the expiation of our 〈◊〉 once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations it is most holy unto the LORD 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 12 * chap. 38. 25. Numb 1. 2 5. and 25. 2. When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after †Heb. them that are to be numbred See Numb 31. 50. their number then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul m A certain price for the redemption of their lives whereby they acknowledged the right and power which God had over their lives and that they had forfeited them by their sins and that it was Gods mercy to continue their lives to them unto the LORD when thou numbrest them n To wit upon any just occasion either now in the Wilderness or afterward It may seem that this payment was neither to be made at this time onely as some would have it nor yet every year as Iosephus and others affirm because it is not said to be a perpetual statute as other things of constant observance are but upon any eminent occasions when the service of the Tabernacle which is the end and use of this collection or Temple required it as may be gathered from 2 King 12. 4. compared with 2 Chron. 24. 6. Compare Neh. 10. 32. Matth. 17. 24. And as now it was imployed in the building of the Tabernacle so afterwards it might be laid out upon the repairs or other services of it that there be no plague amongst them when thou numbrest them 13 This they shall give every one that passeth among them that are numbred * Matth. 17. 24. half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary o Which though it hath been commonly conceived to be double to the common shekel yet divers late learned men seem more truely to judge that it was no more than the common shekel consisting of half a crown of English-money which is called the shekel of the Sanctuary because the standard by which all shekels were to be examined was kept in the Sanctuary as afterwards the just weights and measures were kept in Christian Temples or other publick places See Levit. 27. 25. Numb 3. 47. Ezek. 45. 10 11 12. add to this that it was a part of the Priests office
1. that God should be served with the best of every kind 2. that man represented by these sacrifices should aim at all purity and perfection of heart and life and that Christians should one day attain to it Eph. 5. 27. 3. the spotless and compleat holiness of Christ Heb. 9. 13 14. 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. and 2. 22. he shall offer it ‖ Or to be â—…ted for him Isa. 56. 7. 58. 5. 6â—… Jer. 6. 20. of his own voluntary will h According to this translation the place speaks onely of free-will offerings or such as were not prescribed by God to be offered in course but were offered at the pleasure and by the voluntary devotion of any person either by way of supplication for any mercy which he needed or desired or by way of thanksgiving for any favour or blessing received But it may seem improper to restrain the rules here given to freewill offerings which were to be observed in other offerings also And the Hebrew word is by the 〈◊〉 Chaldee Syr. and Arab. and others rendred to this purpose for his acceptation or that he may be accepted with God or that God may be atoned as it is ver 4. And so this phrase is used Levit. 23. 11. at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation i In the Court near to the door where the Altar stood ver 5. For here it was to be sacrificed and here also the people might behold the oblation of it And this further signified that men could have no entrance neither into the earthly tabernacle the Church nor into the heavenly tabernacle of glory but by Christ who is the door Ioâ—… 10. 7 9. by whom alone we have access to God before the LORD 4 * 〈◊〉 29. 1â—… 15. And he shall put his hand k i. e. Both his hands Levit. 8. 14 18. and 16. 21. A common Enallage upon the head of the burnt-offering l Whereby he signified 1. that he willingly gave it to the Lord. 2. that he did legally unite himself with it and judged himself worthy of that death which it suffered in his stead and that he laid his sins upon it in a ceremonial way and had an eye to him upon whom God would lay the iniquity of us all Isa. 53. 6. and that together with it he did freely offer up himself to God and it shall be accepted from him to make atonement for him m To wit ceremonially and sacramentally as directing his faith and thoughts to that true propitiatory sacrifice which in time was to be offered up for him See Rom. 3. 25. Heb. 9. 15 25 26. And although burnt-offerings were commonly offered by way of thanksgiving Gen. 8. 20 Psal. 51. 16 17. yet they were sometimes offered by way of atonement for sin to wit for sins in general as appears from Ioâ—… 1. 5. but for particular sins there were special sacrifices as we shall see 5 And he n Either 1. the offerer who is said to do it to wit by the Priest for men are commonly said to do what they cause others to do as Ioh. 4. 1 2. Or 2. the Priest as it follows or the Levite whose office this was See Exod. 29. 11. Levit. 8. 15. Numb 8. 19. 1 Chron. 23. 28 31. 2 Chron. 30. 16. and 35 11. shall kill the bullock before the LORD and the Priests Aarons sons shall bring the bloud and sprinkle the blood round about upon the Altar o Which was done in a considerable quantity as may be gathered from Zech. 9. 15. and whereby was signified 1. that the offerer deserved to have his blood spilt in that manner 2. that the blood of Christ should be poured forth for sinners and that that was the onely mean of their reconciliation to God and acceptance with him that is by the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation 6 And he shall slay the burnt-offering p Partly for decency because the sacrifices being as it were Gods food and feast it was incongruous to offer to God that which men refused to eat and partly to signify that the great thing which God required and regarded in men was not their outward appearance but their inside and that as he doth see all mens insides Heb. 4. 13. so he will one day make them visible to others and cut it into his pieces q To wit the head and â—…at and inwards and legs ver 8 9. 7 And the sons of Aaron the Priest shall put fire r Or dispose the fire i. e. blow it up and put it together so as it might be fit for the present work For the fire there used and allowed came down from heaven Levit. 9. 24. and was to be carefully preserved there and all other fire was forbidden Levit. 10. 1 c. upon the altar and lay the wood in order upon the fire 8 And the Priests Aarons sons shall lay the parts the head and the fat s All the fat which was to be separated from the Flesh and to be put together to increase the flame and to consume the other parts of the sacrifice more quickly Others translate it the trunck of the body as distinguished from the head and joints and inward parts in order upon the wood that is in the fire which is upon the Altar 9 But the inwards and his legs shall he wash t To signify the universal and perfect purity both of the inwards or the heart and of the legs or ways or actions which was in Christ and which should be in all Christians in water and the Priest shall burn all u Not onely the parts now mentioned but all the rest the trunck of the body and the shoulders as is apparent from the practise or execution of these precepts on the Altar to be a burnt-sacrifice an offering made by fire of a sweet savour x Not in it self for so it rather caused a stink but as it represented Christs offering up himself to God as a sweet smelling savour Eph. 5. 2. and to admonish us of the excellent vertue of Divine institution without which God values no worship though never so glorious and by which even the meanest things are pretious and acceptable to God unto the LORD 10 And if his offering be of the flocks namely of the sheep or of the goats for a burnt-sacrifice he shall bring it a male without blemish 11 And he shall kill it on the side of the Altar Northward y Here this and other kinds of sacrifices were killed 〈◊〉 6. 25 and 7. 2. because here seemâ—… to have been the largeâ—… and most convenient place for that work the Altar being probably near the middle of the east end of the building and the entrance being on the south-side so the Northside was the onely vacant place Beâ—…des this might design the place of Christs death both more generally to wit in 〈◊〉 which was in the sides
of the north Psal. 4â—… 2. and more specially to wit on mount Calvary which was on the North and West side of Ierusalem before the LORD and the Priests Aarons sons shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the Altar 12 And he shall cut it into his pieces with his head and his fat and the Priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar 13 But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water and the Priest shall bring iâ—… all and burn it upon the altar it is a burnt-sacrifice an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the LORD 14 And if the burnt-sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowles then he shall bring his offering of * chap. 5. â—… turtle doves or of young pigeons z These birds were appointed for the relief of the poor who could not bring better And these birds are preferred before others partly because they were easily gotten and partly because they are fit representations of Christs chastity and meekness or gentleness for which these birds are remarkable The pigeons must be young because then they are best but the turtle-doveâ—… are better when they are more grown up and therefore theâ—… are not confined to that age 15 And the Priest shall bring it unto the altar and ‖ Or 〈◊〉 off the head with the 〈◊〉 wring off a To wit from the rest of the body as sufficiently appears because this was to be burnt by it self as it here follows and the body afterwards ver 17. And whereas it is said Levit. 5. 8. he shall â—…ing his 〈◊〉 from his neck but shall not divide it 〈◊〉 that is spoken not of the burnt-offering as here out of the sin-offering in which there might be a differing 〈◊〉 his head and burn it on the altar and the blood thereof shall be wrung out †Heb. 〈◊〉 wâ—…ll at the side of the altar 16 And he shall pluck away his crop with ‖ Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his feathers b Or with its dung or filth to wit contained in the crop and in the guts and cast it beside the altar on the East-part c To wit of the Tabernacle Here the filth was cast because this was the remotest place from the Holy of Holies which was in the West-end to teach us that impure things and persons should not presume to approach to God and that they should be banished from his presence by the place of the ashes d The place where the ashes fell down and lay whence they were afterwards removed without the camp See Levit. 4. 12. and 6. 10 11. and 8. 17. 17 And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof but shall not divide it asunder e Shall cleave the bird thorough the whole length yet so as not to separate the one side from the other and so as there may be a wing left on each side See Gen. 15. 10. and the Priest shall burn it upon the altar upon the wood that is upon the fire it is a burnt-sacrifice an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the LORD CHAP. II. 1 AND when †Heb. 〈◊〉 any will offer a meat-offering a This was of two kinds the one joyned with other offerings Numb 15. 