Lev. 18 Israelites not to live after the customs of the Egyptians or Canaanites, but according to God’s institutions, Lev. 18:1–5. To abstain from incestuous marriages, Lev. 18:6–18; and copulation with a menstruous woman, Lev. 18:19; and adultery, Lev. 18:20; and offering children to Moloch, Lev.

Your Sovereign and Lawgiver. This is oft repeated here, because the things here forbidden were practised and allowed by the Gentiles, to whose custom he here opposeth Divine authority, and their obligation to obey his commands.

Egypt and Canaan: these two nations he mentions, because their habitation and conversation among them made their evil example in the following matters more dangerous. But under them he includes all other nations, as he elsewhere expresseth it.

My judgments and mine ordinances; mine universally, Deut. 27:26, Gal. 3:10; for though the words be indefinite, the matter is necessary; and mine solely, Deut. 6:13, compared with Matt.

He shall live in them; not only happily here, but also eternally hereafter, as it is expounded Matt. 19:17, Rom. 10:5. This is added as a powerful argument why they should follow God’s commands rather than men’s examples, because their life and happiness depends upon the one, not the other.

None, Heb. no man, For though the women also be bound by this law, yet the men alone are mentioned, both because they are most active in the choice of their yoke-fellows, and therefore most likely to transgress these laws, and because they having authority over the women, could have the greater…

Of thy father, or of thy mother, Heb. and of thy mother, put for that is, or to wit, as it is oft used. Here it notes that the nakedness of the father, and the nakedness of the mother, are one and the same thing, because they two are one flesh, and therefore her nakedness is his also; which further…

i.e. Thy step-mother. Examples of this are Gen. 35:22, Gen. 49:4, 1 Cor. 5:1. It is thy father’s nakedness, by interest and relation; that which he only may uncover.

Thy sister, by both parents. The daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother; thy sister by either of thy parents. Whether she be born at home, to wit, of thy father by another wife, whom he hath taken into his house.

And consequently of all thy children and children’s children, and all downwards; for they are a part of thyself, as coming out of thy loins, and out of thy wife, whose nakedness is thine own.

Begotten of thy father, or, being akin to thy father. He seems to speak of the daughter of the father’s brother by his wife, whom the father here spoken of, being brother to the deceased person, married by virtue of that law, Deut.

Thy aunt by the father’s side, as the next verse speaks of the aunt by the mother’s side. If Amram’s example be alleged to the contrary, See Poole “Ex. 6:20”. Thy father’s near kinswoman, Heb. thy father’s flesh, a member and product of the same flesh from which thy father came.

Of thy father’s brother, i.e. of his wife, as the next words explain it. And as a man may not marry his aunt, so neither may a woman marry her uncle, there being altogether the same distance in kindred, and the selfsame reason of the law.

Neither in his lifetime, nor after his death, and therefore a woman might not marry her husband’s brother, nor might a man marry his wife’s sister, either before or after his wife’s death, for so all the prohibitions are to be understood; which will give light to Lev. 18:18.

Of a woman and her daughter, to wit, thy step-daughter, and so thy step-son’s daughter, &c. It is wickedness; because they are very near to thy wife by consanguinity, as coming directly from her; and therefore they are as near to thee by affinity, which binds as much as consanguinity; the wife, who…

The word sister is here understood, either, 1. Properly, so some; whence others infer that it is lawful to marry one’s wife’s sister after the wife’s death. Or, 2.

No, not to thy own wife. See Ex. 12:2, Ex. 15:24–25. This was not only a ceremonial pollution, but an immorality also, whence it is put amongst gross sins, Ezek. 18:6. There is also a natural turpitude in this action. And therefore it is now unlawful under the gospel.

Pass through the fire this was done two ways; either, 1. By burning them in the fire, of which see 2 Kings 3:27, 2 Chron. 28:3, Ps. 106:37–38, Isa. 57:5. Or, 2.

A horrible confusion of the natures which God hath distinguished, and of the order which God hath appointed, and an overthrow of. all bounds of religion, honesty, sobriety, and modesty.

In all these, to wit, above-mentioned sins. Whence it is apparent that the several incests here prohibited are not only against the positive and particular law given by God to the Jews, but also against the general law and light of nature.

I do visit; I am now visiting, or about to visit, i. e. to punish. See Isa. 26:21. The land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants, as no less burdens to the earth than corrupted food is to the stomach. See Jer. 9:19, Mic. 2:10.

Nor any stranger, in nation or religion, of what kind soever. For though they might not force them to submit to their religion, yet they might restrain them from the public contempt of the Jewish laws, and from the violation of natural laws, which besides the offence against God and nature, were…

To wit, by death to be inflicted by the magistrates, as it is apparent in case of idolatry with Moloch or other false gods; and in case of the magistrates neglect, by God himself.