John Calvin Commentary Leviticus 19
John Calvin Commentary
Leviticus 19
John Calvin Commentary
Leviticus 19
"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying," — Leviticus 19:1 (ASV)
And the Lord spake. This is the object of the exhortation: first, that they should not measure the service of God by their own conceptions, but rather by His nature; and secondly, that they should begin by studying281 to be holy.
For nothing is harder than for people to rid themselves of their carnal affections to prepare for imitating God. Besides, they willingly slumber in their own filthiness and seek to conceal it with the outward appearance of religion.
Here, then, they are recalled to the imitation of God, who, in adopting them, desired that they should bear His image, just as good and true children resemble their father. If anyone should claim to be equal with God, such rivalry would be madness; but although the most perfect fall very far short even of the angels, yet the weakness of even the humblest person does not prevent them from aspiring to the example of God.
To this point all the ceremonies were directed, by which God trained His ancient people in holiness, as we shall see later. Although this declaration does not occur only once, yet because it is added in other places to specific precepts for their confirmation, let it be enough for now to grasp the general doctrine it contains.
281 “Pour le servir deuement, ils commencent par ce bout, de se purifier de toutes souillures;” in order to serve Him duly, they should begin by purifying themselves from all uncleanness — Fr.
"Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father; and ye shall keep my sabbaths: I am Jehovah your God." — Leviticus 19:3 (ASV)
Since this passage unquestionably relates to the explanation of the Fifth Commandment, it confirms what I have previously shown: that the honor which God commands to be paid to parents does not consist in reverence only, but also embraces obedience. For the reverence which He now prescribes will render children submissive and compliant. Now, then, we more clearly understand how parents are to be honored when God exhorts their children to beware of offending them; for this is, in a word, the true manifestation of filial piety: calmly to bear the yoke of subjection, and to prove by acts a sincere desire to obey.
"Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another." — Leviticus 19:11 (ASV)
God here explains His mind and design somewhat more clearly, for He enumerates as thefts cases in which either deceit or violence is employed. The two words, which we have translated as deny and lie, also signify to deceive, and also to lie or to frustrate hope.98 There is no question, then, that God would restrain His people from all craftiness or deceit, so that they may deal sincerely and honestly with each other, just as Paul wisely explains the meaning of the Holy Spirit when he exhorts believers to
put away lying, and to speak every man truth with his neighbor; for we are members one of another (Ephesians 4:25).
In the second passage, God commands men to conduct themselves meekly and temperately with their neighbors, so that they abstain from all unjust oppression. The meaning that Jerome99 and others after him have given to the word עשק gnashak, to calumniate, is entirely incorrect; for it is everywhere used to mean to oppress, despoil, rob, or lay hands on the goods of another.
It is clear, therefore, that just as Moses had previously provided against fraud, he now prohibits the iniquity of extorting from our neighbor that to which we have no right.
Still, violence or open plunder is better expressed by the other word גזל gezal; and these100 two words are, in my opinion, as it were, genus and species.
Therefore, after he had forbidden them to oppress their brethren in any way or take possession of their goods, he simultaneously adds that they should not use violence in despoiling them unjustly.
Finally, he points out one mode of unjust oppression: when a person who is hired as a laborer is defrauded of his wages—not only if he is sent away without payment, his wages denied to him, but also if payment is delayed until the next day. For we know that laborers generally live from hand to mouth, and therefore, if there is even a slight delay, they must go without food.
Consequently, if a rich man keeps a poor and wretched individual, whose labor he has abused, in suspense for payment, he deprives him, as it were, of life by depriving him of his daily food.
In summary, we are to cultivate humanity so that no one should be oppressed or suffer loss from a failure to make payment.
98 A. . V., “deal falsely, neither lie.” Ainsworth, “neither falsely deny, nor deal falsely.”., “deal falsely, neither lie.” Ainsworth, “neither falsely deny, nor deal falsely.”
99 A. V., “Non facies calumniam proximo tuo, nec vi opprimes eum.” “The first of these terms signifies to ., “Non facies calumniam proximo tuo, nec vi opprimes eum.” “The first of these terms signifies to oppress by fraud; the second to ; the second to oppress by violence. Against both these offenses, John the Baptist warned the soldiers who came to him; . Against both these offenses, John the Baptist warned the soldiers who came to him; Luke 3:14.” — Bush from Ainsworth..” — Bush from Ainsworth.
100 “Et a mon avis que le premier est comme genre, et le second comme espece;” and, in my opinion, that the first is, as it were, genus, and the second , and the second species. — . — Fr..
"Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind; but thou shalt fear thy God: I am Jehovah." — Leviticus 19:14 (ASV)
Since the Law encompasses under the term "murder" all the wrongs by which people are unjustly injured, the cruelty that afflicts suffering individuals—whose misfortune should instead evoke our compassion—was especially to be condemned.
For, if any trace of humanity exists in us, when we meet a blind man, we will be concerned that he might stumble or fall, and, if he goes astray, we will reach out our hands to him and try to guide him back to the path; we will also spare the deaf, for to insult them is no less absurd or barbarous than to attack stones with insults.
It is, therefore, extreme brutality to add to the suffering of those whom our natural sense impels us to relieve, and who are already troubled more than enough.
Let us, then, learn from these words that the weaker people are, the more secure they should be from all oppression or injury. When we attack the defenseless, the crime of cruelty is greatly aggravated, while any insult against those suffering calamity is altogether intolerable to God.
"Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am Jehovah." — Leviticus 19:16 (ASV)
You shall not go up and down. The principle of this second clause is the same as that of the preceding verse, for it is added to a general precept by which detraction is condemned. We ought to be much more deterred from it, while we acknowledge that our tongue is thus armed cruelly to shed innocent blood.
Some suppose that the word רכיל, racil, is metaphorically taken from merchants, because the tale-bearer or whisperer 169 is no less busy hunting for false reports, which he may afterwards circulate, than the merchant is diligently bent on buying and selling.
Others think that there is a change of the letter ג into כ, and that the word is thus derived from the feet. This is because calumniators are always wandering about to hunt for grounds of detraction, and therefore the word is always joined with a verb that signifies “to walk.”
However, I do not think that it is always used in the same sense. For when Ezekiel reproves the Israelites because there were always men called רכיל, racil, among them to shed blood, 170 I understand this to mean men of fraud, or fraudulent persons, who plot against the good to procure their destruction (Ezekiel 22:9). Some also translate it as “spies.”
Meanwhile, I do not doubt that Moses, in this passage, designates those vagabonds who too eagerly run about here and there and, in their malignant inquisitiveness, penetrate into everyone’s secrets to bring quiet people into trouble.
In short, we are taught that whoever, by the virulence of their tongue, brings their brothers into danger and inconvenience is accounted a false witness before God.
169 “Delator aut susurro.” — Lat. “The original properly signifies a trader, a pedlar, and is here applied to one who travels up and down dealing in slanders and detractions, as a merchant does in wares, possessing himself of the secrets of individuals and families, and then blazing them abroad, usually with a false colouring as to motives and a distortion of facts.” — Bush. “Some explain רכיל as if רגיל, (the ג being changed into כ,) from רגל, to run about, to explore.” — Fagius, from the Hebrew Commentators, in Poole’s Synopsis. “Non reperimus in S. Scriptura dictionem רכילות, quae non sit scripta lingua הליכה, i e., ambulationis.” — Sal. Jarchi in loco. See C. on Jeremiah 9:4, Cal. Soc. edit., vol. 1, p. 464
170 “In thee are men that carry tales (margin, men of slanders) to shed blood.” — , men of slanders) to shed blood.” — A..V..
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