Leviticus
Chap. xiv. prescribes the sacrifices and ceremonies which should be offered by those who were cleansed from the leprosy.
Chap. xvi. treats of the solemn yearly expiation to be made for the sins of the priest and of the people, of the goat and bullock for a sacrifice, and of the scape-goat; all which should be offered annually on the tenth day of the seventh month.
Chap. xvii. The Israelites are commanded to offer all their sacrifices at the tabernacle; the eating of blood is prohibited, as also the flesh of those animals which die of themselves, cmd of those that are torn by dogs.
Chap, xviii. shows the different degrees within which marriages were not to be contracted, and prohibits various acts of impurity.
Chap. xix. recapitulates a variety of laws which had been mentioned in the preceding book, (Exodus,) and adds several new ones.
Chap. XX. prohibits the consecration of their children to Molech, forbids their consulting wizards and those which had familiar spirits, and also a variety of incestuous and unnatural mixtures.
Chap. xxi. gives different ordinances concerning the mourning and marriages of priests, and prohibits those from the sacerdotal office who have certain personal defects.
Chap. xxii. treats of those infirmities and uncleannesses which rendered the priests unfit to officiate in sacred things, and lays down directions for the perfection of the sacrifices which should be offered to the Lord.
Chap, xxiii. treats of the Sabbath and the great annual festivals — the passover, pentecost, feast of trumpets, day of atonement, and feast of tabernacles.
Chap. xxiv. treats of the oil for the lamps, smA the shew-bread; the law concerning which had already been given, see Exod. xxv., &c.; mentions the case of the person who blasphemed God, and his punishment; lays down the law in cases of blasphemy and murder; and recapitulates the lex talionis, or law of like for like, prescribed Exod. xxi.
Chap. xxv. recapitulates the law, given Exod. xxiii., relative to the Sabbatical year; prescribes the year of jubilee; and lays down a variety of statutes relative to mercy, kindness, benevolence, charity, &c.
Chap. xxvi. prohibits idolatry, promises a great variety of blessings to the obedient, and threatens the disobedient with many and grievous curses.
Chap, xxvii. treats of vows, of things devoted, and of the tithes which should be given for the service of the tabernacle.
No Chronological Table can be affixed to this book, as the transactions of it seem to have been included within the space of eight days, or of a month at the utmost, as we have already seen. And even some of the facts related here seem to have taken place previously to the erection of the tabernacle; nor is the order in which the otiiers occurred so distinguished as to enable us to lay down the precise days in which they took place.
The Lord calls to Moses out of the tabernacle, and gives him directions coTjcemm^ burnt-offerings of the beeve kind, 1, 2. The burnt-offering to be a male without blemish, 3. The person bringing it to lay his hands upon its head, that it might be accepted for him, 4. He is to ltill,fiay, and cut it in pieces, and bring the blood to the priests, that they might sprinkle it round about the altar, 5, 6. All the pieces to be laid upon the altar and burnt, 7-9. Directions concerning offerings of the smaller cattle, such as sheep and goats, 10-13. Directions concerning offerings of fowls, such as doves and pigeons, 14—17.
Ver.se 1. And the Lord called unto Moses] From the manner in which this book commences, it appears plainly to be a continuation of the preceding; and indeed the whole is but one law, though divided into^ye portions, and why thus divided is not easy to be conjectured.
Previously to the erection of the tabernacle God had given no particular directions concerning tlie manner of offering the different kinds of sacrifices; but as soon as this Divine structure was established and consecrated, Jehovah took it as his dwelling place; described the rites and ceremonies which he would have observed in his worship, that his jieople might know what was best pleasing in his sight; and that, when thus worshipping him, they might have confidence that they pleased him, every thing being done according to his own directions. A consciousness of acting according to the revealed will of God gives strong confidence to aji upright mind.
