4. Witchcraft, and false pretension to prophecy (Exod. xxii, 18 ; Lev. xx, 27 ; Deut. xiii, 5 ; xviii, 20 ; 1 Sam. xxviii, 9).
5. Adultery (Lev. xx, 10 ; Deut. xxii, 22 : see John viii, 5, and Josephus, Ant. iii, 12, 1).
6. Unchastity — a. Previous to marriage, but detect- ed afterwards (Deut. xxii, 21). b. In a betrothed wom- an with some one not affianced to her (ibid. ver. 23). c. In a priest's daughter (Lev. xxi, 9).
7. Rape (Deut. xxii, 25).
8. Incestuous and unnatural connections (Lev.xx, 11, 14,16; Exod. xxii, 19).
9. Man-stealing (Exod. xxi, 16; Deut. xxiv, 7).
10. Idolatry, actual or virtual, in any shape (Lev. xx, 2; Deut. xiii, 6, 10, 15; xvii,2-7: see Josh, vii and xxii, 20, and Numb, xxv, 8).
1 1. False witness in certain cases (Deut. xix, 16, 19).
Some of the foregoing are mentioned as being in ear- lier times liable to capital or severe punishment by the hand either of God or of man, as (1) Gen. ix, 25 ; (5) Gen. xii, 17 ; xx, 7 ; xxxix, 19 ; (6) Gen. xxxviii, 24; (8) Gen. xix, xxxviii, 10.
(Z?.) Relative. — But there is a large number of of- fences— some of them included in this list — which are named in the law as involving the penalty of" cutting off (HT3 ; Sept. iZoXoSpevoj') from the people." On the meaning of this expression some controversy has arisen. There are all together thirty-six or thirty-sev- en cases in the Pentateuch in which this formula is used, which may be thus classified:
1. Breach of Morals. — Under this head we have the following :
Wilful sin in general (Numb, xv, 30, 31). ♦Fifteen cases of incestuous or unclean connec- tion (Lev. xviii, 29, and xx, 9-21).
2. Breach of Covenant, as follows : *fUncircumcision (Gen. xvii, 14 ; Exod. iv, 24).
Neglect of Passover (Numb, ix, 13). *Sabbath-breaking (Exod. xxxi, 14). Neglect of Atonement-day (Lev. xxiii, 29). fWork done on that day (Lev. xxiii, 30). *fChildren offered to Molech (Lev. xx,3). *j Witchcraft (Lev. xx, 6).
Anointing a stranger with holy oil (Exod. xxx, 33).
3. Breach of Ritual, as follows:
Eating leavened bread during Passover (Exod.
xii," 15, 19). Eating fat of sacrifices (Lev. vii, 25). Eating blood (Lev. vii, 27 ; xvii, 14). *Eating sacrifice in an unclean condition (Lev.
vii, 20, 21; xxii, 3, 4, 9). Offering too late (Lev. xix, 8). Making holv ointment for private use (Exod.
xxx, 32, 33). Making perfume for private use (Exod. xxx, 38). Neglect of purification in general (Numb, xix,
13, 20). Not bringing offering after slaying a beast for
food (Lev. xvii, 9). Not slaying the animal at the tabernacle door
(Lev. xvii, 4).
PUNISHMENT
788
PUNISHMENT
Touching holy things illegally (Numb, iv, 15, I
18, 20 ; and see 2 Sam. vi, 7 ; 2 Chron. xxvi. 21). In the foregoing list, which, it will be seen, is classified according to the dew supposed to be taken bj the lav of the principle of condemnation, the cases marked with * are (a) those which .'ire expresslj threatened or act- ually visited with death, as well as with cutting off. In those i'm marked t. the hand of God is expressly named as the instrument of execution. We thus find that of («) there are in class 1 seven cases, all named in Lev. xx, 9 16; in class 2, four cases; in class 3, two cases; while of (6) we find in class 2 four cases, of which three belong also to (a), and in class 3 one case. The question to be determined is, whether the phrase "cut off" be likely to mean death in all cases; and to avoid that conclusion Le Clerc, Michaelis, and others have suggested that in some of them— the cere- monial "nes it was intended to be commuted for ban- ishment or privation of civil rights (Michaelis, Laws ofMoses,v6Lv\,§ 237, p. 436, trans.). Rabbinical writ- ers explained "cutting off" to mean excommunication, and laid down three degrees of severity as belonging to it (Selden. D( Syn.\,6). See Anathema. Km mosl commentators agree that, in accordance « ith the prima- facu meaning of Heb. x. 28, the sentence of "cutting oil'" must he understood to lie death -punishment, of some sort. Saalschiitz explains it to he premature ■ leal b by < oid's hand, as if God took into his own hand such cases of ceremonial defilement as would create difficulty for human judges to decide. Knobel thinks death-punishment absolutely is meant; so Corn. a La- pide and Ewald. Jahn explains that when God is said to cut off, an act of divine providence is meant, which in the end destroys the family, hut that "cutting oil'' in general means stoning to death, as the usual capital punishment of the law. Calmet thinks it means pri- vation of all rights belonging to the Covenant. It may be remarked (a) that two instances are recorded in which violation of a ritual command took place with- out the actual infliction of a death-punishment: (1)
that of the people eating with the blood (1 Sam. xiv. that of Qzziab <-' Chron. xxvi. 19, 21), and that in tie- latter case the offender was. in fact, excom- municated for life; (/>) that there are also instances of tin directly contrary course, viz. in which the offend- ers were punished with death lor similar offences: Na- dab and Abihu (Lev. x, 1.2): Corah and his company t Numb, wi, 10,33), who "perished from the congrega- tion:" Czzah (2 Sam. vi, 7): ami. further, that the lep- rosy inflicted on Uzziah might be regarded as a virtual death (Numb. xii. 12). To whichever side of the ques- tion this case may be thought to incline, we may per- haps conclude that the primary meaning of "cutting off" is a sentence of death to be executed, in some cases, without remission, but in others voidable (1 ) by inl- ine,bate atonement on the offender's part; (2) by di- rect Lnterpositi if the Almighty, i. e. a sentence of