Deuteronomy 16 commentary

The laws for the three yearly feasts are here repeated; that of the Passover, that of the Pentecost, that of Tabernacles; and the general law concerning the people's attendance. Never should a believer forget his low estate of guilt and misery, his deliverance, and the price it cost the Redeemer; that gratitude and joy in the Lord may be mingled with sorrow for sin, and patience under the tribulations in his way to the kingdom of heaven. They must rejoice in their receivings from God, and in their returns of service and sacrifice to him; our duty must be our delight, as well as our enjoyment. If those who were under the law must rejoice before God, much more we that are under the grace of the gospel; which makes it our duty to rejoice evermore, to rejoice in the Lord always. When we rejoice in God ourselves, we should do what we can to assist others also to rejoice in him, by comforting the mourners, and supplying those who are in want. All who make God their joy, may rejoice in hope, for He is faithful that has promised.

Care is taken for the due administration of justice. All personal regards must be laid aside, so that right is done to all, and wrong to none. Care is taken to prevent following the idolatrous customs of the heathen. Nothing belies God more, or tends more to corrupt the minds of men, than representing and worshipping, by an image, that God, who is an almighty and eternal Spirit, present every where. Alas! even in gospel days, and under a better dispensation, established upon better promises, there is a tendency to set up idols, under one form or another, in the human heart.

1. Observe the month Abib. For what purpose God instituted the Passover, has already been shewn in the exposition of the First Commandment; for since it was a symbol of redemption, and in that ceremony the people exercised themselves in the pure worship of the One God, so as to acknowledge Him to be their only Father, and to distinguish Him from all idols, I thought that the actual slaying of the lamb should be introduced amongst the Supplements to the First Commandment. It only remains for us to speak here of what relates to the Sabbath. This then was the first solemn day, on which God would have His people rest and go up to Jerusalem, forsaking all their business. But mention is here made not only of the Paschal Lamb, but He also commands sheep and oxen to be slain in the place which He should choose. In these words He signifies that on that day a holy convocation was to be held; which is soon after more clearly expressed, for I have already given the two intermediate verses in the institution of the Passover itself, He therefore prohibits their slaying the Passover apart in their own cities, but would have them all meet in the same sanctuary. It has been elsewhere said that one altar was prescribed for them, as if God would gather them under one banner for the preservation of concord and the unity of the faith. What is added respecting the solemnity of the seventh day is very appropriate to this place.

Deuteronomy 16:3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it. Because by this sign they were reminded of their having escaped in haste, as it were from the very flames; therefore does Moses so often enforce the prohibition of leaven. And here this reason for it is alleged, viz., that their recollection should be recalled to the affliction from which they were rescued; for they must needs have been involved in the greatest straits, when there was no time even for baking bread. Unleavened bread is therefore called “the bread of affliction,” that the manner of their deliverance may the more enhance God’s grace. He repeats what we have seen before, that none of the flesh of the Lamb should be reserved to the following day. In the former passage from the Book of Exodus, because Moses speaks generally, the command may at first sight be referred to the perpetual sacrifice; but the latter passage takes away all obscurity, by the express mention of the passover. We need not wonder that in one place the word “fat” is used for the whole carcase, or any part of the lamb, either by synecdoche, or that God might commend the superior sanctity of the fat, of which they were not permitted to eat, and which was burnt in all sacrifices.

Numbers 9

Numbers 9:1-14

1. And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

1. Loquutus est autem Jehova ad Mosen in deserto Sinai, anno secundo quo egressi sunt e terra Aegypti, mense primo, dicendo:

2. Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.

2. Facient filii Israel Pesah in tempore suo.

3. In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.

3. Decimoquarto die mensis hujus inter duas vesperas facietis illud tempore suo: secundum omnes titus suos, et juxta omnes ceremonias suas facietis illud.

4. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.

4. Alloquutus est itaque Moses filios Israel ut facerent Pesah.

5. And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

5. Feceruntque Pesah in primo mense, decimoquarto die ejusdem inter duas vesperas in deserto Sinai: secundum omnia quae praeceperat Jehova Mosi, sic fecerunt filii Israel.

6. And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day.

6. Fuerunt autem quidam immundi super anima hominis, qui non potuerunt facere Pesah die ipso: tunc accesserunt coram Mose et coram Aharon ipso die.

7. And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel?

7. Dixeruntque homines illi ad cum, Nos immundi sumus super anima hominis, ut quid prohibemur ne offeranms oblationem Jehovae tempore suo in medio filiorum Israel?

8. And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you.

8. Et dixit ad eos Moses, State, et audiam quid praecipiat Jehova pro vobis.

9. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

9. Loquutus est autem Jehova ad Mosen, dicendo:

10. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you, or of your posterity, shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord.

10. Alloquere filios Israel, dicendo, Quicunque fuerit immundus super anima, aut fuerit in via remota, ex vobis, vel ex generationibus vestris, faciet Pesah Jehovae.

11. The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

11. Mense secundo, decimoquarto die inter duas vesperas facient illud: cum infermentatis: et herbis amaris comedent illud.

12. They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.

12. Non relinquent quicquam ex eo usque mane, neque os confringent in co: seeundum onmes ritus Pesah facient illud.

13. But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from his people: because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.

13. Vir autem qui est mundus, aut in via non fuerit, et cessaverit facere Pesah, excidetur anima illa e populis suis, quia oblation era Jehovae non obtulit tempore suo, peccatum suum portabit vir ille.

14. And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the Lord; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.

14. Si vero habitaverit apud vos peregrinus, et fecerit Pesah Jehovae, juxta ritum Pesah, et juxta ceremonias ejus sic faciet: ritus unus erit vobis, tam peregrino quam indigenae terrae.

9. Seven weeks shalt thou number. It must be observed that the Passover fell in a part of the year when the harvests were beginning to ripen; and consequently the first-fruits, of which I treated under the First Commandment, were then offered. Seven weeks afterwards they celebrated another feast-day, which was called Pentecost, i.e., the fiftieth, by the Greeks. There was just this number of days between the departure of the people and the publication of the Law. Another offering of first-fruits was then made, in which each one, according to his ability, and in proportion to the produce of the year, consecrated a gift to God of the harvested fruits. In order that they might be more ready and cheerful in their liberality, God’s blessing is set before them, as if Moses had commanded the people to testify their gratitude; since whatever springs from the earth, is the mere bounty of God Himself.

11. And thou shalt require. On another ground he exhorts and excites them to willingness, because the service of God brings this rejoicing; for there is nothing which ought more to stimulate us to obedience, that when we know that God rather consults our good than seeks to obtain any advantage from us. Ungodly men, indeed, rejoice also, nay, they are wanton and intemperate in their joy; but since that joy is not only transient, but their laughter is turned into weeping and gnashing of teeth, it is not without cause that Moses here magnifies it as a peculiar blessing, to rejoice before God; as if a father should invite his children to delight themselves together with him. But by this external exercise, believers were reminded that there is no real or desirable joy, unless in reference to God. And surely, however the wicked may exult in their pleasures, and abandon themselves to gratifcations, still, since tranquillity of conscience, which alone brings true rejoicing, is wanting to them, they do not enjoy the merriment into which they plunge themselves. Finally, Moses amplifies by a comparison the good which they enjoyed in the service of God, when he says, “And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt;” for that their present condition might be more pleasant to them, he heightened its sweetness by the recollection of their most miserable captivity. I have here neglected Cicero’s Tusc. Quoest iv., “Nam cum ratione animus movetur placide et constanter, tum illud gaudium dicitur; cum autem inaniter, et effuse animus exultat, tum ilia laetitia gestiens, vel nimia dici potest; quam ita definiunt, sine ratione animi elationem.” — Edit. Elz., 1661, p. 1088, a. very subtle distinction between the words gaudium and laetitia, for unless I take both of them in a good sense, I could not translate the Hebrew words, whereby God would express how indulgently He deals with His children. Meanwhile, this passage contains an exhortation to render thanks to God our deliverer.

13. Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles. Its first day was called the day of In-gathering, (collectionum,) because the produce of the whole year was then stored in their granaries “Aux greniers, ou aux caves, ou fenils, et gardoirs de toute provision.” — Fr. and provision cellars. Since, therefore, they then rested from their rural labors, it was a convenient time of year for the celebration of the festivals; for in order that they might more willingly go up to Jerusalem, it was arranged by God, that it should be done with but little expense and sacrifice of their domestic interests. Where our translation is, “When Jehovah shall have blessed thee,” it stands literally, “Because he shall bless thee,” Vide A. V., ver. 15, “Because the Lord thy God shall bless thee,” etc. but the sense is nearly the same; for Moses assures them that, provided they devote their minds diligently and faithfully to the service of God, they shall never want grounds for rejoicing, since He will never interrupt the flow of His blessing. The end, therefore, of the fifteenth verse, is not a mere command, but also a promise; as if he had said, that, if they were not ungrateful, there was no fear but that God would continually supply new cause for gladness; and these two clauses are to be taken in connection, “God will bless thee, and, therefore, thou shalt only rejoice;” for in this passage I willingly interpret thus “Car il y a ici un mot qui se prend bien pour Toutes fois; mais il signifie pareillement Tant y a, ou Quoy qu’il en soit, ou Pour vrai;” for there is here a word, which may properly mean, Nevertheless; but it also means However, or, At any rate, or, Truly. — Fr.

"Only (Utique, Vatablus; veruntamen, Pagninus; profrcto, Malvenda) joyful; understand, and not sad, i.e., You shall indulge in nothing but rejoicing.” — Pol. Syn. in loco. the particle אך, ak. It is indeed absurd to take it adversatively. It will not, therefore, be improper to explain it exclusively, as if he said, that, there should be no sorrow or anxiety, which should hinder them from the performance of their pious duty; those who render it “surely,” approach also to this meaning.

