to preserve the memory of all the Miracles which God did in Egypt out of which he brought them at that time as the Feast of Tabernacles did to preserve the memory of the Signs and Wonders he did in the Wilderness where he afforded them his Divine Protection under a glorious Cloud and preserved them without any Houses both in the cold of Winter and heat of Summer In short there are two ends mentioned in this Chapter of the Institution of this Festival one to give thanks for the Fruits of the Earth which were then gathered v. 39. another and the principal in a grateful remembrance that they dwelt in Booths forty years and were brought into better Habitations when they came to Canaan v. 42 43. Ver. 35. Verse 35 And on the first day shall be an holy Convocation c. It was to be observed as the day of Pentecost v. 21. And they every one carried in their hands the Bough of some goodly Tree as the Hebrews understand the first words of v. 40. Josephus describing this Festivity Lib. III. Antiq. cap. 10. mentions in the first place Boughs of Myrtle Ver. 36. Verse 36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD The peculiar Sacrifices with their Meat-offerings which were to be offered on these seven days are distinctly set down in XXIX Numb from the thirteenth Verse to the end Where it will be most proper to consider them On the eighth day shall be an holy Convocation unto you See v. 4. And ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD A Burnt-offering with a Meat-offering attending upon it according to the appointment in XXIX Numb 36 37. It is a solemn Assembly This is a new word which is not used hitherto concerning any of the Feasts here mentioned signifying as we translate it in the Margin a day of restraint or rather a closing or concluding day for then the Solemnity ended And so Theodoret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Conclusion of the Feasts Whence the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is also called by this Name of Atzereth XVI Deut. 8. And so is the Feast of Pentecost which was kept in the end of seven Weeks called by Josephus by the same name of Asartha Lib. III. Antiq. cap. 10. This therefore as it was the last so it was the great day of the Feast as St. John calls it VII 37. On which day they read the last Section of the Law and so concluded the reading of the whole five Books of Moses And thence any great Solemnity is called by this name of Atzereth 2 Kings X. 20. I Joel 14. This seems to me to be a far better account of this word then that which the Jews commonly give who render it a day of detention because saith Abarbanel they were bound to detain the Feast to this day whereas no other Feast continued more then seven days staying at Jerusalem till it was over Whence this day seems to him to be to the Feast of Tabernacles as the Day of Pentecost was to the Passover For as they were bound to count seven Weeks from that time and then make this fiftieth day a Feast so they are here commanded after the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles to stay and feast one day more Others of them as R. Solomon Jarchi say this was as if a Man having been entertained by his Friend seven days should to express greater kindness to him be detained one day more And ye shall do no servile work therein But spend their time in Feasting Mirth and Rejoycing with thankful Acknowledgments of God's Benefits to them See v. 7 8. Ver. 37. Verse 37 These are the feasts or Assemblies of the LORD which ye shall proclaim to be holy Convocations This was the Preface to them v. 4. and now is the Conclusion to make them the more observed To offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD a Burnt-offering and a Meat-offering and a Sacrifice c. These Offerings are particularly set down as hath been noted all along in the XXVIII and XXIXth of Numbers And by a Sacrifice seems here to be meant a Sin-offering which is ordered throughout those two Chapters together with Burnt-offerings upon all these Festivals Ver. 38. Verse 38 Besides the Sabbaths of the LORD i. e. Beside the Sacrifices appointed upon all the Sabbaths in the year which were not to be omitted if any of the Feasts here mentioned fell upon the seventh day of the Week And beside your gifts Most understand by Gifts such Presents as Men made to God beyond their First-fruits and Tenths But it may be thought only a general word including the two particulars which follow Vows and Free-will-offerings Ver. 39. Verse 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month when ye have gathered in the fruit of the Land c. Here is no new injunction in this Verse but only an inforcement of what was said before the very same days being appointed to be observed with those named v. 24. Therefore the Hebrew Particle Ak should not have been translated also but surely or certainly or truly as we translate it in other places particularly XXIX