CHAPTER XXV. VERSE 3.

Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof.

THY VINEYARD] Hebrew, karmekah, 'thy vineyard.'

CHAPTER XXV. VERSE 4.

But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

THY VINEYARD] Hebrew, karmekah, ‘thy vineyard.’

CHAPTER XXV. VERSE 5.

That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.

THE GRAPES OF THY VINE UNDRESSED] Hebrew, ve-eth-invai nezirekah lo thivtzor, 'and the grapes of thy separated thou shalt not gather.' The vine is here called nazir (separated or consecrated) because during the seventh year it was not to be pruned or plucked.

CHAPTER XXV. VERSE II.

A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.

NOR GATHER THE GRAPES IN IT OF THY VINE UNDRESSED] Neither 'grapes' nor 'vine' is in the original Hebrew, which reads, vě-lo thivtzeru eth-nězirah, 'and thou shalt not gather (or cut off) thy separated.' Each fiftieth year was to be like every seventh-a year separated from the ordinary cultivation of the soil, and this idea of separation from toil, and consecration to rest, was naturally assigned to the whole produce of the land on these septennial and jubilee festivals.

CHAPTER XXVI. VERSE 5.

And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

THE VINTAGE, twice] Hebrew, batzir, 'the cutting off,' from bahtzar, 'to cut off,' a name transferred to the season when the grapes were gathered, which was generally done by cutting them away with a sharp instrument [mazmārah, pruninghook], in order to avoid injury to the vine.

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS.

CHAPTER VI. VERSES I-4.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: 3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. 4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

V. 2. A NAZARITE] The Hebrew nahzir (from nahzar, 'to separate one's self') has been retained in the English A. V. The Lxx. reads, "Man or woman, whoever shall specially vow a vow to separate or purify himself with purity to the Lord (aneer ee gunee hos ean megalos euxeetai eucheen aphagnisasthai hagneian kuriō).” V. 3. HE SHALL SEPARATE HIMSELF FROM WINE AND STRONG DRINK] The Hebrew is miy-yayin vě-shakar yatzir, 'from yayin and shakar he shall separate himself.' The Lxx. has apo oinou kai sikera hagnistheesetai, from wine and sicera he shall purify himself (or purely abstain).' The V. is à vino et omni quod inebriare potest abstinebunt, 'from wine and whatever is inebriating they shall abstain.' The T. of Onkelos has makhamar khadath vě-atiq yivour, 'from wine, new and old, he shall be separated.' Onkelos thus gives yayin the sense of 'new wine,' and shakar that of 'old wine,' which makes their difference to consist, not in a difference of the juice, but in a difference of age between portions of the same kind of juice,—that of the grape. A rabbinical tradition is mentioned by Maimonides, that strong drink made of dates, or such like, was lawful for the Nazarite, the kind forbidden here being strong drink made with mixture of wine! Another of these traditions went so far as to state that "if a little wine be mingled with honey, or the like, so that there be no taste of the wine, it is lawful for the Nazarite to drink it." What law could survive such unprincipled glosses and elastic interpretations?

AND SHALL DRINK NO VINEGAR OF WINE, OR VINEGAR OF STRONG DRINK] The Hebrew is khometz yayin vě-khometz shakar lo yishteh, ‘fermented-liquor of wine and fermented-liquor of shakar he shall not drink.' The Lxx. reads, kai oxos ex oinou kai oxos ex sicera ou pietai, 'and vinegar (fermented liquor) from wine, and vinegar from sicera, he shall not drink.' The T. of Onkelos gives "the vinegar (khol) of wine new, and the vinegar of wine old." The V. has acetum ex vino et

ex qualibet alia potione non bibent, "vinegar from wine and from any other liquor they shall not drink." That the V. should have rendered shakar in this clause by qualibet alia potio is worthy of note. The English A. V. renders khometz by 'vinegar' in the six places where it occurs in the Old Testament, according to the Masorite pointing,-Numb. vi. 3 (twice); Ruth ii. 14; Psa. lxix. 21; Prov. x. 26; XXV. 20. The Greek versions of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, of this passage are lost, but in Psa. Ixix. 21 and Prov. x. 26 they supply omphax, ‘an unripe (or sour) grape,' which is defended by Michaelis. Dr A. Clarke observes, "Khometz signifies fermented wine, and is probably used here to signify wine of a strong body, or any highly intoxicating liquor." As the ancients did not scientifically distinguish between the alcoholic and acetous fermentations, the generic word signifying ‘fermented' was used to describe both. In a hot climate, when yayin and shakar passed into the alcoholic fermentation, it was difficult to prevent the acetous following. It is the general complaint of winemakers on the Continent that they cannot keep their wines, or transport them to any distance, without mixing them with brandy--a contrivance not available to the ancients.