4 7 10. which was prescribed together with the measure of proportion of it the other of whâ—…h this plaâ—… speaks was a distinct and separate offering and â—…as 〈◊〉 â—…o the offerers good will both for the thing and for the 〈◊〉 And the matter of this offering waâ—… 〈◊〉 without 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corn cakes c. Now this sort of sacrifices were appointed 1. because these are things of greatest necessity and benefit to man and therefore it is meet that God should be served with them and owned and praised as the giver of them 2. in condescension to the poor that they might not want an offering for God and to shew that God would accept even the meanest services when offered to him with a sincere mind 3. these were necessary provisions for the feast which was here to be represented to God and for the use of the Priests who were to attend upon these holy ministrations unto the LORD his offering shall be of fine flour b Searched or sifted and purged from all bran it being fit that the best things should be offered to the best being and he shall pour oyl upon it c Which may note the graces of the Holy Ghost which are compared to oyl and anointing with it Psal. 45. 7. 1 Ioh. 2. 20. and which are necessary to make any offering acceptable to God and put frankincense thereon d Which manifestly designed Christs satisfaction and intercession which is compared to a sweet odour Eph. 5. 2. and to incense Rev. 8. 3. 2 And he shall bring it to Aarons sons the Priests and he e i. e. That Priest to whom he brought it and who is appointed to offer it shall take thereout his handfull of the flour thereof and of the oyl thereof with all the frankincense thereof * chap. 5. 12. 6. 15. and the Priest shall burn the memorial of it f That part thus selected and offered which is called a memorial either 1. to the offerer who by offering this part is minded that the whole of that he brought and of all which he hath of that kind is Gods to whom this part was paid as a quit-rent or acknowledgment Or 2. to God whom to speak after the manner of men this did put in mind of his gracious covenant and promises of favour and acceptance of the offerer and his offering See Exod. 30. 16. Levit. 6. 15. Numb 5. 26. upon the altar to be an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the LORD 3 And * chap. 7. 6. Eccl. 7. â—…1 the remnant of the meat-offering shall be Aarons and his sons ‖ To be eaten by them Levit. 6. 16. it is a * Num. 18. 9. thing most holy g i. e. Most holy or such as were to be eaten onely by the Priests and that onely in the holy place near the Altar See Levit. 6. 26. and 7. 6 9. and 21. 22. of the offerings of the LORD made by fire 4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meat-offering baken in the oven h Made in the Sanctuary for that use as may seem from 1 Chron. 23. 28 29. Ezek. 46. 20. it shall be an unleavened cake of fine flour mingled with oyl or unleavened wafers anointed with oyl 5 And if thy oblation be a meat-offering baken ‖ Or on a flat plate or slice in a pan it shall be of fine flour unleavened mingled with oyl 6 Thou shalt part it in pieces i Because part of it was offered to God and part given to the Priest and pour oyl thereon it is a meat-offering 7 And if thy oblation
be a meat-offering baken in the frying pan it shall be made of fine flour with oyl 8 And thou shalt bring the meat-offering that is made of these things unto the LORD and when it is ‖ Or offered presented unto the Priest he shall bring it unto the altar 9 And the Priest shall take from the meat-offering * Verse 2. a memorial thereof and shall burn it upon the altar it is an * Exod 29. 18. offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the LORD 10 And that which is left of the meat-offering shall be Aarons and his sons It is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire 11 No meat-offering k To wit which is offered of free will for in other offerings it might be used Levit. 7. 13. and 〈◊〉 17. which he shall bring unto the LORD shall be made with leaven l This was forbidden partly to mind them of their deliverance out of Egypt when they were forced through haste to bring away their meal or dough which was the matter of this oblation unleavened partly to signifie what Christ would be and what they should be pure and free from all errour in the faith and worship of God and from all hypocrisie and malice or wickedness all which are signified by leaven Mat. 16. 12. Mark 8. 15 Luk. 12. 1. 1 Cor. 5. 8. Gal. 5. 9. for ye shall burn no leaven nor any honey m Either 1. because it hath the same effect with leaven in paste or dough making it sowr and swelling Or 2. in opposition to the sacrifices of the Gentiles in which the use of hony was most frequent or 3. to teach us that Gods worship is not to be governed by mens fancies and appetites to which hony might have been grateful but by Gods will The Iews conceive that under the name of hâ—…ny all sweet fruits as figs dates c. are contained and forbidden in any offering of the LORD made by fire 12 As for the oblation ‖ Or of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the first fruits ye shall offer them n Or The offering or For the offering of the first-fruits you shall or may offer them or either of them to wit leaven or hony which were offered and accepted in that case Levit. 23. 17. 2 Chron. 31. 5. unto the LORD but they shall not †Heb. 〈◊〉 Exod. 2â—… be burnt o But reserved for the Priests Numb 18. 13. Deut. 18. 4. on the altar for a sweet savour 13 And every oblation of thy meat-offering * 〈…〉 shalt thou season with salt p Either 1. for the decency and conveniency of the feast which God would have here represented Or 2. for the signification of that incorruption of mind and sincerity of grace which in Scripture is signified by salt Mark 9. 49. Col. 4. 6. and which is necessary in all them that would offer an acceptable offering to God Or 3. in testimony of that communion which they had with God in these exercises of his worship salt being the great symbol of friendship in all nations and ages neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God q So salt is called either 1. because it fitly represented the durableness and perpetuity of Gods covenant with them which is designed by salt Numb 18. 19. 2 Chron. 13. 5. Or 2. because it was so particularly and rigorously required as a condition of their covenant with God this being made absolutely necessary in all their offerings as it follows and as the neglect of sacrifices was a breach of covenant on their part so also was the neglect of salt in their sacrifices to be lacking from thy meat-offering with all thine offerings r Not these onely but all other as appears from Eccl. 43. 24. Mark 9. 49. thou shalt offer salt 14 And if thou offer a meat-offering of thy first-fruits s To wit of thine own free-will for there were other first-fruits and that of several sorts which were prescribed and the time quality and proportion of them appointed by God See Levit. 23. 10. unto the LORD thou shalt offer for the meat-offering of thy first-fruits green ears of corn dried by the fire even corn beaten out of full ears 15 And thou shalt put oyl upon it and lay frankincense thereon it is a meat-offering 16 And the Priest shall burn the memorial of it part of the beaten corn thereof and part of the oyl thereof with all the frankincense thereof it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD CHAP. III. 1 AND if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace-offering a Which was an offering for peace and prosperity and the favour and blessing of God either 1. obtained and so this was a thank-offering as Levit. 7. 12 16. or 2. desired and so it was a kind of supplication to God as Iudg. 20. 26. 1 Chron. 21. 26. if he offer it of the herd whether it be a male or female b Which were allowed here though not in burnt-offerings because those principally respected the honour of God who is to be served with the best but the peace-offerings did primarily respect the benefit of the offerer and therefore the choice was left to himself he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD 2 And * Exod. 〈◊〉 he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering and kill it at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation c Not on the North-side of the Altar where the burnt-offering was killed Levit. 1. 11. aâ—… also the 〈◊〉 offering and the trespass-offering Levit. 6. 25. and 7. 2. but in the very entrance of the court where the brazen altar stood which place was not so holy as the other as appears both because it was more remote from the Holy of holies and because the ashes of the sacrifices were to be laid here And the reason of this difference is not obscure both because part of this sacrifice was to be waved by the hands of the offerer Levit. 7. 30. who might not come into the Court and because this offering was not so holy as the other which were to be eaten onely by the Priest when part of these were eaten by the offeret and Aarons sons the Priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about 3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace-offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD * Exod. 29. 13 22. the ‖ Or fuet fat that covereth the inwards and all the fat that is upon the inwards 4 And the two kidneys and the fat that is on them which is by the flanks and the ‖ Or midriff over the liver and over the kidneys caul above the liver with the kidneys it shall he take away 5 And Aarons sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice d Either 1. upon the remainders of it which
* chap. 19. 8. And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be eaten at all on the third day it shall not be accepted neither shall it be imputed unto him s For an acceptable service to God that offereth it it shall be an abomination and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity 19 And the flesh t To wit of the holy offerings of which he is here treating and therefore the general word is to be so limited for other flesh one might eat in this case Deut. 12. 15 22. that toucheth any unclean thing u After its oblation which might easily happen as it was conveyed from the Altar to the place where it was eaten for it was not eaten in the holy place as appears because it was eaten by the priests together with the offerers who might not come thither shall not be eaten it shall be burnt with fire and as for the flesh x i. e. The other flesh that which shall not be polluted by any unclean touch all that be clean y Whether priests or offerers or guests invited to the feast See 1 Sam. 9. 12. and 20. 26. Both the flesh and the eaters of it must be clean shall eat thereof 20 But the soul that eateth z Knowingly for if it were done ignorantly a sacrifice was accepted for it Levit. 5. 2. of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings that pertain unto the LORD * chap. 15. 3. having his uncleanness upon him a i. e. Not being cleansed from his uncleanness according to the appointment Levit. 11. 24 c. This verse speaks of uncleanness from an internal cause us by an issue c. for what was from an external cause is spoken of in the next verse even that soul * Gen. 17. 14. shall be cut off from his people 21 Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing as * chap. 12. and 13. and 15. the uncleanness of man b Or Of woman for the word signifies both and that there were such things coming from Men or Women the touch whereof did pollute men and things may be seen Levit. 15. and elsewhere Others make it an Hypallage â—…anness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a man of uncleanness or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 man But that seems not necessary here or any * chap. 11. 24 28. unclean beast or any abominable unclean thing and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings which pertain unto the LORD even that soul shall be cut off from his people 22 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 23 Speak unto the children of Israel saying ye shall eat no manner fat of oxe or of sheep or of goat c The general prohibition of eating sat Lev. 3. 17. is here explained of and restrained to those kinds of creatures which were sacrificed to God 24 And the fat of the †Heb. 〈◊〉 beast that dieth of it self and the fat of that which is torn with beasts d He speaketh still of the same kinds of beasts and sheweth that this prohibition reacheth not onely to the fat of those beasts which were offered to God but also of those that died or were killed at home And if this seems a superfluous prohibition concerning the fat since the lean as well as the fat of such beasts was forbidden Levit. 