And break, &c. Hebrew has simply, "corn beaten out ( or ready to be beaten out) of full ears." (Haydock) --- These were to be offered at the Passover. (Du Hamel) CHAPTER II. Peace-offerings. Peace, in the Scripture language, signifies happiness, welfare, or prosperity; in a word, all kinds of blessings. Such sacrifices, therefore, as were offered either on occasion of blessings received, or to obtain new favours, were called pacific or peace-offerings. In these some part of the victim was consumed with fire on the altar of God: other parts were eaten by the priests, and the persons for whom the sacrifice was offered. (Challoner) --- Female beasts might here be sacrificed, but not birds. The victims were either offered to praise God for past favours, or to comply with some vow, or were perfectly free, chap. vii. 12. Three sorts of victims, the ox, the sheep, and the goat, denoted all those who served God in innocence, or in the state of penance. (Du Hamel) Of these sacrifices "of the perfect," none of the unclean could taste, chap. vii. 20. When only flour or bread was given, the donor received no part again. Which shall. Hebrew, "which he gives, he shall slay it....the priests shall pour," &c. Yet some assert, that laymen were not allowed to approach the altar. Fat. All the fat was carefully presented to the Lord. The Persians offered this alone. Omentum in flamma pingue liquefaciens. (Catul. Epig. de Magis.) Flanks. St. Jerome sometimes translates the Hebrew loins, as the Septuagint and Symmachus do; (Psalm xxxvii. 7) and this Bochart believes is the most proper signification. (Calmet) --- Two is not specified in the Latin, nor little in the Hebrew. For a. Some translate, "upon the," others "after the burnt-sacrifice;" as if that were always to be offered first, every day. (Calmet) --- But is seems that the peace-offering was an imitation of the holocaust, with respect to the fat, caul, and kidneys, which were to be entirely consumed. (Haydock) It. Hebrew and Septuagint, "he shall slay," ver. 2, 13. (Calmet) Whole rump. Septuagint, "the loin without blemish." The tail of the Arabian sheep is extremely large and fat, weighing eight or ten pounds; so that it is necessary to support it on a vehicle. (Busbecq. ep. 3.) The tail was not sacrificed in any other species. (Menochius) With, &c. Hebrew, "and the two kidneys with their fat by the flanks, and the great lobe of the liver, above the kidneys, shall they take." (Haydock) --- All our affections must be consecrated to God, and our passions kept under. (Du Hamel) Food, destined for the honour of God, and to be consumed by fire. In other places, God calls these sacrifices his food, and the altar his table. (Chap. xxi. 21.; Malachias i. 7, 12.) CHAPTER III. Fat. It is meant of the fat, which by the prescription of the law was to be offered on God's altar: not of the fat of meat, such as we commonly eat. (Challoner) --- This distinction is sufficiently insinuated; (chap. vii. 25,) whence it also appears that the fat, here forbidden, is only that, which, in all sacrifices, appertains to the Lord, ver. 9, 10. The fat which was intermingled with the flesh might be eaten, and even the rest if the animal was not sacrificed. God repeatedly forbade the use of blood, chap. xvii. 13. Yet the Jews abstain from the fat also of all oxen, sheep, and goats; (Josephus, [Antiquities?] iii. 10,) and some, adhering to the words of this text, forbid the use of fat indiscriminately. (Calmet) --- Cornelius a Lapide condemns it, if the animal might be offered in sacrifice, though it were slain at home. Ignorance. To be ignorant of what we are bound to know is sinful: and for such culpable ignorance, these sacrifices, prescribed in this and the following chapter, were appointed. (Challoner) --- Not to be done. Hence the Rabbins admit sins of ignorance, only against the negative precepts. But when God forbids one thing, he commands the contrary; and we may sin by ignorance against any of his ordinances. If the ignorance be voluntary, it enhances the crime; and Aristotle well observes that drunkards, who do an injury, are to be doubly punished, because their fault is voluntary in its cause, (ad Nicom. iii. 7). But if the ignorance were perfectly involuntary, and inculpable, no sacrifice was required; so that God here speaks only of that sort of ignorance which involved some degree of negligence. This fault could not be forgiven without interior good dispositions. The sacrifice only reached to the cleansing of the flesh, (Hebrews ix. 13,) or to screen the culprit from the severity of the law and of the magistrates; (Calmet) though they might help the inward dispositions of the heart, and thus contribute to obtain God's pardon. (Origen; St. Augustine, q. 20) The difference between peccatum and delictum, is not perfectly ascertained. Some think the former word denotes sins of malice, and the latter those of ignorance. Tirinus maintains the contrary, as a more costly sacrifice, he says, is required for the