LEVIT. XVII.

PARAPHRASE.

killeth it out of the ed. Mofes is directed

camp c.

4. And bringeth it not unto the door of the

tabernacle of the congregation of the Lord; blood fhall be imputed unto that man, he hath shed blood; and that

by God to enact a law by God's authority, that no Ifraelite by nation or religion shall kill any beaft permitted to be offered in facrifice to God, as ox, fheep, or goat, either

NOTE S.

tar. And this I think more fully appears, if with this verse we compare Deut. xii. 20-28. for there it is declared, that part of the law fhould be repealed, from the neceffity of things, when they fhould come into the promifed land. And that then they might kill of their herd or of their flock, and eat of it in their gate; if the altar was too far from them. Which fhews, that they could not even kill to eat, any where but at the door of the tabernacle, whilft they were in the wilderness. And even when they came into the promifed land, where they might kill for private ufe within their gates ;` yet the blood, that they were now to pour on the altar, they were then to pour on the ground, as water.

"In the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp.' These words fhew too that this law prohibits the killing beafts even for private ufe any where but at the door of the tabernacle. The beafts that were killed at one place (in the camp or at their tents) being for private ufe as thofe at the other place (out of the camp) were generally for facrifices, before this law.

for

&

NOTE S.

d Ver..5"To the end that the children of Ifrael "may bring their facrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the "Lord."" Sacrifices." The Septuagint ufe here Θυσίας. Ovcías. These words fhew,

(1) That they had offered facrifices to devils, from the plain oppofition there, is between offering them in the open field and offering them to the Lord. Why is offering to the Lord oppofed to offering in the open field, unless they had offered to devils there, instead of offering to the Lord? This appears more plainly from the end of this law, which is only here implied, but more exprefsly faid to be to prevent their facrificing to devils, ver. 7. and which is plainly implied to have been frequently practifed by them, ibid. This appears from the very matter of the law. For why fhould God order all the beafts that were flain even for private ufe to be brought to his tabernacle, and flain as it were under his eye, and a part of them to be offered to himself, and the blood to be fprinkled on his altar, but to prevent the pouring out of the blood in the open fields to devils? This alfo appears from the perfons to whom it was extended, ver. 8, 9 namely, the profelytes of the gate. For why fhould they be prevented from offering facrifices in the open field, and be obliged too to bring them to the door of the tabernacle, and offer part of them as a peace-offering to God, but to prevent idolatry? which in a theocracy was

no

LEVIT. XVII.

PARAPHRASE.

they may bring them beafts which they u

NOTE S.

fed

no more to be suffered in the profelytes of the gate than in the Ifraelites. This likewife appears from the penalty annexed to this law, which is capital. And why is blood to be imputed to a man that kills a beast in the open fields, and does not bring it to the tabernacle? And why is he to be cut off from his people, but because he that killed a beaft in the open fields offered it to devils; and that the only effectual way to prevent it was to make them bring them all to the door of the tabernacle, and offer them to God? As Abarbenell obferves on this place'; who, after giving the reasons of others for this prohibition, gives his own in these words: "What seems more

66

probable to me is, that the man that kills fo" (that is, in the open fields) is the occafion that men came and "there eat upon the blood poured out in the fields from "the killing of the beafts there; which is the worship

of devils: and he that killed a beaft fo was as if he "had brought death and defolation among all that facri"ficed in that day." This likewife appears from part of this law being temporary. See ver. 7. For why must they flay all their beafts for private ufe, and offer the blood. and fat to God in the wilderness, and not when they came to the promised land, but that they were more prone to this idolatry in the wilderness, being just come out of Egypt; and that they had frequent opportunities of practifing it in defarts, where the devils fhewed themfelves oftener to them than in cities, towns, and well-inhabited places; and that God would take various methods to cure this difpofition to idolatry before they came to the promifed land?

Za Zi

2. Thefe

PARAPHRASE.

fed to flay for private ufe, and offer in the

open

NOTE S.

2. These words fhew, that this idolatrous cuftom had arifen from their facrificing in the open fields; fince the obliging them to bring all beafts that they flew to the door of the tabernacle would be the effectual cure of this evil.

3. These words point out the manner in which they had facrificed to devils in the open fields; namely, by pouring out the blood of the beafts into an hole made in the ground, and left open for the devils to feast on; they taking blood to be their food: whilft they sometimes eat the blood near the place, feasting with the devils, at least as they imagined; as at other times they left the blood for devils, and carried the flesh to their own tents. This was a way of facrificing that they could easily make use of in any open fields, and on every occafion, without having any altar to offer it upon, which could not be foon or eafily built or concealed. And that this was the way of facrificing, we may learn from the 13th verfe, where the blood of what is caught in hunting must be poured out upon the ground, and covered with duft. For what reafon, but to put an end to this idolatrous practice? And that this effufion of the blood, and keeping it together in a hole or little trench, was the very offering to idols, appears from Ezek. xxxiii. 25. "Ye eat with" (it fhould be "upon") "the blood, and lift up your eyes "unto the idols, and fhed blood" (becaufe the beafts flain were offered to devils, and not to the Lord, ver. 4.) "Ye ftand upon your fword, ye work abomination:" and from Deut. xii. 16, where, though they are released from bringing the blood of all that they killed to God's al

tar