29 Thou shalt not delay to offer e the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: f the first-born of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. 30 & Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: h seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. 31 T And ye shall be i holy men e ch. 23. 16, 19. Prov. 3. 9. f ch. 13. 2, 12. & 34. 19. g Deut. 15. 19. h Lev. 22. 27. i ch. 19.6. Lev. 19. 2. Deut. 14. 21. Law respecting Firstlings. 29. Thou shalt not delay to offer the first, &c. Heb. meleatheka, thy fulness; i. e. fruits of full maturity, ripe enough to be gathered. Gr. anapXas alwvos, the first fruits of thy floor. ¶ Of thy liquors. Heb. 27 dimaka, thy tear; i. e. the first fruits of wine and oil, which when pressed, distil and drop as tears. The due observance of this law would be a general acknowledgement of the bounty and goodness of God, who had given them the early and latter rains and crowned the toils of agriculture with an ample harvest. This expression of gratitude was not to be delayed, for delay in rendering to God the first fruits would argue a secret 'unwillingness to yield him any. ¶ The first-born of thy sons, &c. See Note on Ex. 13. 2. unto me: k neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs. CHAPTER XXIII. HOU a shalt not raise a false re THO b port: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. k Lev. 22. 8. Ezek. 4. 14. & 44. 31. a ver. 7. Lev. 19. 16. Ps. 15. 3. & 101. 5. Prov. 10, 18. See 2 Sam. 19. 27. with 16. 3. b ch. 20. 16. Deut. 19. 16, 17, 18. Ps. 35. 11. Prov. 19. 5, 9, 28. & 24. 28. See 1 Kings 21. 10, 13. Matt. 26. 59, 60, 61. Acts 6. 11, 13. men of holiness; i. e. men separated and distinguished from others not only by inward principles, but by outward observances, among which this of abstinence from unclean meats is one. This was to be a mark of that honorable distinction which was to pertain to the chosen people, who were not to demean themselves to eat of the leavings of beasts of prey, especially as they would be apt to contain blood, which was forbidden, and might also have been torn to pieces by unclean or rabid animals. The words are perhaps to be considered moreover as carrying with them a latent intimation that the holiness of the people of God depends in great measure upon their obedience in small matters. CHAPTER XXIII. Law respecting Slander. 30. Seven days it shall be with his dam. This ordinance probably carries 1. Thou shalt not raise a false report, an allusion to the dedication of a hu- &c. Heb, 2 h E lo tissa man being to God by the rite of circum-shema shav, thou shalt not take up (or cision. As this was to take place on receive) a hearing of vanity (or falsthe eighth day, so no animal was to be The primary import of the origpresented before the eighth day from its birth. Indeed, before this the process of nutrition in a young animal can scarcely be considered as completely formed. Law respecting Things not to be eaten. 31. Ye shall be holy men unto me, &c. Heb. p ZIN anshë kodesh, ity). inal nasa, is to raise or lift up, to elevate; but it occurs also in the sense of taking, receiving, assuming. Thus too the Gr. ου παραδέξη ακοην ματαίαν, thou shalt not receive a vain hearsay. Chal. Thou shalt not receive a false rumor.' The idea conveyed by the orig. inal term rendered 'false,' has a close affinity with that expressed by the word 'vain,' as is shown in the Note on Ex. 20. 16. And the prohibition comes obviously under that of the ninth commandment. The Hebrew word for 'raise,' is of sufficient latitude, in its legitimate sense, to imply both the origination and the propagation of a false report. Targ. Jon. 'O my people, ye sons of Israel, receive not lying words from him who would calumniate his neighbor before thee.' The precept is no doubt of general application, equiv. alent to saying, Thou shalt have nothing to do with any false reports; yet it seems designed to have special reference to judicial proceedings, where a false report or accusation might do a man the greatest injury. He who invents a slander, and first raises a false or vain report, and he who receives and propagates it, are at all times very criminal; but the iniquity is most atrocious when the calumny is advanced and taken up in a court of justice. Yet when we remember how many there must have been acting in a judicial capacity amongst the Israelites, who had judges of tens as well as of fifties and hundreds; and when we consider also, how generally in our own and other Christian countries, men are occasionally called to sit as jurors, we shall perceive how wide is its just application, and feel that no precept is of more importance in regulating the private intercourse of individuals. "The original A lo tissa has been translated, 'thou shalt not publish.? Were there no publishers of slander and calumny, there would be no receivers; and were there none to receive them there would be none to raise them; and were there no raisers, receivers, nor propagators of calumnies, lies, &c., society would titude to do evil; d neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment : d ver. 6, 7. Lev. 19. 15. Deut. 1. 17. Ps. 72. 2. be in peace.' A. Clarke. Prov. 17. 4, A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips.'- —¶ Put not thine hand with the wicked, &c. Gr. ov ovykaraobnon, thou shalt not consent. It is an allusion to the act of joining hands as a sign of entering into a compact, or of cordially uniting in the same enterprise; of which the wise man, Proverbs, 11. 