SEV Biblia, Chapter 19:19
¶ Mis estatutos guardaréis. A tu animal no harás ayuntar para mixturas; tu campo no sembrarás de mixtura, y no te pondrás vestidos con mezcla de diversas cosas.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Leviticus 19:19
Verse 19. Gender with a diverse kind] These precepts taken literally seem to imply that they should not permit the horse and the she-ass, nor the he-ass and the cow, (as they do in the East,) to couple together; nor sow different kinds of seeds in the same field or garden; nor have garments of silk and woollen, cotton and silk, linen and wool, &c. And if all these were forbidden, there must have been some moral reason for the prohibitions, because domestic economy required several of these mixtures, especially those which relate to seeds and clothing. With respect to heterogeneous mixtures among cattle, there is something very unnatural in it, and it was probably forbidden to prevent excitements to such unnatural lusts as those condemned in the preceding chapter, xviii. 22, 23. As to seeds, in many cases it would be very improper to sow different kinds in the same plot of ground. It would be improvident to sow oats and wheat together: the latter would be injured, the former ruined. The turnip and carrot would not succeed conjointly, where either of them separately would prosper and yield a good crop; so we may say of many other kinds of seeds; and if this be all that is intended, the counsels are prudential agricultural maxims. As to different kinds of garments, such as the linsey woolsey, the prohibition here might be intended as much against pride and vanity as any thing else; for it is certain that both these articles may be so manufactured in conjunction as to minister to pride, though in general the linsey woolsey or drugget is the clothing of the poor. But we really do not know what the original word znf[Ť shaatnez, which we translate linen and woollen, means: it is true that in Deut. xxii. 11, where it is again used, it seems to be explained by the words immediately following, Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of linen and woollen together; but this may as well refer to a garment made up of a sort of patchwork differently coloured and arranged for pride and for show. A folly of this kind prevailed anciently in this very land, and I shall give a proof of it, taken from a sermon against luxury in dress, composed in the fourteenth century. "As to the first sinne in superfluitie of clothing, soche that maketh it so dere, to the harme of the peple, nat only the cost of enbrauderlng, the disguised endenting, or barring, ounding paling, winding or bending and semblable wast of clothe in vanite. But there is also the costlewe furring in their gounes, so moche pounsing of chesel, to make holes; so moche dagging with sheres foorth; with the superfluitie in length of the forsaied gounes,-to grete dammage of pore folke. - And more ouer-they shewe throughe disguising, in departing of ther hosen in white and red, semeth that halfe ther members were slain. - They departe ther hosen into other colours, as is white and blewe, or white and blacke, or blacke and red, and so forth; than semeth it as by variaunce of colour, that the halfe part of ther members ben corrupt by the fire of Saint Anthony, or by canker, or other suche mischaunce." The Parson's Tale, in Chaucer, p. 198. Urry's edit. The reader will pardon the antiquated spelling. "What could exhibit," says Dr. Henry, "a more fantastical appearance than an English beau of the 14th century? He wore long pointed shoes, fastened to his knees by gold or silver chains; hose of one colour on the one leg, and of another colour on the other; short breeches which did reach to the middle of his thighs; a coat the one half white, the other half black or blue; a long beard; a silk hood buttoned under his chin, embroidered with grotesque figures of animals, dancing men, &c., and sometimes ornamented with gold and precious stones." This dress was the height of the mode in the reign of King Edward III. Something of the same kind seems to have existed in the patriarchal times; witness the coat of many colours made by Jacob for his son Joseph. See the note on "Gen. xxxvii. 3". Concerning these different mixtures much may be seen in the Mishna, Tract, Kilaim, and in Ainsworth, and Calmet on this place.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 19. Ye shall keep my statutes , etc.] Those which follow, and which are of a different sort from what are last mentioned, of a moral nature, and are planted in the heart, as Aben Ezra says; are agreeably to the law and light of nature, and part of the work of the law written on the heart, as the apostle calls it, ( Romans 2:15); but the following are of positive institution, and depend upon the will of the lawgiver, the reasons of which are not so apparent and manifest; and therefore Jarchi calls them the decree of the king, who gives no reason for it; ordinances and appointments of a ceremonial kind, which, though there is a meaning in them, and a reason for them, yet not clear and plain: thou shall not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind ; or “cause [them] to gender” for cattle do not usually of themselves gender with a diverse kind, unless directed and solicited to it, as a male of one kind with a female of another; for instance, an horse