M IB . 



their benefit; though many of his law discourage begging. He 

 reeoamrndrd the people to lend to them (Dent xv. 7-11), he gave 

 them tli* right of gleaning, and "f collecting the spontaneous produce 

 of UM earth during the Sabbatical yew (Lent zu. 9, 10; zxv. 5, 6; 

 Drat xiir. 1 '.'-21 ; liutb, a 2-19), and the remains of the *eoond tithe* 

 and finthnn, which were sacrificed aa thank-offering", were given ai 

 MtactaiuinaiU to the poor.] (Dent zii. 5-12, 17-19; zlv. 22-29; zvi. 

 10. 11; xxvi. 12, 13.) 



Ptrmtat KigUt and Obligation* T<MM lo Ood were declared binding, 

 though the nuking of them was neither encouraged nor discouraged. 

 They were rrmioiulo in certain case*. (Lent xxvii. ; Numb. zxx, ; 

 Drat, xxiii. 21-23.) 



On niMiy point* relating to dtht the Mosaic law is silent An 

 inoolTeut debtor wu liable to have bin hereditary lauds seised, alto 

 his bouse* and other property, hi* clothe* (but with a humane restric- 

 tion, Kxod. xxiL 26, 27), ncd his penon; he might be sold into 

 slavery with hi* wife and children (Levit xxv. 39). Of imprisonment 

 for debt the Mouuc law knows nothing, and still less of torture, though 

 both liare bsen attributed to it from a misunderstanding of some 

 I asmgr* in the New Testament (Matt v. 26 ; xviii. 30, 34.) 



itt were allowed to be token, under certain regulations which 

 wen meant to secure the debtor from the rapacity of his creditor, 

 il'eut. xxiv. (I, 10-13; Kxod. xxii. 26, 27.) Of turelyihip the Mosaic 

 law aays noti ing, but it i- frequently referred to in the Proverbs of 

 Solomon. Interttt on loons, whether of money or produce, was for- 

 biddi n to he taken from Israelite*, but it might be received from 

 ktraugen. (Kxod. xxii. 2.".; Levit. xxv. 35, 37; Deut. xxiil 19, 20.) 

 The reasons for tlii prohibition appear to be founded entirely on the 

 peculiar polity of the lira* lit**, (Michaelu, Art 155.) Loans are 

 regarded by Mo*e as alms. In the seventh year a poor debtor could 

 not be sued, ss there were no crops on the ground. (Deut. xv. 1-11.) 

 It does not opp< ar to be the meaning of this law, that debts were 

 cunrttied in the seventh yrar, though perhaps such a release took place 

 in the year of jubilee. Injuries done to property wire to be com- 

 pensated, and things found were to be restored to the owners ; there 

 are several law* on the details of these cases. (Michaelis, book iii. 

 a 12, pt. 3.) 



The Motaic law contain* aeveral enactments on behalf of beasts, 

 many of v.Licli have a tendency to preserve the breed of such as MM 

 useful to man. 



Police La*. 1. Ciril Police. The population was to be ascertained 

 by a ptrio-iical census, the time of which is not specified in the sta- 

 tute. Every individual numbered paid a capitation tax of half a 

 ahckrl. (Kxod. xxx. 11-16.) 



2. Military Police. Every man above 20 years old was liable to be 

 called out to war. (Numb. i. 3-40 ; xxvi. 2.) Hut generally a selec- 

 tion was made by the Scribes, who also appointed ilie officers. Under 

 the kings permanent officers were appointed. Exemption from mili- 

 tary service was allowed to the man who had built a house and not 

 yet occupied it. to him who had planted a vineyard or oliveyard and 

 not jet enjoyed it* fruit, to him who had betrothed a wife, and to 

 him who bad married within a year. (Deut. xx. 5-7.) Cowardice 

 vraa al-o a ground of exemption, but attended with disgrace. The 

 ppoil taken hi war was divided into two parts ; that in person* and 

 rattle was collected and distributed among the people, those who 

 went to war and those who remained at home having equal portion*, 

 and that in effect* was the property of the soldier who si-iz-d it. 