16. Three times in a year. We have previously said that although the other feast-days were not to be neglected, still, because God would make some allowance for the infirmity of His people, the necessity of going up to Jerusalem five times a year was not imposed upon them. Again, because only half of the seventh month contained three feast-days, i.e., from the first to the fifteenth, for the same reason it is only required of the males that they should leave their houses and celebrate the sacred convocations; for thus the females are spared, to whom traveling is not so convenient. Besides, through the fecundity promised them by God, they were almost always either pregnant or nursing. It is also certain that the boys and young men were excepted under the age of twenty, since God includes under the term males only those who were comprised in the census. If any object that in God’s spiritual worship there is no difference between males and females; the reply is easy, that the fathers of families presented themselves there in the names of their wives and children: so that the profession was extended to the other sex, and to those of tender age. To this David seems to allude, when he says: “Populus tuus liberalitatum est,” etc. — Lat. “Ton peuple est de franche volonte,” etc. — Fr. See Calvin on Psalm 110, Calvin Translation Society’s Edition, vol. 4, p. 296, and note, p. 301.

"Thy people shall come with voluntary offerings in the day of thy assembly, in the beauties of holiness,” (Psalm 110:3;)

for, speaking of the free-will-offerings of the people, he seeks an example of it, after the manner of the prophets, from the legal worship. Lest the Jews should object that there was danger of hostile invasion, if the land should be stripped of its defenses by the gathering together of all the men into one place, God anticipates this doubt in Exodus 34, promising that He will provide that no one shall desire to assail their forsaken homes; for to this the sentence refers: “I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders, so that no man shall desire thy land,” ver. 24. Whence also we gather, that God’s worship was not entirely established until all the neighboring nations were subdued, and He had placed His sanctuary in Mount Zion. Not that it was allowable for the people to omit the feast-days before that time; but that experience itself might teach them that God was wroth with them, whilst He deprived them of this special blessing; for fear and alarm arose only from their own fault. But let believers collect from hence the useful doctrine that, whenever they are following God, they will be safe under His protection, since it is in His power to repel the assaults of enemies, and everything that can harm them.

And they shall not appear before the Lord empty, “Others thus explain it, viz., that you should not be troubled at having to go so often to Jerusalem, because you should never go there in vain: some blessing shall always be brought away; I will not send you away empty.” Fagii Coll. Vers. in Poli. Syn. Exodus 23:15. I know not how it could have entered the minds of some to suppose that God here promised that all should be rich who should present themselves three times (a year) before His sanctuary: whereas it is plain from the words of Moses that He requires from every one some gift in token of their gratitude. And perhaps “Nobody, of what rank soever, appeared before the king without a present, which custom prevails among the Orientals to this day. When he went on his progress, or marched out with his army, all the inhabitants of the countries or provinces through which he passed were obliged to declare their vassalage by some present or other; even the inhabitants of the villages and fields flocked to him with some donation, some offering sheep, oxen, corn, wine, etc.; others milk, cheese, dates, etc., every one according to his ability.” Ancient Universal Hist., Vol. 5:139, from Aeliani Var. Hist. 1:32, 33.

Dr. Kitto, in his little work, “The Court of Persia,” gives some remarkable particulars from Morier respecting this custom as still existing. what historians relate respecting the Persians, that none should dare to address the king without a gift, was a

18. Judges and officers shalt thou make. I have placed this passage among the Supplements of the Fifth Commandment, for, if it pleases God that judges should be appointed for ruling the people, it follows that their laws and edicts should be obeyed; and thus the parental authority extends also to them. But, in order that the people may more readily submit themselves to judges, God reminds them that the human race could not otherwise be preserved. Public utility, therefore, renders the authority of magistrates pleasant and agreeable, though it would else be hateful. But, although it be not conceded to all to elect their judges, because God honored His chosen people with this prerogative, still he here recommends in general a regular government, since He signifies that human society cannot hold together unless the lawful rulers have authority to execute justice. Whether, then, magistrates are appointed by the suffrages of the people, or imposed in any other way, let us learn that they are the necessary ministers of God, to confine all men under the yoke of the laws. The latter passage, which I have annexed from Deuteronomy 7, refers to the same thing, viz., that even in war discipline is necessary, lest all things should be thrown into confusion. Now, if it pleases God that certain superior officers should have the command, it follows that they must be obeyed; for it would be ridiculous to appoint governors, if it were lawful to despise them with impunity. When, therefore, God sets military commanders over the people, He enforces the duty of humble submission.

The Sixth Commandment

Exodus 20

Exodus 20:13

13. Thou shalt not kill.

13. Non occides.

THE REPETITION OF THE SAME COMMANDMENT

Deuteronomy 5

Deuteronomy 5:17

17. Thou shalt not kill.

17. Non occides.

20. That which is altogether just “Justitiam, justitiam.” — Lat. See Margin A. V., “Heb., Justice, justice.” By an emphatic repetition God inculcates that judges should study equity with inflexible constancy; nor is this done without cause, for nothing is more likely to happen than that men’s minds should be clouded by favor or hatred. Besides there are so many quibbles whereby justice is perverted, that, unless judges are very cautious in watching against deception, they will often find themselves ensnared.

Exodus 23

Exodus 23:3, 6

3. Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.

3. Pauperem non honorabis ex sua causa.

6. Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.

6. Non inflectes judicium pauperis tui in lite ejus.

21. Thou shalt not plant thee. It is plain from the end of this verse that it is part of the Second Commandment. We know See Lucian in Dea Syria, sub initium; Πρῶτοι μὲν ὦν ἀνθρώπων, τῶν ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν, Αἰγύπτιοι λέγονται θεῶν τε ἐννοίαν λαβεὶν, καὶ ἱρὰ εἴσασθαι, καὶ τεμένεα, κ. τ. λ., — Tacitus Germ. 9. “Lucos et nemora consecrant.” Virgil. Eccl. 6:73. “Ne quis sit lucus, quo plus se jactet Apollo." that amongst the heathen nations groves were sacred, so that with them no religious object would receive due reverence, except under the shade of trees. Wherefore lest conformity with this general custom should vitiate the pure worship of God, this distinction was made; and this then is the intent of the prohibition, that the Jews should fly from all strange rites, lest by too closely approaching the Gentiles, they should introduce a sinful medley. But how necessary this prohibition was, appears from their eager imitation (of the heathen), of which mention is constantly made in the sacred history. For there was scarcely any period in which they abstained from “high places.” Nor is it without reason that Isaiah and Jeremiah reprove them for “playing the harlot under every green tree.” (Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6.)

Exodus 34

Exodus 34:11, 12, 15, 16

11. Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

11. Custodi quod ego praecipio tibi hodie. Ecce ego ejiciam a facie tua Amorrhaeum, Chananaeum, Hittaeum, Pheresaeum, Hivaeum, et Jebusaeum.

12. Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whether thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

12. Cave tibi ne forte percutias foedus cum habitatoribus ejus terrae ad quam ingressurus es, ne forte sint in laqueum vel offendiculum in medio tui.

15. Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

15. Ne forte percutias foedus cum habitatoribus ejus terrae, ut scortentur post deos suos, et sacrificent diis suis: vocet autem to quispiam, et comedas e sacrificio ejus.

16. And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

16. Et forte accipias e filiabus ejus filiis tuis, et scortentur filiae ejus post deos ipsarum, et scortari faciant filios tuos post deos earum.

Exodus 23

Exodus 23:31-33

31. ... for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.

31. Dabo in manum vestram habitatores terrae, et expelles cos a facie tua.

32. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

32. Non percuties cum ipsis foedus, nec cum diis eorum.

33. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

33. Non habitabunt in terra tua: ne forte peccare faciant te contra me quando colueris deos eorum, quod erit tibi in offendiculum.

22. Neither shalt thou set thee up. Hence also it more clearly appears what is the meaning and tendency of the Second Commandment. God elsewhere commands, Deuteronomy 27:2-3. See vol. 1, p. 369. (as we have seen,) that statues A.V, image. Margin, statue, or pillar. should be erected on the borders of the land, on which the sum of the Law should be inscribed. At first sight this prohibition seems to be contradictory; and indeed it would be so, unless you understand “statue” to be a false image of God, in which men set Him before them in bodily form; and, therefore, it is added, that He hates such statues. But I have preferred translating C makes the relative refer, not to the image set up, but to the act of setting it up. So also V. and Dathe, though the relative is plural with them. the relative in the neuter gender, that the sentence might be fuller; i.e., that the erecting of statues is an abomination to the Lord; because in this way His glory is dishonored, when He is transfigured into a body, or when anything corporeal is mixed with His spiritual nature.

Exodus 23

Exodus 23:24

24. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: ...

24. Non adorabis deos eorum, neque coles eos, neque facies secundum opera eorum.

CHAPTER 16

De 16:1-22. The Feast of the Passover.

1. Observe the month of Abib--or first-fruits. It comprehended the latter part of our March and the beginning of April. Green ears of the barley, which were then full, were offered as first-fruits, on the second day of the passover.

for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee out of Egypt by night--This statement is apparently at variance with the prohibition (Ex 12:22) as well as with the recorded fact that their departure took place in the morning (Ex 13:3; Nu 33:3). But it is susceptible of easy reconciliation. Pharaoh's permission, the first step of emancipation, was extorted during the night, the preparations for departure commenced, the rendezvous at Rameses made, and the march entered on in the morning.

2. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover--not the paschal lamb, which was strictly and properly the passover. The whole solemnity is here meant, as is evident from the mention of the additional victims that required to be offered on the subsequent days of the feast (Nu 28:18, 19; 2Ch 35:8, 9), and from the allusion to the continued use of unleavened bread for seven days, whereas the passover itself was to be eaten at once. The words before us are equivalent to "thou shalt observe the feast of the passover."

3. seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread--a sour, unpleasant, unwholesome kind of bread, designed to be a memorial of their Egyptian misery and of the haste with which they departed, not allowing time for their morning dough to ferment.

5-6. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates--The passover was to be observed nowhere but in the court of the tabernacle or temple, as it was not a religious feast or sacramental occasion merely, but an actual sacrifice (Ex 12:27; 23:18; 34:25). The blood had to be sprinkled on the altar and in the place where the true Passover was afterwards to be sacrificed for us "at even, at the going down of the sun"--literally, "between the evenings."