latter. (Haydock) Anointed. That is, "the high priest," Septuagint. Inferior priests were not anointed, except the sons of Aaron, at the beginning. (Calmet) --- Ignorance in such a one is greatly to be avoided, as it tends to scandalize the people. (Haydock) --- The same ceremonies are prescribed, as on the day of expiation; only the priest did not enter the most holy place. --- Offend, in some smaller matter. If he engaged his brethren in the crime of idolatry, he should die. Deuteronomy xiii. 15. (Calmet) --- Before the solemn unction, he might be expiated, like one of the princes. (Menochius) Calf. Hebrew par, does not specify the age. (Calmet) The blood. As the figure of the blood of Christ shed for the remission of our sins; and carried by him into the sanctuary of heaven. Seven. A number consecrated in Scripture, (Calmet) and not superstitious. (Worthington) --- Apuleius (Met. xi.) mentions it. Septies submerso fluctibus capite. (Calmet) --- Sanctuary, or most holy place. (Menochius) Ashes of the victims. They were first laid beside the altar of holocausts. By this ceremony, the priest begged that his sins might be removed from the sight of God, (Menochius) by virtue of Christ's sacrifice, who suffered out of the gate of Jerusalem, Hebrews xiii. 13. The high priest was obliged to offer this sacrifice himself, to expiate his own sin, as well as that of the people, Hebrews ix. 7. Multitude assembled. Septuagint add, "be involuntarily ignorant, and no one of the congregation perceive the truth, ( or word,) and shall transgress, by commission or omission, one of all the precepts of the Lord." Such was the offence of Saul and the people, 1 Kings xiv. 33. On these occasions, the elders were to put their hands on the victim, to acknowledge the general offence, if it were not of too heinous a nature to be expiated by sacrifice. See Deuteronomy xiii. 12. CHAPTER IV. A prince. King, magistrate, general, chief of a tribe, or great family; in a word, one elevated above the rest ; as appears, Numbers i. 4. and vii. 2. He. Samaritan and Septuagint read, "they shall have," referring it to the priests. Him. Moses does not here specify what was to be done with the flesh. But (chap. vi. 26,) he commands it to be given to the priests. (Calmet) --- In the sacrifices for the sins of the multitude, or of the priest, all was consumed; to express a greater detestation of such offences, (Tirinus) and that the priests might derive no benefit from them. (Theodoret, q. 3.; St. Thomas Aquinas, [Summa Theologiae ] i. 2, q. 102, a. 3.) (Worthington) --- Those who offered these victims received no part of them again, nor were oil or incense used; as all delicacies must be rejected by penitents. (Tirinus) The land. A rustic or plebeian. (Menochius) --- The offences of such might be expiated by the sacrifice of a goat, ewe, lamb, ram, two pigeons, or flour, chap. v. 7. and xi. 15. (Calmet) Of, &c. One Hebrew manuscript, the Septuagint, and Syriac read, "in the place in which he shall slay the holocaust." The Samaritan has they slay, both here and ver. 24. and 33, which seems the truer reading. (Kennicott) For a. Hebrew may be "according to, like (Haydock) upon, besides, after the holocausts." (Calmet) See chap. iii. 5. Swearing. We are accountable for the sins of others, to which we are accessory, as appears from this and part of the following chapter. No distinction of persons is here noticed. If any one, therefore, be witness to another's promise, confirmed by oath, and, being cited to the bar, refuse to speak, he shall be guilty of sin, and offer the sacrifice proscribed (ver. 6,) for all the preceding cases. Restitution must also be made to the injured person. (Menochius) --- But others suppose that no sacrifice was allowed for such an obstinate wretch as when not answered when the judge swore or adjured him. He was liable to be put to death. The associate of the thief fell under the like punishment as the thief himself, when he would not reveal the theft to the judge, Proverbs xxix. 24. Others again understand this swearing to mean blaspheming God. If the hearer do not reprehend him, he shall suffer as his accomplice. (Origen; Philo) --- Junius thinks that the neglect of fraternal correction, was to be expiated by the sacrifice prescribed for the sins of ignorance, concerning which Moses is treating. But it seems that the person here mentioned was to die, as the words he shall bear his iniquity, commonly denote, chap. xix. 8.; &c. (Calmet) --- When perjury prejudiceth another's cause, we are bound to reveal what we know to the judge, if it can be done so as to avoid scandal. (Worthington) --- Not. Hebrew editions read loa, instead of la, both here and in 34 other places; an irregularity unknown in some manuscripts, and to the Samaritan copy. Perhaps it may have been occasioned by lu, "to him," being of the same sound with la. (Kennicott) Beast. All wild beasts were deemed unclean; but domestic clean cattle, though slain, did not defile; (Calmet) while some of the unclean