22. 8. it must be noted that that prohibition reached onely to the priests verse 4. may be used in any other use but ye shall in no wise eat of it 25 For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people 26 * Gen. 9. 4. chap. 3. 1â—… and 1â—… 14. Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood whether it be of fowl or of beast in any of your dwellings 27 Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood even that soul shall be cut off from his people 28 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 29 Speak unto the children of Israel saying He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace-offerings unto the LORD shall bring e Not by another but by himself as it is explained ver 30. his oblation f i. e. Those parts of the peace-offering which are in a special manner offered to God to wit the fat and breast and shoulder as it follows unto the LORD g i. e. To the Tabernacle where the Lord was present in a special manner He shews that though part of such offerings might be eaten in any clean place Levit. 10. 14. yet not till they had been killed and part of them offered to the Lord in the place appointed by him for that purpose of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings 30 * chap. 3 3 4 19 14. His own hands shall bring h After the beast was killed and the parts of it divided the Priest was to put the parts mentioned into the hands of the offerer See Exod. 29. 22 23 24. the offerings of the LORD made by fire i So called not strictly as burnt-offerings are because some parts of these were left for the Priest ver 31. but more largely because even these peace-offerings were in part though not wholly burnt the fat with the breast it shall he bring that the breast may be waved k To and fro by his hands which were supported and directed by the hands of the Priest for a wave-offering before the LORD 31 And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar but the breast shall be Aarons and his sons l i. e. The portion of every succeeding High-priest and his family compare Exod. 29. 26. 32 And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave-offering of the sacrifices of your peace-offerings 33 He among the sons of Aaron that offereth the blood of the peace-offerings and the fat shall have the right shoulder for his part 34 For * Exod. 29. 28. chap. 10. 14. Numb 18. 18. Deut. 18. 3. the wave-breast and heave-shoulder m The breast or heart is the â—…eat of Wisdom and the shoulder of strength for action and these two may denote that Wisdom and Vertue or Power which was in Christ our High-priest 1 Cor. 1. 24. and which ought to be in every priest have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace-offerings and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel 35 This is the portion of the anointing n i. e. Of the Priesthood the sign put for the thing signified and the anointing by a like figure is put for the right or part of the sacrifices belonging to the Priest by vertue of his anointing as plainly appears from the words here following out of the offerings c. of Aaron and of the anointing of his sons
which the LORD commanded that ye should do and the glory of the LORD h The glorious manifestation of Gods powerful and gracious presence ver 24. Compare Exod. 24. 16 17. â—…nd 40. 34 35. Ezek. 43. 2. shall appear unto you 7 And Moses said unto Aaron Go unto the altar and * Heb. 5. 3. offer i Moses had hitherto sacrificed but now he resigneth his work to Aaron and actually gives him that commission which from God he had received for him thy sin offering and thy burnt-offering and make an atonement for thy self and for the people k The order is very observable first for thy self otherwise thou art unfit to do it for the people Hereby God would teach us both the deficiency of this Priesthood and the absolute necessity of an higher and better Priest Heb. 7. 26 27. and how important and needful it is that Gods Ministers should be in the grace and favour of God themselves that their ministrations may be acceptable to God and profitable to the people and offer the offering of the people and make an atonement for them as the LORD commanded 8 Aaron therefore went unto the altar and slew the calf of the sin offering which was for himself 9 And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him and he dipt his finger in the blood and put it upon the horns of the altar l To wit of burnt-offerings of which alone he speaks both in the foregoing and following words and the blood was poured out at the bottom of this altar onely not of the altar of incense as appears from Lev. 4. 7. where indeed there is mention of putting some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of incense in this case of the Priests sacrificing for his own sins But there seems to be a double difference 1. that sacrifice was offered for some particular sin this for his sins indefinitely 2. there he is supposed to be compleat in his office and here he is but entring into his office and therefore must prepare and sanctify himself by this offering upon the brazen Altar in the court before he can be admitted into the holy place where the Altar of incense was And the like is to be said for the difference between the sin-offering for the people here and Lev. 4. 17 18. and poureâ—… out the blood at the bottom of the altar 10 But the fat and the kidneys and the cawle above the liver of the sin offering he burnt m Either 1. disposed it for the burning i. e. laid it upon the altar where it was to be burnt by the heavenly fire ver 24. Thus Interpreters generally understand the word here as also ver 13 17 20. by an anticipation or the consequent is put for the antecedent of which there are examples in Scripture Or 2. properly burnt by ordinary fire which was used and allowed until the fire came down from heaven ver 24. though afterwards it was forbidden And if it had not been allowed otherwise yet this being done by Aaron at the command of Moses and consequently with Gods approbation it was unquestionably lawful And therefore there seems to be no necessity of departing from the proper sence of the word Adde to this that there is nothing said to be consumed by that heavenly fire but the burnt-offering with the fat belonging to it namely that burnt-offering mentioned ver 16. which therefore is not there said to be burnt as it is said of the other burnt-offering ver 13. and of the rest of the sacrifices in their places upon the altar * chap. 4. 8. as the LORD commanded Moses 11 And * chap. 4. 11. the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp 12 And he slew the burnt-offering and Aarons sons presented unto him the blood which he sprinkled round about upon the altar 13 And they presented the burnt-offering unto him with the pieces thereof and the head and he burnt them upon the altar 14 And he did wash the inwards and the legs and burnt them upon the burnt-offering on the altar 15 And he brought the peoples offering n Which was to be offered for the people as the former was for himself ver 7. and took the goat which was the sin offering for the people and slew it and offered it for sin as the first o To wit in like manner as he did that for the Priest ver 8. and consequently burnt this as he did the other ver 11. for which Moses reproves him Lev. 10. 17. 16 And he brought the burnt-offering p Which also was offered for the people as the last mentioned sin-offering was and offered it * chap. 1. 3 10. according to the ‖ Or ordinance manner 17 And he brought the * chap. 2. 1 2. meat-offering q Which was always to be added to the burnt-offering See Levit. 6. and †Heb. filled his band out of it took an handful thereof and burnt it upon the altar * Exod. 29. 38. besides the burnt-sacrifice of the morning r Which was to be first offered every morning for God will not have his ordinary and stated service swallowed up by extraordinary 18 He slew also the bullock and the ram for * chap. 3. 1. a sacrifice of peace-offerings which was for the people and Aarons sons presented unto him the blood which he sprinkled upon the altar round about 19 And the fat of the bullock and of the ram the rump and that which covereth the inwards s The fat which covereth the inwards or the guts Which words are here understood as appears by comparing this place with Levit. 3. 3 9. and 4. 8. and 7. 3. where they are expressed and the kidneys and the caul above the liver 20 And they put the fat upon the breasts t Which were reserved for the Priest out of the peace-offerings which were offered for the people See Levit. 7. 30 31 34. and he burnt the fat upon the altar 21 And the brests and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a * Exod. 29 24 28. wave-offering before the LORD as Moses commanded 22 And Aaron lift up his hand u His right hand which the Iews say was lifted up highest or his hands according to the other reading which was the usual rite of blessing See Luk. 24. 50. By this posture he signified both whence he expected the blessing and his hearty desire of it for them towards the people and blessed them x In some such manner as is related Numb 6. 24 c. though not in the same form as some suppose for it is not probable that he used it before God delivered it And this blessing was an act of his Priestly office no less than sacrificing See Gen. 14. 18 19. Numb 6. 23. Deut. 10. 8. and 21. 5. Luk. 24. 50. and came down y To wit from the altar whence he
is said to come down either 1. because the Altar stood upon raised ground to which they went up by an insensible ascent Compare Exod. 20. 26. Or 2. because it was nearer the Holy place and the Holy of holies which was the upper end from offering of the sin offering and the burnt-offering and peace-offerings 23 And Moses z Who went in with Aaron to direct him and to see him perform those parts of his office which were to be done in the holy place about the lights and the table of shew-bread and of the altar of Incense upon which part of the blood of the sacrifices now offered was to be sprinkled according to the law Levit. 4. 7 16 17. and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation and came out and blessed the people a i. e. Prayed to God for his blessing upon the people as this phrase is explained Numb 6. 23 c. and particularly for his gracious acceptation of these and all succeeding sacrifices and for his signification thereof by some extraordinary token which accordingly happened and the glory of the LORD b Either a miraculous brightness shining from the cloudy pillar as Exod. 16. 10. Numb 14. 10. Or a glorious and visible discovery of Gods gracious presence and acceptance of the present Ministery and service as it follows appeared unto all the people 24 And * Gen. 4. 4. 1 King 18. 38. 2 Chron. 7. 1. there came a fire c In token of Gods acceptation and approbation of the Priesthood now instituted and the sacrifices now offered and consequently of others of the like nature See the like instances Iudg. 6. 21. and 13. 19 20. 1 Chron. 21. 26. And this fire now given was to be carefully kept and not suffered to go out Levit. 6. 13. and therefore was carried in a particular vessel in their journeys in the wilderness out from before the LORD d Or from the face or presence of the Lord i. e. from the place where God was in a special manner present either 1. from heaven as 1 King 18. 38. 2 Chron. 7. 1. which is oft called Gods dwelling-place as Deut. 26. 15. Isa. 63. 15. Or 2. from the Holy of holies where also God is said to dwell 2 King 19. 15. 2 Chron. 6. 2. Psal. 80. 1. And what is done before the Ark is said to be done before God as 1 Chron. 13. 8 10. 16. 1. c. And this may seem more probable by comparing this with Levit. 10. 2. and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat which when all the people saw they shouted e As wondering at rejoycing in and blessing God for this wonderful and gracious discovery of himself and of his favour to them therein and fell on their faces CHAP. X. 1 AND * Numb 3. 