7. thou shalt roast and eat it--(See on Ex 12:8; compare 2Ch 35:13).

thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents--The sense of this passage, on the first glance of the words, seems to point to the morning after the first day--the passover eve. Perhaps, however, the divinely appointed duration of this feast, the solemn character and important object, the journey of the people from the distant parts of the land to be present, and the recorded examples of their continuing all the time (2Ch 30:21 35:17), (though these may be considered extraordinary, and therefore exceptional occasions), may warrant the conclusion that the leave given to the people to return home was to be on the morning after the completion of the seven days.

9-12. Seven weeks shalt thou number--The feast of weeks, or a WEEK OF WEEKS: the feast of pentecost (see on Le 23:10; also see Ex 34:22; Ac 2:1). As on the second day of the passover a sheaf of new barley, reaped on purpose, was offered, so on the second day of pentecost a sheaf of new wheat was presented as first-fruits (Ex 23:16; Nu 28:26), a freewill, spontaneous tribute of gratitude to God for His temporal bounties. This feast was instituted in memory of the giving of the law, that spiritual food by which man's soul is nourished (De 8:3).

13-17. Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days--(See on Ex 23:14; Le 23:34; Nu 29:12). Various conjectures have been formed to account for the appointment of this feast at the conclusion of the whole harvest. Some imagine that it was designed to remind the Israelites of the time when they had no cornfields to reap but were daily supplied with manna; others think that it suited the convenience of the people better than any other period of the year for dwelling in booths; others that it was the time of Moses' second descent from the mount; while a fourth class are of opinion that this feast was fixed to the time of the year when the Word was made flesh and dwelt--literally, "tabernacled"--among us (Joh 1:14), Christ being actually born at that season.

18-20. Judges and officers shalt thou make--These last meant heralds or bailiffs, employed in executing the sentence of their superiors.

in all thy gates--The gate was the place of public resort among the Israelites and other Eastern people, where business was transacted and causes decided. The Ottoman Porte derived its name from the administration of justice at its gates.

21. Thou shalt not plant thee a grove--A grove has in Scripture a variety of significations--a group of overshadowing trees, or a grove adorned with altars dedicated to a particular deity, or a wooden image in a grove (Jud 6:25; 2Ki 23:4-6). They might be placed near the earthen and temporary altars erected in the wilderness, but they could not exist either at the tabernacle or temples. They were places, which, with their usual accompaniments, presented strong allurements to idolatry; and therefore the Israelites were prohibited from planting them.

22. Neither shalt thou set thee up any image--erroneously rendered so for "pillar"; pillars of various kinds, and materials of wood or stone were erected in the neighborhood of altars. Sometimes they were conical or oblong, at other times they served as pedestals for the statues of idols. A superstitious reverence was attached to them, and hence they were forbidden.

Keep the passover - A feast so called because the angel that destroyed the firstborn of the Egyptians, seeing the blood of the appointed sacrifice sprinkled on the lintels and door-posts of the Israelites' houses, passed over Them, and did not destroy any of their firstborn. See the notes on Exo 12:2, and Exo 12:3 (note), etc.

Bread of affliction - Because, being baked without leaven, it was unsavoury, and put them in mind of their afflictive bondage in Egypt.

Thou shalt rejoice - The offerings of the Israelites were to be eaten with festivity, communicated to their friends with liberality, and bestowed on the poor with great generosity, that they might partake with them in these repasts with joy before the Lord. To answer these views it was necessary to eat the flesh while it was fresh, as in that climate putrefaction soon took place; therefore they were commanded to let nothing remain until the morning, Deu 16:4. This consideration is sufficient to account for the command here, without having recourse to those moral and evangelical reasons that are assigned by the learned and devout Mr.

Ainsworth for the command. How beneficent and cheerful is the design of this institution! - Harmer, vol. i., p. 396.

Three times in a year - See Exo 23:14 (note), where all the Jewish feasts are explained. See also Lev 23:34 (note).

Judges and officers shalt thou make - Judges, שפטים shophetim, among the Hebrews, were probably the same as our magistrates or justices of the peace. Officers, שטרים shoterim, seem to have been the same as our inquest sergeants, beadles, etc., whose office it was to go into the houses, shops, etc., and examine weights, measures, and the civil conduct of the people. When they found any thing amiss, they brought the person offending before the magistrate, and he was punished by the officer on the spot. They seem also to have acted as heralds in the army, Deu 20:5. See also Rab. Maimon in Sanhedrin. In China, for all minor offenses, the person when found guilty is punished on the spot, in the presence of the magistrate or mandarin of justice.

Thou shalt not plant thee a grove, etc. - We have already seen that groves were planted about idol temples for the purpose of the obscene worship performed in them. (See on Deu 12:3 (note)). On this account God would have no groves or thickets about his altar, that there might be no room for suspicion that any thing contrary to the strictest purity was transacted there. Every part of the Divine worship was publicly performed, for the purpose of general edification.

Observe the month of Abib - Or of new fruits, which answers to part of March and part of April, and was by a special order from God made the beginning of their year, in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt. By night - In the night Pharaoh was forced to give them leave to depart, and accordingly they made preparation for their departure, and in the morning they perfected the work.

The passover - That is, the feast of the passover, and so the place may be rendered, thou shalt therefore observe the feast of the passover unto the Lord thy God, with sheep, and with oxen, as is prescribed, Num 28:18, &c.

With it - Or, in it, that is, during the time of the feast of the passover. Bread of affliction - Bread which is not usual nor pleasant, to put thee in mind both of thy miseries endured in Egypt; and of thy hasty coming out of it, which allowed thee no time to leaven or prepare thy bread.

Any of the flesh - That is, of the passover properly so called.

Of thy gates - That is, of thy cities.

There - Namely, in the court of the tabernacle or temple. This he prescribed, partly that this great work might be done with more solemnity in such manner as God required; partly, because it was not only a sacrament, but also a sacrifice, and because here was the sprinkling of blood, which is the essential part of a sacrifice; and partly to design the place where Christ, the true passover or lamb of God, was to be slain. At the season - About the time you were preparing yourselves for it.

In the morning - The morning after the seventh day. Thy tents - That is, thy dwellings, which he calls tents, as respecting their present state, and to put them in mind afterwards when they were settled in better habitations, that there was a time when they dwelt in tents.

Six days - Namely, besides the first day, on which the passover was killed.

To put the sickle - That is, to reap thy corn, thy barley, when the first - fruits were offered.

Of weeks - Of pentecost. Thou shalt give - Over and besides what was appointed.

Thou shalt rejoice - In God and the effects of his favour, praising him with a glad heart.

Judges - Chief magistrates to examine and determine causes and differences. Officers - Who were subordinate to the other to bring causes and persons before him, to acquaint people with the sentence of the judges, and to execute their sentence. Thy gates - Thy cities, which he here calls gates, because there were seats of judgment set. Pursuant to this law, in every town which contained above an hundred and twenty families, there was a court of twenty three judges; in the smaller towns, a court of three judges.

Wrest judgment - Not give an unjust sentence. A gift doth blind the eyes - Biasseth his mind, that he cannot discern between right and wrong. The words - That is the sentence, of those judges who are used to do righteous things, it makes them give wrong judgment.

That which is altogether just - Heb. righteousness, righteousness, that is, nothing but righteousness in all causes and times, and to all persons equally.

Thou shalt not plant - Because this was the practice of idolaters, and might be an occasion of reviving idolatry.

1 OBserve the month of Abib, and keep the passeover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night .

Object. They came out of Egypt by day, and in the morning, as appears from Exod. 12. 22. and 13. 3. Numb. 33. 3. Answ. They are said to be brought out by night, because in the night Pharaoh was forced to give them leave to depart and accordingly they made preparation for their departure, and in the morning they perfected the work.

Marginal references: Exod. 12. 2. [illegible: 1 word].; Exod. 13. 4.; Exod. 12. 29,

2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passeover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock, and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his Name there.

(i. e.) Either 1. properly and strictly so called, which was the Paschal Lamb, and so the Sheep and Oxen, which here follow, are mentioned onely as additional sacrifices, which were to be offered in the seven days of the Paschal solemnity, Numb. 28. 18, 19, &c. Or 2. Largely, to wit, for the Passeover-offerings, to wit, which were offered after the Lamb in the seven dayes, and so this very word is used 2 Chron. 35. 8, 9. And this signification seems necessary here, partly because it is here said to consist of the flock and of the herd, or, of Sheep and Oxen, and partly because it follows, ver. 3. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it, seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, i. e. with the Passeover, which could not be done with the Passeover strictly so called, which was to be wholly spent in one day. Or 3. The Feast of the Passeover, and so the place may be rendred, Thou shalt therefore observe or keep the Feast of the Passeover (as those same Hebrew words are taken, Numb. 9. 5. Ios. 5. 10. 2 Chron. 35. 1, 17, 18. 19.) unto the Lord thy God, with Sheep, and with Oxen, as is prescribed Numb. 28. 18, &c.

Marginal references: chap. 12. 5.

3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it , seven dayes shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction (for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste) that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt, all the dayes of thy life.

To wit, with the Passeover, in the sense delivered: Or, in it, i. e. during the time of the feast of the Passeover.

(i. e.) Bread which is not usual nor pleasant, but unsavoury and unwholesome, to put thee in mind both of thy miseries endured in Egypt and of thy hasty coming out of it, which allowed thee no time to leaven or to prepare thy Bread.

Marginal references: Exod. 12. 15.

4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coasts seven dayes, neither shall there any thing of the flesh which thou sacrificedst the first day at even remain all night until the morning.

(i. e.) Of the Passeover properly so called and by these words plainly described; which circumlocution may seem to insinuate that the word Passeover ver. 1. was improperly used and therefore he chose rather to describe it, then to name it, lest the ambiguity of the word should occasion some mistake.