21, says, 'Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished.' The primary import of the precept probably is, 'Take care that thou conspire not with a wicked man in his cause by giving witness in his favor.' Vulg. 'Nec junges manum, ut pro impio dicas falsum testimonium,' neither shalt thou join thine hand to say false testimony for a wicked person. But like the foregoing it is of general application. Law requiring Impartiality in Judg. ment. 2. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil. Heb. rabbim, many. From the same root comes 'Rabbi,' a great man, and some have thought the more genuine sense of the clause to be, 'Follow not the great, the mighty, the distinguished, to do evil,' in contradistinction from the 'poor' in the next verse. The original word occurs in this sense, Job, 35. 9, 'They cry out by reason of the mighty (Þ¬¬ rabbim.)' We suppose, however, that the two senses of multitude and magnitude are both included in the term, and that we are taught by the passage that neither the number, rank, nor power of those who do evil should avail to make us follow their example. We are to dare to be singular, whatever it may cost, if it is only thus that we can preserve our integrity. It is the example of the mul 3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. 4 Te If thou meet thine enemy's e Deut. 22. 1. Job 31. 29. Prov. 24. 17. & 25. 21. Matt. 5. 44. Rom. 12. 20. 1 Thess. 5. 15. poor man in his cause. Heb. 3377 vedal lo tehdar, and the poor man thou shalt not honor. The term 77 hadar, has the sense of beautifying, adorning, and seems to refer to the arts of oratory and the sophistry of the law, by which the badness of a cause is varnished over. The word dal, attenuated, exhausted, and here rendered poor man, is probably put in opposition to titude, keeping each other in countenance, that does so much for the general upholding of transgression. Did the current of public example set in the contrary direction, the solitary sinner would be universally shunned and detested.- -¶ Neither shalt thou speak in a cause, &c. Heb. 'Neither shalt thou answer in a controversy to decline after many to pervert, or wrest (judgment).' The scope of the words is un- rabbim in the preceding verse. doubtedly to enjoin it upon the chosen people not to be unduly influenced or carried away by the voice of a majority in pleading or deciding a judicial cause. They must not by any means allow themselves to be swayed or overruled by regard to the Rabbins, the many, or the mighty, to go against their consciences in giving judgment. They must at all events decide according to their honest convictions, and render an upright and impartial verdict. Chal. "Neither shalt thou refrain from teaching that which thou seest to be meet in judgment.' Judges and juries especially were to guard against showing respect to the persons of their fellow-judges, as well as to those of the parties. They were not to suppose, as men are prone to do, that they could lose their own individual responsibility by merging it in the unanimous opinion of a majority. Accordingly Lyra remarks that it was decreed by the ancient Hebrews, that when the judges were numerous those of least weight and authority were re quired to give their sentence first, lest if they followed those of greater weight and influence, they might be unduly biassed by their verdict. This would probably not be amiss with those who needed an adventitious guaranty to the actings of sound moral principle, of whom there are no doubt too many in the world. 3. Neither shalt thou countenance a If so, the meaning is, 'thou shalt neither be influenced by the great to make an unrighteous decision, nor by the poverty or distress of the poor to give thy voice against the dictates of justice and truth.' And thus the ancient para. phrasts; Chal. 'Thou shalt not pity the poor man in his judgment.' Targ. Jon And the poor who shall be brought intc judgment thou shalt not compassionate ly respect, for there is to be no respect of persons in judgment.' Gr. kaι tevηta ovr εXenoɛts εv кpioεi, and the poor man thor shalt not compassionate in judgment. In Lev. 19. 15, the like prohibition is given in regard to the rich, 'Thou shal not respect the person of the poor, nor honor ( tehdar) the person of the mighty.' In matters of right, right was always to be done, without regard to rank, character, or condition. In gen eral there was no doubt more danger that the cause of justice would be bi assed and injury connived at in favor of the rich than of the poor, yet there might be such a thing as, under the pretence of charity or compassion, mak ing a man's poverty a shelter for his wrong-doing. This was by no means to be allowed. But on the other hand, the just rights of the poor against in. fluences of an opposite character, are guarded by a special precept, v. 6. Law inculcating Humanity. 4. If thou meet thine enemy's or or ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. 5 fIf thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help f Deut. 22. 4. him, thou shalt surely help with him. 6 g Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. ver. 2. Deut. 27. 19. Job 31. 13, 21. Eccles. 5. 8. Isai. 10. 1, 2. Jer. 5, 28. & 7. respect to be treated alike; his ass going astray, &c. 