His translation too is incorrect; for it is made to exclude the idea of marriage, which is presented so distinctly to our view by the part omitted by him at the beginning. The word coitus, which signifies conjunction, union, coition, he improperly renders, in one place, "an act of lewdness," and in another, "acts of lewdness:" and this is done to sustain his assertion that עֶרְוָה always signifies, in Selden's writings, what is base, and never has reference to marriage. If the quotation be closely examined, it will be seen that this Jewish Rabbi had two kinds of coition in view; one which cut off the offspring from the congregation, and another which was punishable with death. Dr. Clarke, in his commentary on Deut. 23:2, says, "Mamzer, which is here rendered bastard, should be understood as implying the offspring of an illegitimate or incestuous mixture." Such an offspring might be the fruit of an illegal marriage between an Israelitish woman and a heathen man; or of an incestuous marriage between a Hebrew man and a Hebrew woman; or of illegitimate intercourse.
How well this accords with the views of the