with a she ass, or an he ass with a mare, and even creatures that were like one another, yet of different kinds, were not to mix together; as a wolf and a dog, a hound and a fox, goats and roebucks, goats and sheep, a horse and a mule, a mule and an ass, an ass and a wild ass; for though they are like one another, they are of different kinds f676 : a creature thus gendered was not forbidden to be used, as a mule; and if a clean creature and gendered of clean ones, though of a different kind, it might be eaten, as Maimonides affirms; for not the creature gendered was unlawful for use, but the act of causing to gender is what is forbidden: the design was to preserve the order of beings, and the nature of creatures as they were at the first creation; that there might be no change among them, or anything taken from or added to what God had made; not to separate what God had joined, or join what God had separated, which to do must reflect upon his wisdom; as also, that men and women, as Philo observes, might abstain from unlawful converse, from unnatural lusts and mixtures; and as Ainsworth thinks, this was to lead Israel to the simplicity and sincerity of religion, and of all the parts and doctrines of the law and Gospel in their distinct kinds, as faith and works, to mingle which together in our justification before God is forbidden; or rather to teach the saints not to mix with the men of the world, in evil conversation, or in superstitious worship; to which may be added, to show that spiritual regeneration is not partly of corruptible and partly of incorruptible seed, nor partly of the will of man, and partly of the will of God; nor partly of the power of man, and partly of the power of God, but wholly of the Spirit and grace of God: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed : or seed of divers sorts, as wheat and barley, and which, according to the Jews f679 , was not mingled unless there be two grains of wheat and one of barley, or one of wheat and two of barley; or wheat, and barley, and rye: they also include herbs and trees in this law, and make an graft of them a forbidden mixture; hence, they say f680 , they do not ingraft one tree in another, nor one herb in another, nor a tree in an herb, nor an herb in a tree, of which they give instances: and there are various sorts of seeds, herbs, roots, and trees, which are and are not of divers kinds, and some that are alike and yet diverse; for they have a whole treatise of such like things, called “Celaim”, or divers kinds: as to the mystical sense, the “field” may represent the church of God, which is not an open but an enclosed field, enclosed by the grace of God, and separated from others by it, well manured and cultivated by the Spirit of God, and through the word and ordinances, as means, in which manner of fruit and flowers grow, and is the property of Christ; (see Song of Solomon 4:12-14 Matthew 13:44); the seed may signify the word or doctrine of the Gospel, sown by the ministers of it, skilfully and plentifully, which should be pure and unmixed, not contradictory, nor inconsistent, but all of a piece; the doctrines of it, as those of election, justification, peace, pardon, and salvation, are to be represented, not as partly of works and partly of grace, but as entirely of the grace of God through Christ: or good and bad men may be signified by the mingled seed; good men, who are made so by the grace of God, and are the good seed, or the good ground which receives it, which hear the word, understand it, and bring forth fruit; bad men, such as are of bad principles and practices, these are not to be mixed together in a church state; bad men are neither to be received nor retained: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee ; for, as Josephus says, none but the priests were allowed to wear such a garment, and with which the Misnah agrees; in which it is asserted, that the priests have no other clothing to minister in, in the sanctuary, but of woollen and linen; which seems to be a better reason of this prohibition than what Maimonides gives, that it was on the account of idolatrous priests, who used to go clothed with such a garment, and a metal ring on their fingers: the Jewish tradition is, nothing is forbidden on account of divers kinds (i.e. in garments) but wool and flax; camels’ wool, and sheep’s wool, mixed together, if the greater part is camels’, it is free, but if the greater part is sheep’s wool, it is forbidden, if half and half, it is forbidden; and so flax and hemp mixed together; also that nothing is forbidden on such account but what is spun and wove f684 : the design of this, as of the other, seems to be in general to caution against unnatural lusts and impure mixtures, and all communion of good and bad men, and particularly against joining the righteousness of Christ with the works of men, in the business of justification: Christ’s righteousness is often compared to a garment, and sometimes to line linen, clean and white; and men’s righteousness to filthy rags, ( Revelation 19:8 Isaiah 64:6); which are by no means to be put together in the said affair; such who believe in Christ are justified by the obedience of one and not of more, and by faith in that obedience and righteousness, without the works of the law, ( Romans 5:19) ( Romans 3:28 4:6); to join them together is needless, disagreeable, and dangerous.
