Levitikus 20:9 Kommentar

The laws which before were made are in this chapter repeated and penalties annexed to them, that those who would not be deterred from sin by the fear of God might be deterred from it by the fear of punishment. If we will not avoid such and such practices because the law has made them sin (and it is most acceptable when we go on that principle of religion), surely we shall avoid them when the law has made them death, from a principle of self-preservation. In this chapter we have, I. Many particular crimes that are made capital. I. Giving their children to Moloch (Lev 20:1-5). 2. Consulting witches (Lev 20:6, Lev 20:27). 3. Cursing parents (Lev 20:9). 4. Adultery (Lev 20:10). 5. Incest (Lev 20:11, Lev 20:12, Lev 20:14, Lev 20:17, Lev 20:19-21). 6. Unnatural lusts (Lev 20:13, Lev 20:15, Lev 20:16, Lev 20:18). II. General commands given to be holy (Lev 20:7, Lev 20:8, Lev 20:22-26).

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 20 In this chapter several laws are, repeated, enforced with a penalty annexed to them, and the breach them made capital, to deter from it, as giving seed to Molech, Lev 20:1; going after such that have familiar spirits, or are wizards, Lev 20:6; by shunning which, and other sins, a regard would be shown to holiness, Lev 20:7; such as cursing parents, Lev 20:9; committing adultery, Lev 20:10; incestuous copulations, and marriages, and beastly actions, Lev 20:11; all which it became the Israelites to avoid, lest, when come into the land of Canaan, they should be cast out of it, as the old inhabitants were for the same things, Lev 20:22; and therefore, that they might appear to be a distinct people from others, they were to put a difference between clean and unclean creatures, Lev 20:25; and the chapter is closed with a law, making it death for any person to have a familiar spirit, or to be a wizard, Lev 19:27.

For everyone that curseth his father or his mother,.... Here begins the account of the penalties annexed to the several laws in the preceding chapter; and that respecting the fear and honour of parents being the first, Lev 19:3, is here begun with: shall surely be put to death; the Targum of Jonathan adds,"by casting of stones,''stoning being the punishment of such transgressors: he hath cursed his father or his mother: to do either is his sin, and a capital crime it is: his blood shall be upon him: he shall be guilty of death, be condemned unto it, and punished with it, namely, by stoning; for, as Jarchi observes, wherever it is, "his blood shall be on him", or "their blood shall be on them", it is to be understood of stoning.

But when we wish to examine the very letter of the words as given by Matthew, “He that speaks evil of father or mother, let him die the death,” consider whether it was taken from the place where it was written, “Whoso strikes his father or mother, let him die the death; and he that speaks evil of father or mother, let him die the death.” For such are the exact words taken from the law with regard to the two commandments; but Matthew has quoted them in part and in an abridged form, and not in the very words.

Of giving seed to Molech, and the punishment of this crime, Lev 20:1-5. Of consulting wizards, etc., Lev 20:6-8. Of disrespect to parents, Lev 20:9. Of adultery, Lev 20:10. Of incestuous mixtures, Lev 20:11, Lev 20:12. Bestiality, Lev 20:13-16. Different cases of incest and uncleanness, Lev 20:17-21. Exhortations and promises, Lev 20:22-24. The difference between clean and unclean animals to be carefully observed, Lev 20:25. The Israelites are separated from other nations, that they may be holy, Lev 20:26. A repetition of the law against wizards and them that have familiar spirits, Lev 20:27.

Curseth his father or his mother - See the notes on Gen 48:12, and Exo 20:12 (note). He who conscientiously keeps the fifth commandment can be in no danger of this judgment. The term יקלל yekallel signifies, not only to curse, but to speak of a person contemptuously and disrespectfully, to make light of; so that all speeches which have a tendency to lessen our parents in the eyes of others, or to render their judgment, piety, etc., suspected and contemptible, may be here included; though the act of cursing, or of treating the parent with injurious and opprobrious language, is that which is particularly intended.

GIVING ONE'S SEED TO MOLECH. (Lev. 20:1-27) Whosoever . . . giveth any of his seed unto Molech--(See on Lev 18:21). the people of the land shall stone him with stones, &c.--Criminals who were condemned to be stoned were led, with their hands bound, without the gates to a small eminence, where was a large stone placed at the bottom. When they had approached within ten cubits of the spot, they were exhorted to confess, that, by faith and repentance, their souls might be saved. When led forward to within four cubits, they were stripped almost naked, and received some stupefying draught, during which the witnesses prepared, by laying aside their outer garments, to carry into execution the capital sentence which the law bound them to do. The criminal, being placed on the edge of the precipice, was then pushed backwards, so that he fell down the perpendicular height on the stone lying below: if not killed by the fall, the second witness dashed a large stone down upon his breast, and then the "people of the land," who were by-standers, rushed forward, and with stones completed the work of death (Mat 21:44; Act 7:58).

Punishments for the Vices and crimes Prohibited in Ch. 18 and 19. - The list commences with idolatry and soothsaying, which were to be followed by extermination, as a practical apostasy from Jehovah, and a manifest breach of the covenant.

Whoever cursed father or mother was to be punished with death (Lev 19:3); "His blood would be upon him." The cursing of parents was a capital crime (see at Lev 17:4, and for the plural דּמיו Exo 22:1 and Gen 4:10), which was to return upon the doer of it, according to Gen 9:6. The same punishment was to be inflicted upon adultery (Lev 20:10, cf. Lev 18:20), carnal intercourse with a father's wife (Lev 20:11, cf. Lev 18:7-8) or with a daughter-in-law (Lev 20:12, cf. Lev 18:17), sodomy (Lev 20:13, cf. Lev 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 (Lev 20:14, cf. Lev 18:17), lying with a beast (Lev 20:15, Lev 20:16, cf. Lev 18:23), sexual intercourse with a half-sister (Lev 20:17, cf. Lev 18:9 and Lev 18:11), and lying with a menstruous woman (Lev 20:18, cf. Lev 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 (Lev 20:15, Lev 20:16), was to be by stoning, according to Lev 20:2, Lev 20:27, and Deu 22:21.; and by the burning (Lev 20:14) we are not to understand death by fire, or burning alive, but, as we may clearly see from Jos 7:15 and Jos 7:25, burning the corpse after death. This was also the case in Lev 21:9 and Gen 38:24.