Levitico 19:17 Commento

Some ceremonial precepts there are in this chapter, but most of them are moral. One would wonder that when some of the lighter matters of the law are greatly enlarged upon (witness two long chapters concerning the leprosy) many of the weightier matters are put into a little compass: divers of the single verses of this chapter contain whole laws concerning judgment and mercy; for these are things which are manifest in every man's conscience; men's own thoughts are able to explain these, and to comment upon them. I. The laws of this chapter, which were peculiar to the Jews, are, 1. Concerning their peace-offerings (Lev 19:5-8). 2. Concerning the gleanings of their fields (Lev 19:9, Lev 19:10). 3. Against mixtures of their cattle, seed, and cloth (Lev 19:19). 4. Concerning their trees (Lev 19:23-25). 5. Against some superstitious usages (Lev 19:26-28). But, II. Most of these precepts are binding on us, for they are expositions of most of the ten commandments. 1. Here is the preface to the ten commandments, "I am the Lord," repeated fifteen times. 2. A sum of the ten commandments. All the first table in this, "Be you holy," (Lev 19:2). All the second table in this, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour" (Lev 19:18), and an answer to the question, "Who is my neighbour?" (Lev 19:33, Lev 19:34). 3. Something of each commandment. (1.) The first commandment implied in that which is often repeated here, "I am your God." And here is a prohibition of enchantment (Lev 19:26) and witchcraft (Lev 19:31), which make a god of the devil. (2.) Idolatry, against the second commandment, is forbidden, (Lev 19:4). (3.) Profanation of God's name, against the third (Lev 19:12). (4.) Sabbath-sanctification is pressed (Lev 19:3, Lev 19:30). (5.) Children are required to honour their parents (Lev 19:3), and the aged (Lev 19:32). (6.) Hatred and revenge are here forbidden, against the sixth commandment (Lev 19:17, Lev 19:18). (7.) Adultery (Lev 19:20-22), and whoredom (Lev 19:29). (8.) Justice is here required in judgment (Lev 19:15), theft forbidden (Lev 19:11), fraud and withholding dues (Lev 19:13), and false weights (Lev 19:35, Lev 19:36). (9.) Lying (Lev 19:11). Slandering (Lev 19:14). Tale-bearing, and false-witness bearing (Lev 19:16). (10.) The tenth commandment laying a restraint upon the heart, so does that (Lev 19:17), "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart." And here is a solemn charge to observe all these statutes (Lev 19:37). Now these are things which need not much help for the understanding of them, but require constant care and watchfulness for the observing of them. "A good understanding have all those that do these commandments."

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 19 This chapter contains various laws, ceremonial and moral, tending to the sanctification of men, in imitation of the holy God, Lev 19:1; as concerning the reverence of parents, and observing the sabbaths, Lev 19:3; against idolatry, Lev 19:4; about offering and eating of peace offerings, Lev 19:5; concerning harvest and gleaning of fields and vineyards, Lev 19:9; respecting the breach of several of the commandments of the law, as the eighth, ninth, and third, particularly, Lev 19:11; and others relating to the ill usage of the deaf and blind, and having respect to persons rich or poor in judgment, and acting the part of a tale bearer among people, Lev 19:14; and bearing hatred and ill will to any of their neighbours, Lev 19:17; and others forbidding mixtures in the generation of cattle, sowing fields, and wearing apparel, Lev 19:19; and concerning the punishment of a man that lay with a bondmaid, and the offering he should bring for his atonement, Lev 19:20; then follow certain laws concerning fruit trees, when the fruit of them should be eaten, Lev 19:23; and concerning eating with blood, using enchantments, and observing times, and managing the hair of the head and beard, and avoiding to make any marks, prints, and cuttings in the flesh for the dead, Lev 19:26; a caution not to prostitute a daughter to whoredom, and to observe the sabbath, and reverence the sanctuary of God, and pay no regard to wizards and familiar spirits, Lev 19:29; to show reverence to ancient persons, and not to vex and distress strangers, Lev 19:32; and to do no injustice in weight and measure, Lev 19:35; all which instructions are to be carefully observed, and put in execution, Lev 19:37.