Marginal references: Exod. 34. 25.; Heb. leaven.; Exod. 12. 10.

5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passeover within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

(i. e.) Of thy cities, as that word is oft used, as Gen. 22. 17. and 24. 60. Deut. 17. 2: Ruth 4. 10.

Marginal references: Heb. canst not. chap. 12. 17.; Or, kill.

6 But at the place which the LORD thy God shall chuse to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passeover , at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.

To wit, in the Court of the Tabernacle or Temple. This he prescribed, partly that this great work might be done with more solemnity and care in such manner as God required; partly because it was not onely a Sacrament, but also a sacrifice, as appears because it is so called, Exod. 12. 27. and 23. 18. and 34. 25 Numb. 9. 7. and because here was the sprinkling of blood, which is the essential part and character of a sacrifice; and partly to design the place where Christ, the true Passeover or Lamb of God, was to be slain.

Understand this with some latitude, as such phrases are commonly taken, about that season, when you had received command from me to go out of Egypt, and were preparing your selves for the journey.

7 And thou shalt rost , and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall chuse, and thou shalt turn in the morning and go unto thy tents .

So that word is used also 2 Chron. 35. 13.

Either 1. The morning after the seventh day, as appears, partly by the following verse, which is added to explain and limit this ambiguous word; partly by the express command of God that the people should come to Ierusalem to keep this Feast, which by Gods appointment lasted for seven dayes; partly from the examples of the people staying there the whole time of the feast, 2 Chron. 30. 21. and 35. 17. and partly from the nature and business of this feast, wherein there being so many extraordinary sacrifices to be offered and feasts made by the people upon the sacrifices, and two days of solemn assemblies, it is not probable, that they would absent themselves from these solemn services, for the performance whereof they came purposely to Ierusalem. Or 2. The morning after the first day, and so they were permitted to go then, and possibly some that lived near Ierusalem might go and return again to the last day of solemn assembly. But the former seems more probable.

(i. e.) Thy dwellings, which he calls Tents, as respecting their present state, and withal to put them in mind afterwards when they were settled in better habitations, that there was a time when they dwelt in Tents.

8 Six dayes thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God thou shalt do no work therein.

To wit, besides the first day, on which the passeover was killed: or rather besides the seventh and the last day, which is here mentioned apart, not as if leavened bread might be eaten then, for the contrary was evident from many places, but because there was something more to be done, to wit a solemn assembly to be kept. So in all there were seven dayes, as it is said Exod. 12. 15. Levit. 23. 6. Numb. 28. 17.

Marginal references: Heb. restraint.

9 Seven weeks thou shalt number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn .

Of which see on Exod. 34. 22. Levit. 23. 10, 15.

(i. e.) To reap thy corn, thy Barly, when the first-fruits were offered, Levit. 23. 10, 11.

Marginal references: Exod 23. 16. Lev. 23. 15. Num. 28. 26.

10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God, with a tribute of a freewill-offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

(i. e.) Of Pentecost, Act. 2. 1.

Over and besides what was appointed Levit. 23. 17, 20. Numb. 28. 27, 31.

Marginal references: Or, sufficiency.

13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn, and thy wine.

Of which see on Exod. 23. 16. Levit. 23. 34. Numb. 29. 12.

Marginal references: Heb. floor, and they winepress.

15 Seven dayes shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God, in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoyce .

To wit, in God and the effects of his favour, praising him with glad heart.

16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall chuse: in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: they shall not appear before the LORD empty.

Not the Women, partly because of their infirmity and unfitness for many journeys, partly because the care of their children and families lay upon them, and partly because they were sufficiently represented in the men.

Marginal references: Exod. 23. 14, 17. and 34. 23.; Exod. 34. 20.

18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee throughout thy Tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgement.

Chief Magistrates to examine and determine causes and differences.

Who were inferiour and subordinate to the other to bring causes and persons before them, to acquaint people with the mind and sentence of the Judges, and to execute their sentence. See Deut. 20. 5, 9. Ios. 1. 10, 11. and 3. 2, 3.

(i. e.) Thy Cities, which he here calls gates, because there were seats of judgment set. Compare 1 Chron. 23. 4.

19 Thou shalt not wrest judgement , thou shalt not respect persons , neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise , and pervert the words of the righteous .

(i. e.) Not give a perverse forced and unjust sentence. See on Exod. 23. 8.

(i. e.) Not give sentence according to the quality of the person, his riches or poverty, friendship or enmity, but according to the justice of the cause.

Corrupts and byasseth his mind that as he will not so oft-times he cannot discern between right and wrong.

Either 1. The words, (i. e.) The sentence, of those Judges who are inclined and used to do righteous things and have the repute of righteous men, it makes them give wrong judgment. Or 2. The words, i. e. The matters, or causes, (as word oft signifies) of righteous persons, or of them whose cause is just.

Marginal references: Heb. acknowledge.; Exod. 23 8. Lev. 19. 15.; Or, [illegible: 1 word].

20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Heb. Righteousness, Righteousness, i. e. nothing but Righteousness in all causes and times, and to all persons equally. Compare Isa. 26. 7.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word], justice.

21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

Because this was the practise of Idolaters, 1 King. 15. 13. and might be an occasion of reviving Idolatry. See Iudg. 3. 7. 1 King. 14. 23. and 16. 33. and 18. 19.

22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any▪ image , which the LORD thy God hateth.

Heb. statue, whether with a picture or representation, or without it, as the Idolaters used to worship smoothed and polished stones or pillars without any image upon them.

Marginal references: Lev. 26. 1.; Or, [illegible: 1 word], [illegible: 1 word], pillar.

Deu 16:1-8

Israel was to make ready the Passover to the Lord in the earing month (see at Exo 12:2). The precise day is supposed to be known from Ex 12, as in Exo 23:15. פּסח עשׂה (to prepare the Passover), which is used primarily to denote the preparation of the paschal lamb for a festal meal, is employed here in a wider signification viz., “to keep the Passover.” At this feast they were to slay sheep and oxen to the Lord for a Passover, at the place, etc. In Deu 16:2, as in Deu 16:1, the word “Passover” is employed in a broader sense, and includes not only the paschal lamb, but the paschal sacrifices generally, which the Rabbins embrace under the common name of chagiga; not the burnt-offerings and sin-offerings, however, prescribed in Num 28:19-26, but all the sacrifices that were slain at the feast of the Passover (i.e., during the seven days of the Mazzoth, which are included under the name of pascha) for the purpose of holding sacrificial meals. This is evident from the expression “of the flock and the herd;” as it was expressly laid down, that only a שׂה, i.e., a yearling animal of the sheep or goats, was to be slain for the paschal meal on the fourteenth of the month in the evening, and an ox was never slaughtered in the place of the lamb. But if any doubt could exist upon this point, it would be completely set aside by Deu 16:3 : “Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it: seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith.” As the word “therewith” cannot possibly refer to anything else than the “Passover” in Deu 16:2, it is distinctly stated that the slaughtering and eating of the Passover was to last seven days, whereas the Passover lamb was to be slain and consumed in the evening of the fourteenth Abib (Exo 12:10). Moses called the unleavened bread “the bread of affliction,” because the Israelites had to leave Egypt in anxious flight (Exo 12:11) and were therefore unable to leaven the dough (Exo 12:39), for the purpose of reminding the congregation of the oppression endured in Egypt, and to stir them up to gratitude towards the Lord their deliverer, that they might remember that day as long as they lived. (On the meaning of the Mazzothy, see at Exo 12:8 and Exo 12:15.) - On account of the importance of the unleavened bread as a symbolical shadowing forth of the significance of the Passover, as the feast of the renewal and sanctification of the life of Israel, Moses repeats in Deu 16:4 two of the points in the law of the feast: first of all the one laid down in Exo 13:7, that no leaven was to be seen in the land during the seven days; and secondly, the one in Exo 23:18 and Exo 34:25, that none of the flesh of the paschal lamb was to be left till the next morning, in order that all corruption might be kept at a distance from the paschal food. Leaven, for example, sets the dough in fermentation, from which putrefaction ensues; and in the East, if flesh is kept, it very quickly decomposes. He then once more fixes the time and place for keeping the Passover (the former according to Exo 12:6 and Lev 23:5, etc.), and adds in Deu 16:7 the express regulation, that not only the slaughtering and sacrificing, but the roasting (see at Exo 12:9) and eating of the paschal lamb were to take place at the sanctuary, and that the next morning they could turn and go back home. This rule contains a new feature, which Moses prescribes with reference to the keeping of the Passover in the land of Canaan, and by which he modifies the instructions for the first Passover in Egypt, to suit the altered circumstances. In Egypt, when Israel was not yet raised into the nation of Jehovah, and had as yet no sanctuary and no common altar, the different houses necessarily served as altars. But when this necessity was at an end, the slaying and eating of the Passover in the different houses were to cease, and they were both to take place at the sanctuary before the Lord, as was the case with the feast of Passover at Sinai (Num 9:1-5). Thus the smearing of the door-posts with the blood was tacitly abolished, since the blood was to be sprinkled upon the altar as sacrificial blood, as it had already been at Sinai. - The expression “to thy tents,” for going “home,” points to the time when Israel was till dwelling in tents, and had not as yet secured any fixed abodes and houses in Canaan, although this expression was retained at a still later time (e.g., 1Sa 13:2; 2Sa 19:9, etc.). The going home in the morning after the paschal meal, is not to be understood as signifying a return to their homes in the different towns of the land, but simply, as even Riehm admits, to their homes or lodgings at the place of the sanctuary. How very far Moses was from intending to release the Israelites from the duty of keeping the feast for seven days, is evident from the fact that in Deu 16:8 he once more enforces the observance of the seven days’ feast. The two clauses, “six days thou shalt eat mazzoth,” and “on the seventh day shall be azereth (Eng. Ver. 'a solemn assembly') to the Lord thy God,” are not placed in antithesis to each other, so as to imply (in contradiction to Deu 16:3 and Deu 16:4; Exo 12:18-19; Exo 13:6-7; Lev 23:6; Num 28:17) that the feast of Mazzoth was to last only six days instead of seven; but the seventh day is brought into especial prominence as the azereth of the feast (see at Lev 23:36), simply because, in addition to the eating of mazzoth, there was to be an entire abstinence from work, and this particular feature might easily have fallen into neglect at the close of the feast. But just as the eating of mazzoth for seven days is not abolished by the first clause, so the suspension of work on the first day is not abolished by the second clause, any more than in Exo 13:6 the first day is represented as a working day by the fact that the seventh day is called “a feast to Jehovah.”

