4 `Or when a person sweareth, speaking wrongfully with the lips to do evil, or to do good, even anything which man speaketh wrongfully with an oath, and it hath been hid from him; -- when he hath known then he hath been guilty of one of these;
And day having come, certain of the Jews having made a concourse, did anathematize themselves, saying neither to eat nor to drink till they may kill Paul;
and he sware to her -- `Whatever thou mayest ask me, I will give to thee -- unto the half of my kingdom.'
then it hath been, that which at all cometh out from the doors of my house to meet me in my turning back in peace from the Bene-Ammon -- it hath been to Jehovah, or I have offered up for it -- a burnt-offering.'
and the king hath pity on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, son of Saul, because of the oath of Jehovah that `is' between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul;
whereupon with an oath he professed to give her whatever she might ask.
And he despised the oath -- to break covenant, And lo, he hath given his hand, And all these he hath done, he escapeth not. Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: I live -- Mine oath that he hath despised, And My covenant that he hath broken, Have I not put it on his head?
Cause not thy mouth to hasten, and let not thy heart hasten to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and thou on the earth, therefore let thy words be few. For the dream hath come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words. When thou vowest a vow to God, delay not to complete it, for there is no pleasure in fools; that which thou vowest -- complete. Better that thou do not vow, than that thou dost vow and dost not complete. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger, that `it `is' an error,' why is God wroth because of thy voice, and hath destroyed the work of thy hands?
Who hath sworn to Jehovah. He hath vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: `If I enter into the tent of my house, If I go up on the couch of my bed, If I give sleep to mine eyes, To mine eyelids -- slumber, Till I do find a place for Jehovah, Tabernacles for the Mighty One of Jacob.
And he saith, `Thus doth God do to me, and thus He doth add -- if it remain -- the head of Elisha son of Shaphat -- upon him this day.'
`Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When a man maketh a wonderful vow, by thy valuation the persons `are' Jehovah's. When thy valuation hath been of the male from a son of twenty years even unto a son of sixty years, then hath been thy valuation fifty shekels of silver by the shekel of the sanctuary. And if it `is' a female -- then hath thy valuation been thirty shekels; and if from a son of five years even unto a son of twenty years -- then hath thy valuation been of the male twenty shekels, and for the female, ten shekels; and if from a son of a month even unto a son of five years -- then hath thy valuation been of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy valuation `is' three shekels of silver; and if from a son of sixty years and above -- if a male, then hath thy valuation been fifteen shekels, and for a female, ten shekels. `And if he is poorer than thy valuation, then he hath presented himself before the priest, and the priest hath valued him; according to that which the hand of him who is vowing doth reach doth the priest value him. `And if `it is' a beast of which they bring near an offering to Jehovah, all that `one' giveth of it to Jehovah is holy; he doth not change it nor exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; and if he really change beast for beast, -- then it hath been -- it and its exchange is holy. `And if `it is' any unclean beast of which they do not bring near an offering to Jehovah, then he hath presented the beast before the priest, and the priest hath valued it; whether good or bad, according to thy valuation, O priest, so it is; and if he really redeem it, then he hath added its fifth to thy valuation. `And when a man sanctifieth his house, a holy thing to Jehovah, then hath the priest valued it, whether good or bad; as the priest doth value it so it standeth; and if he who is sanctifying doth redeem his house, then he hath added a fifth of the money of thy valuation to it, and it hath become his. `And if of the field of his possession a man sanctify to Jehovah, then hath thy valuation been according to its seed; a homer of barley-seed at fifty shekels of silver; if from the year of the jubilee he sanctify his field, according to thy valuation it standeth; and if after the jubilee he sanctify his field, then hath the priest reckoned to him the money according to the years which are left, unto the year of the jubilee, and it hath been abated from thy valuation. `And if he really redeem the field -- he who is sanctifying it -- then he hath added a fifth of the money of thy valuation to it, and it hath been established to him; and if he do not redeem the field, or if he hath sold the field to another man, it is not redeemed any more; and the field hath been, in its going out in the jubilee, holy to Jehovah as a field which is devoted; to the priest is its possession. `And if the field of his purchase (which `is' not of the fields of his possession) `one' sanctify to Jehovah -- then hath the priest reckoned to him the amount of thy valuation unto the year of jubilee, and he hath given thy valuation in that day -- a holy thing to Jehovah; in the year of the jubilee the field returneth to him from whom he bought it, to him whose `is' the possession of the land. And all thy valuation is by the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs is the shekel. `Only, a firstling which is Jehovah's firstling among beasts -- no man doth sanctify it, whether ox or sheep; it `is' Jehovah's. And if among the unclean beasts, then he hath ransomed `it' at thy valuation, and he hath added its fifth to it; and if it is not redeemed, then it hath been sold at thy valuation. `Only, no devoted thing which a man devoteth to Jehovah, of all that he hath, of man, and beast, and of the field of his possession, is sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to Jehovah. `No devoted thing, which is devoted of man, is ransomed, it is surely put to death. And all tithe of the land, of the seed of the land, of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah's -- holy to Jehovah. `And if a man really redeem `any' of his tithe, its fifth he addeth to it. `And all the tithe of the herd and of the flock -- all that passeth by under the rod -- the tenth is holy to Jehovah; he enquireth not between good and bad, nor doth he change it; and if he really change it -- then it hath been -- it and its exchange is holy; it is not redeemed.' These `are' the commands which Jehovah hath commanded Moses for the sons of Israel, in mount Sinai.
and, now, swear to me by Jehovah -- thou dost not cut off my seed after me, nor dost thou destroy my name from the house of my father.' And David sweareth to Saul, and Saul goeth unto his house, and David and his men have gone up unto the fortress.