 Many n-gulations are made to promote cleanliness and discipline in 

 the camp, which with this object was declared to bo sacred. 



3. Krrletiatlical Police, or the Ceremonial Law. In this part of the 

 Mosaic law many ceremonies are ordained which appear frivolous and 

 unmeaning, unless wo keep in view the fact asserted both in the l'dms 

 and in the New Testament, and fully explained in the Epistle to the 

 Hebrew*, that mn*t of the Levitical rites were only types of the 

 ble*ing to be enjoyed under the Christian dispensation. We do not 

 enlarge on this subject, aa we are not here regarding the Motaic laws 

 in their theological aspect 



rnruion, which bad long before born given by Ood to Abraham, 

 was adoptod in the Mnsitic law as the ceremony by which every male 

 was admitted to the civil and religious privilege* of the people of 

 Israel. (Uen. xvii. 9-14 ; Levit. xii. 13.) Every bond-servant among 

 the Israelite* was obliged to submit to this rite, and also every stranger 

 who wi-hcd to be naturaliwd among the people and to partake of th 



<>frn*gt were of three kinds : 1. Bloody, consisting of slaughtered 

 animals, which most be those regarded by the law as clean. They 

 were either bm-nt-eftrinyt, which were wholly consume I on the altar; 

 rix-bfmmot, made on account of any sin* committed thmivrh irnor 

 aoce, of which only a part wo* laid on the altar ; or featt -t/cringt, or 

 fmct q/irrinji of which only the fat parts were burnt and the rest 

 eaten. 2. Unbloody, or mtat-i/rringi, consisting of meal, bread, &c. 

 3. /tnut-n/tniifi, consisting of wine, of which psrt was poured on 

 the victim and part givec to the priest*. Sacrifice* might only be 

 ottered at the place which Ood might appoint which in the Wilderness 

 WM the tabernacle: this law wadoubtlM intend* 1 to prevent idolatry. 

 Beside* their typical significance, tbeee sacrifices had important 

 and physical advantage*, which are pointed out by Michaelis. (Art*. 

 189-191.) 



Two litkei of all the produce of the land were due to Ood. The 

 first was paid to the Levites for their support, and the second went 

 to provide the feast-offerings. In addition to the tubes, thejtrtf.far* 

 of all animals, including man, were sacred to Ood, and belonged to 

 the priest*. This law had its origin in the sparing of the first-born 

 of the Israelites when thoae of the Egyptians were t-lain. The first- 

 born of beasts that might be offered in sacrifice were not to be 

 redeemed, but those of otber beasts and of man mi^ht be redeemed 

 at a fixed price. (Kxol. xiii. 1, 2, 11-16; Levit xxvii. 26; Numb. 

 xviii. 1..-HM The tir.it-fruits of crops and other produce belonged also 

 to the priest*. (Levit xxiii. 9-14 ; Numb. xv. 1921 ; xviii. 11-13; 

 Deut xviii. 4-5.) There was another sort of firstlings which were 

 employed for feast-offerings. (Deut xii. 6 ; ziv. 23 ; xv. 1 



The Sattbuth. Every seventh day was a day of rest and of reli^in-.n 

 worship. This was no new law of Moses; it had been enjoined up m 

 man, at the creation of tiie world, to celebrate the resting of Ood on 

 the seventh day. (Gen. ii. 3.) In the Mosaic law it was also a com- 

 memoration of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, and some 

 of the | wculiari tie* in the Jewish observance of the day are undou 

 connected with that fact. No servile work whatever was to be douo 

 on the Sabbath, except what was necessary for the service of the 

 anctuary. The punishment for transgressing this law was death. 

 (Kxod. zvi. 22-30 ; xx. 8-1 1 ; xxiii. 12 ; xxii. 12-17 ; xxxiv. 21 ; xxxv. 

 1-3 ; Numb. xv. 32-30; D, ut v. 12-15.) 