4. and 26. 61. 1 Chron. 24. 2. Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon and offered strange fire a So called as not appointed for nor belonging to the present work fire not taken from the Altar as it ought but from some common fire before the LORD b Upon the Altar of incense which he commanded them not c For seeing Moses himself neither did nor might do any thing in Gods worship without Gods command which is oft noted of him for these to do it was a more unpardonable and inexcusable presumption Besides not commanding may be here put for forbidding as it is Ier. 32. 35. Now as this was forbidden implicitly Lev. 6. 12. especially when God himself made a comment upon that text and by sending fire from heaven declared of what fire he there spake so it is more than probable it was forbidden expresly though that be not here mentioned nor was it necessary it should be 2 And there went out fire from the LORD d From heaven or rather from the Sanctuary See chap. 9. 24. and devoured them e Destroyed their lives for their bodies and garments were not consumed as it appears from v. 4 5. Thus the sword is said to devour 2 Sam. 2. 26. Thus lightning many times kills persons without any hurt to their bodies or garments and they died before the LORD 3 Then Moses said unto Aaron This is it that the LORD spake f Though the express words be not recorded in Scripture where onely the heads of Sermons and Discourses are contained yet it is probable they were uttered by Moses in Gods name Howsoever the sence and substance of them is in many places See Exod. 19. 22. and 29. 43. Levit. 8. 35. saying I will be sanctified g This may note either 1. their duty to sanctifie God i. e. to demean themselves with such care and reverence and watchfulness as becomes the holiness of the God whom they serve and of the worship in which they are engaged whence he leaves them to gather the justice of the present judgment for their gross neglect herein Or 2. Gods purpose to sanctifie himself i. e. to declare and manifest himself to be an holy and righteous God by his severe and impartial punishment of all transgressors how near soever they are to him in them that come nigh me h i. e. Who draw near to me or to the place where I dwell and are admitted into the holy place whence others are shut out It is a description of the Priests See Exod. 19. 22. Levit. 21. 17. Ezek. 42. 13 14. and before all the people I will be glorified i As they have sinned publickly and scandalously so I will vindicate my honour in a publick and exemplary manner that all men may learn to give me the glory of my soveraignty and holiness by an exact conformity to my laws and Aaron held his peace k Partly through excessive grief which is sometimes signified by silence as Isa. 47. 5. Lam. 2. 10. and principally in acknowledgment of Gods justice and submission to it Compare Psal. 39. 10. Ezek. 24. 17. He murmured not nor replied against God nor against Moses wisely considering that their sin was directly against God and in that which is most dear and honourable in Gods account to wit in his worship and that Gods honour ought to be dearer to him than his sons and that this being the first violation of the law newly given and committed by those who should have been the strictest observers and assertors of it did deserve a very severe punishment 4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan l For Aaron and his sons had scarce finished their consecration-work and were employed in their holy ministrations from which they were not to be called for funeral solemnities See Lev. â—…1 1 c. the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron * See Exod. 6. 18. Numb 3. 19. and said unto them Come near carry your brethren m i. e. Kinsmen as that word is
by the sacrifices for any worth in them but onely in respect of Christ and that though all sins are not equal yet they are all expiated by one and the same price even by the blood of Christ. and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of * chap. 3. 1. peace-offerings 20 And the priest shall wave them g i. e. Some part of them in the name of the whole and so for the two lambs otherwise they had been too big and too heavy to be waved So it is a synecdochical expression with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before the LORD with the two lambs * Num. 18. 12 Deut. 18. 4. they shall be holy to the LORD †Heb. â—…o for the priests h Who had to themselves not onely the breast and shoulder as in others which belonged to the Priest but also the rest which belonged to the offerer because the whole Congregation being the offerer here it could neither be distributed to them all nor given to some without offence or injury to the rest 21 And ye shall proclaim on the self-same day that it may be an holy convocation i A Sabbath or day of rest called Pentecost which was instituted partly in remembrance of the consummation of their deliverance out of Egypt by bringing them thence to the mount of God or Siâ—…i as God had promised and of that admirable blessing of giving the Law to them at that time and forming them into a Commonwealth under his own immediate Government and partly in gratitude for the further progress of their harvest as in the Passeover they offered a thank-offering to God for the beginning of their harvest unto you ye shall do no servile work therein it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations 22 And * chap. 19. 9. when ye reap the harvest of your land thou k From the plural ye he comes to the singular thou because he would press this duty upon every person who hath an harvest to reap that none might plead exemption from it And it is observable that though the present business is onely concerning the Worship of God yet he makes a kind of excursion to repeat a former Law of providing for the poor to shew that our piety and devotion to God is little esteemed by him if it be not accompanied with acts of Charity to men shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest * Deut. 24. 19. c. neither shalt thou gather any gleanings of thy harvest thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger I am the LORD your God 23 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 24 Speak unto the children of Israel saying in the * Numb 29. 1. seventh month in the first day of the month shall ye have a sabbath a memorial of blowing of trumpets l i. e. Solemnized with the blowing of trumpets by the Priests not in a common way as they did every first day of every moneth Numb 10. 10. but in an extraordinary manner not onely in Ierusalem but in all the Cities of Israel This seems to have been instituted 1. To solemnize the beginning of the new year whereof as to civil matters and particularly as to the Jubilee this was the first day concerning which it was fit the people should be admonished both to excite their thankfulness for Gods blessings in the last year and to direct them in the management of their civil affairs 2. To put a special honour upon this moneth For as the seventh day was the Sabbath and the seventh year was a Sabbatical year so God would have the seventh moneth to be a kind of Sabbatical moneth for the many Sabbaths and solemn feasts which were observed in this more than in any other moneth And by this sounding of the trumpets in its beginning God would quicken and prepare them for the following Sabbaths as well that of atonement and humiliation for their sins as those of thanksgiving for Gods mercies an holy convocation 25 Ye shall do no servile work therein but ye shall offer an offering m What that was see Numb 29. 2 c. made by fire unto the LORD 26 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 27 * chap. 16. 30. Num. 29. 7. Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement it shall be an holy convocation unto you and ye shall afflict your souls n With fasting and bitter repentance for all especially their national sins among which no doubt God would have them remember their sin of the golden Calf For as God had threatned to remember it in after times to punish them for it Exod. 32. 34. so there was great reason why they should remember it to humble themselves for it and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD 28 And ye shall do no work in that same day for it is a day of atonement to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God 29 For whatsoever soul it be o Either of the Jewish Nation or Religion Hereby God would signifie the absolute necessity which every man had of Repentance and Forgiveness of sin and the desperate condition of all impenitent persons that shall not be afflicted in that same day * Gen. 17. 1â—… he shall be cut off from among his people 30 And whatsoever soul it be that doth any work in that same day the same soul will I destroy from among his people 31 Ye shall do no manner of work it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings 32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest and ye shall afflict your souls in the ninth day of the month at even from even unto even shall ye †Heb. rest celebrate your sabbath p This clause seems to be added to answer an objection how this day of atonement could be both on the tenth day ver 27. and on the ninth day here The answer is it began at the evening or close of the ninth day and continued till the evening or close of the tenth day and so both were true especially if you consider that the Jews did take in some part of the sixth days evening by way of preparation for the Sabbath and therefore would much more take in a part of the ninth day to prepare and begin the great and solemn work of their yearly atonement And this clause may be understood either 1. Of this particular Sabbath called here your Sabbath in the singular number possibly to note the difference between this and other Sabbaths for the weekly Sabbath is oft called the Sabbath of the Lord because that was in a special manner appointed for the praising honouring and serving of God and celebrating his glorious works as also the other Sabbaths here mentioned were whereas this was