And the men of Israel have been distressed on that day, and Saul adjureth the people, saying, `Cursed `is' the man who eateth food till the evening, and I have been avenged of mine enemies;' and none of the people hath tasted food. And all `they of' the land have come into a forest, and there is honey on the face of the field; and the people come in unto the forest, and lo, the honey dropped, and none is moving his hand unto his mouth, for the people feared the oath. And Jonathan hath not heard of his father's adjuring the people, and putteth forth the end of the rod, which `is' in his hand, and dippeth it in the honeycomb, and bringeth back his hand unto his mouth -- and his eyes see! And a man of the people answereth and saith, `Thy father certainly adjured the people, saying, Cursed `is' the man who eateth food to-day; and the people are weary.'
and voweth a vow, and saith, `Jehovah of Hosts, if Thou dost certainly look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and hast remembered me, and dost not forget Thy handmaid, and hast given to Thy handmaid seed of men -- then I have given him to Jehovah all days of his life, and a razor doth not go up upon his head.'
and we -- we are not able to give to them wives out of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed `is' he who is giving a wife to Benjamin.'
what do we do for them -- for those who are left -- for wives, and we -- we have sworn by Jehovah not to give to them of our daughters for wives?'
and Joshua maketh with them peace, and maketh with them a covenant, to keep them alive; and swear to them do the princes of the company.
And the men say to her, `Our soul for yours -- to die; if ye declare not this our matter, then it hath been, in Jehovah's giving to us this land, that we have done with thee kindness and truth.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Leviticus 5
Commentary on Leviticus 5 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 5
Le 5:1. Trespass Offerings for Concealing Knowledge.
1. if a soul … hear the voice of swearing—or, according to some, "the words of adjuration." A proclamation was issued calling any one who could give information, to come before the court and bear testimony to the guilt of a criminal; and the manner in which witnesses were interrogated in the Jewish courts of justice was not by swearing them directly, but adjuring them by reading the words of an oath: "the voice of swearing." The offense, then, for the expiation of which this law provides, was that of a person who neglected or avoided the opportunity of lodging the information which it was in his power to communicate.
Le 5:2, 3. Touching Any Thing Unclean.
2. if a soul touch any unclean thing—A person who, unknown to himself at the time, came in contact with any thing unclean, and either neglected the requisite ceremonies of purification or engaged in the services of religion while under the taint of ceremonial defilement, might be afterwards convinced that he had committed an offense.
Le 5:4-19. For Swearing.
4. if a soul swear—a rash oath, without duly considering the nature and consequences of the oath, perhaps inconsiderately binding himself to do anything wrong, or neglecting to perform a vow to do something good. In all such cases a person might have transgressed one of the divine commandments unwittingly, and have been afterwards brought to a sense of his delinquency.
5. it shall be, when he shall be guilty … that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing—make a voluntary acknowledgment of his sin from the impulse of his own conscience, and before it come to the knowledge of the world. A previous discovery might have subjected him to some degree of punishment from which his spontaneous confession released him, but still he was considered guilty of trespass, to expiate which he was obliged by the ceremonial law to go through certain observances.
6-14. he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord for his sins which he hath sinned—A trespass offering differed from a sin offering in the following respects: that it was appointed for persons who had either done evil unwittingly, or were in doubt as to their own criminality; or felt themselves in such a special situation as required sacrifices of that kind [Brown]. The trespass offering appointed in such cases was a female lamb or kid; if unable to make such an offering, he might bring a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons—the one to be offered for a sin offering, the other for a burnt offering; or if even that was beyond his ability, the law would be satisfied with the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour without oil or frankincense.
15, 16. sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord, &c.—This is a case of sacrilege committed ignorantly, either in not paying the full due of tithes, first-fruits, and similar tribute in eating of meats, which belonged to the priests alone—or he was required, along with the restitution in money, the amount of which was to be determined by the priest, to offer a ram for a trespass offering, as soon as he came to the knowledge of his involuntary fraud.
17-19. if a soul sin … though he wist it not, yet is he guilty—This also refers to holy things, and it differs from the preceding in being one of the doubtful cases,—that is, where conscience suspects, though the understanding be in doubt whether criminality or sin has been committed. The Jewish rabbis give, as an example, the case of a person who, knowing that "the fat of the inwards" is not to be eaten, religiously abstained from the use of it; but should a dish happen to have been at table in which he had reason to suspect some portion of that meat was intermingled, and he had, inadvertently, partaken of that unlawful viand, he was bound to bring a ram as a trespass offering [Le 5:16]. These provisions were all designed to impress the conscience with the sense of responsibility to God and keep alive on the hearts of the people a salutary fear of doing any secret wrong.