The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 130

1-3. And ii oberuence to parents is to be and t.he.t conjugal hononr which to the true rewimlPd with long life under the new cove- man is dearer the.n life. Me.rrie.ge, according nant.. there can be no reeson "'hv it should not to the original institution, me.de the hushRud h""" been so rc,.·e.rdcd under the old. The and w(fe "one flesh" (Gen. ii. 24); and to nhiettion thnt good sons e.re not alway~ long- bree.k m npon this se.cramcnta.J. union was e.t liYed is futile. God governs the universe by once a crime and a profanity. Adulteresses general. not by universal laWB. &nd their paramours were in most ancient \" er. 13.-Thon ahaJ.t not kill. Here &gain natiom liable to be punished with death by is & more.I precept included in all codes, &nd the injured party; but the adultery of & placed by all in a prominent position. Our first married me.n with &n unmarried woman was duty to"'e.rds our neighbour is to respect his thought lightly of. The precept of the Deca- life. When Cain slew Abel, he could scarcely logue binds both m&n e.nd woman equally. ha,·e known what he \S'RS doing; yet &terrible Our Lord's expRnsiou of this commandment punishment was a"·e.rded him for his trans- (Matt.. "· 27--32) is parallel to his expansion gression (Gen. iv. l l-14). After the flood, the of the preceding one (ib. 21-26). He shows ,olemn declaration w&S m&de, which thence- that there are adulterous marriages in coun forward bee&me & universal law &mong ma.n- tries where the law gives e. facility of divorce, kmd-" Wh05o sheddeth man's blood, by man &nd that without &ny overt &et adultery may ,hall his blood be shed : for in the image of be committed ,'n the heart. God made he man" (ib. ix. 6). In the world Ver. 15.-Thon ah&lt not ateal. By these that followed the flood, all racas of men h&d words the right of property received formal the tradition that only blood could expiate e.cknowledgment, &nd &protest w&S IDfde by blood. In the few p!&ces where there w&S an anticipation against the ma.xim of modem org-auised government, and & systematic &d- socialists-" Le. propriete, c'est le vol." ln- 1111n1stmtion of justice, the State &eted on the &tinctively man feels that some things become principle, aud punished the murderer capitally. his, especie.lly by toil expended on them, &nd Elsewhere. among tribes &nd races which h&d that, by puity of reasoning, some things not vet coalesced into states, the law of blood- become his neighbour's. Our third duty to- rcYe·uge obtained, &nd the inquisition for blood w&rds our neighbour is to respect his righm in became a private affair. The next of kin w&S these. Society, in every community th&t hos the recognised " avenger," upon whom it de- hitherto existed, hes recognised private pro- voh·ed to hunt out the murderer and punish perty ; and soci&l order may be sa.id to be him. Here the sin is simply &nd emphatica.J.Jy built upon it. Government exisb; me.inly for de1•011nced, the brevity of the precept incre&S- the security of men's Jives e.nd properties ; and in.g its force. The Israelites are told that to &narehy would supervene if either could be take life is a crime. God forbids it. As usual, with impunity attacked. Theft has alwe.ys no exceptions are made. Exceptions appear been punished in every state ; and even the I.at.er on (~um. xxxv. 22-25; Dent. iv. 42; Spartan youth W&S not acquitted of blame etc. J : but the first thing is to establish the unless be could ple&d that the State had principle. Hlllllll..D life is &&cred. M.e.n is not stopped his supplies of food, e.nd bid him to shed the blood of his fellow-m&n. If be forage for himself. does. of his hand will the life taken surely Ver. 16.-Thou sh&lt not bear false wit- be required. The C&Suistic question whether neBB a.gainat thy neighbour. False witness suicide is forbidden under this precept, pro- is of two kinds, public &nd private. We lllay babl v did not occur to the legisle.tor or to either seek to damage our neighbour by giv- the • Hebrews of his time. Neither the ing f&lse evidence age.inst him in &court of Hebrews, nor the Egypti&ns, among whom justice, or simply calunmie.te him to others in they had so Jong Jived, were addicted to sui- our socie.J intercourse with them. The form cide; &nd it is &general rule tha.t laws are not of the expression here used points especie.Jly nwie excepting against tolerably well-known to false witness of tbe former kind, but does crimes. It w been argned that e.ngry not ex.elude the J.a.tter, which is expressly for- thought;; e.nd insulting words were forbidden bidden in eh. xxiii. 1. The wrong done to a b< it on the strength of our Lord's co=ent man by false evidence in e. court may be & in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. v. 21, 22). wrong of the very extremest kind-may be B11t it seems to the present writer that in actual murder (I Kings xxi. 13) More often, Matt. v. 21--47 our Lord is not so much ex- however, it resulb; in e.n injury to his property plaining the Jewwi law &S 11.IDplifying it on or his character. As fate.I to the a.dministre.- 111s own authority-note the re,retition of the tion of justice, false witness in courts h&S been phrd.Se, " But I say nnto you' --and ma.king severely visited by penalties in e.11 well- 1t mee.n to Christie.us what it had not meant regulated states. At Athens the false witness lu ,Tews. was liable to & heavy fine, and if thrice con- 'Ver. 14.-Thou ahalt not oommit adultery. victed lost a.J.l his civil rights. At Rome, by & (Jur fipr,ond duty Inwards our neighbour is to le.w of the Twelve Tables, he was hurled rc,1,,·c1 the bond on which the (a.w.ily is based, headlong from the Tarpeian rock. In Ei;y]Jt, CH. XX. 1-17,l TilE BOOK OF EXODU& 135