LEVIRATE
LAW
Leviathan
here
has
several
heads;
the
great
serpent
of
Babylonian
tradition
had
seven.
Is
27'
distinguishes
between
two
leviathans,
the
flying
serpent,
and
the
crooked
or
coiled
serpent
—
symbols
of
two
heathen
kingdoms.
The
identlflcation
of
the
kingdoms
depends
on
the
date
of
the
prophecy:
Assyria
and
Babylon,
Persia
and
Greece,
Syria
and
Parthia,
are
rival
sug-gestions.
The
species
of
sea-monster
pointed
to
in
Ps
10428
is
left
indefinite.
The
leviathan
(RV;
AV
'their
mourning')
aroused
by
magicians
(Job
3')
is
most
hkely
a
denizen
of
the
abyss
which
threatens
the
world
with
destruction.
Many,
however,
take
him
to
be
the
mythical
sky-dragon
which
was
supposed
to
cause
eclipses.
It
will
be
noted
that
there
is
a
close
connexion
between
leviathan
and
the
watery
world.
Robertson
Smith
held
that
it
is
a
personification
of
the
water-spout
(RS^,
p.
178).
The
Apocalyptic
and
Rabbinical
writers
gave
full
scope
to
their
fancy
in
deaUng
with
this
theme.
Leviathan
and
Behemoth
were
created
on
the
fifth
day,
and
the
depths
of
the
sea
were
assigned
to
the
former
as
his
abode;
during
the
last
quarter
of
each
day
God
plays
with
him
(as
the
LXX
and
some
recent
expositors
interpret
Ps
104*)
;
the
Jordan
empties
itself
into
his
mouth;
his
flesh
will
be
for
food
to
the
godly
in
the
days
of
the
Messiah;
part
of
his
skin
will
be
made
into
a
tent
for
them,
whilst
the
rest
is
spread
on
the
walls
of
Jerusalem,
and
its
brightness
is
visible
to
the
ends
of
the
earth
(En
60™-,
2
Es
6",
Apoo.
Bar
29*;
Aboda
zara,
36;
Baba
bathra,
7ib;
Targ.
on
Nu
ll*").
Cf.
art.
Behemoth.
J.
Taylok.
LEVIRATE
LAW.—
See
Mabeiage,
§
4.
LEVIS.
—
Wrongly
taken
in
1
Es
9"
as
a
proper
name;
in
Ezr
10"
'Shabbethai
the
Levite'
stands
in
place
of
'
Levis
and
Sabbateus.'
LEVITES.
—
See
Levi,
and
Priests
and
Levites.
LEVITICAL
CITIES.—
See
Priests
and
Levites,
LEVITICUS.-
1.
Scope.—
The
book
has
received
its
title
from
the
name
'the
Levitical
book,'
which
was
prefixed
to
it
in
the
LXX.
Since,
however,
the
special
functions
of
the
Levites
are
not
referred
to,
the
scope
of
the
book
is
better
brought
out
in
the
title
'
Law
of
the
Priests,'
which
is
given
to
it
in
the
Talmud.
As
such,
Leviticus
practically
confines
itself
to
legislation,
and,
except
in
the
section
chs.
17-26,
to
priestly
legisla-tion.
Even
the
few
passages,
such
as
chs.
8
and
10,
which
are
cast
in
the
form
of
narrative,
do
not
aim
at
describing
what
once
happened,
but
use
this
form
in
order
to
prescribe
what
is
to
continue.
The
JE
narra-tive,
which
was
a
history,
does
not
appear
to
have
been
drawn
upon;
and
Leviticus,
unlike
Exodus
and
Numbers,
offers
no
exact
dates
of
month
and
year.
The
book
does
not
give
a
history
of
Israel's
past,
but
chiefly
embodies
some
of
the
rules
of
the
one
living
institution
which
persisted
in
Israel
from
its
formation
as
a
nation
to
the
destruction
of
the
Temple.
Since,
however,
this
institution
was
moulded
to
meet
the
nation's
changing
circumstances,
the
praxis
wliich
regulated
its
services
required
and
received
constant
modification.
Some
of
these
changes
can
be
traced
in
Leviticus;
but
it
is
impossible
to
detail
them
in
a
brief
sketch
Uke
the
present.
Readers
who
wish
more
details
on
the
ritual
can
find
them
and
their
justification
in
the
art.
in
Hastings'
DB,
or
in
Driver's
LOT.
2.
Sources.
—
The
general
editor
is
the
same
as
the
editor
who
arranged
Exodus
in
its
present
form,
though
a
little
has
been
added
by
later
hands.
(1)
He
took
from
P
that
history
of
the
sacred
institutions
which
appeared
in
Ex
25-29
(see
Exodus):
chs.
8.
9,
with
1012.15
(which
supplements
92'),
10'-'
(n-2»)
16"-
»■
121.
241-1.
6-9.
These
sections
are
not
all
of
the
same
period.
Thus
ch.
8,
which
relates
the
anointing
of
the
priests,
is
the
fulfilment
of
Ex
29
and
4012-".
It
formed
part
of
that
LEVITICUS
expansion
of
Ex
25-29
which
now
occupies
Ex
35-40,
and
to
which
also
belong
24'
-<
on
the
Tabernacle
lamps,
w.^-"
on
the
shewbread
—
sections
which
in
some
inexplicable
way
have
strayed
into
their
present
incongruous
position.
Ch.
