Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 18:5
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I [am] the LORD.
5. I am the Lord ] For the significance of this often repeated expression, see pp. xlviii f.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
If a man keeps the statutes (i. e. the ordinances of Lev 18:4) and judgments of the divine law, he shall not be cut off from his people (compare Lev 18:29), he shall gain true life, the life which connects him with Yahweh through his obedience. See the margin reference and Luk 10:28; Rom 10:5; Gal 3:12.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
He shall live in them; not only happily here, but also eternally hereafter, as it is expounded Mat 19:17; Rom 10:5. This is added as a powerful argument why they should follow Gods commands rather than mens examples, because their life and happiness depends upon the one, not the other. And though in strictness, and according to the law or covenant of works, they could not challenge life for doing, except their obedience was universal, perfect, constant, and perpetual, and therefore no man since the fall could be justified by the law, as the apostle affirms and proves, Ro 4; Ga 3; yet by the covenant of grace this life is promised to all that obey Gods commands sincerely, though not perfectly, 1Ti 4:8.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. Ye shall therefore keep mystatutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live inthemA special blessing was promised to the Israelites oncondition of their obedience to the divine law; and this promise wasremarkably verified at particular eras of their history, when pureand undefiled religion prevailed among them, in the public prosperityand domestic happiness enjoyed by them as a people. Obedience to thedivine law always, indeed, ensures temporal advantages; and this,doubtless, was the primary meaning of the words, “which if a mando, he shall live in them.” But that they had a higher referenceto spiritual life is evident from the application made of them by ourLord (Lu 10:28) and theapostle (Ro 10:2).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments,…. The same as before; these they were to keep in their minds and memories, and to observe them and do them:
which if a man do he shall live in them; live a long life in the land of Canaan, in great happiness and prosperity, see De 30:20; for as for eternal life, that was never intended to be had, nor was it possible it could be had and enjoyed by obedience to the law, which fallen man is unable to keep; but is what was graciously promised and provided the covenant of grace, before the world was, to come through Christ, as a free gift to all that believe in him, see Ga 3:11; though some Jewish writers interpret this of eternal life, as Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Ben Gersom:
I [am] the Lord; that has enjoined these statutes and judgments, and promised life to the doers of them, able and faithful to perform what is promised.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
5. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes. Although Moses introduces this passage, where he exhorts the Israelites to cultivate chastity in respect to marriage, and not to fall into the incestuous pollutions of the Gentiles, yet, as it is a remarkable one, and contains general instruction, from whence Paul derives his definition of the righteousness of the Law, (Rom 10:5,) it seems to me to come in very appropriately here, inasmuch as it sanctions and confirms the Law by the promise of reward. The hope of eternal life is, therefore, given to all who keep the Law; for those who expound the passage as referring to this earthly and transitory life are mistaken. (195) The cause of this error was, because they feared that thus the righteousness of faith might be subverted, and salvation grounded on the merit of works. But Scripture does not therefore deny that men are justified by works, because the Law itself is imperfect, or does not give instructions for perfect righteousness; but because the promise is made of none effect by our corruption and sin. Paul, therefore, as I have just said, when he teaches that righteousness is to be sought for in the grace of Christ by faith, (Rom 10:4,) proves his statement by this argument, that none is justified who has not fulfilled what the Law commands. Elsewhere also he reasons by contrast, where he contends that the Law does not accord with faith as regards the cause of justification, because the Law requires works for the attainment of salvation, whilst faith directs us to Christ, that we may be delivered from the curse of the Law. Foolishly, then, do some reject as an absurdity the statement, that if a man fulfills the Law he attains to righteousness; for the defect does not arise from the doctrine of the Law, but from the infirmity of men, as is plain from another testimony given by Paul. (Rom 8:3.) We must observe, however, that salvation is not to be expected from the Law unless its precepts be in every respect complied with; for life is not promised to one who shall have done this thing, or that thing, but, by the plural word, full obedience is required of us. The pratings of the Popish theologians about partial righteousness are frivolous and silly, since God embraces at once all the commandments; and who is there that can boast of having thoroughly fulfilled them? If, then, none was ever clear of transgression, or ever will be, although God by no means deceives us, yet the promise becomes ineffectual, because we do not perform our part of the agreement.
