THE THIRD BOOK OF

MOSES,
called
L E V I T I C U S

Leviticus 19

A repetition of various laws.


1AND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Yea shall be 1holy: for I the LORD your God am 2holy.

a Lev. 11:44; 20:7, 26; 1 Peter 1:16.

1 That is, live according to all My laws and commandments, touching in all matters moral, ceremonial and civil; of all which, some are related in this chapter.

2 Not only in thoughts, words and deeds, but also in its Essence the Holiness Self.

3¶Yeb shall fear every man his 3mother, and his father, and keep myc sabbaths: 4I am the LORD your God.

b Exod. 20:12.

3 The mother is mentioned here before the father, because children stand most in need of their mother in their younger years, and in their adulthood there are some who neglect and despise her most.

c Exod. 31:13; Lev. 26:2.

4 See Lev. 18 on verse 2. Also verses 4, 10, 12, 14, etc.

4¶Turn ye not unto 5idols, nor make to yourselvesd molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

5 The Hebrew word properly signifies things of nothing, or, that are not. Wherefore the apostle says well, that an idol is nothing in the world, 1 Cor. 8:4, for, it is but a vain embellishment of the vain heart of man, 1 Sam. 12:21.

d Exod. 34:17.

5¶And if ye offer 6a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it 7at your own will.

6 See Lev. 3 on verse 1.

7 That is, of your own accord, free, willingly and cheerfully, without any constraint. For these peace offerings were commanded indeed, but not with a precise instruction, so that everyone might dispose therein, according as he found his heart disposed. See Lev. 7:16, and compare this with the freewill burnt sacrifice, Lev. 1:3.

6It shall be eaten thee same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.

e Lev. 7:16.

7And if it be 8eaten at all on the third day, 9it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.

8 Hebr. eating eaten.

9 See Lev. 7 on verse 18

8Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his 10iniquity, because he hath profaned 11the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul 12shall be cut off from among his people.

10 See Lev. 5 on verse 1.

11 See Lev. 5 on verse 15.

12 See Gen. 17 on verse 14.

9¶And whenf ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather 13the gleaningsg of thy harvest.

f Lev. 23:22; Deut. 24:19.

13 That is, the residue or remainder of the scattered ears that is yet to be gathered.

g collect what the reapers drop at harvest time*

10And thou shalt 14not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

14 Namely, after that the principal grapes shall be cut off, and the gathering of the vintage is done once.

11¶Yeh shall not steal, neither deal falsely, 15neither lie one to another.

h Exod. 20:15.

15 Or, not deny what you have taken in custody to keep for others.

12¶Andi ye shall not swear by my name falsely, 16neither shalt thou profane the 17name of thy God: I am the LORD.

i Exod. 20:7; Deut. 5:11.

16 Other, for ye would profane, etc.

17 See Lev. 18 on verse 21.

13¶Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the 18wages of himj that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

18 Hebr. work, or labour. See Job 7 on verse 2; Jer. 22 on verse 13, etc.

j Deut. 24:14; James 5:4.

14¶Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a 19stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.

19 Whereby he might get some hurt or fall.

15¶Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thouk shalt not respect the 20person of the poor, nor honour the person 21of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

k Deut. 1:17; 16:19; Prov. 24:23.

20 That is, do not observe in judging and sentencing the quality of the persons, but judge and pronounce according to the merit and justice of the cause. See the same phrase, Deut. 10:17; Psalm 82:2. Compare Deut. 1:17; Prov. 24:23.

21 That is, favor and advocate him in his unrighteous cause. See similar phrase, Exod. 23:3.

16¶Thoul22shalt not go up and down as a 23talebearer among thy people: neither 24shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.

l Exod. 23:1.

22 That is, not walk up and down, or here and there to spread ill rumors of your neighbor, and to learn of still others to spread them everywhere. See similar phrase Prov. 11:13; 20:19; Jer. 6:28; 9:4.

23 The Hebrew word here rendered talebearer does properly signify one, who carries things about after the manner of peddlers, buying something of somebody and selling it again to another. For thus it is with such talebearers, hearing something of one and telling it to another to his profit and to the harm of his neighbor.

24 That is, thou shalt not only not kill thy neighbor, but likewise not be instrumental, that through false witness, he may be put to death.

17¶Thoum shalt not hate thy 25brother in thine heart: thoun shalt in any wise 26rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer 27sin upon him.

m 1 John 2:9, 11; 3:15.

25 That is, thy neighbor. See Gen. 19 on verse 7 and 29:4. Or, thy country-man. See Exod. 2:11; 1 Sam. 30:23; Acts 22:1, where the word brethren is taken for countrymen.

n Mat. 18:15; Luke 17:3.

26 Hebr. rebuking rebuke.

27 Other, that thou do not bear the sin for him, or, for his sake; that is, the punishment he deserved, being made to bear the same with him.

