Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 24:11
And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name [of the LORD], and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother’s name [was] Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan: )
11. blasphemed the Name ] The Heb. verb denotes ‘to indicate by name’ either honourably or with reproach. In the latter sense it is used in Num 23:8; Pro 11:26, etc., and obviously must be so interpreted here. But the Jews, taking the word in its more general sense, understood the passage as forbidding the mention of the Sacred Name, and wherever it occurs in the Scriptures they either pronounced it Adnai instead (rendered in English by ‘the Lord’), or, where the word Adnai was itself in immediate juxtaposition with the Sacred Name, they substituted for the latter Elhm.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The name of the Lord: the words of the Lord, or of Jehovah, are here conveniently supplied out of Lev 24:16, where they are expressed, but here they are omitted for the aggravation of his crime. He
blasphemed the name, so called by way of eminency; that name which is above every name; that name which a man should in some sort tremble to mention; which is not to be named without cause and without reverence. For which reason the godly Jews did many times rather understand than express the name of God, as Mar 14:62, the right hand of power, for of the power of God, as it is Luk 22:69; and the Blessed for the blessed God, Mat 26:63 Mar 14:61. And cursed, not the Israelite only, but his God also, as appears from Lev 24:15,16.
They brought him; either the people who heard him, or the inferior magistrate, to whom he was first brought.
Unto Moses, according to the order settled by Jethros advice, Exo 18:26.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. And the Israelitish woman’s sonblasphemed the name of the LordA youth of this half-blood,having quarrelled with an Israelite [Le24:10], vented his rage in some horrid form of impiety. It was acommon practice among the Egyptians to curse their idols whendisappointed in obtaining the object of their petitions. The Egyptianmind of this youth thought the greatest insult to his opponent was toblaspheme the object of his religious reverence. He spokedisrespectfully of One who sustained the double character of the Kingas well as the God of the Hebrew people; as the offense was a newone, he was put in ward till the mind of the Lord was ascertained asto his disposal.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name [of the Lord], and cursed,…. As they were striving together, or when the trial was over, he being cast, fell into outrageous blasphemies against God, who made such laws for the civil polity of Israel, and cursed the judges that had given sentence against him; so the Targum of Jonathan; and so the Jews generally understand by the “name” blasphemed, the name Jehovah, which he spake out plainly, and which, they say, is ineffable, and ought not to be pronounced but by the high priest in the sanctuary; but this man expressed it in its proper sound, and made use of it to curse the man that strove with him, or the judge that judged him; so it is said in the Misnah d,
“a blasphemer is not guilty until he expresses the name;”
but it undoubtedly means blaspheming God himself, by whatsoever name:
and they brought him unto Moses; having heard his blasphemy, to charge him with it before him, or in order to have due punishment inflicted on him: as to the matter of contest between him and the Israelite, that had been decided in a lesser court of judicature, such an one as had been set up by the advice of Jethro; but though there was full proof of his blasphemy and cursing, which, perhaps, were expressed in open court; they might not know what punishment to inflict upon him for so horrid a crime, of which, perhaps, they had never had an instance before, and therefore sent him to Moses, to whom the hearing and decision of weighty matters belonged; see Ex 18:22;
and his mother’s name [was] Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan; which is observed, as it should seem, to show in what tribe this affair happened, and what the quarrel was first about, even a place and rank in this tribe.
d Sanhedrin, c. 7. sect. 5.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(11) Blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed.Better, cursed the Name and reviled. In accordance with the above interpretation, this happened after sentence was given against him, and when they had left the court. Being vexed with the Divine enactments which excluded him from encamping in the tribe of his mother, he both cursed God who gave such law, and reviled the judges who pronounced judgment against him. The expression, the Name, which in after times was commonly used instead of the Ineffable Jehovah, has been substituted here for the Tetragrammaton by a transcriber who out of reverence would not combine cursing with it. The same shyness on the part of copyists has been the cause of inserting the word Lord (Adona) and God (Elohm) for Jehovah in sundry passages of the Old Testament. During the second Temple, however, this passage was rendered, he pronounced the Name and cursed. Hence it was enacted that the simple pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton was criminal. In accordance with the ancient interpretation, the Chaldee version translates this part of the verse, And when they came out of the house of judgment, having been condemned, the son of the Israelitish woman pronounced and reviled the great and glorious name of manifestation which had been heard on Sinai, and he was defiant and annoying.
And they brought him unto Moses.The contention about his right to pitch his tent among the tribe to which his mother belonged being a minor point, came within the jurisdiction of the rulers, according to the advice of Jethro (Exo. 18:22); whilst blaspheming God was considered too serious an offence, and hence the criminal was brought to Moses.
