Justice. As charity is sister to piety, so is justice related to both. This virtue is enjoined upon us— I. IN RESPECT TO CONDUCT . 1 . In judgment justice should be impartial. 2 . In dealings justice should be strict. 3 . The evils of injustice are serious. II. IN RESPECT TO MOTIVE . 1 . " Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart." 2 . "Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour." 3 . The root of justice is love. read more
Leviticus 19:15. The poor So as, through pity to him, to give an unrighteous sentence. read more
Miscellaneous matters (19:1-37)Probably the miscellaneous laws collected here were decisions or warnings given by Moses in cases where there was some doubt about what was right or wrong. Often all that was needed was a reminder of existing laws; for example, those concerning respect for parents, Sabbath-keeping, worship of idols and eating of sacrificial food (19:1-8).When harvesting, farmers were always to leave something for the poor (9-10). Employers had to pay wages promptly, and judges had... read more
"Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor. Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am Jehovah."100Justice in courtThe law against respect of the person of the poor and honor of the person of the mighty (Leviticus 19:15-16) simply means that a righteous person will favor... read more
Leviticus 19:15. Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor— See Exodus 23:6. read more
Holiness precepts 19:1-18"This section . . . consists of a list of twenty-one (3x7) laws. These laws are broken up into smaller units by the sevenfold repetition of the phrase ’I am the LORD (your God)’ (Leviticus 19:3-4; Leviticus 19:10; Leviticus 19:12; Leviticus 19:14; Leviticus 19:16; Leviticus 19:18)." [Note: Sailhamer, p. 349.] The clause "I am the Lord" reminded the Israelites that God was their ultimate judge. read more
3. Holiness of behavior toward God and man ch. 19Moses grouped the commandments in this section together by a loose association of ideas rather than by a strictly logical arrangement. They all spring from the central thought in Leviticus 19:2: "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." This sentence is the motto of Leviticus (cf. Leviticus 11:44-45; Leviticus 20:26; Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:16)."Every biblical statement about God carries with it an implied demand upon men to imitate... read more
"The statements in the law were intended as a reliable guide with general applicability-not a technical description of all possible conditions one could imagine. . . . The ’deaf’ and the ’blind’ are merely selected examples of all persons whose physical weaknesses demand that they be respected rather than despised." [Note: G. D. Fee and D. Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth, p. 155.] God commanded proper attitudes as well as correct actions (Leviticus 19:17-18; cf. Matthew... read more
Various Laws, mainly of a Moral and Humane CharacterThis chapter was very naturally regarded by Jewish authorities as an embodiment of the Decalogue. It will be observed that in general the precepts in Leviticus 19:3-8 correspond to those of the first table of the Decalogue (’Thou shalt love the Lord thy God’), and those in Leviticus 19:9-18 to the second table (’Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’). In this chapter alone the characteristic phrase ’I am the Lord’ (i.e. Jehovah) occurs no... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Leviticus 19:15
Justice is to be done to all. The less danger of respecting the person of the poor has to be guarded against, as well as the greater and more obvious peril of honouring the person of the mighty. The scales of Justice must be held even and her eyes bandaged, that she may not prefer one appellant to another on any ground except that of merit and demerit. "If ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors" ( James 2:9 ). read more