Gen. 14. Surely thou art my bone and my flesh LXXIII Psal 1. Truly God is good to Israel II Lament 16. Certainly this is the day that we looked for When ye have gathered in the fruit of the Land These words give a reason of the repetition of the Command because there was something more designed in this Festival than meerly the remembrance of their Condition in the Wilderness which was to express their Thankfulness to God for their desired Harvest which they had now gathered For which cause besides the seven days which were in Commemoration of their dwelling in Tents in the Wilderness there was an eighth added to acknowledge his Mercy of receiving the Fruits of the Earth Ye shall keep a Feast unto the LORD seven days These were the Feasts of Tabernacles which lasted all these seven days On the first day shall be a Sabbath See v. 35. And on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath In the institution of the Feast of Unleavened Bread it is said in the seventh day is an holy Convocation ye shall do no servile work therein i. e. it shall be a Sabbath v. 8. but here the eighth day hath that honour put upon it not the seventh being added to the Festival for a peculiar reason and therefore to be observed in a very solemn manner For the Feast of Tabernacles fell in the time of Vintage when the Fruits of the Earth were in a manner all gathered XVI Deut. 13. From whence it is called by the name of the Feast of Ingatherings XXIII Exod. 16. not because the whole Feast was celebrated on this account but because a principal part of it was kept on this score viz. the eighth day as the other seven days were in memory of their dwelling in Tents But that the eighth
Trespass-offerings also And indeed it was a Notion among the Heathen themselves that an Offering without Prayer was to no purpose Quippe victimas caedi sine precatione non videtur referre nec Deos ritè consuli as Pliny speaks L. XXVIII Nat. Hist cap. 2. and every one knows that Confession was a part of Prayer See Dr. Owtram de Sacrificiis L. I. cap. 15. n. 9. Ver. 6. Verse 6 And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto the LORD There is a difference between a Sin-offering called Chattah and a Trespass-offering called Ascham as is plain in the latter part of this Chapter compared with this But here in this place they are not distinguished for the name of Trespass-offering is given to that which was really a Sin-offering as appears from the latter end of this Verse and from the two next where this Offering is expresly called a Sin-offering For his sin which he hath sinned In any of the four fore-mentioned Cases either by polluting the Sanctuary or eating holy things or a rash Oath or by refusing to give his Testimony being adjured by the Court of Judgment to do it Thus R. Levi of Barcelona explains this Praecept CXXI A female from the flock a Lamb or a Kid of the Goats for a sin-offering As the Hebrews call the Sin-offering mentioned in the foregoing Chapter v. 27. a fixed Sacrifice so they call this higher or lower being brought according to every Man's Faculty or Ability some more some less as the fore-named Author and many other of their Doctors observe and is plain of it self from the following Verses And the Priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin By sprinkling the Blood and burning the Fat of the Sacrifice as is directed IV. 34 35. Ver. 7. Verse 7 And if he be not able to bring a Lamb. See the mercy of God saith the same R. Levi who was pleased to exact such small Punishments for these Sins because it was very easie for Men to fall into them For we are more prone to offend in word then in deed and without great Caution it was scarce possible not to fall into such Legal Pollutions as required this Expiation Then he shall bring for his trespass which he hath committed two Turtle Doves or two young Pigeons unto the LORD Who though he would not exact an heavy Punishment of them for these Offences yet would not suffer them to escape altogether unpunished that they might not be presumptuous but use due care and caution in their words and actions So the same R. Levi represents the sense of this Law as if the LORD had said I would not have such things done but if any Man by frailty commit them let him repent with all his might and set a guard upon himself and let him offer a Sacrifice which may imprint the remembrance of his Guilt upon his heart and preserve him that he may not hereafter offend The one for a sin-offering and the other for a burnt-offering First he was to have his Peace made with God by a Sin-offering and then his Burnt-offering or his Gift might be accepted as Rasi observes and is expresly ordered in the next Verse The Priest shall offer that which is for the Sin-offering first Ver. 8. Verse 8 And wring off his head from his neck c. Or rather nip it off with his Nail as the Jews explain it See I. 15. so as not quite to separate it from