Verse 2. Bring an offering] The word pip /orian, from 31p karab, to approach or draw near, signifies an offering or gift by which a person had access unto God: and this receives light from the universal custom that prevails in the east, no man being permitted to approach the presence of a superior without a present or gift; and the offering thus brought w;is called korban, which properly means the inlroduction-offtnng,
Israel, and say unto them, "= It An, Exod. Isr. 2. any man of you bring an offer- ^'"'"'^ '^''^''"- ing unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offer- or offering of access. This custom has been often referred to in the preceding books. See also chap. vii.
Of the cattle] TTDDnn habbehemah, animals of the beei-e kind, such as the bull, heifer, bullock, and calf; and restrained to these alone by the term herd, "ipZ bakar, which, from its general use in the Levitical writings, is known to refer to the ox, heifer, &c. And therefore other animals of the beere kind were excluded.
Of the flock] tXX tson, sheep and goats; for we have already seen that this term implies both kinds; and we know, from its use, that no other animal of the smaller clean domestic quadrupeds is intended, as no other animal of this class, besides the sheep and goat, was ever offered in sacrifice to God. The animals mentioned in this chapter as proper for sacrifice are the very same which God commanded.\braham to offer; see Gen. xv. 9. And thus it is evident that God delivered to the patriarchs an epitome of that law which was afterwards given in detail to Moses, the essence of which consisted in its sacrifices; and those sacrifices were of clean animals, the most perfect, useful, and healthy, of all that are brought under the immediate government and influence of man. Gross-feeding and ferocious animals were all excluded, as were also all birds of prey. In the pagan worship it was widely different; for although the ox was esteemed among them, accnrding to Liv'j, as the major hostia; and according to VUny, the rictima optima, et laudatis-
A. M. 2514. ing of the cattle, even of the An. Exod. isr, 2. herd, and of the flock. AbiborNisan. 3 jf j^jg offering be a burntsacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male ^ without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.
4 " And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be ^ accepted for him ^ to make atonement for him.
5 And lie shall kill the ^ bullock before the
Lord: ' and the priests, Aaron's A. M. 2514. sons, shall bring the blood, ^ and An. Exod. isr.2 sprinkle the blood round about Abib or Nisan. upon the altar that is hy the door of the taber nacle of the congregation.
6 And he shall flay the burnt-offering, and cut it into his pieces.
7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and ' lay the wood in order upon the fire.
8 And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay
sima deorum placatio, Plin. Hist. Nat., lib. viii., c. 45, " the chief sacrifice and the most availing offering which could be made to the gods;" yet obscene fowls and ravenous beasts, according to the nature of their deities, were frequently offered in sacrifice. Thus they sacrificed horses to the sun, wolves to Mars, asses to Priapus, swine to Ceres, dogs to Hecate, &c., &c. But in the worship of God all these were declared unclean, and only the three following kinds of quadrupeds were commanded to be sacrificed: 1. The bull or ox, the cow or heifer, and the calf. 2. The he-goat, she-goat, and the iid. 3 The ra?n, the ewe, and the lamb. Among fowls, only pigeons and turtle-doves were commanded to be offered, except in the case of cleansing the leper, mentioned chap. xiv. 4, where two clean birds, generally supposed to be sparrows or other small birds, though of what species is not well known, are specified. Fish were not offered, because they could not be readily brought to the tabernacle alive.
Verse 3. Burnt-sacrifice'] The most important of all the sacrifices offered to God; called by the Septuagint ofiOKavTidjia, because it was wholly consumed, which was not the case in any other offering. See on chap. vii.
His own voluntary wilT\ IJinb lirtsono, to gain himself acceptance before the Lord: in this way all the versions appear to have understood the original words, and tlie connection in which they stand obviously requires this meaning.
Verse 4. He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering] By the imposition of hands the person bringing the victim acknowledged, 1. The sacrifice as his own. 2. That he offered it as an atonement for his sins. 3. That he was worthy of death because he had sinned, having forfeited his life by breaking the law. 4. That he entreated God to accept the life of the innocent animal in place of his own. 5. And all this, to be done profitably, must have respect to HIM whose life, in the fulness of time, should be made a sacrifice for sin. 6. The blood was to be sprinkled round about upon the altar, ver. 5, as by the sprinkling of blood the atonement was made; for the blood was the life of the beast, and it was always supposed that life went to redeem life. See note on Exod. xxix. 10. On the required perfection of the sacrifice see be note on Exod. xii. 5.