(195) “This some understand only of temporal life and prosperity in this world, Origen, Tostat. Oleaster, Vatablus; and make this to be the meaning, — that, as the transgressors of the Law were to die, so they which kept it should preserve their life, Thom. Aquin. 1. 2. q. 100, a. 12; but I prefer rather Hesychius ’ judgment, — Per quas oeterna vita hominibus datur, ” etc. — Willet Hexapla, in loco. There appears to be unusual discrepancy on this point between the commentators, whether Romanist or Protestant. Bush and Holden apply it to temporal life. Bonar says, “If, as most think, we are to take, in this place, the words ‘live in them,’ as meaning ‘eternal life to be got by them,’ the scope of the passage is, that so excellent are God’s laws, and every special minute detail of these laws, that if a man were to keep these always and perfectly, the very keeping would be eternal life to him. And the quotations in Rom 10:5, and Gal 3:12, would seem to determine this to be the true and only sense here.” C. ’ s view appears to be confirmed by our Lord’s reply in Mat 19:17, referred to in Poole’s Synopsis.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) Ye shall therefore keep my statutes. Better, and ye shall keep my ordinances. The word here rendered by statutes is the same which the Authorised Version translates ordinances in Lev. 18:3-4.
He shall live in them.Better, he shall live by or through them; that is, by observing them the law abiding will live a happy and prosperous life, since disobedience will expose the offender to the penalty of death. The spiritual authorities in the time of the second Temple interpreted this clause to mean that he who obeys these laws shall have eternal life. Hence the ancient Chaldee Versions translate it, Shall have life eternal. This passage is quoted both in the Prophets (Eze. 20:11; Eze. 20:13; Eze. 20:21; Neh. 9:29) and by St. Paul (Rom. 10:5; Gal. 3:12), who contrasts this promise made to works with the promise of the Gospel made to faith.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. If a man do, he shall live This important sentence contains the whole doctrine of justification by works. It is rendered more correctly and more emphatically in Eze 20:11; Eze 20:13; Eze 20:21, “he shall even live.” “The precepts of the law,” says Aquinas, “are not concerning things to be believed, but concerning things to be done.” Nevertheless, acceptable doing implies faith, while evangelical believing includes the subsequent doing of the will of God as the fruit of faith. As regards the life here promised, the Jewish interpreters themselves included in it more than mere earthly felicity in Canaan, (Deu 30:20,) and extended their view to a better life hereafter. The Palestine Targum renders it, “he shall live in them in the life of eternity;” that of Onkelos, “an everlasting life.” Says Tholuck, “ Life seems to be a general promise, and length of days a particular species of felicity. In the New Testament this idea (of life) is always exalted into that of life blessed and eternal. See Mat 7:14; Mat 18:8-9; Luk 10:28.” Hence this is a plain intimation of the doctrine of a future life in the Pentateuch, which is denied by some superficial readers. St. Paul found “to be unto death” “the commandment which was ordained to life,” just as the murderer on the scaffold finds that the law against murder, designed to protect life, when transgressed, is “unto death.” The design and normal tendency of the law is life; but through man’s imperfection and disobedience the actual result is death. See Gal 3:21, note, and Joh 11:25, note.
In them He shall live in the strength of, or by means of, these laws, in the faithful keeping of which is his fountain of life. But “he is a debtor to do the whole law.” Failure to do this renders “all the world guilty before God.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 18:5. Which if a man do, he shall live in them That the primary sense of these words refers to that temporal life and prosperity which God promised to the Jews as the consequence of their obedience, there can be no question; see Deu 30:15-16; Deu 32:47 compared with Pro 3:2; Pro 3:35. That they have a secondary sense of a sublimer import, referring to spiritual life, there can also be no question with those who consider in what manner they are used in the New Testament. See Mat 18:8-9; Mat 19:17. Luk 10:28. Rom 10:5; Rom 10:21.
