The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 297

Probably the so.cred writer nees it 811 a lesa (see 2 Chron. :d. 15: Illa. xiii. 21: n:xiv. H; sncred term, and therefore more suitable to where the word occurs). It is generally sup- se.orifices offered to the spirits of the fields posed that the Israelites borrowed their wor- and woods. H ordino.ry slaughtering were ship of the goat-like spirits of the woods meo.nt, there is no reason why pigeons and nIJ<i fields froII! Egypt. That goat-worship turtle-doves should not be added to the oz, prevailed there in a very foul shape we know OT laml,, OT goat. That every oz, OT lamb, OT (Herod., ii. 42), but sacrifices in the open goat, to be killed in the oamp, or . , . out of fields are rather a Persian habit (Herod., the camp, for the food of more than 600,000 i. 132). Pan-worship, however, was common men, should be brought to so confined a to most if not to all agricnltural nations. space 811 the con.rt of the tabernacle for The injunction which follows, This shall slaughter, where the animals for the daily, be a atatute for ever unto them throughout weekly, o.nnnal, and innnmerable privo.te their generatio118, which cannot be confined sacrifires were also killed, appears almost to the last few words or verses, shows that incredible in itself. How wonld the drivers the command of ver. 3 refers to sacrifices, not have made their way into it? and what to ordinary slaughtering. Had slaughtering would have soon been the state of the been meant, the statute could not have been con.rt? It is true that animal food was intended to be more than temporary in it.it not the sto.ple sustenance of the Israelites obligation. The importance attributed to in the wilderness; bnt not unfrequently, the regulation is further shown by thit after a successful war or raid, there must declaration prcvionsly made, that whoever have been a vast number of cattle killed transgressed it should be cut off from among for fensting or reserved for subsequent his people, or excommunicated. In fact, it ea.ting. makes an era in the history of the chosen Ver. 4.-In case a mo.n offers a sacrifice people. The old patriarchal priesthood elsewhere than at the door of the tabernaole having ceased, nnd the Aaronio priesthood of the congregation, . . . blood shall be im- substituted for it, the tabernacle ie ap- puted unto that man; that is, it shall no pointed to serve as a religious centre to thit longer be regarded as a saorifice at nil, but rnce. Whenever, from thill time onwards, an unjustifiable shedding of blood, for which so.criftces were offered, without offence, else- he is to be out off from among his people, where than in the court of the tnbcrnacle or that is, excom.mnnicated. temple, a.s by Samuel (see 1 Sam. xiii. 8), Ver. 5.-To the end that the ohildren of and by Elijah (I Kings xviii. 32), it wns done Israel may bring their saorifloes. This pas- by the direct order or dispensntion of God. sage tells us the purpose of the previous Vera. 8, 9.-So essential ill the regulation command : it is to prevent sacrifices being to the maintennnce of the Isrnclitish polity, sacrificed (the word is twice used in the thnt it ill extended to the strangera whioh original) in the open field, or nnywhere else sojourn among them, not confined to those thnn in the court of the tabernncle. It follows who were of the house of Israel; and the that the command refers to sncrifice, not to penalty of excommunicntion is appointed mere slaughtering. Clnrk, taking the for both classes alike in case of disobedienoe. opposite view of the command, is obliged It mny be noticed that this verse assumes to ohnnge the trnnslntion, ,acrijicea u,hi,,h thnt burnt offerings nnd peace offerings nre they offer in the open field, into "beasts for offered by the strangers thnt sojourn e.moug slnughter which they now slaughter in the them, ns well as by the Isroclitcs by race. open field" (' Speaker's Commentary'); but Vere. 10, 11.-The nppointment made he has no authority for doing so. Zabach just above, thnt the blood of nll animnls mco.ns o.lways, in the Pentateuoh, to slay in slain in sncrifice should be offered to the so.orifice. These field sacrifices, when offered Lord on his nltar in the court of the tnber- to the Lord in the proper place and with no.cle, lends nnturnlly to n reitorotion of the tho proper oeremonios, would become peaoe prohibition of the eating of blood, and 11 offerings unto the Lord. statement of the rcnson of tho.t prohibition. Vor. 6.-The priest, that is, the Levitical "But flesh with the life thereof, whioh is priest, is henceforth to sprinkle the blood the blood thereof, she.II ye not ent," was given upon the altar of the Lord . . , and bnm the as n command to Nonh (Gen. ix. 4). It he.a fat for a sweet savour, which were the two already been repeated twice In the Ilook of parts of the sl\Crifice which were essentinlly Leviticus (chs. iii. 17: vii. 26), and it is priestly in their chnro.cter. The old priestly still again found in eh. xix. 26; Deut. xii. function of the bend of the family is dill- 16; xv. 23. The present is the locus clus,icu, allowed. which explains the earnestness with which Vtr. 7.-And they shall no more offer their the rule is enforced. It begins with an ex- aaorifloea unto devils, after whom they have tension of the obligation from the Isro.clites gone a whoring. The word rightly trans- to the sojourners among them, and with a foted devil, means, litorally, shaggy goats solemn declaration thnt, in cnse of trana-  262 THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [err, xvn. 1-16.