Ior. 34. 7. Ezek. 13. 9 20. Amos 7. 15. Absalom i e. having used some though it is probable but cold and remiss endeavours to pursue after Absalom and to fetch him from his Grandfathers to receive condign punishment he now gave over thoughts of it Thus the same Verb and that in the same conjugation is used in the same manner 1 King 3. 1. he made an end of building It is to be Objected That the Hebrew Verb is of the Feminine Gender and therefore doth not agree with King David which is Masculine It may be Answered That Enallage of Genders is a most frequent Figure and as the Masculine Gender is sometimes applied to Women when they do some manly and gallant Action as Exod. 1. 21. So the Feminine Gender is sometimes used of Men when they shew an effeminate tenderness in their disposition which is the case here as some Learned Hebricians have noted for he was comforted concerning Amnon seeing he was dead CHAP. XIV NOw Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the kings heart was toward Absalom a He desired to see him but was ashamed to show kindness to one whom Gods Law and his own Conscience obliged him to punish and wanted a fair pretence which therefore Ioab gave him 2 And Joab sent to Tekoah b A City of Iudah 2 Chron. 11. 5 6. One of Ierusalem was not convenient lest the King might know the person or search out the business And besides this Woman seems to be of great eminency for her Wisdom as the following discourse manifests and fetcht thence a wise woman c Rather than a Man because Women can more easily express their passions and do sooner procure pity in their miseries and an answer to their requests and said unto her I pray thee feign thy self to be a mourner and put on now mourning apparel and anoint not thy self with oil d As they used to do when they were out of a Mourning state See Ruth 3. 3. Matth. 6. 17. but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead 3 And come to the king and speak on this manner unto him so Joab put the words in her mouth 4 ¶ And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance and said ‡ Heb. save Help O king 5 And the king said unto her What aileth thee And she answered I am indeed a widow-woman e One of them who most need thy compassion and assistance and whom thou art by Gods Law obliged in a singular manner to protect and relieve and mine husband is dead 6 And thy handmaid had two sons and they two strove together in the field and there was ‡ Heb. no deliverer between them none to part them f And therefore there is no witness either that he killed him or how he killed him whether from some sudden passion and great provocation or in his own necessary defence or otherwise but the one smote the other and slew him g As the avengers of Blood report 7 And behold the whole family is risen against thine handmaid and they said Deliver him that smote his brother that we may kill him h According to the Law Numb 35. 19. Deut. 19. 12. for the life of his brother whom he slew and we will destroy the heir also i So they plainly discover that their prosecution of him was not so much from love of Justice as from a covetous desire to deprive him of the Inheritance and to transfer it to themselves which self-interest might justly render their Testimony suspected Or perhaps these words are not spoken as the express words of the prosecutors who can hardly be thought so directly to express a sinister design as the Womans Inference or Comment upon what they were doing for this would be indeed the result of it though they did not so in express words thereby to lie to represent her case as the more deserving pity and so they shall quench my coal which is left k The poor remainder of my light and comfort by whom alone my hopes may be revived and repaired and shall not leave to my husband l She names him rather than her self because Children bear the names of their Fathers not of their Mothers neither name nor remainder ‡ Heb. upon the face of the earth upon the earth 8 And the king said unto the woman Go to thine house and I will give charge concerning thee m That thy cause may be justly and truly examined and thy Son preserved from their unjust and malicious proceedings 9 And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king My lord O king the iniquity be on me and on my fathers house and the king and his throne be guiltless n The sense is either first this If I do not inform thee aright and thou thereby beest drawn to give an unrighteous sentence on my behalf I am willing to bear the whole blame of it before God and Men I acknowledge thou art wholly innocent in the case Compare Gen. 27. 13. Or Secondly this If through thy forgetfulness or neglect of this my just cause my adversaries prevail and destroy my Son my desire is that God would not lay it to the Kings charge but rather to me and mine so the King may be exempted thereby Whereby she both insinuates her great esteem of and affection for the King thereby winning upon him to compass her design and withal implies that such an omission of the Kings will bring guilt upon him and yet most prudently and decently orders her Phrase so as not to seem to blame or threaten the King Compare Exod. 5. 16. 2 Sam. 20. 16. This sense seems best to agree with David's answer which shews that she desired some further assurance of the Kings care and justice in her concern 10 And the king said Whosoever saith ought unto thee bring him to me and he shall not touch thee o i. e. So as to hurt or molest thee by pursuing thy Son any more 11 Then said she I pray thee let the king remember the LORD thy God p The sense is either first Make mention as this Hebrew Verb is oft rendred of the name of the Lord thy God to wit in an Oath i. e. Swear to me by God That thou wilt protect me and my Son against the revenger of Blood For so David did in compliance with this desire of hers Onely she was forced to express her mind in more general and ambiguous terms because it had been presumption and rudeness for her in plain terms to desire the Kings Oath as if she durst not trust his word yet withal she insinuates her meaning so plainly that the King understood it and yet so handsomly and elegantly that the King was much pleased with her Wisdom and thereby inclined to grant her request Or Secondly this Remember the
Gracious nature of thy God who is not too severe and rigorous to mark at all that is amiss nor doth cut off every manslayer as appears from Numb 35. and from the example of Cain and from thy self O King though this she expresseth not but onely useth such words which â—…he knew would give so wise and good a King occasion to reflect upon himself and upon the goodness of God in sparing him though a wilful Murtherer that thereby he might be obliged to imitate God in sparing the person whom she designed Or Thirdly this Remember the Lord in whose presence thou hast made me this promise and who will be a witness against thee if thou breakest it ‡ Heb. that the revenger of blood do not multiply to destroy that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more q Heb. lest the avenger of blood multiply to destroy i. e. lest they cause one destruction to another and add my surviving Son to him who is slain already Or lest thou dost multiply avengers of blood to destroy i. e. lest by thy connivence at their cruel and malicious proceedings against my Son thou dost encourage avengers of Blood to the like furious practices and thereby increase the number of that sort of Men and upon that pretence occasion multitudes of Murthers lest they destroy my son r Or and let them not destroy my Son the Future Tense being put for the Imperative Mood as is frequent And he said As the LORD liveth there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth s i. e. He shall not suffer the least damage We have the same Phrase used 1 Sam. 14. 45. 1 King 1. 52. Act. 27. 34. Compare Matth. 10. 30. 12 Then the woman said t Having obliged the King by his Oath in her supposed case she now throws off the vail and begins to apply this parable to the Kings and Kingdoms present case Let thine handmaid I pray thee speak one word unto my lord the king And he said Say on 13 And the woman said Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God u If thou wouldst not permit the avengers of Blood to molest me or to destroy my Son who are but two persons how unreasonable is it that thou shouldst proceed in thy indeavours to avenge Amnon's blood upon Absalom whose death would be highly injurious and grievous to the whole Commonwealth of Israel all whose eyes are upon him as the Heir of the Crown and a wise and valiant and amiable person unhappy onely in this one act of killing Amnon which was done upon an high and hainous provocation and whereof thou thy self didst give the occasion by permitting Amnon to go unpunished for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty x By thy Word and Promise and Oath given to me for my Son thou condemnest thy self for not allowing the same equity towards thy own Son in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished y To wit Absalom from that Heathenish Countrey where he is in evident danger of being infected with their Idolatry and other vices which is likely to be a great and publick mischief to all thy people if he come to Reign in thy stead which he is very likely to do It is true there was a considerable disparity between her Sons and Absalom's case the one being a rash and sudden action the other a deliberate and premeditated Murther but that may seem to be balanced in some measure partly by Amnon's great and lasting provocation and principally by the vast difference between a private injury which was her case and a publick calamity and grievance which she affirmed and the King easily believed was Absalom's case And what David said in the case of Ioab's Murther of Abner That he could not revenge it because the sons of Zeruiah were too hard for him 2 Sam. 3. 39. the like peradventure might have been said in this case where the Peoples hearts may seem to have been universally and vehemently set upon Absalom and the rather because his long banishment moved their pity and his absence made him more desirable as it frequently happens among people and therefore it might really be out of the Kings power to punish him and so he might seem to be obliged to spare him for the common safety of his whole Kingdom 14 For we must needs die z Heb. In dying we shall die i. e. we shall certainly and suddenly die all of us both thou O King who therefore art obliged to take due care of thy Successor who is Absalom and Absalom who if he do not die by the hand of Justice must shortly die by the necessity of Nature and Amnon too must have died in the common way of all flesh if Absalom had not cut him off Therefore O King be not implacable towards Absalom for nipping a Flower a little before its time of fading and restore him to us all before he die in a strange Land and are as water spilt on the ground which cannot be gathered up again a Which is quickly drunk up and buried in the Earth and cannot be recovered ‖ Or 〈◊〉 God hath 〈◊〉 taken 〈◊〉 his life he 〈◊〉 also 〈◊〉 means â—… neither doth God respect any person b To wit so far as to exempt him from this common Law of dying But this version seems not to agree with the Scripture Phrase for the accepting of a person is never to my knowledge expressed in Hebrew by Nasa Nephesh which is the Phrase here but by Nasa Panim every where The words therefore may be rendred either thus yet God will not take away or doth not use to take away the Future Tense oft noting a continued act as 〈◊〉 observe the soul or souls or lives of men to wit by violence God doth not severely and instantly cut off offenders but suffers them to live till they die by the course of Nature and therefore so shouldst thou do too Or rather thus yet God hath not taken away his soul or life the Pronoun his being understood here as it is in many other places and as being easily supplied out of the context So the sense is God hath hitherto spared him and did not suffer his Brethren to kill him as in reason might have been expected nor hath God himself yet cut him off for his Murther as he oft doth with persons who are out of the Magistrates reach but hath hitherto preserved him even in a Heathenish Land All which are intimations that God would have him spared yet doth he devise means that his banished be not expelled from him c Or but hath devised means c. i. e. hath given Laws to this purpose That the manslayer who is banished should not always continue in banishment but upon the High-Priests death return to his own City Whereby he hath shewed his pleasure
