Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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The Punishment for Blasphemy
10 And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an
Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp;
Evil manners, we say, beget good laws. We have here an account of the evil manners of a certain nameless mongrel Israelite, and the good laws occasioned thereby.
The offender was the son of an Egyptian father and an Israelitish mother (Le 24:10); his mother was of the tribe of Dan, Le 24:11. Neither he nor his father is named, but his mother only, who was an Israelite. This notice is taken of his parentage either,
1. To intimate what occasioned the quarrel he was engaged in. The Jews say, "He offered to set up his tent among the Danites in the right of his mother, but was justly opposed by some or other of that tribe, and informed that his father being an Egyptian he had no part nor lot in the matter, but must look upon himself as a stranger." Or,
2. To show the common ill effect of such mixed marriages. When a daughter of Israel would marry an idolatrous malignant Egyptian, what could be the fruit of such a marriage but a blasphemer? For the children will be apt to take after the worse side, whichsoever it is, and will sooner learn of an Egyptian father to blaspheme than of an Israelitish mother to pray and praise.
11 and t h e 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 :)
The occasion of the offence was contention: He strove with a man of Israel. The mixed multitude of Egyptians that came