the Body For that had been to make the Sacrifice contemptible as R. Levi of Barcelona gives the reason of it Praecept CXXVIII the Bird looking more handsome with its Neck still joyned to the Body than without it And it was fit the Sacrifice of a poor Man should be as decent as possible it being sufficient he thus suffered without increasing his Affliction by the mean and abject form of his Sacrifice Ver. 9. Verse 9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the Sin-offering c. Some of the Blood which ran out of it self as the Priest held it by the Neck where he nipt it he was to sprinkle upon the side of the Altar And then he was to press out the rest of the Blood when as much was ran out as would of it self by that nip at the bottom of the Altar where they were wont to pour out the Blood of the Sin-offering IV. 7 18 25 34. It is a Sin-offering Therefore the Blood was there pressed out whereas in Burnt-offerings of a Bird we read only of pressing or squeezing out the Blood at the side of the Altar I. 15. It is not said what was to be done with the Flesh but it is plain from VI. 26. that the Priest was to have it the Blood only being offered to God Ver. 10. Verse 10 And he shall offer the second for a burnt-offering according to the manner Prescribed in the first Chapter v. 15. And the Priest shall make an atonement for him c. Some gather from hence that the Burnt-offering was also an Expiatory Sacrifice But it is so plainly distinguished from it that these words seem to me to relate only to the foregoing Offering v. 8 9. Though this may be concluded from hence that the Sin-offering was not accepted for his Expiation unless this Burnt-offering followed as a Thankful Acknowledgment made to God for his Goodness Ver. 11. Verse 11 But if he be not able to bring two turtle Doves or two young Pigeons This was still a more merciful Provision for the Poor who were not to be so ambitious of offering a Beast or a Bird as not to content themselves with offering the smallest thing that God would accept So R. Levi of Barcelona observes that God having such Compassion on Mens Poverty it did not become them to strain themselves to offer more than they were able for so they might have been tempted to stealth Yet if after a Man had set aside a little Money to buy this quantity of fine Flour his Estate was bettered he was then bound as Maimonides saith in the Treatise called Schegagoth to add so much to it as would buy the Birds before prescribed And in like manner if he had designed to buy Birds and on a sudden grew richer he was to procure a Lamb or a Kid. On the contrary if a Man had set apart Money to buy a Bullock for his Sin-offering and unexpectedly grew poor he might buy two Turtles or young Pigeons and by them redeem his Money so consecrated c. cap. 10. Then he that hath sinned shall bring for his offering a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour c. Neither more nor less which was but a small quantity See XVI Exod. 36. because God would not have his Creature oppressed as the same Author observes Praecept CXXIX He shall put no oil upon it neither shall he put any frankincense thereon In commiseration of his Poverty God required only a little Flour which every one might easily get to offer without
some thought to be so because it had a likeness to it And the leprosie cover all the skin of him that hath the plagne i. e. Seemeth to have it From his head even to his foot wheresoever the Priest looketh An irruption in every part of his Body which was spread all over with Scabs Ver. 13. Verse 13 He shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague This sort of breaking out from top to toe as we speak was not to be lookt upon as the Plague of Leprosie being rather a relief to the Body than a disease It is all turned white he is clean There was no danger in this irruption Nature having only discharged those putrid salt Humours which were in the Blood Just as those among us who have the Measels and Small Pox are likely to do well when they come out every where but not when they stick in the Skin Ver. 14. Verse 14 But when raw flesh appeareth in him he shall be unclean When the sound Flesh appeared speckled with the fore-mentioned Spots it was an evident token that it was a settled Leprosie Nature being not able to throw out the ill Humor into the Skin but working inward into the Flesh Ver. 15. Verse 15 And the Priest shall see the raw flesh and pronounce him to be unclean When he sees the sign before-named he shall make no further Examination but declare him to be unclean For the raw flesh is unclean it is a leprosie This was so undoubted a mark that there needed no more Which makes Moses repeat it that the Priest might observe it the more carefully when he made his inspection Ver. 16. Verse 16 Or if the raw flesh turn again If there was such an alteration in it that it was freed from these pestilent Spots And be