And his mothers name was Shelomith.Whether we accept the traditional explanation, that Shelomith was no consenting party to her union with the Egyptian, or whether we regard her as having voluntarily married him, the fact that both her personal and tribal names are here so distinctly specified, indicates that the record of this incident is designed to point out the ungodly issue of so unholy an alliance, and to guard the Hebrew women against intermarriage with heathen.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Blasphemed The Seventy and Rashi erroneously render the original accurately pronounced, this being looked upon before God as a reviling of him. From this passage the rabbins, by an untenable exposition, derived their prohibition even to utter the name of Jehovah, called “the sacred tetragrammaton.” The provocation to this vilification of Jehovah is not given. It is probable that the adversary of the half Israelite had taunted him on account of his Egyptian descent as a disgrace, and adding that he had no part in the God of Israel and in his covenant, and that in the heat of passion the half-breed spoke contemptuously of Jehovah, and possibly contrasted him with the gods of his father.
The name We admit, with the rationalistic critics, that the designation of Jehovah by “the name,” is a practice of a later age. But this practice must have had a beginning, and that beginning may have been in the age of the Pentateuch. This is confirmed by the fact that in Lev 24:16 we have the full expression, “the name of Jehovah,” as evidently explanatory of the recently invented designation, “the name.” Hence no satisfactory proof that this piece of history is the interpolation of a later age can be derived from this phrase. From this passage we see that the Jews of this early period may have pronounced “the name” by substituting the consonants of Adonai for those of Jehovah, so that this practice cannot be regarded as a superstition originating with Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem. “This dread,” says Oehler, “sprang from the efforts of later Judaism to thrust back divinity to an unapproachable distance, and everywhere to put something between divinity and man.” The translation of Jehovah, by , Lord, 250 years before Christ, confirms this statement. It is a strong incidental proof of the supreme godhead of Christ that he is called “the Name.” See R.V., Act 5:41 ; 3Jn 1:7.
Shelomith A sad misnomer, for it signifies peacefulness. It is quite a common name in the Old Testament. Nothing more is known of this woman, who stands pilloried in history as the mother of a blasphemer.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Observe the awfulness of the crime; not simply blaspheming holy things, but the tremendous name of the LORD himself: and not content with cursing, but most probably uniting blasphemy and cursing together. What a loud and decisive testimony doth it carry with it of the dreadful apostacy of our fallen nature!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lev 24:11 And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name [of the LORD], and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother’s name [was] Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)
Ver. 11. Blasphemed the name, &c. ] Heb., Bored it through; gored it; pierced it; as did those Syrians, slain by the fall of the wall of Aphek; Rabshakeh that dead dog; Isa 36:4-6 Julian the apostate, Chosroes the Persian, the raging Turk at the siege of Scodra; a that foul mouthed Papist that dared say, The God of the Protestants is worse than Pan, god of clowns, which can endure no ceremonies nor good manners at all. b To these add Paul Best, who hath lately published blasphemous verses against the Trinity. See the “London Ministers’ Testimonial to the Truth of Jesus Christ.”
a Turk. Hist., 423.
b Sheldon’s Mark of the Beast, epis. dedic.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
blasphemed, &c. Compare Gen 4:24. Hence the use of “the name” instead of “Jehovah”.
the name, or supply Ellipsis (App-6. a) from Lev 24:16. Dan, another sad blot on this tribe.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
blasphemed: Lev 24:15, Lev 24:16, Exo 20:7, 2Sa 12:14, 1Ki 21:10, 1Ki 21:13, 2Ki 18:30, 2Ki 18:35, 2Ki 18:37, 2Ki 19:1-3, 2Ki 19:6, 2Ki 19:10, 2Ki 19:22, 2Ch 32:14-17, Psa 74:18, Psa 74:22, Mat 26:65, Act 6:11-13, Rom 2:24, 1Ti 1:13, Rev 16:11, Rev 16:21
the name: Houbigant and others think that the name which this man blasphemed was the name of the god of his native land. But that hashshem THE NAME, denotes Jehovah, appears from its being used in the latter part of Lev 24:16, as equivalent to “the name of Jehovah,” in the former part. The Jews also frequently use hashshem for Jehovah.
cursed: Job 1:5, Job 1:11, Job 1:22, Job 2:5, Job 2:9, Job 2:10, Isa 8:21
brought him: Exo 18:22, Exo 18:26, Num 15:33-35
Reciprocal: Lev 19:12 – profane Num 9:6 – they came Num 11:4 – the mixed Jdg 9:27 – cursed 2Sa 6:2 – whose name Mat 26:66 – He Col 3:8 – blasphemy Jam 3:6 – a world
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 24:11. The name of the Lord The words of the Lord, or of Jehovah, are supplied out of Lev 24:16, where they are expressed; here they are omitted, perhaps for the aggravation of his crime. He blasphemed the name So called by way of eminence; that name which is above every name; that name which a man should in some sort tremble to mention; which is not to be named without cause, or without reverence. And cursed Not the Israelite only, but his God also, as appears from Lev 24:15-16. And they brought him Either the people who heard him, or the inferior magistrate, to whom he was first brought.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
24:11 And the Israelitish woman’s son {f} blasphemed the name [of the LORD], and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses:
(and his mother’s name [was] Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)
(f) By swearing or despising God.