Matthew Poole and continuators on Deuteronomy 24

1 WHen a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes , because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house .

(i. e.) He dislike and loath her. It is a figure called Melosis, whereby more is understood than is expressed, as Prov. 10. 2. and 17. 21. and 24. 23.

Heb. nakedness, or shamefulness, or filthiness of a thing, i. e. some filthy or hateful thing, some loathsome distemper of body or quality of mind not observed before Marriage: Or some light and unchast carriage, as this or the like phrase commonly signifies, but not amounting to Adultery, which was not punished with divorce, but with death.

Which is not a command to divorce them, as some of the Jews understood it, nor an allowance and approbation, as plainly appears not onely from the New Testment, Matth. 5. 31, 32. and 19. 8, 9. But also from the old Testament, Gen. 2. 24. Mal. 2. 16. but meerly a permission or toleration of that practise for prevention of greater mischiefs and cruelties of that hard hearted people towards their Wives, and this onely for a season, even until the time of reformation, as it is called Heb. 9. 10. i. e. till the coming of the Messias, when things were to return to their first institution and purest condition. The Husband is not here commanded to put her away, but if he do put her away, he is commanded to write and give her a bill of divorcement, before he send her out of his house. And though it be true, as our Saviour observes, that Moses did suffer these divorces, to wit, without punishing them, which also is here implyed, yet it must be acknowledged, that if we consult the Hebrew words, those three first verses may seem to be onely a supposition, and the words rendred, then let him write her, in the Hebrew run thus, and hath written her, and so it follows ver. 2. And she be departed out of his house, and be gone and become another mans wife; Then follows ver. 3. which, even according to our translation, carries on the supposition, And if the later husband hate her, &c. Then follows the position or prohibition ver. 4.

Marginal references: Mat. 5. 31. and 19. 7. Mar. 10. 4.; Heb. [illegible: 1 word] of nakedness. chap. 23. 14▪; Heb. cutti[illegible: 1+ letters]g off.

2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another mans wife .

For although he could not causelessly put her away without sin, yet she being put away and forsaken by her husband might marry another without sin, as is determined in the same or a like case, 1 Cor. 7. 15.

4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife after that she is defiled : for that is abomination before the LORD, and thou shalt not cause the land to sin , which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

This is the punishment of his levity and injustice in putting her away without sufficient cause, which by this offer he now acknowledgeth.

Not simply and absolutely, as if her second Marriage were a sin, but respectively, or as to her first husband, to whom she is as a defiled or unclean woman, that is, forbidden, for things forbidden are accounted and called unclean, Iudg. 13. 7. because they may no more be touched or used than an unclean thing.

(i. e.) Thou shalt not suffer such abhominable lightness and lewdness to be practised, least the people be polluted and the land defiled and accursed by that means.

Marginal references: Jer. 3. 1.; Or, [illegible: 1 word] so Gr.

5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business : but he shall be free at home one year , and shall chear up his wife which he hath taken.

(i. e.) Any publick office or employment, which may cause an absence from or neglect of his Wife.

That their affections newly engaged may be firmly settled so as there may be no occasions for the divorces last mentioned.

Marginal references: chap. [illegible: 1+ letters]. [illegible: 1+ letters].; Heb. [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] thing [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] upon hi[illegible: 1+ letters].

6 No man shall take the nether or the upper milstone to pledge: for he taketh a mans life to pledge.

Used in their handmills, of which see Exod. 11. 5. Numb. 11. 28. Ier. 25. 10. Under this one kind he understands all other things necessary to get a livelihood, the taking away whereof is against the Laws both of charity and prudence, seeing by those things alone he can be enabled both to subsist and to pay his debts.

(i. e.) His livelihood, or the necessary supports of his life.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word] ▪

7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him: then that thief shall die, and thou shalt put evil away from among you.

See on Exod. 21. 16.

8 Take heed in the plague of leprosie, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them , so ye shall observe to do.

