The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 341

might put on gorments of mourning. A full .. glutton," however cS~iT, from S'.,1, to ahoke, month; litomlly, a montl• of days; the to shake out, to squrtnder), includ,·s other oriod of mourning woe forty clays (cf. Gen. r. 3).Ver.14.-Shoulc\ themon aftorwarclscome kincls of oxcess hesirlos cnting. It rlesi~n tcs one who is prodigal, whn wuatcs his means or w11Stes his person by indulgence. In no longor to hovo pleasure in her, he was to let Prov. xxiii. 30, the whnlo phrase (~~:i ,S~·.l) her go whithor she would, but ho wns not to eoll her for monoy or uso any violence to her. is given-squandeTers of llesh, i.e. wrtsters nf Thou ■halt not make merchandise of her. their own body, debnuchees. In Prov. xxviii. Tho verb in the form bore used occurs only 7, the· word is transhited "riotous men" in bore and in eh. xxiv. 7; derived from a the Authorized Version. Disobedience tn root which signifies to gCLther or press, it parents was cleemed an offence which struck properly meons to P.ress for one's self, to fay at the roots of the wholo social institute. hCLuds on one, to use violence to ono. Ver. 21.-The penalty of such crimes was death; but the power of intlictin~ this was Vors.15-17,-IfCL mCLn hCLve two wives, not among the Hebrews-M nmon~ somo ona of whom is CL favourite and the other other ancient peoples, the Greeks anrl disliked, ond if his first born son be the child Romans, for instance-left with the father; of the lattor, ho is not to allow his love for the punishment could be inflicted only hy the other to prejudice the right of the son, the community, with the sonction of tho magistmte. A Hebrew parent might chastise but must ollow him, both in his own lifetime his child with severity, but not so as to CLnd in the disposition of his property after affect his life (Prov. xix. 18, "Chasten thy deo.th, the full privilege CLud right of a son while there is hope, but raise not thy firstborn eon. soul [let not thy passion rise so high as] to Ver. 16.-Xe may not make; literally, ill slay him"). While po.rental CLuthority was_ not able to mal,e; i.e. is legally incCLpable of sacredly preserved, CL check was by the Law making. imposed on hosty passion. Ver. 17.-A double portion; literally, a Vera. 22, 23.-When a criminnl wos put mouth of two; i.e. a portion (so "mouth" is to death and was hanged upon a tree, hi,- used in 2 Kings ii. 9; Zech. xiii. 8) equo.l to body was not to remain there over-night, that of two; consequently, the firstborn in- but wos to be buried the same dCLy on which herited twice as much as any of the other he was executed. ions. Amongst all nations o.nd from the Ver. 22.-If a man have committed a sin earliest times, the right of the eldest son•to worthy of death; literally, Ij there be on a pre-eminence among his brethren has been man a judgment of death; if he lie under recon-nized ; and in legisle.ting for Israel, sentence of death. Xang him on a tree. l\los~s so far simply snnotioned a usage he 1'his refers not to putting to death by found already existing; the assignment, stro.nalin"', but to the impaling of tile body however, of a double share in the inheri tCLnce after death (cf. C. B. Michaelis,· De Judiciis to the eldest son is a new and specil\l pro- Pmnisque Capitalibns in Soc. Script. Com- vision, mentioned only here. Beginning of memoratis,' iu •SyllogeCo=entt. Theolog.,' his strength ( cf. Gen. xlix. 3). edita a D. J. Pott, vol. iv. p. 209). This Vera. 18-21.-Ih son was refractory and was an aggravation of the punishment, os unmanageable by his pnrents, if, given to the body so impaled was exposed to insult sensual indulgence, he would yield neither and assault (cf. Numb. x.xv. 4; Gen. :xl. 19). to reproof nor to ohostisement,-the pCL?ents Ver. 23.-Xe that is hanged is acoursed of God; literally, a curse of God. Some tuke were to lny hold on him, and lead him to this as meaning an insult to God, a con- the elders of the towa, sitting as magistrates temuin"' of him, "since man his im~ge is at its gutes, and there accuse him of his thus gi~en up to scorn o.nd insult" (Rashi). evil ways CLnd rebelliousness. The testimony But the more probo.ble meaniug is "a curse of the parents wos apparently held sufficiont inflioled by God," which the transgressor to substCLntiate the ohnrge, and this being is m11,de to endure ( cf. Gol. iii. 13). That thy land be not defiled. The fond was cle- received by the eldera, the oulprit was to filed, not only by sins commit~ecl by its be put to death by stoning. inhabitants, but also by the pubhc exposuxe Ver. 20.-Xe will not obey our voioe; he of oriminnls who had been put to death for is a glutton, ud a drunkard. Gluttony l\nd their sins (cf. Lev. xviii. 24, 25; Numb. drunkenness were regarded by the Hebrews xxxv. 33, 34). On this law Joshul\ acteJ 118 highly oriminal. Tbe wor<! rendere«! ~ '4>£. Josh. vii.i. 29; X, 26, 27). 340 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [en. XXI, 1-23,