NEITHER SHALL HE DRINK ANY LIQUOR OF GRAPES] Hebrew, vě-kahl-mishrath anahvim lo yishteh, 'and every (= any) maceration of grapes he shall not drink.' Mishrath, from shahrah, 'to loosen' or 'macerate,' signifies 'drink made of steeped grapes.' (So Gesenius.) Bishop Patrick understands "secondary wine, which was made by maceration of grapes in water, after the juice had been pressed out to make wine." The LXX. has kai hosa katergazetai ek staphulees ou pietai, ‘and whatever is concocted (or elaborated) from the grape he shall not drink.' Aquila and Symmachus have pasan apobrexin staphulees, 'every infusion of the grape'; the V., et quidquid de uva exprimitur non bibent, 'and whatever from the grape is expressed they shall not drink.' The Syriac gives 'maceration of grapes.'

NOR EAT MOIST GRAPES, OR DRIED] Hebrew, va-anahvim lakhim vivāshim lo yokāl, ‘and grapes moist (= fresh) and dried he shall not eat.' The Lxx., kai staphuleen prosphaton kai staphida ou phagetai, and the grape newly plucked, and the raisin, he shall not eat.' The V. has uvas recentes siccasque non comedent, 'grapes fresh and dried they shall not eat.' Onkelos has rattivin, 'green.'

V. 4. OF THE VINE TREE] Hebrew, mig-gephen ha-yayin, ' of (or from) the vine of the wine,' a phrase intended to mark definitely the nature of gephen, which might otherwise be taken to include every kind of flexile, twig-bearing tree. Gephen ha-yayin is equivalent to 'wine-yielding plant,' a mode of expression implying that yayin is the immediate produce of the vine, and that grape-juice does not become yayin by a subsequent fermentation. The LXX. gives ex ampelou oinon, 'from the vine wine.'* The V. has ex vinea, 'what concerns the production of wine,' a vineyard, or the vine generically considered.

FROM THE KERNELS EVEN TO THE HUSKS] Hebrew, mākharzanim vě-ad zag, 'from the grapestones to the skin.' The LXX. has apo stemphullōn heōs gigartou, 'from the grapestones unto the husk.'* The Vulgate reads, ab uva passa usque ad acinum, 'from the dried grape to the berry-stone.' Dr Gill remarks, "The Jews are divided about the two words here used, which of them signifies the outer

The punctuation in Maia's splendid edition of Codex B makes the Lxx. to stand ex ampelou oinon apo stemphullōn heōs gigarton, from the vine wine from the grapestones to the husk. This pointing would make oinon identical with the grape or cluster. But oinon may be a copyist's mistake for oinou. In the parallel case (Judg. xiii. 14) the Lxx. has ex ampelou tou oinou, from the wine of the vine.'

most part of the grape and which the innermost.

Von Gersom agrees with us, but

it matters not much who are in the right since both are forbidden.”

CHAPTER VI. VERSES 13-20.

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13 And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he-lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt-offering, and one ewe-lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin-offering, and one ram without blemish for peace-offerings, 15 And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat-offering, and their drink-offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin-offering, and his burntoffering: 17 And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat-offering, and his drink-offering. 18 And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings. 19 And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite after the hair of his separation is shaven : 20 And the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave-breast and heave-shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.

V. 15. A BASKET OF UNLEAVENED BREAD] Hebrew, vě-sal matzoth, and a wicker-basket of unfermented-cakes.'

Wafers of unLEAVENED BREAD] Hebrew, u-rqiqai matzoth, ‘and thin unfermented-cakes.'

AND THEIR DRINK OFFERINGS] Hebrew, vě-niskāihem, and their libations.' [See Note on Exod. xxix. 40.]