changed into white Look like other Flesh which hath a white Skin upon it He shall come unto the Priest Desire him to make a new Examination of the state of his Body Ver. 17. Verse 17 And the Priest shall see him Take a view of his Body especially in those parts where the Leprosie was suspected to be And behold if the plague be turned into white c. If upon due consideration his Body appear alike white every where and no Spots to be seen in the Flesh the Priest was to delare him to have no Leprosie remaining Ver. 18. Verse 18 The flesh also in which even in the skin thereof was a bile and is healed In this and the following Verses he treats of such a Leprosie as arose out of Ulcers which had been healed and afterward there was a new eruption which might prove a Leprosie Ver. 19. Verse 19 And in the place of the bile Where the Bile formerly broke out but seemed to be healed There be a white rising or a bright spot white These two are the first and the last Indications of a Leprosie mentioned v. 2. And somewhat reddish This is a mark not hitherto mentioned which some render exceeding shineing or an inflamation which looks very red For so the Hebrew word adamdameth seems to import it being certain that the doubling of the Radicals of any word increases the sense This is apparent from abundance of instances in other words which are heaped up together by Bochartus in his Hierozoicon P. II. L. V. cap. 6. where he observes with respect to this word that it being impossible that the same thing should be both very white and very red it hath made most Interpreters expound this word adamdameth as we do somewhat reddish quite contrary to the true sense of the word which imports an high degree of some colour and therefore ought to be translated exceeding glistering For Adam signifies not only red but also to glister and accordingly Persons very leprous are said in Scripture to be as white as Snow IV Exod. 6. XII Numb 10. 2 Kings V. 27. See v. 49. of this Chapter And it be shewed to the Priest That he might pass his Judgment upon it whether it were the Leprosie or no. Ver. 20. Verse 20 And if when the Priest seeth it behold it being in sight lower than the skin and the hair thereof be turned white c. If upon a serious search it appear to have the two marks here mentioned which are those before set down v. 3. the Priest was to declare him unclean It is a plague of leprosie broken out of the bile In the place where the Bile formerly was v. 19. Ver. 21. Verse 21 But if the Priest look on it and behold there is no white hair therein and it be not lower than the skin If he find upon search neither of the two marks before-named But be somewhat dark c. Though it had not eaten into the Flesh which was a certain sign of a Leprosie yet if it changed colour there was some ground of suspicion and therefore he was to be shut up seven days See v. 4. Ver. 22. Verse 22 And if it spread much abroad in the skin then the Priest shall pronounce him unclean The spreading of the Spot was a token the Blood was much vitiated and that this foul Disease was begun in the Body It is a plague Of Leprosie Ver. 23. Verse 23 But if the bright spot stay in its place and spread not c. If it continued in the same condition and made no progress it was an indication the Bile was breaking out again which did not make him unclean Ver. 24. Verse 24 Or if there be any flesh in the skin whereof there is a hot burning In the Hebrew the words run thus Or the flesh when it shall be in the skin a burning fire That is when there is an inflamation made in the Skin and the Flesh by an hot burning Coal or some such thing falling upon it For in the foregoing Paragraph v. 16 c. he speaks of Ulcers which arose of themselves from bad Humors in the Body and here of such as were made by fire And the quick flesh that burneth The part of the Body that is burnt Have a white bright spot somewhat reddish or white Very shining See v. 19. For this was a sign of the Leprosie broken out in that burnt place which otherwise would have lookt black Ver. 25. Verse 25 If the hair in the bright spot be turned white c. See v. 20. Ver. 26. Verse 26 But if the Priest look upon it and behold there be no white hair c. The same direction is given here as in the foregoing case v. 21. Ver. 27. Verse 27 And the Priest shall look upon him the seventh day and if it be spread abroad much in the skin c. This Verse and the next contain the same marks with those v. 23 24. Ver. 28. Verse 28 It is a rising of the burning A tumor made by fire or a hot iron c. which burnt the part A meer inflamation as he calls it in the end of this Verse arising from that burning Ver. 29. Verse
