The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 365

children of their own. Under tbeae cir- bath II blemish, that lhaJJ. ye not offer. The cumstances, it is ruled that they become once list of blemishes and malformations which more e. po.rt of the priest's family, and able exclude from the altar is given; they are to exercise the privileges of that position. such ae deform the animal, and make it less The priest's wife and sons and unmarried valuable: blind, or broken, or maimed, or daughters are not here mentioned, as no having e. wen, or scurvy, or soe.bbed, ye shall question arose about them. not offer these unto the Lord, nor any animal Ver. H.-As the sacrificial meals made a that is bruised, or 0?118hed, or broken, or cut, po.rt of the stipends of the priestly body, that is, castrated in any manner. The clause any one who inadvertently took a share in following the mention of castratiou-neither them by eating of the holy thing unwittingly, ahall ye make any offering thereof in your when he had no right to do so, had to refund la.nd-litero.lly translated, neither shall ye the value of the meat, with one fifth, that is, make in your land, probably forbids castra- twenty per cent., added to it. He thns ac- tion altogether, not merely the offering of knowledged that be had "committed e. oastrated animals in sacrifice. The expres- trespass in the holy things of the Lord." the sion, Ye shall offer at your own will, should case falling under the rule given in eh. v. be understood. as before, for your acceptance 15, 16, "And he shall make amends for the (see note on eh. ii I). Only one exception harm that be bath done in the holy thing, is made 88 to blemished offerings; an animal and shall add the fifth po.rt thereto, and that bath any thing superfluoua or lacking in give it unto the priest." In the fifth chapter hie parts may be offered for e. freewill offer- e. trespass offering of e. ram is also ordered, ing, but not for e. vow (for the distinction or which, though not specified, is probably these offerings, see note on eh. vii. 16). understood here a.leo. '.l'hese rules as to unblemished victims are Vere. 15, 16.-These verses present some to apply to the offerings of strangers as well difficulties of construction. The rendering as of Israelites. of the Authorized Version is a.s follows: Vera. 26, 27.-Extreme youth is to be And they sha.11 not profane the holy things regarded as e. blemish in an animal in the of the ohildren of Israel, whioh they offer 111,me way as other defects. During the unto the Lord; or suJfer them to bear the young oree.ture's first week of existence it ls iniquity of trespa.es, when they eat their holy not considered 88 having arrived at the per- things: for I the Lord do sanotify them. If fection of it.a individual and separate life, this rendering is accepted, it would mean and therefore only from the eighth day and that the priests are not to profane the holy thenoeforth it sha.11 be e.ooepted for an offer- things by any irregularity on their part as ing made by fire unto the Lord. Up to what to the eating of them, nor to suffer laymen age an animal might be offered is not stated. to incur the guilt of a trespBSs by ea.ting Gideon is narrated as offering a bullock of them. The me.rgino.l rendering, which is to seven yea.re old (Judg. vi. 25). be preferred, gives the passage as follows: Ver. 28.-A lesson of charity is added. A .And they ,hall not profane the holy things young animal and its mother ore not to be of the children of Israel, which they offer unto killed (though referenoe is specially mnde the Lord ; or lad6 themselves with the iniquity to snorifice, the genernl word, not the sacri- of trespass in tl1eir eating. According to ficial term, for slaying is need) on the same this translation, the meaning would be that day, just 88 the kid is not to be seethed in lo.ymen (who had been spoken of in the it~ mother's milk (Exod. xxiil. 19; Dent. previous verse) should not profane the holy xiv. 21), nor the mother bird be taken from things, or become guilty of o. trespass (e.s the nest with tho young (Deut. xxii. 6). defined in ver. 15) by eating them. Tech- Thus we see thnt the feelings of the humnn nically and literally, David was guilty of heal't ore not to be rudely shooked by an this trespass in a.n aggra voted form, when 11ct of 11ppnrent cruelty, even when no hnrm he and his followers ate the shewbrea.d at iR thereby done to the ohject of thnt net. Nob (1 Sam. xxi. 6), for the shewbread was Mercy is to be taught by forbidding o.nything not only holy, but most holy. But bis aot is which mny blunt the sentiment of meroy in excused by our Lord, on the plea of necessity the human henrt. (Matt. xii. 3, 4), even though it was done on Vere. 29, 30.-Two forms of peace offer- the sa.bbath day (1 Sam. xxi. 5, margin). ings, the vowed and the voluntary offerings, Vere. 17-25.-Just as the priests who hnving been mentioned in ver. 21, the law offer to the Lord are to be ceremonially and 88 to the third form, thanksgiving offerings, morally holy, so the animals offered to him is repented from oh. vii. 15 (where me note). are to be physically perfeot, in order (1) to be Vere. 31-33.-These verses form the cou- types of a future perfect Viotim, (2) to sym- clusion of the Section and of the Po.rt, en- bolize the" perfect heart "which God req uircs joining obedience to God's oommnndmonts, to be given to him, and (3) to tench the duty reverence for his N nmo, and consequent of offering to him of our best. Whatsoever holiness. 330 THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [oH, XXII. 1-33,