It has been suiRciently remarked by learned men that almost all the people of the earth had their burntofferings, on which also they placed the greatest dependence. It was a general maxim through the heathen world, that there was no other way to appease the incensed gods; and they sometimes even offered human sacrifices, from the supposition, as Caesar expresses it, that life was necessary to redeem life, and that the gods would be satisfied with nothing less. " Quod pro vita hominis nisi vita hominis redditur, non posse aliter deorum immortalium numen placari arbitrantur." — Com. de Bell. Gal., lib. vi. But this was not the case only with the Gauls, for we see, by Ovid, Fast., lib. vi., that it was a commonly received maxim among more polished people: —
-Pro parvo victima parva cadit.
Cor pro corde, precor, pro fibris sumite fibras. Hanc animam vobis pro meliore damns."
See the whole of this passage in the above work, from ver. 135 to 163.
Verse 6. He shall flay] Probably meaning the person who brought the sacrifice, who, according to some of the rabbins, killed, flayed, cut up, and washed the sacrifice, and then presented the parts and the blood to the priest, that he might burn the one, and sprinkle the other upon the altar. But it is certain that the priests also, and the Levites, flayed the victims, and the priest had the skin to himself; see chap. vii. 8, and 2 Chron. xxix. 34. The red heifer alone was not flayed, but the whole body, with the skin, &c., consumed with fire. See Num. xix. 5.
Verse 7. Put fire] The fire that came out of the tabernacle from before the Lord, and which was kept perpetually burning; see chap. ix. 24. Nor was it lawful to use any other fire w the service of God. See the case of Nadab and Abihu, chap. x.
Averse 8. The priests — shall lay the parts] The sacrifice was divided according to its larger joints. 1. After its blood was poured out, and the skin removed, the head was cut off. 2. They then opened it and took out the omentum, or caul, that invests the intestines. 3. They took out the intestines with the mesentery, and washed them well, as also the fat. 4. They then placed the four quarters upon the altar, covered them with the fat, laid the remains of the iu-
All. Exod isr. 2. in Order upon the wood that ts ^''"'"^'''"'°- on the fire which is upon the altar.
9 But liis inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt-sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a "" sweet savour unto the
10 And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt-sacrifice; he shall bring it a male " without blemish.
11° And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar:
1 2 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar.
13 But he shall wash the inwards and the
testines upon them, and then laid the head above all. 5. The sacred fire was then applied, and the whole mass was consumed. This was the holocaust, or complete buriit-offeriiifj.
Verse 9. An offering — nfa sweet savour] tTI ni:"N r\yr\' }tshshch reiachnichoach, & fire-offering, an odour of rest, or, as the Septiiagint express it, 6vaia oafirj cvudiac, " a sacrifice for a sweet-smelling savour;" which place St. Paul had evidently in view when he wrote Eph. v. 2: " Christ hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering, nai 6vaiav — c(f ocr/niv evudia(, and a sacrifice, for a sioeet-smelling savour;" where he uses the same terms as the Septuagint. Hence wc find that the holocaust, or burnt-offering, typified the sacrifice and death of Christ for the sins of the world.
Verse 16. Pluck away his crop with his feathers] In this sacrifice of fowls the head was violently wrung off, then the blood was poured out, then the feathers were plucked off, the breast was cut open, and the crop, stomach, and intestines taken out, and then the body was burnt. Though the bird was split up, yet it was not divided asunder. This circumstance is particularly remarked in Abram's sacrifice. Gen. xv. 10. See the notes there. — See Ainsworth.