Matthew Henry Commentary
laws.
--There are some ceremonial precepts in this chapter, but most of thes precepts are binding on us, for they are explanations of the te commandments. It is required that Israel be a holy people, because the God of Israel is a holy God, ver. #(2). To teach real separation from the world and the flesh, and entire devotedness to God. This is now the law of Christ; may the Lord bring every thought within us int obedience to it! Children are to be obedient to their parents, very #(3). The fear here required includes inward reverence and esteem outward respect and obedience, care to please them and to make the easy. God only is to be worshipped, ver. #(4). Turn not from the tru God to false ones, from the God who will make you holy and happy, to those that will deceive you, and make you for ever miserable. Turn no your eyes to them, much less your heart. They should leave the gleanings of their harvest and vintage for the poor, ver. #(9). Work of piety must be always attended with works of charity, according to our ability. We must not be covetous, griping, and greedy of ever thing we can lay claim to, nor insist upon our right in all things. We are to be honest and true in all our dealings, ver. #(11). Whatever we have in the world, we must see that we get it honestly, for we cannot be truly rich, or long rich, with that which is not so. Reverence to the sacred name of God must be shown, ver. #(12). We must not detai what belongs to another, particularly the wages of the hireling, very #(13). We must be tender of the credit and safety of those that cannot help themselves, ver. #(14). Do no hurt to any, because they ar unwilling or unable to avenge themselves. We ought to take heed of doing any thing which may occasion our weak brother to fall. The fea of God should keep us from doing wrong things, though they will no expose us to men's anger. Judges, and all in authority, are commande to give judgment without partiality, ver. #(15). To be a tale-bearer and to sow discord among neighbours, is as bad an office as a man can put himself into. We are to rebuke our neighbour in love, ver. #(17) Rather rebuke him than hate him, for an injury done to thyself. We incur guilt by not reproving; it is hating our brother. We should say I will do him the kindness to tell him of his faults. We are to put of all malice, and to put on brotherly love, ver. #(18). We often wron ourselves, but we soon forgive ourselves those wrongs, and they do no at all lessen our love to ourselves; in like manner we should love ou neighbour. We must in many cases deny ourselves for the good of ou neighbour. Ver. #(31): For Christians to have their fortunes told, to use spells and charms, or the like, is a sad affront to God. They mus be grossly ignorant who ask, "What harm is there in these things?" Her is a charge to young people to show respect to the aged, ver. #(32) Religion teaches good manners, and obliges us to honour those to who honour is due. A charge was given to the Israelites to be very tende of strangers, ver. #(33). Strangers, and the widows and fatherless, ar God's particular care. It is at our peril, if we do them any wrong Strangers shall be welcome to God's grace; we should do what we can to recommend religion to them. Justice in weights and measures i commanded, ver. #(35). We must make conscience of obeying God' precepts. We are not to pick and choose our duty, but must aim a standing complete in all the will of God. And the nearer our lives an tempers are to the precepts of God's law, the happier shall we be, an the happier shall we make all around us, and the better shall we ador the gospel __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
את 853 חקתי 2708 תשׁמרו 8104 בהמתך 929 לא 3808 תרביע 7250 כלאים 3610 שׂדך 7704 לא 3808 תזרע 2232 כלאים 3610 ובגד 899 כלאים 3610 שׁעטנז 8162 לא 3808 יעלה 5927 עליך׃ 5921
