The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 355

tho passive conveys tho idea or wandering Vere. 9-11.-(Cf. Lev. xix. I~-) Gori h(ls through being dmwn away by some e11tice- made distinctions in nnture, o.nd theso are ment. Hide thyself from them; ,.e. withdraw not to be confounded by the mixin" of thyself from thorn, nvoid noticing them or things distinct. The ox and the ass ~crn having to do with them. In any oase; chiefly used in husbandry; bnt., o.s they certainly, without fnil. were of different size nnd strrngth, it wa.s Ver. 4,-An o.nimal that ho.d fallen was not only fitting that they should not be also to bo lifted np, and the owner was to yoked to the same plough, but it might bo be assisted to do this. In Exodus, it is cruel so to yoke them. specially declo.red tho.t both theso services Ver. 11.-A garment of divers sorts; ore to be rendered, even though the parties sha'atnez, a kind of cloth in which threads are at enmity with oach other, nnd the one of linen and threads of woollen were inter- is the object of hatred to the other. woven. The meaning of the word is Ver. 5.-'fhe divinely instituted distinc- uncertain. The LXX. render by ,ci/3071>..or, tion between the sexes was to be sacredly "spurious, ba.d;" Aquila, by a.vTtO,a,cE[µfvov, observed, and, in order to this, the dress "variously disposed, diverse." No Semitic and other things appropriato to the one etymology can be found for the word, and were not to be used by the other. That as the Hebrews derived the textile art from whioh pertaineth unto a man; literally, the Egypt, the home of that art, the word is apparatua e,f) of a man, inclucling; not probably of Egyptian origin. Ver. 12.-(Uf. Nnmb. xv. 38.) Fringes; dress merely, but implements, tools, properly, tauela. The tnnic of the Hebrews weapons, and utensils. This is an ethical appears to have been divided at tl,e bottom regulation in the interests of morality. in front, and back, so that four comers or There is no reference, as some have sup- wings (ni!lD) were made, to each of which a poaed, to the wearing of masks for the purpose of disguise, or to the practice of tassel was ~ppended (Greek, 1ep&cr...ellov, Matt. the priests at heathen festivals of wearing ix. 20 ; xxi.ii 5, etc.). masks of their gods. Whatever tends to Vere. 13--29.-The laws in this section obliterate the distinction between the sexes have the design of fostering purity and tends to licentiousness; and that the one fidelity in the relation of the sexes, and sex should assume the dress of the other also of protecting the female against the has always been regarded as unnatural malice of sated lust o.nd the violence of and indecent (comp. Seneca, 'Epist.,' 122, brutal lust. (For the case supposed in ver. "Noone videntur contra naturam vivere qui 13, cf. 2 Sam. xiii 15. On the whole section commutant cum feminis vestem;" and see Michaelis, • Laws of Moses,' pt. ii. § 92; Juvenal, 'Sat.,' vi. 252- Niebuhr, 'Description de l' Arabie,' eh. viii.; Burckhardt, 'Bedwins,' p. 2H.) " Quem prmstare potest mulier galeata pu- Vere. 22-29.-Four cases are here dis- dorem , tinguished. I. That of a married woman Qum fugit a sexu? ") who has been unfaithful; in this case both Such o. change of vesture is here declared the woman and her paramour are, when de- to be an abomination to the Lord, because _tected, to be put to death (ver. 22). 2. That of of its tendency to immorality. a virgin betrothed who is o.ssailed in a town, Vera. 6, 7.-(Cf. Lev. xxii. 28; Exod. where she might have cried for protection, but xxiii. 19.) These precepts are designed to did not ; in this case also both were to be foster humane feeling towards the lower punished with death as adulterers (vers. 23, animals, and not less to preserve regard to 2-1). 3. That of a virgin betrothed who has that affectionate relation between parents been forcibly violated in the field. where, and their young which God has established if she cried for help, her cry was in vain.; as a law in the animal world. That thou in this case only the man should be lie.blt1 mayest prolong thy de.ye (cf. eh. v. 16; to be put to death, whilst the woman was Exod. x.x. 12). to be held innocent (vers. 25-27). 4. Ver. 8.-Still less was human life to be That of a virgin not betrothed with whom exposed to danger through neglect of proper a man has had carnal intercourse; in this precautions. The houses in Palestine, as case the man should be required to pay a in other parts of the East, had flat roofs, fine of fifty shekels of silver to the damsel's and, as these wore much frequented by father, and to take her to be his wife, from the inhabitants for various purposes (cf. whom he could not be separated during life Josh. ii. 6; 2 Sam. xi. 2; xviii. 24; Neh. viii. (vers. 28, 29). 16; Matt. x. 27; Acts x. 9), it was necessary Ver. 30.-To these is appencled a. general that a battlement or bal ustrode should prohibition of incestuous conuections, the surround the roof, in order to prevent first provision in the earlier lo.w being person~ falling over. Hence the direction cited as a sort of index to tho whole (Ley. here given, xviii. 71 eto.). S56 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [cu. xxn. 1-30.