¹耶和华 对 摩西 说 ：

¹And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

¹ CHAPTER XX

Of giving seed to Molech, and the punishment of this crime,

1-5.

Of consulting wizards, &c., 6-8.

Of disrespect to parents, 9.

Of adultery, 10.

Of incestuous mixtures, 11, 12.

Bestiality, 13-16.

Different cases of incest and uncleanness, 17-21.

Exhortations and promises, 22-24.

The difference between clean and unclean animals to be

carefully observed, 25.

The Israelites are separated from other nations, that they may

be holy, 26.

A repetition of the law against wizards and them that have

familiar spirits, 27.

NOTES ON CHAP. XX

²你还要晓谕以色列 人 说 ：凡 以色列 人 ，或是在以色列 中寄居的 外人 ，把自己的儿女 献给 摩洛 的，总要 治死 他；本地 人 要用石头 把他打死 。

²Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

² Verse 2. That giveth any of his seed unto Molech] To what

has been said in the note on Le 18:21, we may add, that the

rabbins describe this idol, who was probably a representative or

emblematical personification of the solar influence, as made of

brass, in the form of a man, with the head of an ox; that a fire

was kindled in the inside, and the child to be sacrificed to him

was put in his arms, and roasted to death. Others say that the

idol, which was hollow, was divided into seven compartments

within; in one of which they put flour, in the second

turtle-doves, in the third a ewe, in the fourth a ram, in the

fifth a calf, in the sixth an ox, and in the seventh a child,

which, by heating the statue on the outside, were all burnt

alive together. I question the whole truth of these statements,

whether from Jewish or Christian rabbins. There is no evidence

of all this in the sacred writings. And there is but

presumptive proof, and that not very strong, that human

sacrifices were at all offered to Molech by the Jews. The

passing through the fire, so frequently spoken of, might mean no

more than a simple rite of consecration to the service of this

idol. Probably a kind of ordeal was meant, the persons passing

suddenly through the flame of a large fire, by which, though

they might be burnt or scorched, yet they were neither killed

nor consumed. Or they might have passed between two large

fires, as a sort of purification.

See Clarke on Le 20:14; and "Le 18:21".



Caesar, in his history of the Gallic war, lib. vi., c. 16,

mentions a custom of the Druids similar to this. They made an

image of wickerwork, inclosed those in it whom they had adjudged

to death, and, setting the whole on fire, all were consumed

together.

³我也要向 那人 变脸 ，把他从民 中 剪除 ；因为他把儿女 献给 摩洛 ，玷污 我的圣所 ，亵渎 我的圣 名 。

³And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

⁴那人 把儿女 献给 摩洛 ，本地 人 若佯为 不见 ，不 把他治死 ，

⁴And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:

⁵我就要向 这人 和他的家 变脸 ，把他和一切随 他与摩洛 行邪淫的 人都从民 中 剪除 。

⁵Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.

⁶人 偏向 交鬼的 和行巫术的 ，随 他们行邪淫 ，我要向 那人 变脸 ，把他从民 中 剪除 。

⁶ ¶ And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

⁶ Verse 6. Familiar spirits]

See Clarke on Le 19:31; and "Ex 22:18".

⁷所以你们要自洁 成圣 ，因为我是耶和华 ―你们的神 。

⁷ ¶ Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.

⁸你们要谨守 遵行 我的律例 ；我是叫你们成圣的 耶和华 。

⁸And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

⁹凡 咒骂 父 母 的，总要 治死 他；他咒骂了 父 母 ，他的罪要归到他身上。（罪原文作血 ；本章同）

⁹ ¶ For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

⁹ Verse 9. Curseth his father or his mother]

See Clarke on Ge 48:12, and "Ex 20:12".

He who conscientiously keeps the fifth commandment can be in no

danger of this judgment. The term 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, &c., 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.

¹⁰与邻舍 之妻 行淫的 ，姦夫 淫妇 都必 治死 。

¹⁰ ¶ And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

¹⁰ Verse 10. Committeth adultery] To what has been said in

Clarke's note on "Ex 20:14", we may add, that the word

adultery comes from the Latin adulterium, which is compounded of

ad, to or with, and alter, another, or, according to Minshieu, of

ad alterius forum, he that approaches to another man's bed.

¹¹与继母 行淫的 ，就是羞辱了 他父亲 ，总要 把他们二人 治死 ，罪 要归到他们身上。

¹¹And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

¹²与儿妇 同房的 ，总要把 他们二人 治死 ；他们行了 逆伦的事 ，罪 要归到他们身上。

¹²And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.

¹² Verse 12. They have wrought confusion]

See Le 18:1-30, and especially Clarke's note on "Le 18:6".

¹³人 若与男人 苟合 ，象与女人 一样，他们二人 行了 可憎的事 ，总要 把他们治死 ，罪 要归到他们身上。

¹³If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

¹⁴人 若娶 妻 ，并娶其母 ，便是大恶 ，要把这三人用火 焚烧 ，使你们中间 免去大恶 。

¹⁴And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

¹⁴ Verse 14. They shall be burnt with fire] As there are worse

crimes mentioned here, (see Le 20:11 and Le 20:17,) where the

delinquent is ordered simply to be put to death, or to be cut

off, it is very likely that the crime mentioned in this verse

was not punished by burning alive, but by some kind of branding,

by which they were ever after rendered infamous. I need not add

that the original, baesh yishrephu, may, without

violence to its grammatical meaning, be understood as above,

though in other places it is certainly used to signify a

consuming by fire. But the case in question requires some

explanation; it is this: a man marries a wife, and afterward

takes his mother-in-law or wife's mother to wife also: now for

this offence the text says all three shall be burnt with fire,

and this is understood as signifying that they shall be burnt

alive. Now the first wife, we may safely presume, was

completely innocent, and was legally married: for a man may take

to wife the daughter if single, or the mother if a widow, and in

neither of these cases can any blame attach to the man or the

party he marries; the crime therefore lies in taking both.