We have already seen, on ver. 2, that four kinds of animals might be made burnt-offerings to the Lord.
legs with water: and the priest A. M. 2514. shall bring it all, and burn it upon An. Eiod. isr]2. the altar: it is a burnt-sacrifice, AbiborNisan. an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour ] unto the Lord. '
14 And if the burnt-sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of p turtle-doves, or of young pigeons.
15 And the priests shall bring it unto the altar, and 'wring off his head, and burn it on tlie altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar.
1 6 And he shall pluck away his crop with ■■ his feathers, and cast it ^ beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes. ■
17 And he shall cleave it with the wings ^ thereof, but ' shall not divide it asunder: and the priests shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: " it is a burntsacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
small bird. All these must be without spot or blemish— the most perfect of their respective kinds, and be wholly consumed by fire. The rich were to bring the most costly; the poor, those of least price. Even in this requisition of justice how much merer/ was mingled! If a man could not bring a bullock or a heifer, a goat or a sheep, let him bring a calf, a kid, or a lamb. If he could not bring any of these because of his poverty, let him bring a turtle-dove, or a young pigeon, (see chap. v. 7;) and it appears that in cases of extreme poverty, even a little meal or fine four was accepted by the bountiful Lord as a sufficient oblation; see chap. v. 11. This brought down the benefits of the sacrificial service within the reach of the poorest of the poor; as we may take for granted that every person, however low in his circumstances, might be able to provide the tenth part of an ephah, about three quarts of meal, to make an offering for his soul unto the Lord. But every man must bring something; the law stooped to the lowest circumstances of the poorest of the people, but every man must sacrifice, because every man had sinned. Reader, what sort of a sacrifice dost thou bring to God! To Him thou owest thy whole body, soul, and substance; are all these consecrated to his service! Or has he the refuse of thy time, and the offal of thy estate 1 God requires thee to sacrifice as his providence has blessed thee. If thou have much, thou shouldst give liberally to God and the poor; if thou have but little, do thy diligence to give of that little. God's justice requires a measure of that which his mercy has bestowed. But remember that.as thou hast sinned, thou needest a Saviour. Jesus is that Iamb without spot which has been offered to God for the sm of the world, and which thou must offer to him for thy sin; and it is only through Him that thou canst be accepted, even when thou dedicatest thy whole body, soul, and substance to thy Maker. Even when we present ourselves a living sacrifice to God, we are accepted for his sake who carried our sins, and bore our sorrows. Thanks be to God, the rich and the poor have equal access unto him through the Son of his love, and equal right to claim the benefits of the great sacrifice!
TAe meat-offering 0/ flour with oil and incense, 1—3. The oblation of the meat-offering baked in the oven and in the pan, 4-6. The meat-offering baked in the frying-pan, 7—10. No leaven 7ior honey to be offered ivith the meat-offering, 11. The oblation of the first-fruits, 12. Salt to be offered with the meat- ■offering, 1 3. Green ears dried by the fire, and com to be beaten out of full ears, with oil and frankincense, to be offered as a meat-offering of first-fruits, 14—16.
Verse 1. Meat-offering] TWii'O minchah. For an explanation of this word see the note on Gen. iv. 3, and Lev. vii. Calmet has remarked that there are five kinds of the minchah mentioned in this chapter. 1. ro^ soleth, sim-p\e flour Qx 7neal,\er. 1. 2. Cakes and wafers, or whatever was baked in the oven, ver. 4. 3. Cakes baked in the pan, ver. 5. 4. Cakes baked on the frying-pan, or probably a gridiron, verse 7. 5. Green ears of corn parched, ver. 14. All these were offered without honey or leaven, but accompanied with wine, oil, and frankincense. It is very likely that the minchah, in some or all of the above forms, was the earliest oblation offered to the Supreme Being, and probably was rn use before sin entered into the world, and consequently before bloody sacrifices, or piacular victims, had been ordained. The minchah oi green ears of corn dried by the fire, &c., was properly the gratitude-offering for a good seed time, and the prospect of a plentiful harvest. This appears to have been the offering brought by Cain, Gen. iv. 3; see the note there. The flour, whether of wheat, rice, barley, rye, or any other grain used for aliment, was in all likelihood equally proper; for in Num. v. 15, we find the flour of barley, or barley meal, is called minchah. It is plain that in the institution of the jnmchah no animal was here included, though in other places it seems to include both kinds; but in general the minchah was not a bloody offering, nor used by way of atonement or expiation, but merely in a eucharistic way, expressing gratitude to God for the produce of the soil. It is such an offering as what is called natural religion might be reasonably expected to suggest: but alas! so far lost is man, that even thankfulness to God for the fruits of the earth must be taught by a Divine revelation; for in the heart of man even the seeds of gratitude are not found, till sown there by the hand of Divine grace.
