Leviticus6
New King James Version
1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2“If a person sins and commits a trespass against the Lord by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor,
3or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely—in any one of these things that a man may do in which he sins:
4then it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he has extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing which he found,
5or all that about which he has sworn falsely. He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering.
6And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering, to the priest.
7So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any one of these things that he may have done in which he trespasses.”
8Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
9“Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.
10And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers he shall put on his body, and take up the ashes of the burnt offering which the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
11Then he shall take off his garments, put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
12And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.
13A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.
14‘This is the law of the grain offering: The sons of Aaron shall offer it on the altar before the Lord.
15He shall take from it his handful of the fine flour of the grain offering, with its oil, and all the frankincense which is on the grain offering, and shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma, as a memorial to the Lord.
16And the remainder of it Aaron and his sons shall eat; with unleavened bread it shall be eaten in a holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of meeting they shall eat it.
17It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of My offerings made by fire; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the trespass offering.
18All the males among the children of Aaron may eat it. It shall be a statute forever in your generations concerning the offerings made by fire to the Lord. Everyone who touches them must be holy.’ ”
19And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
20“This is the offering of Aaron and his sons, which they shall offer to the Lord, beginning on the day when he is anointed: one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a daily grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it at night.
21It shall be made in a pan with oil. When it is mixed, you shall bring it in. The baked pieces of the grain offering you shall offer for a sweet aroma to the Lord.
22The priest from among his sons, who is anointed in his place, shall offer it. It is a statute forever to the Lord. It shall be wholly burned.
23For every grain offering for the priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten.”
24Also 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 killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the Lord. It is most holy.
26The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting.
27Everyone who touches its flesh must be holy. And when its blood is sprinkled on any garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled, in a holy place.
28But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. And if it is boiled in a bronze pot, it shall be both scoured and rinsed in water.
29All the males among the priests may eat it. It is most holy.
30But no sin offering from which any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of meeting, to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten. It shall be burned in the 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.