Leviticus

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Leviticus 19 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Leviticus 19 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

(19:2) "Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy."
Is only God holy?

See Rev. 15:4.

3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

(19:3, 30) "Keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God."
Is it necessary to keep the sabbath?

See Rom. 14:5.

4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

5 And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will.

6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.

(19:6-8) "If it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable ... That soul shall be cut off from among his people."
Don't eat sacrifices on the third day or God will cut you off from among your people.

This is a really hard commandment to obey isn't it?.

7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.

8 Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.

10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

(19:10) "Leave them for the poor and stranger."
Leave some grapes on the vine for travelers and the poor. Now that is a nice idea.

It it is such a nice idea, why has no atheist philosophy ever come up with it?

11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

(19:11) "Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another."
Don't steal or lie.
Is it wrong to steal or to lie?

Yes, it is wrong to steal. See the verses where the author of the SAB claims the Bible says its acceptable such as Ex. 3:22 and Ex. 1:18.

12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

(19:13) "Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired."

14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.

(19:14) "Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind."
Be kind to the deaf and blind.

15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

(19:15) "In righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour."
To judge or not to judge.

Judges had to be impartial. See verses where the author of the compares apples with oranges such as Matthew 7:1.

16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.

(19:16) "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people."
Don't gossip.

17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

(19:17) "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart."
Should we love or hate others?

See Luke 14:26 where the author of the SAB reads a contradiction with this verse.

18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

(19:18) "Love thy neighbor as thyself."
This is by far the best verse in Leviticus, and one of the best in the entire bible.
How should nonbelievers be treated?
Should we love or hate others?

Liking a verse is different from practising it...
On love or hate, see verse 17.

19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

(19:19) "Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee."
Don't let cows interbreed, sow with mixed seed, or mix linen and wool in the same garment.

If modern day scientists would only listen, but they happily mix and match genes.

20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

(19:20-22) "She shall be scourged."
If a man has sex with an engaged slave woman, scourge the woman, but don't punish the man. (Even if he raped her?)
Is slavery OK?

The author of the SAB claims this verse is about a case of possibly forced sex. But that's not true, this is a ruling about adultery. The case of adultery with a married woman is dealt with in Deut. 22:22. So this appears to be a law dealing with a betrothed bond-woman, and she commits adultery with another person.
Rape is dealt with in other places such as Deut. 22:25. Obviously, as the man who she was betrothed to isn't guilty, there is no reason to punish him.
This verse says nothing about if slavery is acceptable, but deals with facts of life at this period in history.

21 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.

22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.

23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.

(19:23) "Ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised."
God tells the Israelites that the fruit from fruit trees is "uncircumcised" for three years after the trees are planted.

Even today when growing fruit trees the fruit of the first few years is not used or flowering is prevented. It's only after some years that a new tree starts to give its fruit fully.

24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal.

25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.

26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.

(19:26) "Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times."
Don't eat anything with blood, or use magic or astrology.
Is magic OK?
Does the Bible condemn astrology?

Magic is not OK and Moses did not use magic in Ex. 4:2.
And the Bible writers were clearly able to distinguish between astrology and astronomy.

27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

(19:27) "Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard."
Don't round the corners of your head or beard.

Orthodox Jews still don't. I don't understand why the author of the SAB finds this intolerable?

28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

(19:28) "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you."
Don't get any tattoos.

Indeed, tattooing is forbidden.

29 Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.

30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

(19:31) "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards"
Stay away from wizards and familiar spirits.
Is magic OK?

See verse 26.

32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

(19:32) "Honour the face of the old man."
Respect your elders.

33 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.

34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

(19:33-34) "Thou shalt love him [the stranger] as thyself."
How should strangers be treated?

This is how strangers should be treated. The verses where the author of the SAB reads something different are clearly not about random strangers, see for example Num. 1:51.

35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.

36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

(19:35-36) "Just balances, just weights ... shall ye have."
Treat others fairly; don't cheat.

We should have just weights.
And if I may go off on a bit of a tangent here as I'm writing this in the midst of an economic crisis: having money that does not keep its value is certainly against this commandment. The money we have is called fiat currency. You are forced to accept it, but its worth only what people believe it is worth, and it does not keep well: if you store it away, it loses its value every year. This kind of money was not invented by the market, but by government and it is neither just or sound.

37 Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.