Hair of his head and his beard and his eye-brows And he shall wash his clothes This seems to be a second washing after the first at the end of seven days And the Hebrew Doctors note that the killing of the Bird the shaving and the sprinkling were all to be done in the day time the rest might be done either by day or by night Also he shall wash his flesh in water His whole Body For which end such a measure is prescribed by the Hebrew Tradition as would cover it intirely And he shall be clean So as to be not only restored to his Tent but admitted to go to the Tabernacle of the Congregation and offer the Sacrifices appointed in the following part of this Chapter for his compleat Purification Till which time he was called Mechussar Kapparah one that needed Expiation and was not permitted to eat of the holy things Ver. 10. Verse 10 And on the eighth day If we may believe the Hebrew Tradition he washed himself again on this day in the Court of the Women where there was a Room called the Chamber of the Lepers provided for that purpose So Maimonides Which great Caution was imitated by the primitive Christians who would not receive great Sinners into their Communion again till they had made a long trial of the Truth of their Repentance He shall take two he-lambs without blemish and one ewe-lamb without blemish There were three kinds of Sacrifices to be offered upon this occasion viz. a Trespass-offering a Sin-offering and a Burnt-offering for which these three Lambs were to be provided Of the first year Such were all the Lambs to be both Male and Female And three tenth deals of fine flour for a Meat-offering To each of these Sacrifices there was a Meat-offering appointed consisting of a tenth part of an Ephah of fine Flour i. e. an Omer See XVI Exod. 36. Which is a thing unusual for we read of no Meat-offerings ordered in the IV. and Vth Chapters of this Book which treat of them to accompany either Trespass-offerings or Sin-offerings But there were peculiar Rites belonging to the cleansing of a Leper different from the common Usages to make him sensible how great a Mercy he had received from God who alone could cure this Disease which his hand had inflicted Mingled with oil As the manner was in Meat-offerings See Chap. II. v. 1. And one log of oil Which served to another purpose mentioned v. 15 16. of this Chapter And Oil being of an healing vertue may be thought to denote the perfect Health and Soundness to which the Leper was now restored as the fragrancy of it put him in mind of the Happiness he now enjoyed A Log was the smallest Measure among the Jews containing about half a Pint of our Measure as a very learned Prelate of our own Dr. Cumberland hath computed in his Scripture Weights and Measures p. 86. Ver. 11. Verse 11 And the Priest that maketh him clean Who performeth this office of declaring the Leper perfectly clean Shall present the man that is to be made clean and those things before the LORD at the door c. He set the Man in the first place at the East-gate of the Court of the Israelites which in after times was called the Gate of Nicanor with his face towards the Sanctuary For here all those who needed Expiation stood it being unlawful for them to enter into the Court of the Israelites until the Expiation was made So Maimonides observes in his Treatise called Mechussare Kapparah sect 4. Ver. 12. Verse 12 And the Priest shall take one he-lamb and offer him Next he was to bring one of the Lambs to the same place and present him to the LORD as is directed in the end of the Verse For that 's meant here by offering him the slaying of him following in the next Verse For a Trespass-offering After the manner that the Trespass-offerings were offered of which see Chap. VII that he might beg pardon of God as Abarbanel understands it for such sins as he had ignorantly committed And the log of oil Which was presented at the same time with the Lamb. And wave them Both the Lamb and the Log of Oil. For a wave-offering before the LORD Which was done by waving them to and fro up and down and turning towards all the four quarters of the World as was noted before But Maimonides saith this was waved towards the East and if he waved them both together or separated one from the other the Lamb first and afterward the Log of Oil it made no difference Ver. 13. Verse 13 And he shall slay the Lamb. The Lamb was brought saith the same Author in the fore-named Treatise to the Door of the Court where the leprous Man stood who stretcht out his hands into the Court and laid them upon his Sacrifice after which it was killed as is here directed In the place where he shall kill the sin-offering and the burnt-offering See VI. 25. In the holy place In the Court of the Tabernacle at the North-side of the Altar of Burnt-offering Chap. I. 11. which was a place more holy than the Entrance or East-end of the Court where the Peace-offerings were to be killed III. 2. For as the sin-offering is the Priests so is the trespass-offering See VII 7. Both of them were to be eaten by the Priests in the Court of God's House and therefore were equally holy It is most holy See II. 3. Ver. 14. Verse 14 And the Priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass-offering