Leviticus22
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they hallow unto me, and that they profane not my holy name: I am Jehovah.
3 Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed throughout your generations, that approacheth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto Jehovah, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from before me: I am Jehovah.
4 What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath an issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;
5 or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath;
6 the soul that toucheth any such shall be unclean until the even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his flesh in water.
7 And when the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his bread.
8 That which dieth of itself, or is torn of beasts, he shall not eat, to defile himself therewith: I am Jehovah.
9 They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it, and die therein, if they profane it: I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them.
10 There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest’s, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.
11 But if a priest buy any soul, the purchase of his money, he shall eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they shall eat of his bread.
12 And if a priest’s daughter be married unto a stranger, she shall not eat of the heave-offering of the holy things.
13 But if a priest’s daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and be returned unto her father’s house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s bread: but there shall no stranger eat thereof.
14 And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give unto the priest the holy thing.
15 And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto Jehovah,
16 and so cause them to bear the iniquity that bringeth guilt, when they eat their holy things: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them.
17 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
18 Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whosoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the sojourners in Israel, that offereth his oblation, whether it be any of their vows, or any of their freewill-offerings, which they offer unto Jehovah for a burnt-offering;
19 that ye may be accepted, ye shall offer a male without blemish, of the bullocks, of the sheep, or of the goats.
20 But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto Jehovah to accomplish a vow, or for a freewill-offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto Jehovah, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto Jehovah.
23 Either a bullock or a lamb that hath anything superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill-offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
24 That which hath its stones bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut, ye shall not offer unto Jehovah; neither shall ye do thus in your land.
25 Neither from the hand of a foreigner shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them: they shall not be accepted for you.
26 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
27 When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for the oblation of an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
28 And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and its young both in one day.
29 And when ye sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto Jehovah, ye shall sacrifice it that ye may be accepted.
30 On the same day it shall be eaten; ye shall leave none of it until the morning: I am Jehovah.
31 Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am Jehovah.
32 And ye shall not profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am Jehovah who halloweth you,
33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Jehovah.
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Leviticus 22Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 22. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Laws concerning the priests and sacrifices. (1-33).
vv1-33
In this chapter we have divers laws concerning the priests and sacrifices, all for preserving the honour of the sanctuary. Let us recollect with gratitude that our great High Priest cannot be hindered by any thing from the discharge of his office. Let us also remember, that the Lord requires us to reverence his name, his truths, his ordinances, and commandments. Let us beware of hypocrisy, and examine ourselves concerning our sinful defilements, seeking to be purified from them in the blood of Christ, and by his sanctifying Spirit. Whoever attempts to expiate his own sin, or draws near in the pride of self-righteousness, puts as great an affront on Christ, as he who comes to the Lord's table from the gratification of sinful lusts. Nor can the minister who loves the souls of the people, suffer them to continue in this dangerous delusion. He must call upon them, not only to repent of their sins, and forsake them; but to put their whole trust in the atonement of Christ, by faith in his name, for pardon and acceptance with God; thus only will the Lord make them holy, as his own people.
Key Words
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
אַהֲרוֹן: Aharon, the brother of Moses
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
נָזַר: to hold aloof, i.e. (intransitivey) abstain (from food and drink, from impurity, and even from divine worship (i.e. apostatize)); specifically, to set apart (to sacred purposes), i.e. devote
קֹדֶשׁ: a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
קָדַשׁ: to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally)
חָלַל: properly, to bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an 'opening wedge'); to play (the flute)
Cross References
Leviticus 22Exodus prohibits eating torn meat; matches Leviticus forbidding priests from eating what dieth of itself.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jesus references this restriction regarding the showbread, which was only lawful for priests to eat.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Malachi rebukes Israel for offering blind, lame, and sick animals in violation of this law.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Deuteronomy explicitly forbids sacrificing any animal with a blemish, such as lameness or blindness.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Condemns offering blind, lame, or sick animals, directly mirroring the prohibitions of Leviticus 22:22.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Calvin highlights that keeping the commandments is the beginning of a good and upright life.
Supported by John Calvin
Aaron bears the iniquity of holy things to prevent profaning the Lord's holy name.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Repeats the vital injunction that the priests and people must not profane God's holy name.
Supported by John Calvin
Defines the penalty of being cut off for eating peace offerings while ceremonially unclean.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Establishes status of servants bought with money or born in the house, qualifying them to eat.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The requirement of physical blemishless animals prefigures Christ, who offered Himself without spot to God.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Expands on the requirement to perform vows made to God without slackness or defect.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Connects blemishes that disqualify priests with those that disqualify sacrificial animals.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Rebukes the offering of blemished sacrifices as profaning God's holy name.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels the command that a newborn animal must be seven days under its dam.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Details the portions of the wave offerings assigned to Aaron's clean family members.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Priests with polluted genealogies were barred from eating holy things until cleared by Urim.
Supported by JFB
Prohibits eating anything that dieth of itself, reinforcing general holiness and blood laws.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the restriction that no stranger or foreigner may eat of the sacred Passover meal.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Establishes restitution laws and adding a fifth part for unwitting trespass in holy things.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Establishes the foundational principle that whatever has a blemish shall not be accepted.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Rebukes offering defiled bread on the altar, correlating to offering blemished animals.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Commands kindness to animals, prohibiting taking the mother bird with her young.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels the law of eating the sacrifice on the same day, leaving none until morning.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Detailing rules for peace offerings and thanksgiving sacrifices, which must be eaten quickly.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Links remembering and doing God's commandments with being holy unto God.
Supported by John Calvin
Points to Yahweh as the one who sanctifies/hallows His covenant people.
Supported by John Calvin
Stresses holiness based on God's redemption of His people from the land of Egypt.
Supported by John Calvin
Explicitly forbids sacrificing any animal with an ill blemish, such as lameness or blindness.
Supported by Matthew Poole