The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 306

1imo the~- sl1mghtered an animal for and conveyed t\l them his word and will. domest.ir use? At the snme time, the In this respect his plnco could bo supplied sncri6res here referred to do not seom to neither by priest nor by king. Iu the be incl udcd in the offerings by fire aboyo nwnt.ioned ; nnd these gifts to tho priest prospoct of his demise, therefore, thcro rc- sC'em to ha \'e been something m·01.· and q uircd to be instituted another offico, that ab0\'e his ordinary dues. There is proba- of a prophet, one who should bo between bility. therefore, in the sugge,tion ihnt "the God and tho people, o.s tho channel through rC'fereuce is to the slaughtering of oxen, which Divine communications might pass to sheep, or ,:;ants, which ·wC're not intended for slielamim in the more limited sense, i.e. them. '.fhis office Moses here announces for one of the three species of peace offer- thllt God would establish among them when ings (Lev. Yii. 15, 16), but for festal meals they had entered the promised l11nd. in th<' hronder sense, which wero held in Ver. 9.-The abominations of those na.tioD.B; connect.ion with the sacrificial meals prn- i.e. certain forms of superstitious us11ge by p,1 red from the sheuimim" (Keil). which the heathen sought to procure the Yer. 4.-In addition to the firstfruits favour of !heir deities, to obt11in from them already prescribed by the Lo.w to be giYen direction and counsel, and to penetrate into to lhl' priests (Numb. xviii. 12, 13), :Moses tho bidden future of events. Moses charges here l'Uacts that the first fleece of the sheep the people to avoid all such usages, and not shall be gi rnn. All these, though legally even to learn to do after such abominations prescribed, were free gifts on the part of (cf. Lev. xviii. 21; Numb. xxiii. 23; Lev. tue people; the neglect of the prescription xix. 26, 31). incurred only moral blame, not judicial Vers. 10, 11.-Ma.keth his son or daughter penalty. to pass through the fire (see note on cb. xii. Yer. 5.-Thc reason assigned for the 31). Thatnseth divina.tion (of. Ezek. xxi. 21, enactment is that God had chosen the where the different method~ of divination priest to stand and minister in the Name of are enumerated). An observer of times. Jehovah, i.e. not only by his appointment This is according to the '.fargum, obse'TtJans and authority, bi.t with full power to act horas; the LXX. have ,c>.:q6ov,(oµevos, "one us mediator between the people and God. who augurs what is to h11ppen;" Vulgate, Him and his sons for ever ; referring to tlie qui observat somnia atque auguria. The c·stablishment of the priesthood in the word O?.iV!?) is part of a verb which signifies family of Ao.ron. to cover,· to use covert arts, to practise Y crs. G-8.-0nly a portion of the Levites sorcery; though some derive it from the wtre engaged in the ser-rice of the sanctuary ; noun Pl:', a thick cloud, and explain it as ilie rest lh'ed in their towns throughout the country. It might happen, however, that "interpreter of clouds;" while otbe1·s trnco a Le.-ite, moved by pious feeling, would it to ]'.)/, the eye, and explain it as "one come to the place of the sanctuary to worship who cheats by optical fascinations" (so the there; and it is prescribed that such a one Syriac, fascinans oculis), or" one who divines should fare as his brethren the Levites by inspection-an augur." An enche.nter; engaged in tLe service of the sanctuuy one who practises magic, or divines by signs fart;d ; he should ruinister along with them, (cf. Gen. xliv. 5; Numb. xxiv. I). It is and share with them in the gifts of the sometimes said that the verb of which this worshippers; and this in e.ddition to any word is a part(;;~?) is a denominative from prirnte means he might have from the sale iiim, a serpent; whence it is inferred that nf his patrimony. Where he sojourned. tb·~ species of divination indicated by this The Levite, though not homeless, wo.s re- word is ophiomancy, or divination by serpents, garded as only a sojourner in the land. but this is not generally accepted by inasmuch as the tribe had no inLeritance scholars. A witch (9!i:;>'?; LXX., </)~pµa.,c&s: (n70;) there. They shall have like portions Vulgate, maleficus); probably one who pre- to eat; literally, they shall eat portion as tended to cure diseases, or procure some 1,01·tion, i.e. share and share alike. That desired result, by me11ns of nostrums and which cometh of the sale of his patrimony ; philtres. In the en11merntion of the wise men literally, his price upon [the house] of [hisl of Babylon (Dan. ii. 2), tlie 111ecashephim fathers, i.e. tl,e produce of the sale effected have a place beside the Hartummim, and in on the house he inheriLed from his ancestry Gen. xli. 8 and Exod. vii. 11, they are joined (cf. Lev. xxv. 83). with the Hachamim or l\fagi of Egypt; and Vera. 9-22.-Moses was not only the this favours the conclusion that theil· sorcery had 11 quasi-scientific basis. The English leader and ruler of the people, he was al.Ila word "witch" is now restricted to the the medium through which God communi- female practiser of unlawful arts; for_merly cated with the people, ga-re them his laws, it was applied to males as well, 1i uot OU, XVIll, 1-22.] THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. 303