Leviticus 20:16

20:10-27 These verses repeat what had been said before, but it was needful there should be line upon line. What praises we owe to God that he has taught the evil of sin, and the sure way of deliverance from it! May we have grace to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things; may we have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them.

And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto,.... In order that the beast may lie with her, and solicit it to commit such an action with her, see Leviticus 18:23 , thou shall kill the woman and the beast: the woman by stoning, and the beast with clubs, as the Targum of Jonathan; and this for the same reasons as before, as well as to prevent monstrous births: they shall surely be put to death; both the one and the other, and not spared: their blood shall be upon them; they are guilty of a capital crime, a crime which deserves death; this must be understood of the man that lies with a beast, and of the woman; for as for the beast itself, as it is not capable of sinning, so not of guilt, in a proper sense.

7-19. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy—The minute specification of the incestuous and unnatural crimes here enumerated shows their sad prevalence amongst the idolatrous nations around, and the extreme proneness of the Israelites to follow the customs of their neighbors. It is to be understood, that, whenever mention is made that the offender was "to be put to death" without describing the mode, stoning is meant. The only instance of another form of capital punishment occurs in Le 20:14, that of being burnt with fire; and yet it is probable that even here death was first inflicted by stoning, and the body of the criminal afterwards consumed by fire (Jos 7:15).

Whoever cursed father or mother was to be punished with death ( Leviticus 19:3 ); "His blood would be upon him." The cursing of parents was a capital crime (see at Leviticus 17:4 , and for the plural דּמיו Exodus 22:1 and Genesis 4:10 ), which was to return upon the doer of it, according to Genesis 9:6 . The same punishment was to be inflicted upon adultery ( Leviticus 20:10 , cf. Leviticus 18:20 ), carnal intercourse with a father's wife ( Leviticus 20:11 , cf. Leviticus 18:7-8 ) or with a daughter-in-law ( Leviticus 20:12 , cf. Leviticus 18:17 ), sodomy ( Leviticus 20:13 , cf. Leviticus 18:22 ), sexual intercourse with a mother and her daughter, in which case the punishment was to be heightened by the burning of the criminals when put to death ( Leviticus 20:14 , cf. Leviticus 18:17 ), lying with a beast ( Leviticus 20:15 , Leviticus 20:16 , cf. Leviticus 18:23 ), sexual intercourse with a half-sister ( Leviticus 20:17 , cf. Leviticus 18:9 and Leviticus 18:11 ), and lying with a menstruous woman ( Leviticus 20:18 , cf. Leviticus 18:19 ).

The punishment of death, which was to be inflicted in all these cases upon both the criminals, and also upon the beast that had been abused ( Leviticus 20:15 , Leviticus 20:16 ), was to be by stoning, according to Leviticus 20:2 , Leviticus 20:27 , and Deuteronomy 22:21 .; and by the burning ( Leviticus 20:14 ) we are not to understand death by fire, or burning alive, but, as we may clearly see from Joshua 7:15 and Joshua 7:25 , burning the corpse after death. This was also the case in Leviticus 21:9 and Genesis 38:24 .

14 . holy ] cf. Exodus 16:23 (P), Exodus 20:8 (E), Isaiah 58:13 , Ezekiel 20:20 , &c. profaneth ] To ‘profane’ is characteristic—like its opposite, to ‘sanctify’—of H, Leviticus 18:21 ; Leviticus 19:8 ; Leviticus 19:12 ; Leviticus 19:29 ; Leviticus 20:3 ; Leviticus 21:4 ; Leviticus 21:6 ; Leviticus 21:9 (twice), Leviticus 21:12 ; Leviticus 21:15 ; Leviticus 21:23 , Leviticus 22:2 ; Leviticus 22:9 ; Leviticus 22:15 ; Leviticus 22:32 , and Ezek. (about 30 times,—6 times, as here, of the sabbath, viz. Ezekiel 20:13 ; Ezekiel 20:16 ; Ezekiel 20:21 ; Ezekiel 20:24 , Ezekiel 22:8 , Ezekiel 23:38 : so Isaiah 56:2 , Nehemiah 13:18 ). In P only once ( Numbers 18:32 ). shall surely be put to death ] cf., in the Book of the Covenant, Exodus 21:12 ; Exodus 21:14-17 , Exodus 22:19 ; and in H, for various moral and religious offences, Leviticus 20:2 ; Leviticus 20:9-13 ; Leviticus 20:15-16 ; Leviticus 20:27 ; Leviticus 24:16-17 (for murder). In Numbers 15:32-36 (P) this penalty for sabbath-breaking is said to have been inflicted. that soul , &c.] See on Exodus 12:15 , and Exodus 30:33 .

