Leviticus6
New American Standard
1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2“When a person sins and acts unfaithfully against the Lord, and disavows the rightful claim of his neighbor regarding a deposit or a security entrusted to him, or regarding robbery, or he has extorted from his neighbor,
3or has found what was lost and lied about it and sworn falsely, so that he sins regarding any of the things that people do;
4then it shall be, when he sins and becomes guilty, that he shall restore what he took by robbery or acquired by extortion, or the deposit which was entrusted to him, or the lost property which he found,
5or anything about which he swore falsely; he shall make restitution for it in full and add to it a fifth more. He shall give it to the one to whom it belongs on the day he presents his guilt offering.
6Then he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without defect from the flock, according to your assessment, as a guilt offering,
7and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt.”
8Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
9“Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law for the burnt offering: the burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire on the altar is to be kept burning on it.
10The priest is to put on his linen robe, and he shall put on linen undergarments next to his body; and he shall take up the fatty ashes to which the fire reduces the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar.
11Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, and carry the fatty ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.
13Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.
14‘Now this is the law of the grain offering: the sons of Aaron shall present it before the Lord in front of the altar.
15Then one of them shall lift up from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering, with its oil and all the incense that is on the grain offering, and he shall offer it up in smoke on the altar, a soothing aroma, as its memorial offering to the Lord.
16And Aaron and his sons are to eat what is left of it. It shall be eaten as unleavened cakes in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the tent of meeting.
17It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their share from My offerings by fire; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
18Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it; it is a permanent ordinance throughout your generations, from the offerings by fire to the Lord. Whoever touches them will become consecrated.’”
19Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
20“This is the offering which Aaron and his sons are to present to the Lord on the day when he is anointed; the tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.
21It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle. When it is well stirred, you shall bring it. You shall present the grain offering in baked pieces as a soothing aroma to the Lord.
22The anointed priest who will be in his place among his sons shall offer it. By a permanent ordinance it shall be entirely offered up in smoke to the Lord.
23So every grain offering of the priest shall be burned entirely. It shall not be eaten.”
24Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
25“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered before the Lord; it is most holy.
26The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting.
27Whoever touches its flesh will become consecrated; and when any of its blood spatters on a garment, you shall wash what spattered on it in a holy place.
28Also the earthenware vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then it shall be scoured and rinsed in water.
29Every male among the priests may eat it; it is most holy.
30But no sin offering of which any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place shall be eaten; it shall be burned with fire.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 6.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Concerning trespasses against our neighbour. (1–7). Concerning the burnt-offering. (8–13). Concerning the meat-offering. (14–23). Concerning the sin-offering. (24–30).
vv1-7
Though all the instances relate to our neighbour, yet it is called a trespass against the Lord. Though the person injured be mean, and even despicable, yet the injury reflects upon that God who has made the command of loving our neighbour next to that of loving himself. Human laws make a difference as to punishments; but all methods of doing wrong to others, are alike violations of the Divine law, even keeping what is found, when the owner can be discovered. Frauds are generally accompanied with lies, often with false oaths. If the offender would escape the vengeance of God, he must make ample restitution, according to his power, and seek forgiveness by faith in that one Offering which taketh away the sin of the world. The trespasses here mentioned, still are trespasses against the law of Christ, which insists as much upon justice and truth, as the law of nature, or the law of Moses.
vv8-13
The daily sacrifice of a lamb is chiefly referred to. The priest must take care of the fire upon the altar. The first fire upon the altar came from heaven, ch. 9:24; by keeping that up continually, all their sacrifices might be said to be consumed with the fire from heaven, in token of God's acceptance. Thus should the fire of our holy affections, the exercise of our faith and love, of prayer and praise, be without ceasing.
vv14-23
The law of the burnt-offerings put upon the priests a great deal of care and work; the flesh was wholly burnt, and the priests had nothing but the skin. But most of the meat-offering was their own. It is God's will that his ministers should be provided with what is needful.
Key Words
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
כִּי: (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
חָטָא: properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemn
מָעַל: properly, to cover up; used only figuratively, to act covertly, i.e. treacherously
מַעַל: treachery, i.e. sin
כָּחַשׁ: to be untrue, in word (to lie, feign, disown) or deed (to disappoint, fail, cringe)
עָמִית: companionship; hence (concretely) a comrade or kindred man
פִּקָּדוֹן: a deposit
גָּזֵל: robbery, or (concretely) plunder
אוֹ: desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also if
Cross References
Leviticus 6Direct parallel linking trespasses against a neighbor with trespasses committed against the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole
New Testament fulfillment of the law that sin offerings whose blood entered the sanctuary must be burned outside.
Reconciliation and restitution to man must accompany and precede worship/offerings to God.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The original fire from heaven that must be kept burning perpetually on the altar.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Explains why the priests were commanded to eat the sin offering to bear the iniquity of the congregation.
Confirms the principle of contagious holiness where whatever touches the altar or offering becomes holy.
The explicit law requiring the great Day of Atonement sin offerings to be burned outside the camp.
Lying to men in secret matters is lying directly to the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The foundational law of the daily morning and evening continual burnt offering.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The prescription for the continual daily burnt offering of two lambs.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The specification for the linen garments and breeches to cover the priest's flesh.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Carrying ashes/sacrifices outside the camp prefigures Christ suffering outside the gate.
Confirms that the sin and trespass offerings are reserved for the priests as most holy.
Specifies the north side of the altar as the place where the sacrifice is killed before Yahweh.
Parallel rule requiring earthen vessels containing unclean things to be broken, highlighting purification standards.
Reiterates that every male among the priests may eat the most holy things within the court.
Links trespasses (ma'al) against the Lord in holy things to trespasses in social dealings.
The civic law requiring the restoration of lost property to one's neighbor.
The legal procedure and oath of the Lord regarding lost or disputed property.
Details the priests' portion of the most holy grain and sin offerings.
Establishes that whatever touches the altar or most holy things shall be holy.
Identifies the pan-baked grain offering, explaining its preparation and oil mixture details.
Establishes that the sin offering is slain in the place of the burnt offering.
Specifies that the most holy gifts must be eaten only by males in a holy place.
Haggai's theological query about whether holy flesh on a garment transmits holiness to other foods.
Parallels the breaking of earthen vessels and rinsing of wooden vessels for purifications.
Zacchaeus's voluntary fourfold restitution demonstrates genuine repentance in action.
Ezekiel's temple vision confirms that priests shall eat the meat, sin, and trespass offerings.
Connects these washings and vessel purifications to the temporary 'carnal ordinances' imposed until reformation.