Either, therefore, they were all branded as infamous persons,

and this certainly was severe enough in the case of the first

wife; or the man and the woman taken last were burnt: but the

text says, both he and they; therefore, we should seek for

another interpretation of they shall be burnt with fire, than

that which is commonly given. Branding with a hot iron would

certainly accomplish every desirable end both for punishment and

prevention of the crime; and because the Mosaic laws are so

generally distinguished by humanity, it seems to be necessary to

limit the meaning of the words as above.

¹⁵人 若与兽淫 合 ，总要 治死 他，也要杀 那兽 。

¹⁵And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

¹⁶女人 若与兽 亲近 ，与它淫合 ，你要杀 那女人 和那兽 ，总要 把他们治死 ，罪 要归到他们身上。

¹⁶And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

¹⁶ Verse 16. If a woman approach unto any beast] We have the

authority of one of the most eminent historians in the world,

Herodotus, to say that this was a crime not unknown in Egypt;

yea, that a case of this nature actually took place while he was

there. εγενετοδεντωνομωτουτωεπεμευτουτοτοτερας

γυναικιτραγοςεμισγετοαναφανδοντουτοεςεπιδειξινανθρεπεν

απικετο-Herod. in Euterp., p. 108. Edit. Gale, Lond. 1679.

"In this district, within my own recollection, this portentous

business took place: a goat coupled so publicly with a woman

that every person knew it," &c. After this, need we wonder that

God should have made laws of this nature, when it appears these

abominations were not only practised among the Egyptians, but

were parts of a superstitious religious system? This one

observation will account for many of those strange prohibitions

which we find in the Mosaic law; others, the reasons of which

are not so plain, we should see the propriety of equally, had

we ampler historic records of the customs that existed in that

country.

¹⁷人 若娶 他的姊妹 ，无论是异母同父 的，是异父同母 的，彼此见了 下体 ，这是可耻的事 ；他们必在本民 的眼前 被剪除 。他露了 姊妹 的下体 ，必担当 自己的罪孽 。

¹⁷And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

¹⁸妇人 有月经 ，若与他同房 ，露了 他的下体 ，就是露了 妇人的血 源 ，妇人也露了 自己的血源 ，二人 必从民 中 剪除 。

¹⁸And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.^a

¹⁹不可露 姨母 或是姑母 的下体 ，这是露了 骨肉之亲 的下体；二人必担当 自己的罪孽 。

¹⁹And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.^b

²⁰人 若与伯叔之妻 同房 ，就羞辱了 他的伯叔 ；二人要担当 自己的罪 ，必无子女 而死 。

²⁰And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

²¹人 若娶 弟兄 之妻 ，这本是污秽的事 ，羞辱了 他的弟兄 ；二人必无子女 。

²¹And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.^c

²²所以，你们要谨守 遵行 我一切的律例 典章 ，免得我领 你们去住 的那地 把你们吐出 。

²² ¶ Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.

²² Verse 22. The land, whither I bring you to dwell therein,

spue you not out.] See this energetic prosopopoeia explained in

the note on Le 18:25. From this we learn that the cup of

the iniquities of the Canaanitish nations was full; and that,

consistently with Divine justice, they could be no longer spared.

²³我在你们面前 所逐出 的国民 ，你们不可随从 他们的风俗 ；因为他们行了 这一切的事，所以我厌恶 他们。

²³And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

²⁴但我对你们说过 ，你们要承受 他们的地 ，就是我要赐给 你们为业 、流 奶 与蜜 之地 。我是耶和华 ―你们的神 ，使你们与万民 有分别的 。

²⁴But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.

²⁴ Verse 24. A land that floweth with milk and honey]

See this explained "Ex 3:8".

²⁵所以，你们要把洁净 和不洁净 的禽 兽 分别出来 ；不可因我给你们分为 不洁净的 禽 兽 ，或是滋生 在地 上的活物，使自己 成为可憎恶的 。

²⁵Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.^d

²⁵ Verse 25. Between clean beasts and unclean] See the notes on

Le 11:1-47.

²⁶你们要归我为圣 ，因为我―耶和华 是圣 的，并叫你们与万民有分别 ，使你们作我的民 。

²⁶And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.

²⁷无论男 女 ，是 交鬼的 或行巫术的 ，总要 治死 他们。人必用石头 把他们打死 ，罪 要归到他们身上。

²⁷ ¶ A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

²⁷ Verse 27. A familiar spirit] A spirit or demon, which, by

magical rites, is supposed to be bound to appear at the call of

his employer.

See Clarke on Ge 41:8; "Ex 7:11"; "Ex 7:22";

And see Clarke's notes "Ex 7:25"; and "Le 19:31".



FROM the accounts we have of the abominations both of Egypt

and Canaan, we may blush for human nature; for wherever it is

without cultivation, and without the revelation of God, it is

every thing that is vile in principle and detestable in

practice. Nor would any part of the habitable globe materially

differ from Egypt and Canaan, had they not that rule of

righteousness, the revealed LAW of God, and had not life and

immortality been brought to light by the GOSPEL among them. From

these accounts, for which we could easily find parallels in

ancient Greece and Italy, we may see the absolute need of a

Divine revelation, without which man, even in his best estate,

differs little from the brute.