The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 296

ing of domestio animals, difiloult to carry OHAPTER XVII. out in any case, woulrl become impossible to This chapter finds its natural place here obey after the camp had been expanded .as the supplement of all that has gone before. into a nation, and it is therefore supposed The first pa.rt of the book contains the insti- that it is by anticipation repealed in Dent. tution or re.,""lllation of the sacrificial system xii 15 (" Notwithstanding thou mayest kill (cha. i.-vii.). This chapter, therefore, which and eat flesh in ell thy gates, whatsoever gives injunctions as to the place where thy soul lusteth after, according to the -all sacrifices a.re to be offered, might well, blessing of the Lord thy God which he as Knobel has remarked, have te.ken its hath given thee"), ·while the regulo.tions as place as eh. viii The second part contains to restricting the offering of sacrifice to the the institution of the hereditary priesthood court of the temple, and as to pouring blood { chs. viii.-x.). This chapter, therefore, which on the earth, are there emphatically enforced. forbids for the future all offering of sacri• This view of the text is erroneous, and must .flees in the open fields, and commands that be rejected. The injunction does not they shall be brought "unto the priest, unto refer to the ordinary slaughter of domestio the door of the tabernacle of the congregation," animals for food, but only to sacrifices. would still more fitly find its place after Hitherto it had been the right and tho eh. L Bnt the first two sections of the duty of the head of eo.ch family to offer third pa.rt (chs. xi.-xvi.) contain the laws sacrifice for his household, and this he did and rules respecting cleansing from cere- wherever he thought proper, accordiug to monia.l defilement, and this cleansing is the ancient patriarchal practice, and most to be mainly effected by the means of naturally in the open fields. This duty and -sacrifice. Therefore the rule as to the place liberty is now abolished. The Aaronio where sacrifice shall be offered is most priesthood has superseded the older priestly naturally given here, where it is found system, a.nd henceforth every sacrifice is to ( eh. xvii), forming a close not only to Pa.rte be offered in the court of the tabernacle, L o.nd IL, but also to the two sections of Part and by the hand- of Ao.ron's sons. The m., which contain the regulations as to change was most momentous, but it could pnrification by sacrifice. It is altogether a not but be made after tho consecra.tion of mistake to make a Second Book begin with Aaron and his sons for an hereditary priest- eh. xvii., as is done by Lange and Keil. hood. A second reason for the change being The first injunction contained in the made was the immediate danger to which 11 ehe.pter (vers. 2-7) is very generally under• rude and superstitions people wo.s exposed, stood to mean that while the Israelites lived of offering the po.rte which they were bound in the wilderness, all animals fit for sacrifices to set aside for the a.lto.r of God to some other which were slain for food should be so far deity, if God's priests o.nd o.ltar were not o.t regarded as sacrifices tho.t they should be ha.nd. The ima.gino.tions of the. Israelitos, brought to the door of the tabernacle and corrupted by their stay in Egypt, peopled .slain in the court, an oO:ering of the blood the fields with beings answering to the Pan and fat being made to the Lord. Thus the and the satyrs of the Greeks ; and to those orclinary slaughtering of domestic animals, it the saored portions of the o.nima.ls sla.ughtored is said, became sanctified, and the dignity of elsewhere the.a o.t the tabernaolo were offered. life made clear: God is the Lord of life; he Ver. 3.-What man soever there be of the gave it, and it must not bo taken away house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, unless the blood, which is the vehicle of or goat. The use of the word Tdlleth, insteo.d life, be offered to him by beiug presented of sacrificei11, is one of the chief ea.uses of the error referred to above, which represents sacrificially on his altar, or, where this is this commond as applying to the slo.ughtor n0t possible, as in the case of wild animals, of domestic animals. But it is olways per- by being reverently covered with earth. missible to use II generio in place of 11 Such a rule as this respecting the slaughter- specifio term, and its use proves nothing. OH, XVIl. 1-16.] THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. 261