'How much more his soul,' says Trapp. This precept is given with fuller details Deut. 22. 1-3, 'Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and And wouldest forbear to help hide thyself from them: thou shalt in him, &c. The original of this clause any case bring them again unto thy is, peculiarly obscure, and has given brother. And if thy brother be not nigh rise to a vast variety of renderings by unto thee, or if thou know him not, then different commentators. The original -ve-hand וחדלת מעזב לו עזב תעזב עמו | ,thou shalt bring it unto thine own house : and it shall be with thee until thy bro-alta maazob lo azob taazob immo, literther seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost things of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise thou mayest not hide thyself.' He who was in the former case termed an 'enemy' is here termed a brother,' thus teaching the Israelites that they were to regard all men, even their enemies, as brethren. This, we know, is in exact accordance with the teachings of the New Testament, and it shows very clearly that it was no more than the Pharisees' gloss, that 'they should love their friends and hate their enemies. -Thou shalt surely bring it back. Heb. 12 hashëb teshibënu, returning thou shalt return it. 5. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee, &c. Heb. sonaaka, thy hater; a different word from that standing for enemy, oyibka, in the preceding verse. The word here employed signifies one that hates, without implying that he is hated in return; but the other implies a mutual enmity. It is an easier matter to do a favor to the former than to the latter, but the design of introducing both terms is to intimate that both classes of haters were in this ally signifies 'thou shalt cease from 6. Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. That is, of 7h Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for k I will not justify the wicked. hver. 1. Lev. 19. 11. Luke 3. 14. Eph. 4. 25. Deut. 27. 25. Ps. 94. 21. Prov. 17. 15, 26. Jer. 7. 6. Matt. 27. 4. k ch. 34. 7. Rom. 1. 18. thy poor neighbor (Deut. 27. 19), in whose cause thou shalt not pervert, but shalt strictly exercise, justice. Though there were cases in which there was danger lest compassion should unduly bias the course of equity in favor of a poor man, yet the instances would be far more numerous in which the magistrate would be tempted to neglect or pervert his cause, either to oblige a rich opponent, or to save trouble, or because he had not money to pay the requisite expenses. But the expression, 'thy poor,' is supposed to be a counteractive to all such temptations: 'Remember they are thy poor, bone of thy bone, thy poor neighbors, thy poor brethren, and cast in providence as a special charge upon thy justice and charity.' 7. Keep thee far from a false matter, &c. This law seems intended as a kind of security for the due observance of the preceding. If they would guard against perversions of judgment, they must dread the thoughts of aiding or abetting a bad cause; they must have nothing to do with it; they must keep themselves at the greatest possible distance from it. And why? Because if they wilfully or incautiously hearkened to false testimony, or decided wrong in a case of life and death, they would be deemed the murderers of the innocent and the righteous. Indeed it may be said that God interprets as slaying the innocent and righteous that conduct which tends to such an issue. If then they would not slay with their own hands those who looked to them for justice, let them 'keep far from a false matter;' for it might terminate in such 8¶ And thou shalt take no gift; for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the right eous. 1 Deut. 16. 19. 1 Sam. 8. 3. & 12. 3. 2 Chron. 19. 7. Ps. 26. 10. Prov. 15. 27. & 17. 8, 23. & 29. 4. Isai. 1. 23. & 5. 23. & 33. 15. Ezek. 22. 12. Amos 5. 12. Acts 24. 26. an issue as they dreamt not of, and the righteous God will not leave such wickedness to go unpunished. 'I will not justify the wicked ;' i. e. I will condemn him that unjustly condemns others. 'Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.' Deut. 27. 19. Law respecting Bribery. 8. Thou shalt take no gift, &c. The precepts we are now considering still have respect to the duties of those who are appointed guardians of justice. They are instructions to magistrates in the conduct of judicial cases. They were to keep themselves studiously free from every thing that would tend to warp or bias their judgment, or in any way mar the rectitude of their decisions. Gifts from a party to a judge are absolutely prohibited, even though not given on the condition of his pronouncing a favor. able verdict. For as human nature is constituted, gifts tend exceedingly to blind the understanding and to pervert the decisions of those who take them, and who would otherwise be disposed to follow equity in their sentences. The conduct of Sir Matthew Hale, when viewed by the light of this statute, is preeminently praiseworthy. Upon one of his circuits as judge, he refused to try the cause of a gentleman who had sent him the customary present of venison, until he had paid for it. He would not run the risque of suffering his feelings as a man to influence his decisions as a judge. It is worthy of note in this connexion, that in Deut. 27. 25, we find the connexion between the taking of |