Offerings of different kinds of grain, flour, bread, fruits, &c., are the most ancient among the heathen nations; and even the people of God have had them from the beginning of the world. See this subject largely discussed on Exod. xxiii. 29, where several a examples are given. Ovid intimates that these gratitude-offerings originated with agriculture. " In the most ancient times men lived by rapine, hunting, &c., for the sioord was considered to be more honourable than the plough; but when they sowed their fields, they dedicated the first-fruits of their harvest to Ceres, to whom the ancients attributed the art of agriculture, and to whom burnt-offerings of corn were made, according to immemorial usages." The passage to which I refer, and of which I have given the substance, is the following: —
" Non habuit tellus doctos antiqua colonos: Lassabant agiles aspera bella viros. Plus erat in gladio quam ciirvo laudis aratro.
Neglectus domino pauca ferebat ager. Farra tamen veteres jaciebant, yarra metebant:
Primitias Cereri farra resecta dabant.
Usibus admoniti _^omm)s torrenda dedere:
Multaque peccato damna tulere suo."
Pliny observes that " Numa taught the Romans to offer fruits to the gods, and to make supplications before them, bringing salt cakes and parched corn; as grain in this state was deemed most wholesome." Numa instiluit deos fruge colere, et mola salsa supplicare, atque (ut auctor est Hemina) yar torrere, quoniam tostum cibo salubrius esset. — Hist. Nat., lib. xviii., c. 2. And it is worthy of remark, that the ancient Romans considered " no grain as pure or proper for divine service that had not been previously parched." Id uno modo consecutum, statuendo non esse purum ad rem divinam nisi tostum. — Ibid.
God, says Calmet, requires nothing here which was not in common use for nourishment; but he commands that these things should be offered with such articles as might give them the most exquisite relish, such as salt, oil, and wine, and that the flour should be of the finest and purest kind. The.ancients, according to Suidas, seem to have made much use of meal formed into a paste with milk, and sometimes with water. (See Suidas in Mafa.) The priests kept in the temples a certain mixture of flour mingled with oil and
An. Exod isr. 2 roii's sons the priests: and ho ^'''''"'•^"'^""- shall take ihercoiit his handful of the flour thereof, and of tlic oil tiicrcof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn '' the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord:
3 And '=the remnant of the meat-offering shall he Aaron's and his sons': '' it is a tiling most holy of tlie offerings of the Lord made by fire.
wine, which they called 'Tyiaa Hugicia or health, and whic'li they used as a kind of amulet or charm against sickness; after they liad finislied their sacrifices, they generally threw some Jhur upon the fire, mingled with oil and wine, which they called Oii?^riuaTa tliulemata, and which, according to Theophrastus, was the ordinary sacrifice of the poor.
A''erse 2. His handful of the four] This was for a memorial, to put God in mind of his covenant with their fathers, and to recall to their mind his gracious conduct towards them and their ancestors. Mr. Ainstcorlh properly remarks, " that there was neither oil nor incense offered with the sin a.ni. jealousy offerings; hecause they were no offerings of memorial, but such as brought iniquities to remembrance, which were neither gracious nor sweet-smelling before the Lord." Num. V. 15; Lev. v. 11.
In this case a handful only was burnt, the rest was reserved for the priest's use; but all the frankincense was burnt, because from it the priest could derive no advantage.