First A command and then the last clause is an exception from that Law Deut. 20. 19. which being delivered by a Prophet might be obeyed And if this command seem severe it must be considered that the Moabites were a very wicked people perfidious cruel implacable Enemies to Gods People upon all occasions and now in a state of Rebellion Or rather Secondly A prediction of their success that they should have so full and compleat a Victory that they should be able to do all which is here expressed and stop all wells of water and ‡ Heb. grieve make useless mar every good piece of land with stones 20 And it came to pass in the morning when the meat-offering was offered g i. e. The morning-Sacrifice of which Exod. 29. 39 40. which doubtless was attended with the Solemn prayers of Gods People as the Evening-Sacrifice unquestionably was Act. 3. 1. there being the same reason for substance for both times At this time Elisha joyned his Prayers with the Prayers of Gods People especially those at Ierusalem as he had done at a like time 1 King 18. 29. aad this time God chose to answer his and their Prayers and to work this Miracle that thereby he might determine the controversie between the Israelites and Iews about the place and manner of worship and give a publick Testimony from Heaven for the Iews and against the Israelites that behold there came water h Miraculously produced out of some Rock or Vein of the Earth by the way of Edom i From those parts which were towards Edom. and the countrey was filled with water 21 ¶ And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them they ‡ Heb. were cried together gathered all that were able to ‡ Heb. gird himself with a girdle put on armour k Heb. to gird on a girdle i. e. a Military Girdle to which the Sword was fastened 2 Sam. 20. 8. 1 King 2. 5. and upward and stood in the border l Or in that border to wit of their Countrey which was towards Edom which way they understood the Kings came Here they stood probably to defend the passages into their Countrey 22 And they rose up early in the morning and the sun shone upon the water and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood n Because of the morning-Sun which meeting with the Vapours that arose from the Earth and shining through them upon the Water gave it a reddish tincture God also so ordered things that their sences and fancies were disturbed or the Air so disposed that it might seem of this Colour And they might more easily mistake this for Blood because they knew that that ground was generally dry and without any trenches or streams of Water now especially in this dry season there being no noise of Wind and Rain v. 17. And they might justly think that the three Kings being divided in their Religion and Interests and discontented for want of Water might fall into dissentions and heats and mutual slaughters of which they had a late example 2 Chron. 20. 22 23. 23 And they said This is blood the kings are surely ‡ Heb. destroyed slain and they have smitten one another now therefore Moab to the spoil n They were so highly confident that they send no Scouts but March thither with their whole Army and that in great disorder Wherein there was also a Divine hand strengthning them in their mistakes and hardening them to their destruction 24 And when they came to the camp of Israel the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites so that they fled before them but ‖ Or they smoâ—…e in it even smiting they went forward smiting the Moabites even in their countrey o They pursued them to their own Countrey and entred it with and after them the passes which before the Moabites defended being now open for them 25 And they beat down the cities and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone p The Stones which happily had been with great care and pains pickt out of the Land and laid in heaps after the manner they dispersed again and slew the people who should have cleansed them again and filled it and they stopped all the wells of water and felled all the good trees ‡ Heb. until he leâ—…t the stones thereof in Kir-haraseth onely in Kirharaseth q Which was the Royal and strongest City of the Moabites Isa. 16. 7 11. into which the remnant of the Moabites were gathered where also their King was with them left they the stones thereof r The Walls and Buildings of this City onely were left other Cities and in a manner their whole Countrey being utterly destroyed howbeit the slingers s Either First Such as slung small Stones against those that stood upon the Wall to desend it Or rather Secondly Such as slung great Stones against the Walls to break them down according to the manner of those times went about it and smote it t i. e. Made breaches in the Walls by which they might enter into the City and take it 26 ¶ And when the king of Moab saw that the battel was too sore for him he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords to break through even unto the king of Edom u That being unable to defend the City longer he might make an escape which he chose to do on the King of Edom's quarter because he thought either that his was the weakest side or that he would more willingly suffer him to escape because he was not so hearty in the War as the rest but onely forced to it and he might hereafter have some occasion of the King of Moab to joyn with him as before he had 2 Chron. 20. 22. but they could not 27 Then he took his eldest son x Either First the King of Edom's Son whom in his eruption he took and then Sacrificed Compare Amos 2. 1. But First That place speaks of the king not of the kings son and of the burning of his bones not of the offering of a living man for a Burnt-Offering Secondly This would not have made the besiegers to raise their siege but to have followed it more warmly to revenge so barbarous an action Thirdly The following clause that should have reigned in his stead agrees not so well to the Edomites whose King was onely Iehoshaphat's Vice-Roy and therefore his Son had no right to succeed him as it doth to the Moabites whose King was revolted from Israel and intended to keep that Kingdom to himself and Children Or rather Secondly His own Son whom he Sacrificed partly to obtain the favour of his God according to the manner of the Phoenicians and other people in grievous and publick Calamities whereof we have manifest testimonies both in Scripture as Ps. 106. 37. Ezek. 20. 31. and in
their tents 22 Yet Edom revolted i For though Ioram had given them a defeat yet it may seem to have been no great slaughter but onely a putting them to flight and therefore they might easily rally again And Iehoram could not pursue the Victory because he was recalled by the revolt of his own Subjects which had took the occasion of his absence and probably feared that others would follow their example if they had the like occasion from under the hand of Judah until this day Then Libnah k A considerable City in Iudah belonging to the Priests Ios. 15. 42. and 21. 13. revolted l Why see 2 Chron. 21. 10 11. It is probable they returned to their obedience because those words unto this day which are added to the former clause are omitted here at the same time 23 And the rest of the acts of Joram and all that he did are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah m Of which see on 1 King 14. 19. 24 And Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David and * 2 Chr. 22. 1. Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead 25 ¶ In the twelfth year of Joram n Obj. It was in the eleventh year of Ioram chap. 9. 29. Ans. Either First He began to Reign in the confines of Ioram's 11th and 12th Year in the very end of his 11th Year or towards the beginning of the 12th whence it is indifferently ascribed to the one or the other Or Secondly The one Year of Ahaziah did concur with the later half of Ioram's 11th Year and the former half of his 12th Year and if he could not be said to begin to reign in both these Years yet he might unquestionably be said to reign in both of them and the Hebrew word both here and chap. 9. 29. properly signifies he reigned and not he began to reign as it is Translated Or Thirdly Ahaziah began to 〈◊〉 with hâ—…s Father and during his Life according to the late examples both in Iudah and Israel there being also special occasion for it by reason of Ioram's cruel and long sickness 2 Chron. 21. 18 c. and this was in Ioram's 11th Year and then his Father died and he began his single Reign in Ioram's 12th Year the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah o Called also Iehoahaz 2 Câ—…ro 21. 17. and Azariah 2 Chron. 22. 6. the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign 26 Two and twenty years old p How this agrees with 2 Chron. 22. 2. see on that place was Ahaziah when he began to reign and he reigned one year in Jerusalem and his mothers name was Athaliah the daughter q i. e. His Grand-Daughter See above on ver 18. of Omri king of Israel 27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD as did the house of Ahab for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab r He was the proper Son of Athaliah Daughter of Ahab and the Grand-Son-in-law of Ahab because his Father was Ahab's Son-in-law ver 18. 28 ¶ And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramoth-gilead and the Syrians wounded Joram 29 And * Chap. 9. 1â—… king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 with the â—…ans had wounded which the Syrians had given him at Ramah s The same place with Ramoth or Ramoth-Gilead when he fought against Hazael king of Syria and Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was ‡ Heb. wounded sick CHAP. IX AND Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets and said unto him Gird â—…p â—…hy loins a For haste to take this opportunity when the Kings of Israel and Iudah were both absent chap. 8. 29. and Iehu as it seems was left in Chief Command and take this box of oyl in thine hand and go to Ramoth-gilead 2 And when thou comest thither look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimishi and go in and make him arise up from among his brethren and carry him to an ‡ Heb. â—…ber in a â—…ber inner chamber b Partly that the Work may not be hindred and partly for the security of thy own person See v. 3. 3 Then * 1 King 19. 1â—… take the box of oyl and pour it on his head and say Thus saith the LORD I have anointed thee king over Israel c This was not his whole Message but the rest of it is particularly declared v. 7 8 9 10. and is to be understood here then open the door and flee and tarry not 4 ¶ So the young man even the young man the prophet went to Ramoth-gilead d Which is here noted as an eminent act of obedience whereby he run into a manifest hazard of his life 5 And when he came behold the captains of the host were sitting and he said I have an errand to thee O captain And Jehu said Unto which of all us And he said To thee O captain 6 And he arose and went into the house e i. e. Into an inner Chamber in the House v. 2. and he poured the oyl on his head f Thereby in Gods Name letting him in to the actual possession of the Kingdom For if Elijah did before this time Anoint him as some think from 1 King 19. 16. that unction did onely confer a remote right to the Kingdom as Samuel's unction did to David 1 Sam. 16. 13. Though others think Elijah did perform that command by Elisha to whom he lefâ—… it in charge and Elisha waited Gods time and command for the actual execution of it which he received at this time and said unto him Thus saith the LORD God of Israel * 2 Chr. 22. 7. I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD even over Israel 7 And thou shalt smite g i. e. Kill and destroy as that word is used Gen. 8. 21. and elsewhere the house of Ahab thy master h Thy former Lord and King that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the LORD * 1 Kin. 21. 15. at the hand of Jezebel 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish and * 1 Kin. 14. 10. and 21. 21. I will cut off from Ahab * 1 Sam. 25. 22. him that pisseth against the wall and him that is shut up and left in Israel 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of * 1 Kin. 14. 10. and 15. 20. and 21. 22. Jeroboam the son of Nebat and like the house of * 1 Kin. 16. 3 11. Baasha the son of Ahijah