There stood two Priests as Maimonides represents it in his Treatise before-mentioned sect 4. ready to receive the Blood of the Lamb one in an holy Vessel with which he sprinkled the Altar the other in his right hand which he poured into his left And then with the fore-finger of his right hand put it upon the right Ear c. of him that was to be cleansed And the Priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is cleansed and upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the great toe of his right foot The Priest standing within the Court at the Entrance of it and the Man standing still without the Man thrust his Head within the Gate and the Priest put some of the Blood which he held in his hand upon the tip of his right Ear. After which the Man stretcht out his right Arm and the Priest put some of the same Blood upon the Thumb of his right Hand and next his right Leg on the great Toe of which he likewise put some more Blood Thus Maimonides in the same place Where he saith If the Priest had put the Blood upon the left Ear Thumb or Toe all had been of no effect And he adds sect 5. that the Blood was put upon half of the flap of his Ear and upon the whole breadth of the top of his Thumb and great Toe for if he put it on the sides
Imposition of Hands belongs to Confession See Dr. Owtram de Sacrif Lib. I. cap. 15. n. 8. And it is observable that the High-Priest made Confession three times on this day First for himself and then for his Brethren the Priests and now for the whole Congregation saying this Prayer as they tell us in Joma cap. 6. sect 2. I beseech thee O LORD this People the House of Israel have done wickedly and been rebellious and sinned before thee I beseech thee now O LORD expiate the Iniquities the Rebellions and the Sins which thy People the House of Israel have done wickedly transgressed and sinned before thee According as it is written in the Law of Moses thy Servant viz. in the 30th Verse of this Chapter on that day he shall make an Atonement for you to cleanse you that you may be clean from all your Sins before the LORD Which last word LORD as soon as all the Priests and the People that were in the Court heard pronounced by the High-Priest they bowed and fell down flat upon their Faces and worshipped saying Blessed be the LORD let the Glory of his Kingdom be for ever All the iniquities of the Children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins These three words Iniquities Transgressions and Sins are the very words used by the High-Priest in his Confession before-mentioned which comprehend all manner of Offences whether committed deliberately or not against Negative or Affirmative Precepts as they call them Grotius in his Notes on this place hath thus distinguished them but whether exactly or not cannot be determined But it is probable that Sins signifie Offences committed by Error not deliberately Iniquities such as were deliberately committed against the prohibiting Precepts and Transgressions those that were deliberately committed against commanding Precepts All except those to which cutting off was threatned which were not expiated by any Sacrifice Putting them upon the head of the Goat By putting his hands on the head of the Goat and confessing their Sins over him with Prayer to God to remit them they were all charged upon the Goat and the punishment of them transferred from the Israelites unto it Just as the Sins of all Mankind were afterwards laid upon our Saviour Christ as the Prophet speaks LIII Isa 6. who his own self bare our sins in his own body saith S. Peter 1. II. 24. the punishment passing from us to him who was made Sin for us 2 Corinth V. 21. Which Expressions are manifest Allusions unto this Sacrifice on the great Day of Expiation which was the most illustrious Figure of the Sacrifice of Christ and shows beyond all reasonable contradiction that Christ suffered in our stead and not meerly for our benefit For it is very evident the Sacrifice offered on this day was put in the place of the People and all their Sins that is the punishment of them laid upon its head And it appears by the form of all other Sin-offerings which were occasionally offered at other times that he who brought them put off the guilt which he had contracted from himself and laid it on the Sacrifice which was to die for him Which he did by laying his hand on the head of it at the door of the Tabernacle while it was yet alive Then with his hand so placed he made a Confession of his Sins for which he desired forgiveness by the offering of this Sacrifice That is he prayed by these Rites that the Beast being offered and slain he might be spared from punishment which was a plain transferring the guilt from himself unto his Sacrifice Which being yet alive and thus laded with his guilt was then brought to the Altar and there slain for the guilty Person That is it died in his stead for