There were three annual festival*, each lasting seven days, during 

 which all the males in Israel were obliged to assemble at the placj 

 where the sanctuary stoo.l, (Exod. xxiii. 14-17.) These were 1, The 

 passover, to commemorate the patting over of the Israelites by the 

 destroying angel when he slew the first-born of the Egyptians. It fell 

 on the evening after the 14th day of the tint month of the year, that 

 is, very near the vernal equinox, and at the beginning of harvest 



2, The feat of pentecost was hell at the end of harvest, on the 50th 

 day after the 16th of the first month. It was a feast of thanksgiving 

 for the harvest 3, The feast of tabernacle* began on the evei:. 



the 14th day of the seventh month, about October. It was a feast of 

 thanksgiving for the fruitage and vintage. Kemarks on the uses of 

 these festivals and an account of the o'.her feast days will bo found 

 in Michaelis (Arts. 197-201). He reckons that in the whole year thi-ro 

 were 30 feast days, besides the 52 Sabbaths. 



Many circumstances of the private life of tho Israelites are reg 

 by the Mosaic law with great precision. The laws on this subject 

 may be divided into two classes. 1, Ke^ulatioiii) r j.e. .'tin^ moats, 

 and their distinction into clean and unclean, wit'i the prohibition 

 against eating blood. 2, Laws relating to defilements, including 

 those concerning leprosy. Both these classes of law* conduced g. 

 to tho preservation of health and morality, mid forme I a strong 

 barrier against idolatry. (Michaelis, Arts. 202-217.) For au account 

 of several miscellaneous precepts of the Mosaic police law the reader 

 is referred to Michaelis, book iv. a 5. 



Respecting the criminal lau> of Moses we have not space to enter 

 into details. It is ably treated by Michaelis (book v.). This part of 

 the Mosaic institutions is distiugui-hed by eqinl justice, and by a 

 careful gradation of punishment according to the enormity of crimes. 

 Some offences, especially thoae of a religious character, were punished 

 with a severity which to us may appear excessive ; but this is only tho 

 carrying out of the principle by which the people were regarded as 

 set apart to preserve the worship of the true Ood, and according to 

 which it was a matter of the first importance to remove ev. ry 

 ment from among them. The Mosaic penal law introduced a vast 

 improvement, by abolishing the practice of punishing children f"i- ihe 

 crimes of their father*, and fathers for those of their children. (D ut. 

 xxiv. 16.) The punishments ore not cruel. They were 1, Death by 

 the sword, or by stoning, followed in some cases by inflictions on tho 

 corpse of tho criminal. There were no capital puiii.<limuiit which 

 inflicted torture. 2, Exile, or excision from ' the. congregation ol 



3, Corporal punishments. 4, Fines. 6, Offerings to make aton. 

 for sin : theie kept up the idea that all offences were conn 

 against Ood. None of tho punishment* for the living wore degrading; 

 for stripes are not considered so by Oriental nations, nor were they 

 by the Hebrews. 



Of tho form of judicial procedure little is known, except that it 

 was extremely simple. The purity of the judgment-scat is guarded by 

 several statutes against bribery and partiality. Causes wore heard in 

 the gate of the city, according to immemorial usage in the East; and 

 thus publicity was secured, as the city-gate was the common place of 

 reaort Motes makes no mention of advocates. Witnesses, of whom 

 two or three were necessary in capital cases, were examined upon oath. 

 (Levit. v. 1 ; Numb. x'xv. :!ci, Dmt, xvii. 6, 7.) In some coses oaths 

 ation were required from the accused. (Levit vi. 2, 8.) Some- 

 times a reference wu made to Ood by lot in civil cases; and in 

 criminal cases the lot was occasionally resorted to, but only for tho 

 discovery and not the conviction of the criminal. A minima's con- 

 fession might convict him capitally. (Josh. vii. J4-!il; 1 Sam. xiv. 

 37-45; 2 Sam. i. 13-10.) Moses nowhere appeals to rewards and 

 punishment* in another life as n sanction for his laws. \ 



The greatest caro was taken to prewrve the law. One copy of it 

 was written in a book which was deposited in the sanctuary beside 

 the ark of the covenant (Ueut zxxu 26), and another copy was 