V. 17. WITH A BASKET OF UNLEAVENED BREAD] Hebrew, al sal ham-matzoth, 'with a basket of the unfermented-cakes.'

AND HIS DRINK OFFERING] Hebrew, vě-eth nisko, and his libation.'

V. 19. ONE UNLEAVENED CAKE] Hebrew, vě-khallath matzah akhath, and one perforated unfermented-cake.'

AND ONE UNLEAVENED WAFER] Hebrew, u-rqiq matzah ěkhad, ‘and one thin unfermented-cake.'

V. 20. AND AFTER THAT THE NAZARITE MAY DRINK WINE] Hebrew, vě-akhar yisteh han-Nahzir yayin, and afterwards the Nazarite may drink yayin.' The ceremony of terminating the vow having been fulfilled, the principal condition of Nazaritism would also cease, and with it all the other conditions. Ceasing to be a Nazarite, the evidences of a Nazarite would no longer be binding; but no obligation was imposed to drink yayin of any kind, much less was a sanction given to the use of inebriating drinks.

Observation 1. The rules of Nazaritism as explained in this chapter comprise the three negatives-I, not to consume any produce of the vine; 2, not to cut the hair; 3, not to touch any dead body. Many speculations have been put forth as to the reasons for these prohibitions. That each and all were suitably associated with their vow cannot be questioned, for to impute an irrational arbitrariness to these regulations would be to impeach the divine wisdom. A Nazarite was,

by his voluntary vow, so consecrated to the divine service as to be separated from the ordinary pursuits of men. This separation was according to the nature of the vow; and if the vow was for life, so was the separation-not otherwise. It is a Jewish tradition that the vow could not be taken for less than thirty days. The Nazarite was not to touch any dead body, which was typical of his separation from things corruptible. He was not to cut his hair, the length of which signified his subjection (1 Cor. xi. 5) and visibly testified to his fidelity, and presented the symbol of strength and abundant vitality. He was not to take the produce of the vine, either liquid or solid, for this was an effectual safeguard not only against danger from the use of intoxicating drinks, but also against temptation or mistake, should the inebriating article be substituted for the innocuous. "They were to eat nothing that came of the vine, to teach us with the utmost care and caution to avoid sin and everything that borders on it and leads to it, or may be a temptation to us."-Matthew Henry. "Everything which might have even a tendency," says Professor Moses Stuart, "to inspire them with a taste for inebriating liquor was to be most carefully avoided." That this abstinence was prescribed as a means of moral protection is also clear from the conduct of those who gave them wine to drink, and so,' says Matthew Henry, 'did the tempter's work.' (Amos ii. 12.) Ainsworth remarks, "By this prohibition God taught the Nazarites sanctification in mortifying the lusts of the flesh, for the drinking of these endangereth men to forget the love of God,' to mock and to rage." No value can be attached to the rabbinical notion, adopted by Lightfoot, that the vine was forbidden to the Nazarites because it had been the forbidden tree in Paradise. The leper, according to Lightfoot, was an emblem of the wretched state of man since the fall, and the Nazarite the emblem of man in his state of innocence. Some Jewish writers, with whom Dr Gill coincides, think that there is a meaning in the law of the Nazarite following the law of ordeal concerning women suspected of conjugal infidelity, "and as wine leads to adultery, as Jarchi observes, abstinence from it, which the Nazarites were obliged to, and forbearance of trimming and dressing the hair, and a being more strictly and closely devoted to the service of God, were very likely means of preserving from unchastity and any suspicion of it."

6

2. Ancient Nazaritism was more comprehensive than teetotalism, so that no argument against the latter can be founded upon the contrast between Jesus and the Baptist [see Note on Matt. xi. 18, 19]; whereas the remarkable health and vigour of the Nazarites (Lam. iv. 7) was a standing refutation of the still prevalent superstition which connects those physical blessings with some use of intoxicating liquor.

3. The essential spirit of Nazaritism-self-consecration to God, religious willinghood-is incorporated with Christianity and identified with its highest developments of liberty and excellence. Abstinence from intoxicating liquors is, therefore, not less needful than in ancient times as a moral safeguard, unless it can be shown that those liquors have ceased to exert the fourfold influence of stimulating the animal propensities, weakening the reason, dulling the moral sensibilities, and diminishing the will-power. In moderate drinking these influences may be only