Lev 19:26-37 | TNotes | STEP | 19:26 blood: See study note on 7:22-27. • Priests were permitted to consult the Urim and Thummim (Exod 28:30 ) or to cast lots (Lev 16:8 ) 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 ).

19:26 ^a blood: See study note on 7:22-27.

• Priests were permitted to consult the Urim and Thummim (Exod 28:30 ^b) or to cast lots (Lev 16:8 ^c) 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 ^d).
19:27 ^e 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 ^f cut your bodies: Cutting oneself was associated with Canaanite mourning practices (21:5 ^g; Deut 14:1 ^h). The word translated tattoo might refer to painting the body, a practice also associated with paganism.
19:29 ⁱ Cp. 21:9 ^j; Deut 23:17 ^k.
19:30 ^l 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 ^m; 2:1-3 ⁿ). It began at sundown on the sixth day. With the exodus from Egypt, the Sabbath gained covenantal significance (Exod 16:23-25 ^o; 31:13 ^p). 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 ^q).

• 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 ^r mediums: Cp. 1 Sam 28:7-25 ^s.

• 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 ^t In the ancient world, the elderly and the aged were respected for their wisdom (Job 32:7 ^u). Honoring the elderly also honors God.
Summary for Lev 19:33-34: 19:33-34 ^v The Israelites, once foreigners living in ... Egypt, were to remember their own mistreatment and avoid inflicting similar abuse on others (see Deut 10:19 ^w).
Summary for Lev 19:35-36: 19:35-36 ^x dishonest standards: Merchants would sometimes use two different sets of weights, one heavy and one light (Deut 25:13-15 ^y), in order to cheat customers. The Bible makes it clear that this practice was abhorrent to God (Prov 11:1 ^z; 16:11 ^aa; 20:10 ^ab, 23 ^ac; Mic 6:11 ^ad).