Deu 16:9-12

With regard to the Feast of Weeks (see at Exo 23:16), it is stated that the time for its observance was to be reckoned from the Passover. Seven weeks shall they count “from the beginning of the sickle to the corn,” i.e., from the time when the sickle began to be applied to the corn, or from the commencement of the corn-harvest. As the corn-harvest was opened with the presentation of the sheaf of first-fruits on the second day of the Passover, this regulation as to time coincides with the rule laid down in Lev 23:15. “Thou shalt keep the feast to the Lord thy God according to the measure of the free gift of thy hand, which thou givest as Jehovah thy God blesseth thee.” The ἁπ. λεγ. מסּת is the standing rendering in the Chaldee for דּי, sufficiency, need; it probably signifies abundance, from מסס = מסה, to flow, to overflow, to derive. The idea is this: Israel was to keep this feast with sacrificial gifts, which every one was able to bring, according to the extent to which the Lord had blessed him, and (Deu 16:11) to rejoice before the Lord at the place where His name dwelt with sacrificial meals, to which the needy were to be invited (cf. Deu 14:29), in remembrance of the fact that they also were bondmen in Egypt (cf. Deu 15:15). The “free-will offering of the hand,” which the Israelites were to bring with them to this feast, and with which they were to rejoice before the Lord, belonged to the free-will gifts of burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, drink-offerings, and thank-offerings, which might be offered, according to Num 29:39 (cf. Lev 23:38), at every feast, along with the festal sacrifices enjoined upon the congregation. The latter were binding upon the priests and congregation, and are fully described in Num 28 and 29, so that there was no necessity for Moses to say anything further with reference to them.

Deu 16:13-15

In connection with the Feast of Tabernacles also, he simply enforces the observance of it at the central sanctuary, and exhorts the people to rejoice at this festival, and not only to allow their sons and daughters to participate in this joy, but also the man-servant and maid-servant, and the portionless Levites, strangers, widows, and orphans. After what had already been stated, Moses did not consider it necessary to mention expressly that this festal rejoicing was also to be manifested in joyous sacrificial meals; it was enough for him to point to the blessing which God had bestowed upon their cultivation of the corn, the olive, and the vine, and upon all the works of their hands, i.e., upon their labour generally (Deu 16:13-15), as there was nothing further to remark after the instructions which had already been given with reference to this feast also (Lev 23:34-36, Lev 23:39-43; Num 29:12-38).

Deu 16:16-17

In conclusion, the law is repeated, that the men were to appear before the Lord three times a year at the three feasts just mentioned (compare Exo 23:17 with Exo 23:14, and Exo 34:23), with the additional clause, “at the place which the Lord shall choose,” and the following explanation of the words “not empty:” “every man according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Jehovah his God, which He hath given thee,” i.e., with sacrificial gifts, as much as every one could offer, according to the blessing which he had received from God.

Just as in its religious worship the Israelitish nation was to show itself to be the holy nation of Jehovah, so was it in its political relations also. This thought forms the link between the laws already given and those which follow. Civil order - that indispensable condition of the stability and prosperity of nations and states - rests upon a conscientious maintenance of right by means of a well-ordered judicial constitution and an impartial administration of justice. - For the purpose of settling the disputes of the people, Moses had already provided them with judges at Sinai, and had given the judges themselves the necessary instructions for the fulfilment of their duties (Ex 18). This arrangement might suffice as long as the people were united in one camp and had Moses for a leader, who could lay before God any difficult cases that were brought to him, and give an absolute decision with divine authority. But for future times, when Israel would no longer possess a prophet and mediator like Moses, and after the conquest of Canaan would live scattered about in the towns and villages of the whole land, certain modifications and supplementary additions were necessary to adapt this judicial constitution to the altered circumstances of the people. Moses anticipates this want in the following provisions, in which he first of all commands the appointment of judges and officials in every town, and gives certain precise injunctions as to their judicial proceedings (Deut 16:18-17:7); and secondly, appoints a higher judicial court at the place of the sanctuary for the more difficult cases (Deu 17:8-13); and thirdly, gives them a law for the future with reference to the choice of a king (Deu 16:14-20).

Deu 16:18-20

Appointment and Instruction of the Judges. - Deu 16:18. “Judges and officers thou shalt appoint thee in all thy gates (place, see at Exo 20:10), which Jehovah thy God shall give thee, according to thy tribes.” The nation is addressed as a whole, and directed to appoint for itself judges and officers, i.e., to choose them, and have them appointed by its rulers, just as was done at Sinai, where the people chose the judges, and Moses inducted into office the persons so chosen (cf. Deu 1:12-18). That the same course was to be adopted in future, is evident from the expression, “throughout thy tribes,” i.e., according to thy tribes, which points back to Deu 1:13. Election by majorities was unknown to the Mosaic law. The shoterim, officers (lit., writers, see at Exo 5:6), who were associated with the judges, according to Deu 1:15, even under the previous arrangement, were not merely messengers and servants of the courts, but secretaries and advisers of the judges, who derived their title from the fact that they had to draw up and keep the genealogical lists, and who are mentioned as already existing in Egypt as overseers of the people and of their work (see at Exo 5:6; and for the different opinions concerning their official position, see Selden, de Synedriis, i. pp. 342-3). The new features, which Moses introduces here, consist simply in the fact that every place was to have its own judges and officers, whereas hitherto they had only been appointed for the larger and smaller divisions of the nation, according to their genealogical organization. Moses lays down no rule as to the number of judges and shoterim to be appointed in each place, because this would depend upon the number of the inhabitants; and the existing arrangement of judges over tens, hundreds, etc. (Exo 18:21), would still furnish the necessary standard. The statements made by Josephus and the Rabbins with regard to the number of judges in each place are contradictory, or at all events are founded upon the circumstances of much later times (see my Archäologie, ii. pp. 257-8). - These judges were to judge the people with just judgment. The admonition in Deu 16:19 corresponds to the instructions in Exo 23:6 and Exo 23:8. “Respect persons:” as in Deu 1:17. To this there is added, in Deu 16:20, an emphatic admonition to strive zealously to maintain justice. The repetition of the word justice is emphatic: justice, and nothing but justice, as in Gen 14:10, etc. But in order to give the people and the judges appointed by them a brief practical admonition, as to the things they were more especially to observe in their administration of justice, Moses notices by way of example a few crimes that were deserving of punishment (Deu 16:21, Deu 16:22, and Deu 17:1), and then proceeds in Deu 17:2-7 to describe more fully the judicial proceedings in the case of idolaters.

Deu 16:21

“Thou shalt not plant thee as asherah any wood beside the altar of Jehovah.” נטע, to plant, used figuratively, to plant up or erect, as in Ecc 12:11; Dan 11:25; cf. Isa 51:16. Asherah, the symbol of Astarte (see at Exo 34:13), cannot mean either a green tree or a grove (as Movers, Relig. der Phönizier, p. 572, supposes), for the simple reason that in other passages we find the words עשׂה, make (1Ki 14:15; 1Ki 16:33; 2Ki 17:16; 2Ki 21:3; 2Ch 33:3), or הצּיב, set up (2Ki 17:10), העמיד, stand up (2Ch 33:19), and בּנה, build (1Ki 14:23), used to denote the erection of an asherah, not one of which is at all suitable to a tree or grove. But what is quite decisive is the fact that in 1Ki 14:23; 2Ki 17:10; Jer 17:2, the asherah is spoken of as being set up under, or by the side of, the green tree. This idol generally consisted of a wooden column; and a favourite place for setting it up was by the side of the altars of Baal.

Deu 16:22

They were also to abstain from setting up any mazzebah, i.e., any memorial stone, or stone pillar dedicated to Baal (see at Exo 23:24).

Yearly Release. (b. c. 1451.)

1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the Lord thy God: for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. 2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there. 3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. 4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. 5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee: 6 But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. 7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. 8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein. 9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. 10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: 11 And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there. 12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. 13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: 14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. 16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty: 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

Much of the communion between God and his people Israel was kept up, and a face of religion preserved in the nation, by the three yearly feasts, the institution of which, and the laws concerning them, we have several times met with already; and here they are repeated.