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart,.... Although no hatred may be expressed either by words or deeds, yet being in the heart is a breach of the sixth command, see Mat 5:21; and of this a man may be guilty, when he does not attempt to save the life of his neighbour, either by bearing a testimony for him, or by delivering from danger, as preserving him from drowning, from wild beasts and thieves, as in Lev 19:16; or when he does not reprove him for sin, as in the next clause, but suffers him to go on in it to his ruin, either of which by interpretation is an hatred of him: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, for any sin committed by him, though secretly, yet known; which rebuke should be private, and repeated as may be found necessary, and given gently in meekness and tenderness: and not suffer sin upon him; unconvinced of, unrepented of and persisted in, which may prove of fatal consequence to him; and therefore to let him alone, and go on in it without telling him of it, and reproving him for it, would be so far from acting the kind and friendly part, and showing him love and respect, that it would be an evidence of hating him at heart, at least it might be strongly suspected: or, "and not bear sin for him" (a); become a partner with him in his sin, and so become liable to bear punishment for it; which is a strong reason for reproving sin, in a proper manner, lest we should be partakers of other men's sins; see Ti1 5:20. (a) "ne feras propter eum peccatum", Tigurine version; so Sept. Syr. Ar. Targum Jonathan, Aben Ezra, Ainsworth.

Exhortations to holiness, and a repetition of various laws, Lev 19:1, Lev 19:2 Duty to parents, and observance of the Sabbath, Lev 19:3. Against idolatry, Lev 19:4. Concerning peace-offerings, Lev 19:5-8. The gleanings of the harvest and vintage to be left for the poor, Lev 19:9, Lev 19:10. Against stealing and lying, Lev 19:11; false swearing, Lev 19:12; defrauding the hireling, Lev 19:13. Laws in behalf of the deaf and the blind, Lev 19:14. Against respect of persons in judgment, Lev 19:15; tale-bearing, Lev 19:16; hatred and uncharitableness, Lev 19:17; revenge, Lev 19:18; unlawful mixtures in cattle, seed, and garments, Lev 19:19. Laws relative to the bondmaid that is betrothed, Lev 19:20-22. The fruit of the trees of the land not to be eaten for the first three years, Lev 19:23; but this is lawful in the fourth and fifth years, Lev 19:24, Lev 19:25. Against eating of blood, and using incantations, Lev 19:26; superstitious cutting of the hair, Lev 19:27; and cutting of the flesh in the times of mourning, Lev 19:28; prostitution, Lev 19:29. Sabbaths to be reverenced, Lev 19:30. Against consulting those who are wizards, and have familiar spirits, Lev 19:31. Respect must be shown to the aged, Lev 19:32. The stranger shall not be oppressed, Lev 19:33, Lev 19:34. They shall keep just measures, weights, and balances, Lev 19:35, Lev 19:36. Conclusion, Lev 19:37.

Thou shalt not hate thy brother - Thou shalt not only not do him any kind of evil, but thou shalt harbor no hatred in thy heart towards him. On the contrary, thou shalt love him as thyself, Lev 19:18. Many persons suppose, from misunderstanding our Lord's words, Joh 13:34, A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another, etc., that loving our neighbor as ourselves was first instituted under the Gospel. This verse shows the opinion to be unfounded: but to love another as Christ has loved us, i. e., to lay down our lives for each other, is certainly a new commandment; we have it simply on the authority of Jesus Christ alone. And not suffer sin upon him - If thou see him sin, or know him to be addicted to any thing by which the safety of his soul is endangered, thou shalt mildly and affectionately reprove him, and by no means permit him to go on without counsel and advice in a way that is leading him to perdition. In a multitude of cases timely reproof has been the means of saving the soul. Speak to him privately if possible; if not, write to him in such a way that himself alone shall see it.

A REPETITION OF SUNDRY LAWS. (Lev. 19:1-37) Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel--Many of the laws enumerated in this chapter had been previously announced. As they were, however, of a general application, not suited to particular classes, but to the nation at large, so Moses seems, according to divine instructions, to have rehearsed them, perhaps on different occasions and to successive divisions of the people, till "all the congregation of the children of Israel" were taught to know them. The will of God in the Old as well as the New Testament Church was not locked up in the repositories of an unknown tongue, but communicated plainly and openly to the people. Ye shall be holy: for I . . . am holy--Separated from the world, the people of God were required to be holy, for His character, His laws, and service were holy. (See Pe1 1:15).

thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour--Instead of cherishing latent feelings of malice or meditating purposes of revenge against a person who has committed an insult or injury against them, God's people were taught to remonstrate with the offender and endeavor, by calm and kindly reason, to bring him to a sense of his fault. not suffer sin upon him--literally, "that ye may not participate in his sin."

Holiness of Behaviour Towards God and Man. - However manifold the commandments, which are grouped together rather according to a loose association of ideas than according to any logical arrangement, they are all linked together by the common purpose expressed in Lev 19:2 in the words, "Ye shall be holy, for I am holy, Jehovah your God." The absence of any strictly logical arrangement is to be explained chiefly from the nature of the object, and the great variety of circumstances occurring in life which no casuistry can fully exhaust, so that any attempt to throw light upon these relations must consist more or less of the description of a series of concrete events.