Academical Lectures on the Jewish Scriptures and Antiquities: The last four books of the Pentateuch

Fate of Nadab and Abihu.— Jewish Police Laws. - Four principal

Objects contemplated in these Provisions, to withhold from

Idolatrous Practices, to preserve the general Health, - to

promote Civilization, to make Religious Obligations always

present to the Mind.-Prohibited and permitted Kinds of Ani-

mal Food.-Prohibitions of the Use of Blood and of Fat.

Cleanliness in respect to Vessels. — Uncleanness of Persons.

Precautions against Leprosy. - Leprosy of Garments and

Houses.

. 259

LECTURE XIII.

LEVITICUS XVI. 1.-XXVII. 34.

Day of Atonement. Scape-Goat. Repetition of some previous

Laws. Rules respecting Marriage.- Miscellaneous Laws hav-

ing Reference to Idolatry,— and enforcing Humane Dispositions.

Specification of some Penalties.- Rules designed to excite

Reverence for the Sacerdotal Office. Repetition of Rules

respecting the Sabbath, the Fast, and the Festivals. - Care of

the Candlestick, and of the Table of Shew-Bread.-Crime and

Fate of the Son of Shelomith.- Continuation of Legal Penal-

ties. The Sabbatical Year. - The Year of Jubilee. Ex-

position of the Consequences of Obedience and Disobedience.

Laws respecting Vows. Institution of the Payment of

Census of the People. - Explanation of its Correspondence with the

Enumeration in Exodus. - Arrangement of the Tribes in the

Camp.-Census of the Tribe of Levi. Arrangement of its

Duties at the Tabernacle. — Its Position in the Camp.-Con-

tribution of the Supernumerary First-Born. - Duties of the Le-

vites in Later Times. Their Revenues. Propriety of the

Selection of the least numerous Tribe for Sacred Offices.-

Extension and Modification of some previous Laws. - Ordeal of

the "Law of Jealousies."- Rules respecting the Vow of Naz-

VOL. I.

ariteship. - Benediction prescribed for the High Priest's Use.

- Donations of the Princes of the Tribes.- Arrangement of

the Light in the Holy Place. Consecration of the Levites, and

new Rule for their Time of Service. - New Direction relating to

the Passover. Provision of the Silver Trumpets.

311

LECTURE XV.

NUMBERS X. 11.-XIX. 22.

Decampment from "the Wilderness of Sinai.".

Place of the Le-

Discontent of the

Miraculous Supply

vites, and of the Ephraimites, on the March.

People. Commission of Seventy Elders. -

of Quails. Mortality at Kibroth-Hattaavah. - Insubordination of

Aaron and Miriam, and Punishment of the Latter. - Spies sent

to explore Canaan. - Discouragement of the People at their

Report. Postponement of the Invasion for forty Years, de

nounced. - Battle with the Amalekites, and Defeat. Ritual of

certain Offerings. - Stoning of a Sabbath-Breaker. - Regulation

for a uniform Dress. - Rebellion and Punishment of Korah, Da-

than, Abiram, and On. - Miraculous Testimony to Aaron's Au-

thority, by the Budding of his Staff. Arrangement of the

Sacerdotal and Levitical Revenues. - Ritual of the "Water of

Separation." Question respecting the Date of Occurrences

Events.

LECTURE XVI.

338

NUMBERS XX. 1.-XXVII. 23.

Return of the People to the Southern Border of Canaan. Their

Condition during the Interval of Thirty-Seven Years. Reasons

of the Chasm left by Moses in the Record. Scarcity, and Mi-

raculous Supply, of Water.- Negotiation with the Edomites for

a Passage through their Country. - Death of Aaron. - Skirmish

with the Southern Canaanites. Circuit by the Red Sea.

Plague of "Fiery Serpents."- Negotiation with the Amorites,

and Conquest of the Territories of Sihon and Og. Application

of Balak, King of Moab, to Balaam, and his Proceedings there-

upon. Disorders and Punishment of the People at Shittim.—

Census, and Arrangement for the Division of Canaan. Rule

for the Inheritance of Property in Land. - Promise to Moses

of a Vision of Canaan, and Announcement of Joshua as his

Successor.
. 366

LECTURE XVII.

NUMBERS XXVIII. 1.-XXXVI. 13.

