Lev 19 | TNotes

19:2 ^a be holy: See study note on 11:44-45.
19:3 ^b I am the Lord (see 18:2 ^c): These words break ch 19 ^d into terse, staccato sections (19:3 ^e, 4 ^f, 10 ^g, 12 ^h, 14 ⁱ, 16 ^j, 18 ^k, 25 ^l, 28 ^m, 30 ⁿ, 31 ^o, 34 ^p, 36 ^q, 37 ^r). Each use served to remind Israel why they were to obey God’s regulations.
Summary for Lev 19:9-10: 19:9-10 ^s do not harvest. ... Leave them for the poor: Israel’s covenant with God included a social structure that created a leveling effect and resisted social divisions. Families were required to provide for family members who faced difficulties. Widows and orphans (Exod 22:22 ^t), the poor, and foreigners (Lev 19:10 ^u) were considered members of Israel’s extended family. The poor were not only given special consideration in the offering system (5:7-13 ^v), but positive steps were taken to make sure they had food to eat.
19:11 ^w A society that did not respect the property of others would quickly fall apart internally. To steal was prohibited (Exod 20:15 ^x), and those who would deceive or cheat were required to present a guilt offering (see Lev 6:2-7 ^y).
19:12 ^z To bring shame on the name means to blaspheme (see study note on 18:21).
19:13 ^aa Day laborers had no land and were a part of Israel’s lowest economic ranks. These hired workers depended on landowners for their livelihood. A hired man needed to receive his wages promptly so that he could feed his family (Deut 24:15 ^ab); to withhold the wages of such a worker was to cheat him.
19:14 ^ac The deaf and blind were helpless people, easy to belittle and exploit. The Israelites were not to take advantage of them.
19:15 ^ad Neither the poor nor the rich were to be favored in a legal case. Justice was the priority at all times (see Exod 23:3 ^ae, 6 ^af).
19:16 ^ag Do not spread slanderous gossip: The image here is of a merchant who trades and sells harmful rumors and accusations. This practice would quickly erode and undermine the sense of community so valued in Israel (cp. Prov 11:13 ^ah; 16:28 ^ai; 20:19 ^aj; 26:20 ^ak; 2 Cor 12:20 ^al).
19:17 ^am for any of your relatives: The Hebrew term can refer to any fellow Israelite; all Israel was considered one family (cp. 1 Jn 3:15 ^an).

• Confront people directly: Love does not mean closing one’s eyes to wrong; reproof can help a person change.
19:18 ^ao love your neighbor as yourself: This is the cornerstone for biblical ethics in both the Old Testament and the New Testament (see Matt 22:39 ^ap; Mark 12:31 ^aq; Luke 10:27 ^ar; Rom 13:8-9 ^as; Gal 5:14 ^at; Jas 2:8 ^au). It includes foreigners (Lev 19:34 ^av; cp. Luke 10:30-37 ^aw). Conversely, hate leads to a grudge that can bear violent fruit (see 1 Jn 2:10-11 ^ax; 4:20 ^ay).
19:19 ^az two different kinds: God created a natural order (Gen 1:31 ^ba; see Lev 18:22 ^bb), and it is violated when God’s boundaries are crossed. The prohibitions against intermixing were also object lessons for the Israelites, who were not to intermarry with the Canaanites.
Summary for Lev 19:20-22: 19:20-22 ^bc Betrothal in the biblical world was considered equivalent to marriage. Sexual relations with a betrothed or engaged woman who was not a slave merited death, the same punishment as for adultery (Deut 22:22 ^bd; see Lev 18:20 ^be). However, the situation was less clear when the woman was a slave who might be unable to refuse. While slaves in Israel had considerably more rights than those in Mesopotamia or Egypt, they were still not free. Because a slave girl could not be punished, the man was also left unpunished. Still, he was guilty in God’s sight and had to sacrifice a ram for his sin.
Summary for Lev 19:23-25: 19:23-25 ^bf For the first three years, a newly planted fruit tree was only to be pruned and cultivated. This allowed all the strength to go back into the tree. In the fourth year, all of the fruit was considered the “first crop” and was given to God (see Exod 23:16 ^bg). Only in the fifth year could the fruit be eaten.
19:26 ^bh blood: See study note on 7:22-27.

• Priests were permitted to consult the Urim and Thummim (Exod 28:30 ^bi) or to cast lots (Lev 16:8 ^bj) to help decide cases not covered by Mosaic regulations. However, those who practiced fortune-telling or witchcraft were actually consulting a power apart from the Lord, which was forbidden under the first commandment (Exod 20:3 ^bk).
19:27 ^bl Do not trim: As discovered in Egyptian wall paintings, Canaanites carefully trimmed their hair and beards. The Israelites were not to imitate this practice so that they would not be influenced by Canaanite religion and ethics.
19:28 ^bm cut your bodies: Cutting oneself was associated with Canaanite mourning practices (21:5 ^bn; Deut 14:1 ^bo). The word translated tattoo might refer to painting the body, a practice also associated with paganism.
19:29 ^bp Cp. 21:9 ^bq; Deut 23:17 ^br.
19:30 ^bs Sabbath days: The Hebrew word translated “Sabbath” (shabbath) is related to a verb which means simply “to cease,” implying rest from one’s labor. The Sabbath commemorated God’s resting on the seventh day after he had completed his work of creation (Gen 1:31 ^bt; 2:1-3 ^bu). It began at sundown on the sixth day. With the exodus from Egypt, the Sabbath gained covenantal significance (Exod 16:23-25 ^bv; 31:13 ^bw). Because only free people, not slaves, had a regular day of rest, the Sabbath became symbolic of Israel’s liberation from bondage in Egypt (see Deut 5:13-15 ^bx).

• The people were to show reverence (literally fear) because the sanctuary, like the Sabbath, was holy. They were not to enter it when they were unclean or bring anything unclean into it.
19:31 ^by mediums: Cp. 1 Sam 28:7-25 ^bz.

• The Hebrew term for consult the spirits (yidde‘oni) is derived from a root meaning “to know.” It describes those who claim to have special occult knowledge and use it to communicate with the dead.
19:32 ^ca In the ancient world, the elderly and the aged were respected for their wisdom (Job 32:7 ^cb). Honoring the elderly also honors God.
Summary for Lev 19:33-34: 19:33-34 ^cc The Israelites, once foreigners living in ... Egypt, were to remember their own mistreatment and avoid inflicting similar abuse on others (see Deut 10:19 ^cd).
Summary for Lev 19:35-36: 19:35-36 ^ce dishonest standards: Merchants would sometimes use two different sets of weights, one heavy and one light (Deut 25:13-15 ^cf), in order to cheat customers. The Bible makes it clear that this practice was abhorrent to God (Prov 11:1 ^cg; 16:11 ^ch; 20:10 ^ci, 23 ^cj; Mic 6:11 ^ck).