9
with
1012-'^,
which
recounts
the
sacrifices
at
the
inaugura-tion
of
the
Tabernacle,
originally
formed
the
sequel
of
Ex
25-29,
and
was
followed
by
10'-'
(the
stoiy
of
Nadab
and
Abihu
offering
strange
fire),
and
was
closed
by
IS'-*-
«■
^"■
(the
rule
as
to
the
time
and
way
for
Aaron
to
approach
the
Holy
Place
which
had
thus
vindicated
its
awful
sanctity
)
.
1016-20
(on
the
goat
of
the
sin-offering)
is
a
later
addition,
and
gives
an
interesting
illustration
of
the
way
in
which
it
was
sought
to
reconcile
differences
in
the
older
laws
(cf.
it
with
9'5
and
6^-'°).
(2)
Chs.
1-6.
—
Into
this
framework
the
editor
has
fitted
laws
from
other
sources.
Thus
he
seems
to
have
separated
ch.
8
from
its
natural
position
after
Ex
40,
because
he
counted
it
suitable,
after
the
Taber-nacle
was
set
up
and
before
the
priests
were
anointed
or
the
Tabernacle
inaugurated,
to
insert
the
laws
pre-scribing
the
sacrifices
which
the
priests
when
anointed
were
to
offer
in
the
Tabernacle.
This
law-book
has
its
own
history,
and
in
particular
once
existed
in
two
sections.
Thus
6*-72',
with
its
subscription
7"'-,
was
originally
a
code
addressed
to
the
priests,
dealing
with
mattera
ancillary
to
the
sacrifices,
and
especially
con-cerned
with
the
priestly
dues.
Because
of
this
esoteric
character
of
the
little
code,
6^"-^
(on
the
priests'
meal-offering)
was
inserted.
With
the
exception
of
that
section,
each
of
the
regulations
is
introduced
by
the
formula
'
this
is
the
law
of;
and
this
formula
appears
in
the
subscription.
It
represents
the
early
rules
on
this
subject.
Again,
l'-6^
is
a
book
addressed
to
the
people,
defining
their
sacrifices,
but
it
has
received
large
mooification.
From
a
comparison
of
l^'-
with
3'
it
is
evident
that
ch.
3
(the
law
of
the
peace-offering)
once
followed
immediately
on
ch.
1
(the
burnt-offering).
These
are
probably
very
old.
The
different
formulae
used
in
ch.
2
(3rd
person
in
w.'-^,
2nd
person
in
v.*^-)
and
ite
intrusive
position
prove
that
the
law
of
the
meal-offering
has
been
developed.
A
comparison
be-tween
the
law
of
the
sin-offering
in
ch.
4
and
similar
laws
elsewhere
proves
how
largely
this
part
of
the
ritual
has
been
elaborated.
Thus
the
sin-offering
for
the
congregation
is
a
bullock
in
v."
instead
of
the
goat
of
9'*
and
Nu
IS"*;
and
the
high
priest's
sin-offering
(w.^-'^)
is
more
elaborate
than
that
in
9«-"
and
Ex
29"i-'''.
5'
-'=
(examples
of
uninten-tional
sins
which
require
a
sin-offering,
and
mitigations
for
the
case
of
those
who
cannot
afford
a
lamb
or
a
goat)
has
suffered
change,
since
w.^-
^
evidently
break
the
connexion
between
v.'
and
v.*.
It
is,
however,
older
than
ch.
4,
though
the
relation
is
specially
difficult
to
define.
5'5-6'
defines
the
cases
which
require
a
guilt-offering,
and
makes
it
clear
that
originaUy
this
sacrifice
was
a
composition
for
fraud
practised
upon
God
(5'")
or
man
(6'-').
When
he
united
these
codes
on
the
sacrifices,
the
editor
added
a
rule
(722-2?)
forbidding
fat
and
blood
more
expressively
than
3",
and
a
rule
(7"-^)
giving
heave
leg
and
wave
breast
to
the
priest,
and
a
subscription
(v.^'-).
(3)
Chs.
11-15.
—
The
priests,
however,
had
other
functions
in
the
hfe
of
the
people
besides
those
im-mediately
connected
with
the
sacrifices.
It
was
their
business
to
determine
on
all
questions
connected
with
uncleanness.
As
soon,
therefore,
as
the
editor
had
described
the
inauguration
of
the
Tabernacle
and
the
priesthood,
he
grouped
together
a
series
of
regulations
bearing
on
this
side
of
the
priestly
duties.
Chs.
11-15
deal
with
this
more
civil
yet
priestly
function.
The
rules
in
ch.
11
on
clean
and
unclean
animals
(vv.2-23-
«_-45,
with
their
subscription
v.^^f.)
appear
in
a
more
primitive
form
in
Dt
14*-20,
and
have
probably
been
taken
from
the
Law
of
Holiness
(see
below)
.
The
law
of
defilement
from
touching
unclean
animals
and
all
carcases
(w.2*-*''),
which
prescribes
also
the
purification
required
in
case
of
neglect
of
the
regula-tions,
is
ignored
in
the
subscription
v.*^'-
and
must
be
an
insertion.
Chs.
12.
16
prescribe
the
forms
of
purification
after
childbirth
and
after
certain
physical
secretions.
In
their
basis
these
rules
are
very
old,
but
the
careful
detail
of
derivative
uncleanness
(cf
.
esp.
16'
-'2-
'^-27)
shows
where
a
slow
elaboration
has
been
at
work.
Chs.
13.
14
contain
a
series
of
directions
for
the
diagnosis
of
leprosy
in
human
beings,
clothing,
leather,
and
houses,
and
for
the
method
of
purification.
The
primitive
character
of
the
prescribed
purification
(I42-8),
along
with
the
fact
that
this
can
be
carried
out
apart
from
the
Temple,
proves
the
early
origin
of
the
rules.
The
gravity
of
the
task
thus
imposed
on
the