there was no other reason of its being put to death there and in that manner I have insisted the longer on this because nothing can better explain the true meaning of Christ's dying for us which was by transferring the suffering due to our Sins upon him as the manner was in the Legal Sacrifices Which was a thing let me add so notorious in the World that other Nations from hence derived the like custom to that here mentioned by Moses Particularly the Egyptians as David Chytraeus hath long ago observed and since him many others out of Herodotus who tells us Lib. II. cap. 39. that they made this Execration over the Head of the Beast which they sacrificed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that if any evil was to fall either on themselves who sacrificed or upon the whole Country of Egypt it might be turned upon the head of that Beast And this he saith was the custom over all the Land of Egypt and the reason why no Egyptian would taste of the head of any Animal Nor was this the Notion of the Egyptians only but of other Countries also who called those Sacrifices which were offered for them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being sacrificed in their stead and the Life of the Beast given for theirs Thus the Greeks sometimes sacrificed Men when some very heavy Calamity was fallen upon them whom they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expiations to purge them for their Sins by suffering in their room For they prayed thus over him who was devoted every year for the averting Evils from them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be thou our Cleansing that is our Preservative and Redemption or Ransom And with these words they threw him into the Sea as a Sacrifice to Neptune And thus the Massilienses did as Servius tells us upon the 3d Aenead in time of a Plague praying ut in ipsum reciderent mala totius Civitatis that on him might fall the Evils of the whole City And shall send him away As soon as the Confession was over the Goat was sent away By the hand of a fit man By a Man prepared before hand as the Ancients interpret it or that stood ready for this purpose Jonathan saith he was designed for it the year before others say only the day before and that the High-Priest appointed him who might appoint any body whom he thought fit but did not usually appoint an Israelite as they say in Joma cap. 6. n. 3. Into the wilderness It is not certainly known what Wilderness this was but the Hebrews call it the Wilderness of Tzuk which they say was ten Miles from Jerusalem And they say that at the end of each Mile there was a Tabernacle erected where Men stood ready with Meat and drink which they offered to him that went with the Goat lest he should faint by the way And the Nobles of Jerusalem they add accompanied him the first Mile further than which they might not go because this day was a Sabbath After which they that were in the first Tabernacle accompanied him to the next and they that were there to the third and so forward to the last that they might be sure to have this great work done of carrying their Sins quite
â—hen they were all carried Captive they only numbred the rest of every seventh year without any Jubile It shall be a Jubile unto you Whence this year hath the name of Jobel there are so many Opinions that Bochartus himself scarce knew which to follow Josephus saith it signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 liberty and the LXX and Aquila translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remission having a regard to the thing rather than to the import of the word Jobel which never signifies any thing of that nature D. Kimchi tell us that R. Akiba when he was in Arabia heard them call a Ram by this name of Jobel and thence some fancy this year was so called because it was proclaimed with Trumpets of Rams-horns But what if there were no such Trumpets as Bochart thinks there were not these Horns being not hollow See Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. II. cap. 43. p. 425 c. where several other Opinions are confuted The most probable that I meet withal is that it was called Jobel from the peculiar sound which was made with the Trumpet when this year was proclaimed For the Trumpet blowing for several purposes viz. to call their Assemblies together to give notice of the moving of their Camps to excite Souldiers to fight and to proclaim this year there was a distinct sound for all these ends that People might not be confounded but have a certain notice what the Trumpet sounded for And this sound mentioned before v. 9. was peculiarly called Jobel as Hottinger thinks who considers a great many other Opinions in his Analecta Dissert III. wherein he follows Joh. Forsterus who near an hundred years before observed that Jobel which we commonly translate Trumpet XIX Exod. 13. and other places doth not signifie the Instrument it self but the sound