By which words he plainly intimates, that they were not onely to have an eye to the Levites instructions, but also and especially unto the word and command of God, and that if the Levites sentence were manifestly contrary to the command of God, it were not to be obeyed. As now if a Levite or Priest should for fear or favour or gain pronounce a person to be clean who were really and manifestly unclean, and had the unquestionable marks of leprosie upon him, I suppose no man in his wits will question, but every man that saw and knew this were bound to avoid the touching of him, and that if he did touch him he should be defiled by it.

Marginal references: Lev. 13. & 14.

9 Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.

Whom God smote with leprosie for her contempt of Moses, and therefore thou maist expect the same or like punishment if thou dost despise the counsel and direction of the Levites which I have set over thee and commanded thee to observe in this and the like matters.

Marginal references: Num. 12. 10.

10 When thou doest lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge .

To prevent both the poor mans reproach by having his wants exposed to view, and the creditors insolence and greediness which might be occasioned by the sight of something which he desired and the debtour could not spare.

Marginal references: Heb. lend the loan of any thing to, &c.

11 Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou doest lend, shall bring out the pledg abroad unto thee.

He shall chuse what pledge he please, provided onely it be sufficient for the purpose.

12 And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledg :

But restore it before night, which intimates that he should take no such thing for pledge without which a man cannot sleep, since it were an idle thing to fetch it and carry it every day. See on Exod. 22. 26, 27.

13 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledg again, when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee : and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God .

Instrumentally, as ministers are said to convert and save sinners, to wit, bring down the blessing of God upon thee by his prayers: for though his prayers, if he be not a good man, shall not avail for his own behalf, yet they shall avail for thy benefit.

(i. e.) Esteemed and accepted by God as a work of righteousness, or holiness, or goodness and mercy, which oft is called righteousness, as Psal. 112. 9. Prov. 10. 2. Dan. 4. 27.

Marginal references: Exod. 22. 26.; Job 31. 20.

14 Thou shalt not oppress an h[illegible: 1+ letters]ed servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates.

Either by laying too grievous burdens of work upon him, or by with-holding his wages from him, as it follows.

15 At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it , for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it u, lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.

At the time appointed, weekly or daily.

To wit, after the day upon which it is due, and desired or demanded by him, for justice must not be denied nor delayed.

y Heb. lifteth up his soul to it, which notes his great desire and hope of it, and his dependance upon it: See Psal. 24. 4. Ier. 22. 27.

Marginal references: Lev. 19. 13. Jer. 22. 13.; Heb. he lifteth his soul unto it.

16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers : every man shall be put to death for his own sin .

Understand it thus, if the one be free from the guilt of the others sin, and except in those cases where the soveraign Lord of Life and Death, before whom none is innocent, hath commanded it, as Deut. 13. Ios. 7. 24. For this law is given to men, not to God, and though God do visit the fathers sins upon the children, Exod. 20. yet he will not suffer men to do so.

Understand onely, and not for any other mans sin.

Marginal references: 2 King. 14. 6. 2 Chron. 25. 4. Jer. 31. 29, 30. Ezek. 18. 20.

17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless , nor take a widows raiment to pledg.

Nor of the widow, which is to be supplied out of the last member; nor indeed of any other person, but he particularly mentions these, partly because men are most apt to wrong such helpless persons, and partly because God is pleased especially to charge himself, and so to charge others, with the care of those who have no other refuge. See Isa. 1. 23. Ier. 5. 28.

To wit, such an one as she hath daily and necessary use of, as being poor, as may appear by comparing this with ver. 12, 13. and with other places. But this concerns not rich persons, nor superfluous raiment.

Marginal references: Exod. 22. 21, 22. Prov. 22. [illegible: 1+ letters]2. Jer. 22. 3. Ezek. 22. 29.; Exod. 22. 26.

18 But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bond-man in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing e.

To wit, affectionately and practically, and by thy compassionate sence of others miseries thou shalt make it evident that thou hast not forgotten thy own distresses and deliverances. I having thereby authority to command thee, and thou having obligations on that account both to obey me and to pity others in the same calamities which thou hast felt.

20 When thou beatest thine olive-tree , thou shalt not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

With staves, as they used to do to fetch down the olives.

Marginal references: Heb. thou shalt not bough it after thee.