Verse 4. Baken in the oven] ^U^ tannur, from "IJ nar, to split, dioide, says Mr. Parkhurst; and hence the oven, because of its burning, dissolving, and melting heat.
Verse 5. Baken in a pan] nsn:^ machabath, supposed to be 3. fiat iron plate, placed over the fire; such as is called a griddle in some countries.
Verse 7. The frying-pan] nriT'O marchesheth, supposed to be the same with that called by the Arabs a ia-jen, a shallow earthen vessel like a frying-pan, used not only to fry in, but for other purposes. On the different instruments, as well as the manner of baking in the east, Mr. Ilarmer, in his observations on select passages of Scripture, has collected the following curious information.
" Dr. Shaw informs us that in the cities and villages of Barbary, there are public ovens, but that among the Bedouins, who live in tents, and the Kabyles, who live in miserable hovels in the mountains, their bread, made into thin cakes, is baked either immediately upon the coals, or else in a ta-jen, which he tells us is a shallow earthen vessel like a frying-pan: and then cites the Septriagint to show lliat the supposed pan, mentioned chap. ii. 5, was the same thing as a Ia-jen. The tajen, according to Dr. Russel, is exactly the same ainong the Bedouins as the rriyavov, a word of the same sound
4 And if thou bring an oblation
of a meat-offering baken in the An. Exod. Isr.' 2. oven, it shall be unleavened cakes •'^''"'"^'"'"-
of fine flour mingled widi oil, or unleavened wafers ' anointed with oil.
5 And if thy oblation he a meat-offering baken ' in a pan, it sliall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
6 Thou shall part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat-offering.
7 And if thy oblation he a meat-offering
as well as meaning, was among the Greeks. So the Septuugitit, chap. ii. 5: If thy oblation be a mcat-of fering, baken in a pan, (aTo rrjyavov,) it shall be oj fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
" This account given by the doctor is curious; but as it does not give us all the eastern ways of baking, so neither does it furnish us, I am afraid, with a complete comment on that variety of methods of preparing the meat-offerings which is mentioned by Moses in chap. ii. So long ago as Queen Elizabeth's time, Rauwolff observed that travellers frequently baked bread in the deserts of Arabia on the ground, heated for that purpose by fire, covering their cakes of bread with ashes and coals, and turning them several times until they were baked enough; but that some of the Arabians had in their tents, stones, or copper plates, made on purpose for baking. Dr. Pococke very lately made a like observation, speaking of iron hearths used for baking their bread.
" Sir John Chardin, mentioning the several ways of baking their bread in the east, describes these iron plates as small and convex. These plates are most commonly used, he tells us, in Persia, and among the wandering people that dwell in tents, as being the easiest way of Ijaking, and done with the least expense; the bread being as thin as a skin, and soon prepared. Another way (for he mentions four) is by baking on the hearth. That bread is about an inch thick; they make no other all along the Black Sea from the Palus Masotis to the Caspian Sea, in Chaldea, and in Mesopotamia, except in towns. This, he supposes, is owing to their being woody countries. These people make a fire in the middle of a room, when the bread is ready for baking they sweep a corner of the hearth, lay the bread there, and cover it with hot ashes and embers; in a quarter of an hour they turn it: this bread is very good. The third way is that which is common among us. The fast way, and that which is common through all Asia, is thus; they make an oven in the ground, four or five feet deep and three in diameter, well plastered \rith mortar. When it is hot, they place the bread (which is commonly long, and not thicker than a finger) against the sides, and it is baked in a moment.
"D'.irvieux mentions another way used by the Arabs about Mount Carmel, who sometimes bake in an oven, and at other time on the hearth; but have a third method, which is, to make a fire in a great stone pitcher,
Different methods of baking
among tlie Asiatics.
and when it is heated, they mix meal and water, as we do to make paste to glue things together, which they apply with the hollow of their hands to the outside of the pitcher, and this extremely soft paste spreading itself upon it is baked in an instant. The heat of the pitcher having dried up all the moisture, the bread comes oft' as thin as our wafers; and the operation is so speedily performed that in a very little time a sufficient quantity is made.