The word occurs in the same sense Leviticus 8:15 (of the altar, as here), Leviticus 14:49 (of a leprous house), Leviticus 14:52 , Numbers 19:19 (RV. purify ); Ezekiel 43:20 ; Ezekiel 43:22 (twice), 23 (all of the altar, Ezekiel 45:18 (of the sanctuary); Psalm 51:7 ( purge )†; and in the reflexive conj., Numbers 8:21 ; Numbers 19:12 (twice), Numbers 19:13 , Numbers 19:20 , Numbers 31:19-20 ; Numbers 31:23 †. by thy making (marg.) atonement for it ] on account of its being regarded as infected with sin. For other cases of ‘atonement’ being made for a material object—regarded either as affected by the natural impurity of human workmanship, or as tainted by contact with a sinful people—see (of the altar of burnt-offering) Lev Exo 8:15 (the execution of the present injunction), Ezekiel 43:20 ; Ezekiel 43:26 , Leviticus 16:18 ; Leviticus 16:20 ; Leviticus 16:33 ; (of the altar of incense) ch. Exodus 30:10 b; (of the sanctuary) Ezekiel 45:20 , Leviticus 16:16 ; Leviticus 16:20 ; Leviticus 16:33 ; (of a leprous house) Leviticus 14:53 ( DB. iv. 131b). thou shalt anoint it ] Cf. Lev Exo 8:11 (in the insertion referred to on v. 7 above, between the words corresponding to v. 7a and v. 7b here). See on Exodus 30:26-29 (at the end). 36, 37. The altar to be fitted for sacred uses by atonement being made for it: the ceremony to be repeated, like the installation-ceremony, every day for seven days.

T., on the other hand, is used as the translation of כִּפֵּר much more frequently than the simple form; it is only where this verb is used of the relation between men, namely Genesis 32:21 and Proverbs 16:14 , that the classical usus loquendi is preserved; but elsewhere with ἐξιλάσκεσθαι , whether the subject be God (as in Ezekiel 16:63 ) or man, especially the priest, the object is either man ( Leviticus 4:20 ; Leviticus 4:26 ; Leviticus 6:7 ; Leviticus 16:6 ; Leviticus 16:11 ; Leviticus 16:16-17 ; Leviticus 16:24 ; Leviticus 16:30 ; Leviticus 16:33 ; Ezekiel 45:17 ) or sin ( Exodus 32:30 ; both together, Leviticus 5:18 , Numbers 6:11 ), or even of holiness defiled by sin (the most holy place, Leviticus 16:16 ; the altar, Leviticus 16:18 ; Leviticus 27:33 , Ezekiel 43:22 ); only in Zechariah 7:2 is found ἐξιλάσκασθαι τὸν κύριον , where, however, the Hebrew text has לְחַלּוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהֹוָה . Ἰλασμός , therefore, in scripture does not denote the reconciliation of God, either with Himself or with men, and hence not placatio (or as Myrberg interprets: propitiatio) Dei, but the justification or reconciliation of the sinner with God, because it is never stated in the N. T. that God is reconciled, but rather that we are reconciled to God.[85] [85] Comp. Delitzsch in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews , on chap. 1 John 2:17 , p. 94 ff.

Bear the iniquity of the holy things - The Hebrew expression "to bear iniquity" is applied either to one who suffers the penalty of sin ( Exodus 28:43 ; Leviticus 5:1 , Leviticus 5:17 ; Leviticus 17:16 ; Leviticus 26:41 , etc.), or to one who takes away the sin of others ( Genesis 50:17 ; Leviticus 10:17 ; Leviticus 16:22 ; Numbers 30:15 ; 1 Samuel 15:25 , etc.). In several of these passages, the verb is rightly rendered to forgive. The iniquity which is spoken of in this place does not mean particular sins actually committed, but that condition of alienation from God in every earthly thing which makes reconciliation and consecration needful. Compare Numbers 18:1 . It belonged to the high priest, as the chief atoning mediator between Yahweh and His people (see the note at Exodus 28:36 ), to atone for the holy things that they might be "accepted before the Lord" (compare Leviticus 8:15 , note; Leviticus 16:20 , Leviticus 16:33 , note): but the common priests also, in their proper functions, had to take their part in making atonement ( Leviticus 4:20 ; Leviticus 5:10 ; Leviticus 10:17 ; Leviticus 22:16 ; Numbers 18:23 , etc.).