REFLECTIONS.The moral precepts are binding, though the ceremonial are abolished. Such are the injunctions here given. God, as the Lord, has a right to command obedience: as our God, reconciled in Jesus Christ, has every reason to expect it. They were going into a land as idolatrous as that out of which they came; and as they were but too prone to their old practices, they had need of repeated solemn warnings. Note; Because sin has such deep hold on our hearts, and old habits are so hardly eradicated, we have need of line upon line, and precept upon precept. God charges them to remember his commandments to do them, and promises a happy and long life to the obedient. They, who in simplicity follow God, will find themselves no losers thereby.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Lev 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I [am] the LORD.
Ver. 5. He shall live in them. ] As the flame lives in the oil, as the creature by his food, so the spiritual life is maintained by an evangelical keeping of God’s commandments. As on the contrary, every motion of the soul out of this way, tends to death; being as the motion of the fish out of his element.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
which, &c. = “which, if the man (Hebrew. ‘adam, App-14) shall do them, he shall also live by them”.
live = “live again” in resurrection life (Rev 20:6). The Chaldee paraphrase = “shall live by them to life eternal”. Compare the other passages where “live” is used in this sense: Eze 13:21; Eze 20:11. Luk 10:28. Rom 10:5. Gal 1:3, Gal 1:12. Neh 9:29. Rom 1:17. Heb 10:38, &c. In this sense the verb is used more often than is generally thought. Compare Isa 26:19; Isa 38:16; Isa 55:3. Eze 18:19; Eze 33:19; Eze 37:3, Eze 37:5, Eze 37:6, Eze 37:14. Hos 6:2. Amo 5:4, &c. The spiritual authorities of the second temple so interpreted the phrase. Thus “eternal life”, by faith, is set in contrast with eternal life by works.
None of you. Hebrew “Man, man, ye shall not approach”; should be “No man (Hebrew. ‘ish). whatsoever shall approach”. Emphasized by Figure of speech Epizeuxis. See App-6. The absence of the words “of the house of Israel”, as in Lev 17:3, Lev 17:8, Lev 17:13, shows that the strangers are included in this law.
near of kin. Hebrew “the remainder of his flesh” (Gen 2:23), i.e. by the Figure of speech Polyptoton, App-6, “his own flesh (or relatives)”. Compare verses: Lev 18:12, Lev 18:13, Lev 18:17. For emphasis.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
which if a man do: Eze 20:11, Eze 20:13, Eze 20:21, Luk 10:28, Rom 10:5, Gal 3:12
I am the Lord: Exo 6:2, Exo 6:6, Exo 6:29, Mal 3:6
Reciprocal: Exo 21:1 – the judgments Lev 18:26 – keep Lev 19:37 – General Lev 20:8 – And ye Lev 20:22 – statutes Lev 22:31 – General Lev 26:3 – General Deu 4:1 – that ye may Deu 6:25 – General Deu 32:47 – General Neh 9:29 – which Pro 7:2 – Keep Eze 33:15 – walk Mat 19:17 – but Rom 7:10 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 18:5. He shall live in them Not only happily here, but eternally hereafter. This is added as a powerful argument why they should follow Gods commands rather than mens examples, because their life and happiness depended upon it. And though in strictness, and according to the covenant of works, they could not challenge life for so doing, except their obedience was universal, perfect, constant, and perpetual, and therefore no man since the fall could be justified by the law; yet by the covenant of grace this life is promised to all that obey Gods commands sincerely. I am the Lord Hebrew, I am Jehovah; that is, I am faithful to keep my covenant, and to fulfil my promises. See on Exo 6:3. I am the sovereign dispenser of life and death, and therefore they that keep my laws shall live.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: {b} I [am] the LORD.
(b) And therefore you ought to serve me alone, as my people.