house of the LORD a Which Ahaz his Father had shut up ch 28. 24. and repaired them 4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them together into the east-street b Which was before the Eastern Gate of the Temple 5 And said unto them Hear me ye Levites sanctifie now your selves and sanctifie the house of the LORD God of your fathers and carry forth the filthiness c That filthy Altar which Ahaz had put in the Place of Gods Altar 2 King 16. 11 c. and the Idols or other abominable or polluting things which were there out of the holy place d The Temple or the Priests Court which also is called an holy Place Levit. 6. 16. 10. 13. Numb 28. 7. 6 For our fathers have trespassed and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God and have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gr. habitation of the LORD and †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turned their backs e Either 1. Metaphorically they have wilfully and obstinately and contumeliously forsaken me and my House and Worship that posture being a signification of Contempt Or 2. Literally and properly For Ahaz having removed the Altar of God into a By-place 2 King 14. and directing his Worship towards the East after the manner of the Heathens whom he designed to follow and not to the West as the Israelites did by Gods Command in which Quarter the Ark was he must needs consequently turn his Back upon the Altar and House and Ark of God 7 Also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they have shut up the doors of the porch and put out the lamps and have not burnt incense nor offered burnt-offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel 8 Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem and he hath delivered them to †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 trouble to astonishment and to * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 25. Kin. 9. 8. hissing f i. e. To such Calamities as all that see and hear of shall be astonished at and hiss at those who by their own Sin and Folly have brought such Miseries upon themselves See on 1 King 9. 8. as ye see with your eyes 9 For lo our fathers have fallen by the sword and our sons and our daughters and our wives are g Or were though they were presently released ch 28. 5 14 15. in captivity for this 10 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel that his fierce wrath may turn away from us 11 My sons h So he calls them indifferently though many of them were elder than himself because he was by his tender Love and Affection as he was by his Office obliged to be a Nursing Father to them See Isa. 49. 23. ‖ 〈◊〉 noâ—… 〈◊〉 be not now negligent i In sanctifying your selves and the Temple v. 5. and in quickning and preparing your selves and the People to Gods Service for the LORD hath * 〈◊〉 â—… 14. 〈◊〉 2 6. chosen you to stand before him to serve him and that ye should minister unto him and ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 burn incense 12 Then the Levites arose Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah of the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of Merari Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel and of the Gershonites Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah 13 And of the sons of Elizaphan Shimri and Jehiel and of the sons of Asaph Zechariah and Mattaniah 14 And of the sons of Heman Jehiel and Shimei and of the sons of Jeduthun Shemajah and Uzziel 15 And they gathered their brethren and sanctified themselves and came according to the commandment of the king ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the words of the LORD to cleanse the house of the LORD 16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD k Not the Holy of Holies into which onely the Highpriest might enter and that but once in a year but the Holy Place to cleanse it and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court l To wit the Priests Court called here the Court by way of Eminency of the house of the LORD And the Levites took it to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron 17 Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctifie and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end m In 16 Days purging the House and Porch and Courts and all the Chambers belonging to the Temple This is noted to imply partly the Universal Abuse and Defilement of all the Parts of it by Ahaz which required so much time to remove and partly the Diligence of the Priests in this Work 18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said We have cleansed all the house of the LORD and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels thereof and the shew bread table with all the vessels thereof 19 Moreover all the vessels which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression have we prepared and sanctified and behold they are before the altar of the LORD 20 Then Hezekiah the king arose early and gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the house of the LORD 21 And they brought seven bullocks and seven rams and seven lambs and seven he-goats n The Number of seven is famous and customary in Sacred matters and is here used in regard of the vast Numbers and various Kinds of Sins the Guilt whereof yet lay upon the Kingdom which was now to be expiated Indeed in case of one particular Sin of Ignorance done by the People there was but one Bullock to be offered Levit. 4. 13 14. but here the Sins were many and presumptuous c. for a * Lev. 4. 3 14. sin offering for the kingdom o To make Atonement for the Sins of the King and the Royal Family and the Court. and for the sanctuary p For all the Idolatry and Uncleanness wherewith the Temple had been polluted which as it had been cleansed naturally by the Priests Hands so now was to be purged morally by Sacrifices and for Judah q For the Sins of all the People of Judah and he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD 22 So they killed the bullocks and the priests received the blood and * Lev. 8. 14 15. Heb. 9. 21. sprinkled it on the altar likewise when they had killed the rams they sprinkled the blood upon the altar they killed also the lambs and they sprinkled the blood upon the
and took it and smote it with the edge of the Sword and possessed it and dwelt therein and called Leshem ‡ Judg. 18. 29. Dan after the name of Dan their father 48 This is the inheritanee of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families these cities with their villages 49 ¶ When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their coasts the children of Israel gave i i. e. They are said to give it because the whole Land was given to Ioshua and Eleazar and the Princes as joynt Trustees acting in the name and for the good of the People so that even Ioshua could take nothing without their gift an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them 50 According to the word of the LORD k As God Promised or Commanded either First formerly as may be gathered from Ios. 14. 6. Where we read That the Lord said something unto Moses concerning me Caleb and thee Joshua though onely what is said to Caleb be there expressed the other not being to his purpose there for Ioshua having shewed the same courage and faithfulness which Caleb did did doubtless receive equal encouragement and comfort from God at that time Or Secondly now at this time by Eleazar they gave him the city which he asked even * Chap. 24. 30. Timnath-Serah l Called Timnath-heres Iudg. 2. 9. in mount Ephraim and he built m i. e. Repaired and enlarged it in which sense Nebuchadnezzar is said to have built Babylon Dan. 4. 30. the city and dwelt therein 51 * Numb 34. 17. These are the inheritances which Eliazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation so they made an end of dividing the countrey CHAP. XX. THE LORD also spake unto Joshua saying 2 Speak to the children of Israel saying * Exod. 21. 13. Numb 35. 6 11 14. Deut. 19. 2 9. Appoint out a The Possessions being now divided among you do you reserve some of them for the use which I have commanded for you cities of refuge whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses 3 That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly b Heb. Through Ignorance or Error or Mistake and without Knowledg The same thing twice repeated to cut off all the claims and expectations that Wilful Murderers might have of Protection here and God having declared That such should be taken even from his Altar that they might be killed Exod. 21. 14. and accordingly Ioab was by Solomons Order killed even at the Altar 1 King 2. 28 29 30 31 34 it is the more strange and impudent that any Christians should make their Sanctuaries give Protection to such persons whom God hath so expresly excepted from it which the Papists do and their Doctors are not ashamed to defend it upon frivolous reasons may flee thither and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood c The Kins-man who had right or power to demand or take vengeance of the slaughter 4 And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entring of the gate d Where the Judges used to sit of that city and shall declare his cause e Or his matters or business what he hath done and why and how he shall give them a true relation of the Fact and all its circumstanâ—…es in the ears of the elders of that city they shall take him into the city f Understand if they are satisfied in the relation he makes concerning the Fact otherwise it had been a vain thing to examine his Cause unto them and give him a place g Which they might well allow him because God gave them the City with a reservation for such persons that he may dwell among them 5 And if the avenger of blood pursue after him then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand because he smote his neighbour unwittingly and hated him not before time 6 And he shall dwell in that city until he stand h Which was the posture of the Accused and Accusers Exod. 18. 13. Isa. 50. 8. Zech. 3. 1. before the congregation i Or Company or Assembly to wit the Councel appointed to judg of these matters not the Council of the City of Refuge for they had examined him before v. 4. but of the City to which he belonged or in or nigh which the Fact was committed as appears from Numb 35. 25. for judgment and * Numb 35. 12 25. until the death of the high priest k Of which see on Numb 35. 25. that shall be in those days then shall the slayer return and come unto his own city and unto his own house unto the city from whence he fled 7 ¶ And they ‡ Heb. Sanctified appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali and Shechem in mount Ephraim and Kirjath arba which is Hebron in the mountain of Judah l Concerning these Cities note 1. That they were all upon Mountains that they might be seen at a great distance and so direct those who fled thither 2. That they were seated at convenient distance one from another for the benefit of the several Tribes for Kedesh was in the North Hebron in the South and Shechem between them 3. That they all belonged to the Levites partly that these Causes might be more impartially examined and justly determined by them who are presumed best able to understand the Law of God and most obliged and likely to follow it in their Judgment and not to be biass'd by any affection or corrupt interest and partly that their just reputation with the people and their good Counsels might lay some restraint upon revengeful persons who might be inclined or tempted to follow the Man-slayer thither and endeavour to kill him there 8 And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward they assigned m Or gave or had assigned or given for they were given by Moses Deut. 4. 41 c. or they confirmed Moses his Grant and applied them to that use to which Moses designed and separated them * Deut. 4. 43. 1 Chron. 6. 78. Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh 9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger n Not onely Proselites but others also because this was a matter of common right that a distinction might be made between casual Man-slayers and wilful Murderers that sojourneth among them that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood
before the congregation CHAP. XXI THen a When the whole Land was distributed unto the several Tribes but not actually possessed by them which was the proper season for them to put in their claim came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites b The Fathers of the Levites were Kohath Gershom and Merari and the heads of these were the chief persons now alive of these several Families unto Eleazar the priest and unto Joshua the son of Nun and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel 2 And they spake unto them * Chap. 〈◊〉 at Shiloh in the land of Canaan saying ‡ Numb 〈◊〉 The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in with the suburbs thereof for our cattel 3 And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites c It seems most probable that they gave to the Levites promiscuously such Cities as God commanded and that the Lot appropriated them to their several Houses or Families out of their inheritance d i. e. Out of their several Possessions partly that the burden and loss might be equally divided and principally that the Levites being dispersed among the several Tribes according to Iacobs Prediction Gen. 49. 7. might more easily and frequently and effectually Teach the Israelites Gods Law and Iudgments which they were engaged to do Deut. 33. 10. and that the People might upon all occasions resort to them and require the meaning of the Law at their mouths Mal. 2. 7. at the commandment of the LORD these cities and their suburbs e Not only the use but the absolute Dominion of them as is manifest both from v. 11 12. where a distinction is made between the City and Suburbs of Hebrâ—… and the Fields and Villages thereof and the former are given to the Levites the latter to Caleb and from the return of these Cities in the Iubilee unto the Levites as to their proper owners Levit. 25. 33 34. 4 And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites and the children of Aaron the priest which were of the Levites had * See Châ—… 33. by lot out of the tribe of Judah and out of the tribe of Simeon and out of the tribe of Benjamin f Which three Tribes were nearest to the Temple where their business lay thirteen cities g For though the Priests were now few enough for one City yet respect was to be had to their succeeding numbers this division being made for all future Generations And seeing the Levites might sell their Houses until the Iubilee Levit. 25. 33. much more might they Let them and therefore it is probable their Cities were not very long uninhabited many being inclined to dwell with them by vertue of relations contracted with them or dependance upon or expectation from them or oâ—… of respect to the Service of God and the good of their Souls 5 And the rest of the children of Kohath h Who were not of Aarons Family or Priests but Levites onely had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim and out of the tribe of Dan and out of the half tribe of Manasseh i Which Tribes are nearest to the three former and so the Kohathites are placed next to their Brethren the Aaronites ten cities k Fewer than they gave out of the three former Tribes because their inheritance was no less than the former See Numb 35. 8. 6 And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar and out of the tribe of Asher and out of the tribe of Naphtali and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan thirteen cities 7 The children of Merari by their families had out of the tribe of Reuben and out of the tribe of Gad and out of the tribe of Zebulun twelve cities 8 And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs k Of which see on Numb 35. 2. as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses 9 ¶ And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon l These are mentioned together because the Cities of Siâ—… lay within Iudah's Portion these cities which are here ‡ 〈◊〉 mentioned 〈◊〉 name 10 Which the children of Aaron being of the families m i. e. Of the family the Plural Number for the Singular which is not unusual of the Kohathites who were of the children of Levi had for theirs was the First lot 11 And they gave them ‖ Or Kiriathâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…3 2. the city of Arbah the father of Anak which city is Hebron in the hill â—…ntrey of Judah with the suburbs thereof round about it 12 But ‡ Chap. 14. 14. 1 〈◊〉 6. 56. the fields n i. e. All beyond the 2000 Cubits expressed Numb 35. 5. This is here mentioned not as his peculiar case but as one â—…ment Instance to shew that it was so in all the rest of the Cities here named that the Fields and Villages thereof still belonged to the several tribes from whom the Cities and their Suburbs were taken and to make the rest of the Israelites more contentedly and chearfully resign so great a part of their Possessions to the Levites because even Caleb did so though his Possession had been long before promised and now actually given to him by Gods special command as a mark of honour and compensation for his long and faithful Service of the city and the villages thereof gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession 13 ¶ Thus they * 1 Chro. 6. 57. gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs to be a city of refuge for the slayer and Libnah with her suburbs 14 ¶ And Jattir with her suburbs and Eshtemoa with her suburbs 15 And * 1 Chr. 6. 58. 〈◊〉 Holon o Called Hilen 1 Chron. 6 58. as Iuttah here is called Ashâ—… 1 Chron. 6. 59. and Kibzaim called Iokmeam 1 Chron. 6. 6â—… and so some others the names of the places being changed by length of time and upon special occasions as was frequent among the Jews Though their Doctors add that some of these places here mentioned being now in the Canaâ—…tes Possession and not speedily recovered from them there were others put in their stead with her suburbs and Debir with her suburbs 16 And * 1 Chro. 6. 59 â—…shan Ain with her suburbs and Juttah with her suburbs and Bethshemesh with her suburbs nine cities out of those two tribes â—…â—…in here and Gibeon v. 17. and some others here named are not named 1 Chron. 6. either because they were destroyed in some of those Hostile Invasions and Wars wherewith their Land was grievously harassed and wasted before that time or they appear there under other Names as was said 17 And out of
altar 23 And they brought †Heb. near forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation and they r i. e. The King and the Elders of the Congregation in the Name of the whole Congregation laid their * Lev. 4. 15 24 hands upon them 24 And the priests killed them and 〈◊〉 made reconciliation with their blood upon the â—…tar to make an atonement for all Israel s i. e. For Judah and Benjamin and all the rest of the Tribes whereof a considerable Number were now in his Dominions for the king commanded that the burnt-offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel 25 * 1 Chr. 16. 4. 25. 6. And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals with psalteries and with harps * 1 Chr. 23. 5. 25. 1. according to the commandment of David and of Gad the kings seer and Nathan the prophet for so was the commandment †Heb. by the hand of the LORD of the LORD †Heb. by the hand of by his prophets 26 And the Levites stood with the instruments * 1 Chr. 23. 5. Amos 6. 5. of David and the priests with * Num. 10. 10 the trumpets 27 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar and †Heb. in the time when the burnt-offering began the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets and with the †Heb. hands of instruments instruments ordained by David king of Israel 28 And all the congregation worshipped and the †Heb. song singers sang and the trumpets sounded and all this continued until the burnt-offering was finished 29 And when they had made an end of offering the king and all that were †Heb. found present with him bowed themselves and worshipped 30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer and they sang praises with gladness and they bowed their heads and worshipped 31 Then Hezekiah answered and said Now ye have ‖ Or filled your hand consecrated your selves unto the LORD t Now that you have reconciled your selves and the House to Gods Favour and that he is willing and ready to accept your Sacrifices come near and bring sacrifices and †Heb. thanks * Lev. 7. 12. thank-offerings into the house of the LORD And the congregation brought in sacrifices and †Heb. thanks thank-offerings and as many as were of a free heart burnt-offerings u Wherein there was more generosity than in the other Sacrifices because they were wholly burnt and offered to God and the People had no share in them as they had in the rest 32 And the number of the burnt-offerings which the congregation brought was threescore and ten bullocks an hundred rams and two hundred lambs all these were for a burnt-offering unto the LORD 33 And the consecrated things x i. e. All the Offerings consecrated to God besides the Burnt-offerings already mentioned were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep 34 But the priests y To wit such as were sanctified and fit for their Work as the following words shew for otherwise the Number of the Priests was more than sufficient for this Employment were too few so that they could not flay all the burnt-offerings z And much less all the other Sacrifices which were more numerous the flaying whereof was the Priests proper Work Levit. 1. 5 6. wherefore their brethren the Levites †Heb. strengthened them did help them ‖ Necessity excusing their deviation from the Rule as it hath excused others in like Cases till the work was ended and untill the other priests had sanctified themselves for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctifie themselves than the priests 35 And also the burnt-offerings were in abundance * Or For the Burnt-offerings were to be offered also in abundance So it is a reason why the Priests could not stay all the burnt-offerings as was said v. 34. Because there was so much other work for them for the Burnt-offerings were not onely to be flayed but also to be offered to wit wholly and with them the Fat of Peace-offerings c. with the fat of the peace-offerings and the drink-offerings for every burnt-offering So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order 36 And Hezekiah rejoyced and all the people that God had * 1 Chr. 29. 18. prepared the people for the thing was 〈◊〉 suddenly †It was as a very great so a sudden Change that the People who but the other day were so ready to comply with wicked Ahaz in his Idolatrous and Impious Prescriptions were now so free and forward in Gods Service whereby it plainly appeared to be the Work of the Almighty God changing their Hearts by his Holy Spirit CHAP. XXX 1 ANd Hezekiah sent to all Israel a Whereby he understands all the Persons of the Ten Tribes who were now setled in his Kingdom as appears by their contradistinction to Ephraim and Manasseh here following and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh b i. e. To all the remainders of the Ten Tribes v. 5. who are here Synecdochically expressed by the names of Ephraim and Manasseh as elsewhere by the name of Ephraim onely But he names these two Tribes because they were nearest to his Kingdom and a great Number of them had long since and from time to time joyned themselves to the Kingdom of Judah 2 Chron. 15. 8 9. and therefore had most hopes of success amongst them that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem c Admonishing them of their Duty to God and perswading them to comply with it to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel 2 For the king had taken counsel and his princes and all the congregation in Jerusalem to keep the passover in the second * Num 9. 10 11. month d Which was against the common Rule and Practise but was justified by that Supreme Law of Necessity and by a just Impediment which made the doing of this in its proper time to 〈◊〉 the 14th Day of the first Month impossible because the Temple was not cleansed nor they prepared till that time was past 〈◊〉 29. 3. 1â—… Compare Numb 9. 10 11. 3 For they could not keep it at that time e Which God had appointed for it Exod. 12. 6. One Reason whereof was evident in it self because the Temple was not then purified and prepared to which he adds two other Reasons because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently f To wit in such manner and degree as was fit nor in such Numbers as were necessary for the sâ—…aying and offering of so many thousands of Paschal-offerings as appears because they were not