did, even alive, chap. xi. 26, 31. (Haydock) --- Fishes are comprised under the name reptiles; yet some were not unclean, chap. xi. 9. The Septuagint neglect reptiles, and put "the carcasses of impure abominations;" by which they probably mean dogs, and such things as the Egyptians adored. This verse does not regard those who had only touched something unclean, as such were to be purified at night, by washing their garments; but it refers to those who, having neglected that ordinance, had still ventured to touch something sacred, and were therefore required to offer the sacrifice, assom, (Calmet) as for an irreligious behaviour towards God. (Tirinus) Of man, who may be in a state of legal uncleanness. If he neglect or forget to purify himself, he must offer a sacrifice, either such as he may choose, (St. Augustine, q. 2.) or such as the priest may require. (Lyranus) (Calmet) Lips. This is necessary before he can be punished by men; but every secret promise binds before God. (Tostat) --- Evil or good: any thing whatsoever, whether favour or punishment, whether the completion of it be difficult or easy. (Calmet) --- Thus parents sometimes foolishly swear that they will chastise their children unmercifully; libertines that they will live in luxuries as long as they have any money; ill-natured people that they will never speak to such a one, that they will murder, &c. To execute such promises, even confirmed by an oath, would be a double crime. Let them ask pardon of God for their rash oath. (Philo) --- Herod made his oath a pretext for killing John the Baptist, deluding himself, perhaps, with a false interpretation of this law. (Haydock) --- As such hasty oaths are easily forgotten, when the guilty person recollected himself, he was bound to confess his fault to the priest in the following manner, according to the Rabbins: Placing his hands between the horns of his victim, he shall say, "I beseech you, Lord, I have sinned; I have committed iniquity and prevarication; I have committed such a fault. I repent, I am filled with sorrow and confusion for having done so; I will relapse no more." These doctors teach, that without confession and sorrow no sacrifice will remit sin. (Calmet) --- To preserve the secret of confession, the priests were ordered to eat the victims alone. (Philo, &c.) (Tirinus) Let, &c. Hebrew, "and surely when he is guilty in one of these things, he shall confess that he hath sinned therein; (ver. 6.) and he shall bring his sin-offering unto the Lord, for his transgression," &c. Confession to the priest was requisite, before all the other sacrifices for sin. See Josephus, [Antiquities?] iii. 10. (Haydock) Sin. The flesh belonged to the priest, chap. vi. 26. Ephi, or a gomor, which is the tenth part of three pecks and three pints, English. (Arbuthnot.) --- For sin, and therefore to shew how odious sin is to God, he will not allow any frankincense to be offered. (Menochius) Memorial. See chap. ii. 2. At the end, the Hebrew and Septuagint add, "It is a sin-offering;" peccatum. (Calmet) --- Hence the priests are said to eat the sins of the people, Osee iv. 8. The ceremonies: omitted in Hebrew and Septuagint --- Sanctified [Sacrificed?], neglecting to pay the first-fruits; or, by mistake, eating any of the victims reserved for God, or for the priests. --- Two sicles. St. Jerome seems to have read in the dual number, whereas the Hebrew pointed copies have sicles indefinitely; and the Rabbins understand two, when the word is plural and undetermined. Theodoret reads fifty, which some maintain is the ancient translation of the Septuagint, though it is not found in any of our copies. Hebrew may be rendered "a ram (or) according to thy estimation, sicles of silver." The particle or is sometimes understood. It is probable that when the fault was considerable, a ram was to be sacrificed, and restitution made of what was due with the fifth part besides; but if the fault was small, the priest determined how many sicles were to be presented for sacred purposes. --- Sanctuary. See Exodus xxx. 13. Through ignorance. These words are not found in the Hebrew or Septuagint; but the context shews, that they must be understood. Some pretend that the ignorance here spoken of, is that by which a person doubts whether the thing which he touched was unclean or not. But we may explain these last verses as a recapitulation of what had been already ordered. (Calmet) Sin. If it were grievous, the priest required a more valuable victim, ver. 15. Lord. Hebrew, "It is a victim for the sin which he has committed against the Lord." From this chapter, as well as from Numbers v. 7, it is obvious that a special confession was necessary, not only for those who had fallen into the disorder of leprosy, which was a figure of sin, and often inflicted by God in punishment of it; but also, when they had given way to the smallest transgression against the commands and ceremonies of the Lord. (Haydock) --- This custom is still observed by the Jews. (Galatinus x. 3.)