I. The law of the passover, so great a solemnity that it made the whole month, in the midst of which it was placed, considerable: Observe the month Abib, v. 1. Though one week only of this month was to be kept as a festival, yet their preparations before must be so solemn, and their reflections upon it and improvements of it afterwards so serious, as to amount to an observance of the whole month. The month of Abib, or of new fruits, as the Chaldee translates it, answers to our March (or part of March and part of April), and was by a special order from God, in remembrance of the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, made the beginning of their year (Exod. xii. 2), which before was reckoned to begin in September. This month they were to keep the passover, in remembrance of their being brought out of Egypt by night, v. 1. The Chaldee paraphrasts expound it, "Because they came out of Egypt by daylight," there being an express order that they should not stir out of their doors till morning, Exod. xii. 22. One of them expounds it thus: "He brought thee out of Egypt, and did wonders by night." The other, "and thou shalt eat the passover by night." The laws concerning it are, 1. That they must be sure to sacrifice the passover in the place that God should choose (v. 2), and in no other place, v. 5-7. The passover was itself a sacrifice; hence Christ, as our passover, is said to be sacrificed for us (1 Cor. v. 7), and many other sacrifices were offered during the seven days of the feast (Num. xxviii. 19, &c.), which are included here, for they are said to be sacrificed of the flock and the herd, whereas the passover itself was only of the flock, either a lamb or a kid: now no sacrifice was accepted but from the altar that sanctified it; it was therefore necessary that they should go up to the place of the altar, for, though the paschal lamb was entirely eaten by the owners, yet it must be killed in the court, the blood sprinkled, and the inwards burned upon the altar. By confining them to the appointed rule, from which they would have been apt to vary, and to introduce foolish inventions of their own, had they been permitted to offer these sacrifices within their own gates, from under the inspection of the priests. They were also hereby directed to have their eye up unto God in the solemnity, and the desire of their hearts towards the remembrance of his name, being appointed to attend where he had chosen to place his name, v. 2 and 6. But, when the solemnity was over, they might turn and go unto their tents, v. 7. Some think that they might, if they pleased, return the very morning after the paschal lamb was killed and eaten, the priests and Levites being sufficient to carry on the rest of the week's work; but the first day of the seven is so far from being the day of their dispersion that it is expressly appointed for a holy convocation (Lev. xxiii. 7; Num. xxviii. 18); therefore we must take it as Jonathan's paraphrase expounds it, in the morning after the end of the feast thou shalt go to thy cities. And it was the practice to keep together the whole week, 2 Chron. xxxv. 17. 2. That they must eat unleavened bread for seven days, and no leavened bread must be seen in all their coasts, v. 3, 4, 8. The bread they were confined to is here called bread of affliction, because neither grateful to the taste nor easy of digestion, and therefore proper to signify the heaviness of their spirits in their bondage and to keep in remembrance the haste in which they came out, the case being so urgent that they could not stay for the leavening of the bread they took with them for their march. The Jewish writers tell us that the custom at the passover supper was that the master of the family broke this unleavened bread, and gave to every one a piece of it, saying, This is (that is, this signifies, represents, or commemorates, which explains that saying of our Saviour, This is my body) the bread of affliction which your fathers did eat in the land of Egypt. The gospel meaning of this feast of unleavened bread the apostle gives us, 1 Cor. v. 7. Christ our passover being sacrificed for us, and we having participated in the blessed fruits of that sacrifice to our comfort, let us keep the feast in a holy conversation, free from the leaven of malice towards our brethren and hypocrisy towards God, and with the unleavened bread of sincerity and love. Lastly, Observe, concerning the passover, for what end it was instituted: "That thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of Egypt, not only on the day of the passover, or during the seven days of the feast, but all the days of thy life (v. 3), as a constant inducement to obedience." Thus we celebrate the memorial of Christ's death at certain times, that we may remember it at all times, as a reason why we should live to him that died for us and rose again.

II. Seven weeks after the passover the feast of pentecost was to be observed, concerning which they are here directed, 1. Whence to number their seven weeks, from the time thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn (v. 9), that is, from the morrow after the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, for on that day (though it is probable the people did not begin their harvest till the feast was ended) messengers were sent to reap a sheaf of barley, which was to be offered to God as the first-fruits, Lev. xxiii. 10. Some think it implies a particular care which Providence would take of their land with respect to the weather, that their harvest should be always ripe and ready for the sickle just at the same time. 2. How they were to keep this feast. (1.) They must bring an offering unto God, v. 10. It is here called a tribute of a free-will-offering. It was required of them as a tribute to their Sovereign Lord and owner, under whom they held all they had; and yet because the law did not determine the quantum, but it was left to every man's generosity to bring what he chose, and whatever he brought he must give cheerfully, it is therefore called a free-will offering. It was a grateful acknowledgment of the goodness of God to them in the mercies of these corn-harvests now finished, and therefore must be according as God had blessed them. Where God sows plentifully he expects to reap accordingly. (2.) They must rejoice before God, v. 11. Holy joy is the heart and soul of thankful praises, which are as the language and expression of holy joy. They must rejoice in their receivings from God, and in their returns of service and sacrifice to him; our duty must be our delight as well as our enjoyments. They must have their very servants to rejoice with them, "for remember (v. 12) that thou wast a bond-man, and wouldest have been very thankful if thy taskmasters would have given thee some time and cause for rejoicing; and thy God did bring thee out to keep a feast with gladness; therefore be pleasant with thy servants, and make them easy." And, it should seem, those general words, thou shalt observe and do these statutes, are added here for a particular reason, because this feast was kept in remembrance of the giving of the law upon Mount Sinai, fifty days after they came out of Egypt; now the best way of expressing our thankfulness to God for his favour to us in giving us his law is to observe and do according to the precepts of it.

III. They must keep the feast of tabernacles, v. 13-15. Here is no repetition of the law concerning the sacrifices that were to be offered in great abundance at this feast (which we had at large, Num. xxix. 12, &c.), because the care of these belonged to the priests and Levites, who had not so much need of a repetition as the people had, and because the spiritual part of the service, which consisted in holy joy, was most pleasing to God, and was to be the perpetual duty of a gospel conversation, of which this feast was typical. Observe what stress is laid upon it here: Thou shalt rejoice in thy feast (v. 14), and, because the Lord shall bless thee, thou shalt surely rejoice, v. 15. Note, 1. It is the will of God that his people should be a cheerful people. If those that were under the law must rejoice before God, much more must we that are under the grace of the gospel, which makes it our duty, not only as here to rejoice in our feasts, but to rejoice evermore, to rejoice in the Lord always. 2. When we rejoice in God ourselves we should do what we can to assist others also to rejoice in him, by comforting the mourners and supplying the necessitous, that even the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow may rejoice with us. See Job xxix. 13. 3. We must rejoice in God, not only because of what we have received and are receiving from him daily, but because of what he has promised, and we expect to receive yet further from him: because he shall bless thee, therefore thou shalt rejoice. Those that make God their joy may rejoice in hope, for he is faithful that has promised.

IV. The laws concerning the three solemn feasts are summed up (v. 16, 17), as often before, Exod. xxiii. 16, 17; xxxiv. 23. The general commands concerning them are, 1. That all the males must then make their personal appearance before God, that by their frequent meeting to worship God, at the same place, and by the same rule, they might be kept faithful and constant to that holy religion which was established among them. 2. That none must appear before God empty, but every man must bring some offering or other, in token of a dependence upon God and gratitude to him. And God was not unreasonable in his demands; let every man but give as he was able, and no more was expected. The same is still the rule of charity, 1 Cor. xvi. 2. Those that give to their power shall be accepted, but those that give beyond their power are accounted worthy of double honour (2 Cor. viii. 3), as the poor widow that gave all she had, Luke xxi. 4.

18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the Lord thy God hateth.

Here is, I. Care taken for the due administration of justice among them, that controversies might be determined, matters in variance adjusted, the injured redressed, and the injurious punished. While they were encamped in the wilderness, they had judges and officers according to their numbers, rulers of thousands and hundreds, Exod. xvii. 25. When they came to Canaan, they must have them according to their towns and cities, in all their gates; for the courts of judgment sat in the gates. Now, 1. Here is a commission given to these inferior magistrates: "Judges to try and pass sentence, and officers to execute their sentences, shalt thou make thee." However the persons were pitched upon, whether by the nomination of their sovereign or by the election of the people, the power were ordained of God, Rom. xiii. 1. And it was a great mercy to the people thus to have justice brought to their doors, that it might be more expeditious and less expensive, a blessing which we of this nation ought to be very thankful for. Pursuant to this law, besides the great sanhedrim that sat at the sanctuary, consisting of seventy elders and a president, there was in the larger cities, such as had in them above 120 families, a court of twenty-three judges, in the smaller cities a court of three judges. See this law revived by Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xix. 5, 8. 2. Here is a command given to these magistrates to do justice in the execution of the trust reposed in them. Better not judge at all than not judge with just judgment, according to the direction of the law and the evidence of the fact. (1.) The judges are here cautioned not to do wrong to any (v. 19), nor to take any gifts, which would tempt them to do wrong. This law had been given before, Exod. xxiii. 8. (2.) They are charged to do justice to all: "That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, v. 20. Adhere to the principles of justice, act by the rules of justice, countenance the demands of justice, imitate the patterns of justice, and pursue with resolution that which appears to be just. Justice, justice, shalt thou follow." This is that which the magistrate is to have in his eye, on this he must be intent, and to this all personal regards must be sacrificed, to do right to all and wrong to none.

II. Care taken for the preventing of all conformity to the idolatrous customs of the heathen, v. 21, 22. They must not only not join with the idolaters in their worships, not visit their groves, nor bow before the images which they had set up, but, 1. They must not plant a grove, nor so much as a tree, near God's altar lest they should make it look like the altars of the false gods. They made groves the places of their worship either to make it secret (but that which is true and good desires the light rather), or to make it solemn, but the worship of the true God has enough in itself to make it so and needs not the advantage of such a circumstance. 2. They must not set up any image, statue, or pillar, to the honour of God, for it is a thing which the Lord hates; nothing belies or reproaches him more, or tends more to corrupt and debauch the minds of men, than representing and worshipping by an image that God who is an infinite and eternal Spirit.

CHAP. XVI.

OBserve the moneth of Abib, and keep the Passeover unto Iehovah thy God: for in the moneth of Abib Iehovah thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. And thou shalt sacrifice the Passover unto Iehovah thy God, of the flocke and the herd, in the place which Iehovah shall chuse, to cause his name to dwell there. Thou shalt not eat with it any leavened bread; seven dayes shalt thou eat with it unleavened cakes, the bread of affliction: for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt, in haste; that thou mayest remember the day of thy comming forth out of the land of Egypt, all the daies of thy life. And there shall not be seen with thee any old leven in all thy coast, seven daies; neither shall any thing of the flesh which thou shalt sacrifice in the evening, in the first day, remaine all night, untill the morning. Thou mayest not sacrifice the Passeover within any of thy gates, which Iehovah thy God giveth thee. But at the place which Iehovah thy God shall chuse, to cause his name to dwell, there thou shalt sacrifice the Passeover in the evening, about the going downe of the Sunne, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. And thou shalt boile and eat, in the place which Iehovah thy God shall chuse: and thou shalt turne in the morning, and goe unto thy tents. Six daies thou shalt eat unleavened cakes, and in the seventh day shall be a solemne assembly unto Iehovah thy God; thou shalt not doe any worke.

Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee, from beginning (to put) the sickle into the standing corne, thou shalt begin to number the seven weekes. And thou shalt observe the feast of Weekes unto Iehovah thy God, with a tribute of a voluntary offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give, according as Iehovah thy God hath blessed thee. And thou shalt rejoyce before Iehovah thy God; thou, and thy sonne, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite which is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherlesse, and the widow, which are in the midst of thee, in the place which Iehovah thy God shall chuse, to cause his name to dwell there. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in Egypt, and thou shalt observe and doe these statutes.

Thou shalt observe unto thee the feast of Boothes seven daies, when thou hast gathered in of thy floore, and of thy wine-presse. And thou shalt rejoyce in thy feast; thou, and thy sonne, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maid-servant and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherlesse, and the widow, which are within thy gates. Seven daies shalt thou keepe a feast unto Iehovah thy God, in the place which Iehovah shall chuse, because Iehovah thy God shall blesse thee, in all thy revenue, and in all the worke of thine hands; and thou shalt be surely joyfull. Three times in a yeere shall every male of thee appeare before Iehovah thy God, in the place which he shall chuse, in the feast of unleavened cakes, and in the feast of Weekes, and in the [illegible: 1 letter]east of Boothes: and he shall not appeare before Iehovah emptie. Every man according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Iehovah thy God, which hee hath given unto thee. [non-Latin text not transcribed]

IVDGES and Officers shalt thou give for thee, in all thy gates, which Iehovah thy God giveth unto thee through thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with judgement of justice. Thou shalt not wrest judgment, thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift, for a gift will blinde the eies of the wise, and will pervert the words of the just. Iustice justice shalt thou follow, that thou maist live, and inherit the land which Iehovah thy God giveth unto thee.

Thou shalt not plant thee a grove, any tree, neere unto the Altar of Iehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee. Neither shalt thou set up a pillar, which Iehovah thy God hateth.