Directory for Offerings on the Periodical Celebrations.— Rules re-

specting the Obligation of Vows. - Occasion and Prosecution of

the War with the Midianites.- Consideration of the Severities

exercised therein.-Laws respecting the Division of Booty taken

in War. — Establishment of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and

half of the Tribe of Manasseh, in the District east of the Jordan.

- List of the Marches from Egypt to Canaan.-Command to

expel the Canaanites. - Definition of the Boundaries of Pales-

tine. -Appointment of Princes to make a Partition of the Terri-

tory. Direction for Levitical Cities, and Cities of Refuge.-

Institution of Goelism.—Treatment of justifiable Homicide.—

Rule to prevent the Transfer of Land by Heiresses to another

Tribe.

394

LECTURE XVIII.

DEUTERONOMY I. 1.-XI. 31.

Occasion and Design of the Book of Deuteronomy. Its Authen-

ticity.Its Chronology. - Moses recapitulates some Events of

the First Two Years after the Exodus,and some Events of the

Fortieth Year. - He exhorts the People to obey their Law, -

and especially to abstain from Idolatry. He selects the three

eastern "Cities of Refuge."- Recites the Circumstances of the

Delivery of the Law at Sinaj.-Urges the Duty of a solicitous

Observance of it, and of instructing the Young in its Principles.

-Interdicts Intercourse with the Idolatrous Canaanites, and com-

mands their Expulsion. - Recounts Instances of God's Favor,—

and of the People's Unfaithfulness. - Exhibits the Consequences

of Future Obedience and Disobedience. Refers to a Future

Act of National Self-Consecration.

Moses recites and announces Laws, relating to Idolatry, - to

Worship, - to the Religious Revenues, to Distinctions of

Food, -to the Festivals, to the Second Tithe and Firstlings,

to the Sabbatical Year, to Slavery, to a Future Monarchi-

. 424

---

cal Government,—to False Teachers, with a Prediction of the

Great Teacher to come, to Rights of Citizenship, - to the

Customs of War, to Domestic Relations, to Usury, -to

Offices of Justice, Humanity, Courtesy, and Compassion,

Miscellaneous Subjects, to Crimes, Processes, and Punish-

ments. He gives Directions respecting Offerings to be made

after the orderly Settlement of the Country,- and renews his

Exhortations to Obedience, and Assurances of the Divine Favor.

448

Moses commands the Erection of an Altar on the West Side of Jor-

dan, the Inscription thereupon of Imprecations to be uttered by

the Levites, and assented to by the People,- and a Proclamation,

by all the Tribes, of future Prosperity or Ruin, according as his

Law should be observed or violated. He reverts to past Tokens

of the Divine Goodness, and again exhibits the necessary Con-

sequences of future Obedience and Defection.

- He gives a

public Charge to Joshua, delivers the Book of the Law to the

Levites, with the Command to read it publicly every seventh

Year, and accompanies Joshua to receive a Divine Communica-

tion at the Tabernacle.- The Book closes with the Records of

his Direction concerning the Place of Deposit of the Law, of

an Ode, represented to be uttered by him in the Presence of the

Congregation, of his Last Benediction of the Tribes, — and

of his Death and Burial. — Remarks on the Absence from the

Law, of any Sanction derived from a Future Life.
. 489

LECTURES

ON THE

JEWISH SCRIPTURES AND ANTIQUITIES.

LECTURE I.

LANGUAGE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

VESTIGATION.

LATER

OF PRESENT

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. INTEREST AND IMPORTANCE OF THE IN-
ANTIQUITY OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE.
HISTORY. MASORETIC PUNCTUATION. SOURCES
KNOWLEDGE OF HEBREW.- TRADITION IN THE JEWISH SCHOOLS.
OLD GRAMMARS AND LEXICONS. VERSIONS. COGNATE DIA-
LECTS. PECULIAR DIFFICULTIES IN THE INTERPRETATION OF THE
HEBREW WRITINGS.

THE subjects which are to come before us, in a survey of the Jewish Scriptures and Antiquities, have strong claims on the attention of a Christian. If the received opinion in the Christian church be well founded, the Jewish books contain the record of a supernatural revelation from God. And the interest of such a revelation can never cease, through the circumstance of its being superseded by more ample disclosures of truth in another system. Still it remains important and memorable, as making part of the history of the divine administration for man's spiritual benefit. Still, what it comprehends is truth, which God held to be of moment enough to justify the resort to extraordinary means in its communication; and truth

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Academical Lectures on the Jewish Scriptures and Antiquities: The last four ...