18¶Thouo shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thoup shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

o Mat. 5:39, 44; Luke 6:27; Rom. 12:19; 1 Cor. 6:7; 1 Thes. 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9.

p Mat. 5:43; 22:39; Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8.

19¶Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle genderq with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thyr field 28with mingled seed: neither shall a garment 29mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

q produce

r Deut. 22:9.

28 So Deut. 22:9.

29 As of wool and linen. See Deut. 22:11.

20¶And whosoever 30lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, 31betrothed to an 32husband, and 33not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; 34she shall be scourged;s they shall not be put to death, because she was not 35free.

30 Compare Lev. 18:22.

31 Understand him, to whom she was betrothed, or married, and afterwards despised and abandoned by him. Other, by everyone despised, that is, so much despised, that she was not made free, but left in slavery or bondage.

32 Other, betrothed to a man.

33 Hebr. not redeeming redeemed.

34 Hebr. scourging, or, beating shall be (made). See of this punishment, Deut. 25:2, 3.

s whipped*

35 If she had been made free, she must have been put to death, Deut. 22:24.

21And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.

22And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.

23¶And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, 36then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as 37uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.

36 That is, ye shall hold the firstfruits thereof unclean, like the foreskin, and not use but throw it away.

37 That is, unclean, and consequently not suitable for use.

24But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be 38holy to praise the LORD withal.

38 They were to be consecrated to the Lord, to praise Him for the fruitfulness of the trees; and therefore they were to be given to the priests, who did eat the food prepared for and dedicated unto God. Hebr. holiness.

25And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, 39that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.

39 That is, to the end that the Lord may bless and multiply the revenue thereof for you.

26¶Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use 40enchantment, nor 41observe times.

40 The Hebrew word signifies to make observations and take notice both of birds and other things through vain arts, thereby to reveal, or prognosticate and foretell future and hidden matters. Thus this word is likewise used 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chron. 33:6.

41 The Hebrew word signifies to bewitch with blinding one’s eyes, that they seem to see what is not; as by some it is taken, Deut. 18:10; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chron. 33:6; Isa. 2:6; 57:3; Jer. 27:9. Others understand it of time-observing, sooth-saying, by looking on the clouds and the disposition of the sky or heaven, called astrology.

27Yet shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

t Lev. 21:5.

28Yeu shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the 42dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

u Deut. 14:1.

42 Hebr. soul, that is, for the dead corps of any person. So Lev. 21:1, 11; 22:4; Num. 9:6; Psalm 16:10.

29¶Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.

30¶Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and 43reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

43 Or, stand in awe of it, honor it, observing and following the laws and ordinances, which are to be kept in it; and not appearing in the same, being unfit and unprepared through idolatry, or any other sin and uncleanness. See Lev. 26:2.

31¶Regardv not them that have familiar 44spirits, neither seek after 45wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

v Lev. 20:6.

44 Or, to the sooth-saying spirits. For, the word signifies as well the spirits, who, being asked about unknown and hidden things, gave answers as the sooth-saying men or women came to them to inquire. They indeed are commonly called soothsayers, but, in good sooth and deed, are most unworthy of that name; their answers proving often false and their telling truth deceitful and hurtful. See of them also Lev. 20:27; Deut. 18:11; 1 Sam. 28:3, 9; 2 Kings 21:6; 1 Chron. 10:13; Acts 16:16.

45 The Hebrew word comes from knowing, because these men vaunted much of their rare knowledge, not only of things past and unknown to others, but likewise of things to come, and happen after, making use of vain and diabolical arts to attain to their mystery. See of them also Lev. 20:6, 27; 1 Sam. 28:3, 9; Isa. 8:19.

32¶Thou shalt rise up before the hoaryw head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

w grey or white with age*

33¶Andx if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not 46vex him.

x Exod. 22:21.

46 The Hebrew verb here signifies, to wrong and defraud one, whether it be unwittingly, or wittingly, and of design and purpose, yea and with violence.

34But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

35¶Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in 47meteyard, in weight, or in 48measure.

47 Understand all standards for hand-measure or foot-measure, or any instrument whereby the length and breadth of any solid matter, firmly fixed, is measured.

48 That is, whereby some liquid wares or dry ones, such as are not of contiguous bulk, are measured.

36Just balances,y just 49weights, a just 50ephah, and a just 51hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

y Prov. 11:1; 16:11; 20:10.

49 Hebr. stones. For, it was usual in those times to put stones into the scales instead of other weights. See also Deut. 25:13, 15; Prov. 16:11; Micah 6:11.

50 See Lev. 5 on verse 11.

51 This was a measure of liquid wares, containing as much as seventy-two ordinary hen’s egg-shells. See of the same Exod. 29:40; Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:4, 9.

37Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.