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Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Leviticus 27

Leviticus 27:1

AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING— It has been thought that some of the people, moved by the promises and threats in the last chapter, expressed a resolution of dedicating themselves and their goods more immediately to God; and that this gave occasion to the following rules for the due regulatio... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:2,3

WHEN A MAN SHALL MAKE A SINGULAR VOW, &C.— Or, it may be read, _When any one shall set apart to the Lord a vow, according to such valuation of persons as thou shalt fix, and thy valuation shall be of a male from twenty years old to sixty years old; then thou shalt set the value at fifty shekels of s... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:6

AND IF IT BE FROM A MONTH OLD— Some children were devoted not only in the first month, but before they were born; as was the case with Samuel, 1 Samuel 1:11.... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:8

IF HE BE POORER THAN THY ESTIMATION— _If he be too poor to pay the rate._ If the man who vowed was unable to pay the affixed price of redemption, he was to represent his case to the priests, who were to rate him according to his ability; or, as it is in the original, _according as his hand can find... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:9

AND IF IT BE A BEAST, &C.— A record kind of things vowed to God, are _beasts;_ which being of two sorts, clean and unclean, it is provided, first, with respect to _clean_ beasts, that every individual of this sort vowed to God, should be applied according to the direct intention of the vow: it was t... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:12

AS THOU VALUEST IT, WHO ART THE PRIEST— _According to the valuation of the priest._ _Note;_ (1.) A zealous heart is not only willing to its power, but above its power. (2.) We should be careful not to be hasty to vow, lest we involve ourselves in difficulties, and repent of our rashness. There is a... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:16

IF A MAN SHALL SANCTIFY UNTO THE LORD SOME PART OF A FIELD OF HIS POSSESSION— Bishop Patrick observes, that this intimates it not to have been lawful for a man to vow his whole field or estate; because God would have no man's family made beggars to enrich his sanctuary. The valuation here is _an hom... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:20

AND IF HE WILL NOT REDEEM THE FIELD, &C.— Our version here is very ambiguous. Houbigant renders it more clearly after the Vulgate; _but if he will not redeem the field, and it be sold to another person, it shall not,_ &c.] The Arabic version has it, _and if the priest have sold it,_ &c.... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:25

AND ALL THY ESTIMATIONS, &C.— I find the following note on this verse in Dr. Church's Bible, in which he follows the opinion of Bishop Wilkins. "So great care was taken among the Jews for the preservation of commutative justice from all abuse and falsification in weights and measures, that the publi... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:28,29

NOTWITHSTANDING, NO DEVOTED THING, &C.— The word which we render _a vow,_ in the second verse, is נדר _neder,_ by which, (whoever devoted any thing to God,) there remained a power of redemption. Another kind of _vow_ called חרם _cherem,_ is here mentioned; whereby, (whoever devoted any thing to God;... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:30

AND ALL THE TITHE OF THE LAND— The tithe is here spoken of as a thing fixed and known; upon which subject see Genesis 28:22. All these tithes (_whether of the seed of the land, i.e._ the corn; _or of the fruit of the tree, i.e._ wine and oil; Numbers 18:12; Numbers 20:5.Deuteronomy 14:23.) were to b... [ Continue Reading ]

Leviticus 27:32

WHATSOEVER PASSETH UNDER THE ROD— The Jews understand this of the tithing rod, a rod coloured with ochre, with which a man stood at the door of the field, and numbered the cattle as they came out, marking every tenth with his rod: but Bochart understands it more simply of the shepherd's rod or crook... [ Continue Reading ]

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