that it made And when it is used absolutely alone it signifies this year which was called Jobel from that sound which was then made as the Feast of Unleavened Bread was called Pesach from the Angel passing over them when he slew the Egyptians The Opinions of the Hebrew Writers about it are collected and largely represented by Josephus de Voisin Lib. I. de Jubilaeo cap. 1. And ye shall return every man unto his possession Unto his Field or his House which his Poverty had forced him to sell but now was restored to him without any price because they were not sold absolutely but only till this year By which means the Estates of the Israelites were so fixed that no Family could ruin it self or grow too rich For this Law provided against such Changes revoking once in fifty years all Alienations and setting every one in the same Condition wherein they were at the first By which means Ambition was retrenched and every Man applied himself with affection to the improvement of his Inheritance knowing it could never go out of his Family And this application was the more diligent because it was a religious duty founded upon this Law of God And ye shall return every man unto his family From which he had been estranged by being sold to another Family either by himself or by his Father or by the Court of Judgment So here are two parts of the liberty fore-named more expresly declared Their Land which was alienated returned to the first Owner and such as were sold for Servants into another Family came home again to their own Family being freed from their Servitude Which was a figure of that acceptable year of the LORD as St. Luke calls it IV. 19. in the Prophet Isaiah's Language wherein our blessed Saviour preached Deliverance to all Mankind The Jews themselves are not so stupid as to thinâ— nothing further was intended but only freedom from bodily Servitude in this year of Jubile for Abarbanel himself in this very Verse indeavours to discover something of a Spiritual Happiness For the former part of the words now mentioned Ye shall return every man to his possession he saith belong to the Body but the latter part And every man unto his family belongs to the Soul and its return to God So several others whom J. de Voisin produces in the forenamed Book cap. 2. And if our Dr. Lightfoot hath made a right Computation the last year of the Life of our Saviour who by his Death wrought an Eternal Redemption and restored us to our heavenly Inheritance fell in the year of Jubile the very last that was ever kept For if we count from the end of the Wars of Canaan which was seven years after they came into it and I do not know why we should not think they began to number then and not seven years after as Maimonides would have it there were just fourteen hundred years to the thirty third of Jesus Christ that is just XXVIII Jubiles And it is the Confession of the old Book called Zohar as he observes That the Divine Glory should be freedom and redemption in a year of Jubile See Harmony of the New Testament sect 59. And Vsserij Chronologia Sacra cap. 13. Ver. 11. Verse 11 A Jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you It is a question whether the year of Jubile was the year following the forty ninth year or the forty ninth year was the Jubile which reckoning the foregoing Jubile for one was the fiftieth year Josephus Scaliger in his fifth Book de Emend Temporum and several other great Men are of this last opinion to avoid a great inconvenience which otherwise would ensue viz. That the forty ninth year being the Sabbatical year in which the Land was to rest if the next year to that had been the Jubile two Sabbatical years would have come immediately one after another for the Land was to rest in the year of Jubile as it here follows One would have expected therefore that in the forty eighth year there should have been a special Promise that the Land should bring forth Fruit for four years and not for three only as the Blessing is promised every sixth year v. 21. Thus Jacobus Capellus reasons in his Historia Sacra Exotica ad A. M. 2549. But others think this Objection not to be so great as to make them depart from the letter of this Law which saith v. 10. Ye shall hallow the fiftieth year and here in this Verse A Jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you Though a very learned Man P. Cunaeus thinks this is of no great moment either way for it is usual in common speech Septimanam octidum appellare and Hospinian in like manner we call a Week octiduum eight days because we reckon utramque Dominicam both the LORD's days And the greatest Writers anciently called an Olympiad which contained but the space of four compleat years by the name of Quinquennium See Lib. I. de Republ. Judaeorum cap. 6. Yet besides the express words of the Law the Consent of the Jews sways very much the other way for they accurately distinguish between the Schemitta or Year of