Commentary on Harmony of the Law Volume 1 Complete John Calvin
JOHN CALVIN
7. And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.
7. Et non sacrificabunt ultra sacrificia sua daemonibus cum quibus fornicantur: statutum perpetuum erit hoc illis ill generationibus eorum.
8. And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the
8. Dices praeterea illis, Quicunque e domo Israel, aut de peregrinis qui peregrinantur in medio vestri, obtulerit holocaustum, aut sacrificium: house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice,
9. And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
9. Et ad ostium tabernaculi conventionis non adduxerit illud Jehovae: tunc excidetur vir ille e populis suis.
1. And the Lord spake unto Moses. In this, and similar passages, God appoints the priests to offer the sacrifices; for although they were common to all the people, nevertheless He would have them offered to Him by the hand of one person, and in a particular place: first, because, if they had been allowed to build altars everywhere, His pure and genuine worship would have been corrupted by this variety; and secondly, that He might direct the people to the Mediator, because this principle was ever to be held fast by believers, that no offerings could be legitimate except by His grace. The same doctrine will often occur hereafter, where the sacrifices are treated of; but, since we are here discussing the priests' office, let it be sufficient to have said once for all that it was not lawful for private persons to offer anything to God, except by the hands of the priest, to whom this duty was enjoined. But, since in this point vain glory is marvelously apt to affect men's minds, He threatens His severe vengeance against whosoever shall have attempted it. It has already been explained why God chose a single sanctuary. He now declares that, unless the victims are brought thither, this profanation will be equivalent to the murder of a man. He therefore commands that all the victims should be brought before the altar, even although those who offer them may be far away; for "the surface of the field" 546 means a distant place, lest any one should excuse himself by the inconvenience of the journey. He "The open field," A. V.