Leviticus 20

Le 20:1-27.

GIVING

ONE'S

SEED TO

MOLECH.

2. Whosoever . . . giveth any of his seed unto

Molech--(See on

Le 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

(Mt 21:44;

Ac 7:58).

4. If the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the

man, &c.--that is, connive at their countrymen practising the

horrid rites of Molech. Awful was it that any Hebrew parents could so

violate their national covenant, and no wonder that God denounced the

severest penalties against them and their families.

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).

20. they shall die childless--Either by the judgment of God they

shall have no children, or their spurious offspring shall be denied by

human authority the ordinary privileges of children in Israel.

24. I . . . have separated you from other

people--Their selection from the rest of the nations was for the

all-important end of preserving the knowledge and worship of the true

God amid the universal apostasy; and as the distinction of meats was

one great means of completing that separation, the law about making a

difference between clean and unclean beasts is here repeated with

emphatic solemnity.