Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 20:3
And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
I will set my face against that man, i.e. deal with him as an enemy, and make him a monument of my justice, either by punishing him immediately and eminently, when the magistrate cannot or will not do it, or by adding to his corporal punishments my curse upon his soul and name. See Lev 17:10.
From among his people; from the number of his people, of what nation or kindred soever he was; or, from the land of the living.
To defile my sanctuary, which was done by this wickedness, either because such persons did, for the cover of their idolatry, come into Gods sanctuary, as the rest did; see Lev 15:31; or because the sanctuary was, and was said to be, defiled by gross abominations committed in that city or land where Gods sanctuary was; or because by these actions they did pronounce and declare to all men that they esteemed the sanctuary and service of God abominable and vile, by preferring such odious and pernicious idolatry before it.
And to profane my holy name; partly by despising it themselves, and partly by disgracing it to others, and giving them occasion to blaspheme it, and to abhor the true religion, because they saw it deserted and condemned by those that best knew it and once embraced it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And I will set my face against that man,…. Express resentment, anger, wrath, and indignation at him, see Ps 34:16:
and will cut him off from among his people: that is, supposing him to have been guilty of the above horrid crime, and there being not sufficient evidence given of it by witnesses, or the magistrates negligent in doing their duty; and the matter being known to God the omniscient, he, according this declaration, would deal with him himself, and cut him off out of the land of the living, from among his relations, friends, and neighbours, by his own immediate hand; otherwise the law before provided a penalty, which is death by stoning, whereby he would be effectually cut off from his people, and deprived of all natural, civil, and religious privileges in this life, and sent into everlasting punishment in another, unless forgiving grace should be vouchsafed:
because he hath given of his seed to Molech; an iniquity to be punished by the judge, and deserving of everlasting wrath and destruction:
to defile my sanctuary; not by doing this horrid action in it, but by coming into it, having done it; or by offering sacrifice in another place than where God had commanded, as well as such a sacrifice as was abominable to him, sacrifice being to be offered nowhere but on the altar of the Lord in the sanctuary. Jarchi interprets this of the congregation of Israel, which was sanctified to the Lord, in the midst of which this wickedness was committed, and with which they were polluted:
and to profane my holy name: by sacrificing to an idol, when sacrifice should be offered to God; and such a sacrifice as would cause the name of God, and his holy laws, and true religion, to be blasphemed and evil, spoken of among the Gentiles, Ro 2:23.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
By this punishment the nation only carried out the will of Jehovah; for He would cut off such a man (see at Lev 17:10 and Lev 18:21) for having defiled the sanctuary of Jehovah and desecrated the name of Jehovah, not because he had brought the sacrifice to Moloch into the sanctuary of Jehovah, as Movers supposes, but in the same sense in which all the sins of Israel defiled the sanctuary in their midst (Lev 15:31; Lev 16:16).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(3) And I will set my face against that man.That is, make him feel my anger. (See Lev. 17:10.)
And will cut him off.As the preceding verse describes the offender as having been stoned to death by the people, the declaration on the part of God that He will cut off the sinner has occasioned some difficulty. Hence some take it simply to express the same thingthat the judicial execution is Gods mode of cutting off the sinner from his people. According to the administrators of the law during the second Temple, however, the legislator supposes a case where the man has been actually guilty of the crime, and that there has not been a sufficient amount of evidence to convict him. In that case God himself would interpose and cut the offender off. This is more in accordance with what follows.
To defile my sanctuary.By sinning, the Israelites contracted defilement, and they defiled the sanctuary which was in their midst. (See Lev. 15:31; Lev. 16:16.) These very people, moreover, when they had sacrificed their children to Molech, afterwards came to the sanctuary to worship God (Jer. 7:9-10; Eze. 23:37-39).
Profane my holy name.See Lev. 18:21.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. I will set my face Should Israel connive at this horrible abomination, and through fear or motives of base and selfish policy refuse to execute my law, “I will be my own executioner,” says Jehovah.
Defile my sanctuary It was not necessary to set up the service of Molech in the tabernacle in order to defile the abode of Jehovah, but any flagrant sin committed or permitted by Israel polluted the sanctuary.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Moloch was the idol which the children of Ammon worshipped; but though the Ammonites were guilty of this cruel practice of sacrificing their children to such a dunghill god, which plainly proved their religion to be of the devil, was there any danger that Israel should be led away to such abominable practices? Yes, see Deu 32:15-18 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lev 20:3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
Ver. 3. To defile my sanctuary. ] Great sins do greatly pollute. See Lev 18:21 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
man. Hebrew ‘ish. App-14.
holy. See note on Exo 3:8.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I will set: Lev 17:10, 1Pe 3:12
to defile: Num 19:20, Eze 5:11, Eze 23:38, Eze 23:39
profane: Lev 18:21, Eze 20:39, 2Co 6:16
Reciprocal: Lev 17:4 – be cut off Lev 22:2 – that they profane not Lev 23:30 – General Num 15:30 – doeth ought Deu 31:16 – and go a 2Ki 21:6 – he made Jer 21:10 – I have Jer 23:30 – General Eze 14:8 – I will set Eze 15:7 – I will set Amo 2:7 – to profane Mal 2:12 – cut 1Co 3:17 – any
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 20:3. I will set my face against that man Deal with him as an enemy, and make him a monument of my justice. To defile my sanctuary Because the sanctuary was defiled by gross abominations committed in that city or land where Gods sanctuary was: or because by these actions they declared to all men that they esteemed the sanctuary and service of God abominable and vile, by preferring such odious idolatry before it. And to profane my name Partly by despising it themselves, partly by disgracing it to others, and giving them occasion to blaspheme it, and to abhor the true religion.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
20:3 And I will {b} set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
(b) Read Lev 17:10; Lev 18:21.