Annotations. OBserve] Hebr. To observe; the indefinite put for the imperative, as is noted on Exod. 13. 3. Abib] which wee call March: the Greeke expoundeth it, the moneth of new fruits. See the notes on Exod. 13. 4. and keepe the Passeover] Hebr. and thou shalt doe (or make) that is, celebrate the feast of the Passeover, or sacrifice the Passeover; so named, because God passed over the houses of the Israelites, when hee slew the first-borne of Egypt: In memoriall whereof, this feast with the rites thereof, were commanded; see Exod 12. and the annotations there. It was a figure of Christ our Passeover, and of our redemption by him, whose feast wee are taught to keepe, 1 Cor. 5. 7, 8. by night] at mid-night the Angell of God slew the first-borne in Egypt, then rose they up, and began to take their journey, though they went not out of Egypt till the day following: see Exod. 12. 29, 30, 41, 42. Vers. 2. sacrifice] or, kill; slay: so Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us, 1 Cor. 5. 7. and by the preaching of Christ crucified, and shewing of his death, wee now keepe this feast, Gal. 3. 1. 1 Cor. 11. 26. the flocke] of sheepe, or goats; see Exod. 12. 5. the herd] of Bulls, or Bullocks. This differeth from the Passeover of the Lambe, which wa[illegible: 1 letter] precisely commanded to be a young sheepe or goat of the first yeere, one for a company, to bee [illegible: 1 letter]ate[illegible: 1 letter] all of it, the same night, with bitter herbs, &c. Exod. 12. But this was an addition to the former, and was of sheepe or bullocks, so many as men would voluntarily bring for the feast; called therefore by the Iewes Chagigah, that is, the feastoffering; as the other was called Pas[illegible: 1 letter]hs. An example hereof we have in 2 Chron. 35. 7, 8, &c. where many thousands of Lambes, Kids, and Bullocks were in Iosiahs time by him and his Nobles given for the Passeover. Of this the Hebrews say; When they offer the Passeover in the first (moneth) they offer it with Peace-offerings in the 14 day, of the herd, or of the flocke, great or small, males or females, with any sacrifices of peace: and this is called the Chagagah (or feast-offering) of the 14 (day.) And of this it is said (in Deut. 16. 2.) thou shalt sacrifice the Passeover to the Lord thy God, of the flocke and the herd. Maimony in Korban Pesach, c. 10. s. 12. to cause his name to dwell] which the Greeke expoundeth, his name to bee called upon there. The Chaldee thus, to cause his Majestie (or divine presence) to dwell there. So in v. 6. This was where the Tabernacle or Temple should bee placed; which in time was at Ierusalem, where Solomon builded the Lord an house, 1 Chron. 17. 12. that is, builded an house for his Name, 2 Sam. 7. 13. See also Deut. 12. Vers. 3. Leavened bread] which signified corruption in heart, word, or deed; as hypocrisie, maliciousnesse, false doctrine, or any other wickednesse, or wicked persons: see Luk. 12. 1. Matt. 16. 6, 12. 1 Cor. 5. 7, 8. 13. and the annotations on Ex. 12. 15. seven daies] after the Paschal Lambe, Levit. 23. 5.—8. see the notes on Exod. 12. 15. bread of affliction] or, bread of povertie: so called, because it was a memoriall of their affliction in Egypt, and of their hasty comming out from thence before their bread had time to be leavened, Exod. 12. 34. 39. Hereupon the Israelites used, after the eating of the Paschall Lambe, to breake a cake of unleavened bread, and the father of the family gave every man a peece, and said, This is the bread of affliction which our fathers did eat in the land of Egypt, &c. as is shewed at large in the notes on Exod. 12. 8. That bread Christ consecrated to bee a memoriall to us of his afflictions and death for our sakes, whereby his body was broken for us, 1 Cor. 11. 24, 25, 26. in haste] this word implieth a trembling, and an hasty flight for feare of danger, Deut. 20. 3. 2 Sam. 4. 4. 2 King. 7. 15. See the notes on Exod. 12. 11. Vers. 4. seene with thee] or, seene (appeare) unto thee. Leaven might not be eaten, nor so much as left within their dwellings, but carefully sought out and put away before the feast began. The manner of doing it, and meaning thereof, is shewed on Exod. 12. 15. 19. thy coast] or, thy border; the Greeke saith, thy coasts. Leaven might no way bee reserved for any use till after the Passeover, but was purged out the day before, and abolished, either burnt, or otherwise made away, as is noted on Exod. 12. 15. of the flesh] the Greeke translateth plurally, of the fleshes, to imply the other sacrifices of the feast, as well as the Paschall Lambe; whereof whatsoever was left till morning, was to bee burnt as a polluted thing, Exod. 12. 10. The Hebrewes explaine this Law thus: The feastoffering (Chagigah) of the fourteenth (day) is at (mens) liberty (to offer) but not bound. And it is eaten for two dayes and one night, like all the sacrifices of Peace-offerings, (Lev. 7. 15, 16, 17.) And it is unlawfull to leave of the flesh of the Chagigah of the 14. day, unto the third day; as it is said (in Deut. 16. 4.) neither shall (any thing) of the flesh, which thou shalt sacrifice in the evening, in the first day, remaine all night untill the morning. By word of mouth wee have learned, that this is a prohibition for leaving the flesh of the Chagigah of the fourteenth day, unto the sixteenth day; as it is said, unto the morning, till the morning of the second day. Maimony in Korb. Pesach, ch. 10. s. 13: Of this was that practise of the Iewes, in Ioh. 18. 28. they went not into the Iudgement hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passeover; meaning the Chagigah (or Feast-offering) of the Passeover; for the Paschall Lambe was eaten the night before, Marke 14. 12, &c. Vers. 5. not sacrifice] or, not kill. thy gates] that is, as both the Greeke and Chaldee expound it, thy cities. This was a perpetuall Law for the Pasche, as the Hebrewes declare, from this Law, thus; They kill not the Passeover but in the Court, as the rest of the holy things: yea, in the time when the high places were permitted, they sacrificed not the Passeover in a private high place: & who so offereth the Passeover in a private high place, is beaten. For it is said (in Deut. 16. 5.) Thou maist not sacrifice the Passeover in any of thy gates: we have beene taught, that this is a prohibition to kill it in a private high place, although it be in the time when high places are permitted. Maimony in Korban Pesach, ch. 1. s. 3. Vers. 6. about the going downe of the Sunne] that is, in the afternoone, before Sunne setting; for at Sunne setting the day ended. For the time of killing, see the notes on Exod. 12. 6. Vers. 7. shall boile] or, seeth: so the Hebrew word properly signifieth; and so both the Greeke and Chaldee doe translate it, though the Greeke addeth another word, thou shalt boile, and rost, and eat. Therefore this cannot be meant of the Paschal Lambe, which might not be boiled, but rosted only, Exod. 12. 8, 9. but is spoken of the Chagigah (or Feast-offering) forementioned, which might be boiled if they would: and so they practised in Iosiahs Passeover; they rosted the Passeover (that is, the Lambe) with fire, but the holy offerings they boiled in pots and in cauldrons, &c. 2. Chr. 35. 13, &c. unto thy tents] that is, as the Greeke and Chaldee explaine it, unto thy houses, or dwellings. See the notes on Num. 24. 5. Vers. 8. solemne assembly] called in Hebrew Gnatser[illegible: 1 letter]th, of retaining the people, or of restraining them from worke: in Greeke, Exodion, the Out-going of the feast: in Chaldee, an Assembly, or Congregation. See Lev. 23. 36. any worke] to wit, any servile worke, as is expressed in Levit. 23. 8. Num. 28. 25. but worke about dressing meat or drinke might be done on the feast dayes, but not on the Sabbath: see the notes on Lev. 23. 3, 7. Vers. 9. Seven weekes] or, Seven sevens, to wit, of daies. The Greeke addeth, Seven intire weekes. See Lev. 23. 15. where they are called seven Sabbaths. into the standing corne] that is, from the sixteenth day of Nisan (or March,) at which time the Magistrates of Israel sent messengers to reape the sheafe, the first-fruits of Barley harvest, to wave it before the Lord: from which day precisely, they were to number these seven weekes, untill Pentecost, which was the fiftieth day, as is shewed more largely in the Annotations on Levit. 23. 10. 15, 16. Vers. 10. shalt observe] Hebr. doe or make, to wit, holy: see the notes on Exod. 34. 22. So after in vers. 13. of weekes] so called, because it was seven weekes after the bringing of the sheafe at the Passeover: and it was fifty dayes, whereupon it is called in Greeke Pentecost, Acts 2. 1. See Lev. 23. 15, 16. a tribute of a voluntary offering] or, a contributiō of voluntarinesse, that is, a voluntary contribution of thine hand, which the Greek translateth, as thine hand is able. The Hebrew Missah (which is onely found in this place) is a contribution, (as Mas is often used for a tribute:) or it is a sufficiency, or enough: as in Deut. 15. 8. enough for his want, is by the Chaldee there expounded Missath, the word which the Chaldee useth also here. Wherefore this contribution here spoken of, is neither the sacrifice appointed for the feast day, in Num. 28. 27.—31. nor the two loaves and sacrifices with them, commanded in Lev. 23. 17.—20. for these were not voluntary offerings, but bounden duties which might not be omitted. But over and beside thē, God here appointeth men to bring unto him voluntarily, what they could and would. Vers. 11. shalt rejoyce] this they were bound to doe, and it was one of the three things required of the Israelites at every solemne feast: see the notes on Ex. 23. 15. and after here on v. 14. his name] in Chaldee, his Divine presence, or Majestie. Vers. 12. and thou shalt] and, may here imply the reason, therefore thou shalt observe. For they came out of Egypt to keepe a feast to the Lord in the wildernesse, Exod. 5. 1, 3. which they kept at mount Sinai, where the Law was given at this time of Pentecost, or of Weekes, Exod. 19. 1. 11. and 24. 5.—11. In memoriall whereof this day was kept holy every yeere. And when they were come into Canaan, they brought two loaves of the first-fruits of their wheat harvest, with many sacrifices unto them adjoyned, Lev. 23. 17.—20. which increased the solemnity. Last of all, the Law of Christ was given by the Spirit in fiery tongues, to his Apostles, on this festivall day, Act. 2. Vers. 13. Boothes] or Tabernacles, made with the boughes of trees, Lev. 23. 34, 40. See the Annotations there. of thy floore, and of thy winepresse] that is, thy fruits, the corne which is threshed in the floore, and the wine pressed out of the fat: therfore it is called the feast of ingathering, in the going out of the yeere; when thou gatherest in thy labours out of the field, Exod. 23. 16. Ver. 14. rejoyce in thy feast] this is meant both of inward joy for the mercies of God, past, present, & to come by Christ; and of outward manifestation of their joy, by sacrifices of thanksgiving unto God, and holy banquetting with the poore, and ministers of the Lord, as after he commandeth. Verse 15. keepe a feast] by offering of sacrifices, in thankfulnesse to God for his blessings upon them and their land. surely joyfull] or, onely joyfull; with spirituall mirth serving the Lord. So the Apostle saith, Rejoyce in the Lord alwaies; againe I say rejoyce, Phil. 4. 4. Vers. 16. Three times] the times before and after mentioned; the Passeover, or vnleavened cakes; the Feast of Weekes, or Pentecost; and the Feast of Boothes, or Tabernacles: see Exod. 23. 14.—17. and 34. 22, 23. Of the speciall sacrifices of these Feasts, see Levit. 23. and Numb. 28. and 29. chapt. he shall not appeare] that is, no man of Israel: the Greeke saith as before, thou shalt not appeare: in Exod. 23. 15. it was said, they shall not appeare before me, emptie. Thus here are three things required, appearing, keeping a feast, vers. 15. and rejoycing, vers. 14. every of which implied a sacrifice, as is noted on Exod. 23. 15. Vers. 17. according to the gift of his hand] that is, Let every man appeare with a gift (or oblation) as he is willing, and his hand can give: which the Greeke explaineth, Every one according to the ability of your hands. Here beginneth the 48. section [non-Latin text not transcribed] of the Law: See Genes. 6. 9. and 28. 10. Vers. 18. Iudges and Officers] in Chaldee, Iudges and Avengers. These were to judge causes, and to execute the judgements: the Officers are called in Hebrew Shotrim, in Greeke Grammateis, and Grammatoeisagogeis, that is, Scribes, and as Hierom calleth them in Latine, Masters. Their worke was to speake and proclaime unto the people what they ought to doe, Deut. 20. 5.—9. Ios. 1. 10, 11. and 3. 2, 3. and as the Hebrewes generally hold, to see good orders kept, lawes executed, malefactors punished, and the like. Therefore they carried rods and weapons, to execute justice, as Praetors, and Lictors in the ancient Romane Common-wealth, and as Sheriffes and Constables in England. There were both Iudges and Officers of all tribes, and of the Levites, 1 Chron. 23. 4. The Officers (Shotrim) had staves and whips; and they stood before the Iudges, and went about in the streets, and into shops, for to looke to right weights and measures, and to smite all that did wrong: and all that they did, was by the mouth (or commandement) of the Iudges. And in whomsoever they saw any foule matter, they brought him to the Iudgement. Hall, where he was judged according to his wickednesse. Maimony in Sanhedrin, cha. 1. sect. 1. shalt thou give] that is, shalt make, or constitute, as the Greeke translateth. The manner of making them, is shewed in Deut. 1. 13, 15. and what manner of persons were to be chosen, is declared on Exod. 18. 21. thy gates] the Greeke and Chaldee expound it, thy cities. But according to the bignesse of every citie, so they appointed in Israel Courts of judgement: the Hebrewes reckon three; 1 The great Court in the Sanctuary, called the great Synedrion, where they set seventy (Iudges) and one, as in Numb. 11. 16. &c. where seventy were added unto Moses. 2 The Court of three and twenty, of which (they say) there were two about the Temple, the one at the Court-doore of the Sanctuary, and the other at the doore of the mountaine of the Temple. And in every citie of Israel, wherein were 120. men, or moe, the lesser Synedrion (of 23.) sate in the gate of the citie. 3 A citie wherein there were not 120. men, they set therein three Iudges; for there is no Court of lesse than three, as Maimony sheweth in Sanhedrin, ch. 1. sect. 3, 4. giveth unto thee] so within their owne Land Israel had this charge, but not without the same, as when they were dispersed into other nations. Wee are not bound (say they) to constitute Iudgement H[illegible: 1 letter]lls (or Courts,) in every countrey, and in everie citie, but in the land of Israel onely, &c. as it is said, in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth unto thee. Maimony in Sanhedrin, chap. 1. sect. 2. judgement of justice] that is, as the Greeke translateth it, just judgement; which is, when there is an equall and indifferent course of proceeding, when the truth of the cause is discerned, and when judgment passeth according to the Law, Psal. 82. and 58. 2, 3. So Christ saith, Iudge not according to the appearance, but judge just judgement, Ioh. 7. 24. The Hebrewes say, that the justice of judgement is, an equality towards both parties, in every matter: that they let not the one speake so much as he seeth needfull, and say to the other, Be briefe in your speech: and that they shew not a friendly countenance to the one, and speake gently to him; and frowne upon the other, and speake roughly unto him. That the one doe not sit, and the other stand; but both of them stand, or if the Iudges please, that they both sit; and that the one sit not on high, and the other below; but one besides another. It is unlawfull for the Iudge to heare the words of one of the parties before his fellow be come, or out of the presence of his fellow: and so the one partie is to be admonished that he relate not his cause to the Iudge, before his fellow the other party be come, &c. Maim. in Sanhedrin, ch. 21. Vers. 19. not wrest judgement] not decline (or pervert, turne aside) judgement, not give wrong judgement for any cause, as did Samuels sonnes, who turned aside after lucre, and tooke bribes, and wrested (or perverted) judgement, 1 Sam. 8. 3. See Deut. 24. 17. respect persons] or, acknowledge faces, that is, be partiall, respecting one more than another: see Lev. 19. 15. Deut. 1. 17. Prov. 24. 23. take a gift] or, a bribe: this is repeated from Exod. 23. 8. see the Annotations there. Vers. 20. Iustice justice] that is, all manner justice, and nothing but justice, exactly, carefully and continually shalt thou follow: the Greeke translateth, Iustly that which is just shalt thou follow. The doubling of the word, is for more vehemency: see Deut. 2. 27. and when a word is trebled, it is most vehement, as in Ezek. 21. 27. Esay 6. 3. Vers. 21. not plant thee] or, not plant unto thee, or for thy selfe: see the like phrase in Exod. 20. 4. a grove] called in Hebrew Asherah, of Felicity or happinesse, a blessed grove: such the heathens used for the service of their gods, as is noted on Exod. 34. 13. but the Lord would not have such neere his altar, in his service: notwithstanding the Israelites corrupted themselves herewith sundry times, as Iudg. 3. 7. and 6. 25. 1 King. 14. 23. and 16. 33. 2 King. 21. 3. 7. and there were prophets of the groves, 1 King. 18. 19. For this sin God threatned to root up Israel out of the good land, which he gave to their fathers, 1 King. 14. 15. The Hebrewes say, He that planteth a tree neere unto the Altar, or in any (part) of the Court-yard, whether it be barren tree, or tree that beareth food, although he doe it for to adorne the Sanctuary, and beautifie it, he is to be beaten, Deut. 16. 21. Because this was the manner of Idolaters, they planted trees by the altars side, that the people might assemble there. Maimony treat. of Idolatrie, ch. 6. s. 9. Vers. 22. set thee up a pillar] or, set up for thy selfe a statue, or standing image: whereof see the annotations on Lev. 26. 1.