John Calvin Commentary Leviticus 19:27

"Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard." — Leviticus 19:27 (ASV)

You shall not round the corners. It clearly appears that God had no other object than by the introduction of this obstacle to separate His people from heathen nations.

For there is nothing to which men are more prone than to conform themselves to the customs of others; and from this it arises that they share their vices with one another. Therefore, care was especially to be taken so that the people of Israel would not adopt foreign habits and, by this pliableness, fall away from the true worship of God. From which, too, the ordinary phrase has arisen that the word “common” should be used for “unclean.”

God then strictly forbids them from conforming to the habits of the Gentiles and confounding the distinction which He had Himself placed between them. There is no doubt that it was usual for the Gentiles, out of superstition, to cut marks³¹ upon their faces, to trim the hair in certain steps or circles, and in their mourning to lacerate their flesh, or to disfigure it with marks.

It is well known that the priests of Cybele³² made gashes in their flesh with knives and razors, and covered themselves all over with wounds, for the sake of showing their zeal. The same thing was also commonly practiced by others, since the world is easily deceived by external ceremonies.

But though this was a thing in itself indifferent, yet God would not allow His people to be at liberty to practice it, so that, like children, they might learn from these basic principles that they would not be acceptable with God unless they were altogether different from uncircumcised foreigners and as far as possible from following their examples. And especially, they should avoid all ceremonies by which their religion was testified.

For experience teaches how greatly the true worship of God is obscured by anything added, and how easily foul superstitions creep in when the comments of men are tacked on to the word of God.

Doubtless that part, You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, etc., might be explained as a correction of immoderate grief, because we know how intemperately men set themselves against God when they give free rein to their sorrow. But since the object of the Gentiles was to pay what was due to the dead and to celebrate their funeral rites³³ as a kind of propitiation, it is probable, and more suitable, that by the whole context those preposterous gestures are condemned, which were proofs of piety among the Gentiles but which would have been defilements to the people of God.

The same thing appears more clearly from the passage in Deuteronomy, which next follows.

In this passage, Moses condemns cutting themselves and making themselves bald for the dead in connection with each other, as if they were one thing. He also confirms the law by a general argument: that they should withdraw themselves from every pollution as the children of God, since they were chosen to be His peculiar people. This is as if to say that God’s grace would be altogether frustrated if they did not differ at all from foreign nations.

As to his saying that they were chosen out of all the nations, it greatly illustrates the gratuitous mercy of God, with which He honored them alone by calling them to the hope of eternal salvation and passing by the Gentiles. For there was no nobility found in them, nor did they exceed others either in number or in any other superiority, on account of which He should prefer them to the whole world.

But the design of Moses in magnifying the extraordinary goodness of God was that they might the more abhor that impure intermingling, which, by equating them with the Gentiles, degraded them from this high honor.

³¹ “Most of the barbarous nations lately discovered have their faces, arms:, breasts, etc., curiously carved or tattooed, probably for superstitious purposes. Ancient writers abound with accounts of marks made on the faces, arms, etc., in honor of different idols; and to this the inspired penman alludes, (probably for superstitious purposes. Ancient writers abound with accounts of marks made on the faces, arms, etc., in honor of different idols; and to this the inspired penman alludes, (Revelation 13:16–17; 14:9-11, etc.), where false worshippers are represented as receiving in their hands, and in their forehead, the marks of the beast. These were called , etc.), where false worshippers are represented as receiving in their hands, and in their forehead, the marks of the beast. These were called στίγματα among the Greeks, and to these St. Paul refers when he says, “I bear about in my body the marks (among the Greeks, and to these St. Paul refers when he says, “I bear about in my body the marks (στίγματα) of the Lord Jesus.".() of the Lord Jesus.".(Galatians 6:17}}

³² The authorities for this practice of the Galli, or Priests of Cybele, are too numerous to mention. The following extract from a curious description given by Apuleius, of the religious dance of her worshippers, may suffice: “or Priests of Cybele, are too numerous to mention. The following extract from a curious description given by Apuleius, of the religious dance of her worshippers, may suffice: “Die sequenti variis coloribus indusiati, et deformiter quisque formarti, facie coenoso pigmento delita, et oculis obunctis graphice, prodeunt; mitellis, et crocotis, et carbasinis, et bombycinis injecti. Quidam tunicas albas, in modum lanciolarum quoquoversum fluente purpura depictas, cingulo subligati, pedes luteis induti calceis, Deamque serico contectam amiculo mihi gerendam imponunt: brachiisque suis humero tenus renudatis, attollentes immanes gladios ac secures, evantes exsiliunt, incitante tibiae cantu lymphaticum tripudium..

³³ “Et user de satisfactions pour racheter leurs ames;” and to offer satisfactions for the redemption of their souls. — ;” and to offer satisfactions for the redemption of their souls. — Fr..