" Maimmddes and the Septuagint differ in their e,xplanation of ver. 5; for that Egyptian rabbi supposes this verse speaks of a flat plate, and these more ancient interpreters, of a ta-jen. But they both seem to agree that these were two of the methods of preparing the meat-offering; for Maimonides supposes the seventh verse speaks of a frying-pan or ta-jen; whereas the Septuagint, on the contrary, thought the word there meant a hearth, which term takes in an iron or copper plate, though it extends farther.
"The?neat-offerings of the fotirth verse answer as well to the Arab bread, baked by means of their stone pitchers, which are used by them for the baking of wafers, as to their cakes of bread mentioned by D\irvieux, who, describing the way of baking among the modern Arabs, after mentioning some of their methods, says they bake their best sort of bread, either by heating an oven, or a large pitcher, half full of certain little smooth shining flints, upon which they lay the dough, spread out in form of a thin broad cake. The mention of wafers seems to fix the meaning of Moses to these oven pitchers, though perhaps it may be thought an objection that this meat-offering is said to have been baked in an oven; but it will be sufiicient to observe that the Hebrew words only signify a meat-offering of the oven, and consequently m.iy be understood as well of wafers baked on the outside of these oven pitchers, as of cakes of bread baked in them. And if thou bring an oblation, a baked thing, of the oven, it shall be an unleavened cake of fine flour mingled- with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. Wboever then attends to these accounts of the stone pitcher, the tajen, and the copper plate or iron hearth, will enter into this second of Leviticus, I believe, much more perfectly than any commentator has done, and will find in these accounts what answers perfectly well to the description Moses gives us of the different ways of preparing the meat-ofTerings. A ta-jen indeed, according to Dr..Shaw, serves for a frying-pan as well as for a baking vessel; for he says, the bagreah of the people of Barbary difTers not much from our pancakes, only that, instead of rubbing the ta-jen or pan in which they fry them with butter, they rub it with soap, to make them like a honeycomb.
" Moses possibly intended a meat-offering of that kind might be presented to the Lord; and our translators seem to prefer that supposition, since, though the margin mentions the opinion of Maimonides, the reading of the text in the sixth verse opposes a pan for baking to a pan for frying in the seventeenth verse.
meat-offennff that is made of A. M. 2514.
The thought, however, of Maimonides seems to be most just, as Moses appears to be speaking of difl'erent kmds of bread only, not of other farinaceous preparations.
" These oven pitchers mentioned by VArvieux, and used by the modern Arabs for baking cakes of bread in them, and wafers on their outsides, are not the only portable ovens of the east. St. Jerome, in his commentary on Lam. v. 10, describes an eastern oven as a round vessel of brass, blackened on the outside by the surrounding fire which heats it within. Such an oven I have seen used in England. Which of these the Mishnah refers to when it speaks of the women lending their ovens to one another, as well as their mills and their sieves, I do not know; but the foregoing observations may serve to remove a surprise that this circumstance may otherwise occasion in the reader of the Mishnah. Almost every body knows that little portable handinills are extremely common in the Levant; movable ovens are not so well known. Whether ovens of the kind which St. Jerome mentions be as ancient as the days of Moses, does not appear, unless the ta-jen be used after this manner; but the pitcher ovens of the Arabs are, without doubt, of that remote antiquity.
" Travellers agree that the eastern bread is made in small thin moist cakes, must be eaten new, and is good for nothing when kept longer than a day. This however, admits of exceptions. Dr. Russel of late and Rauwolff formerly, assure us that they have several sorts of bread and cakes: some, Rauwolff" tells us, done with yolk of eggs; some tni.xed with several sorts of seed, as of sesamum, Romish coriander, and wild garden saffron, which are also strewed upon it; and he elsewhere supposes that they prepare biscuits for travelling. Russel, who mentions this strewing of seeds on their cakes says, they have a variety of rusks and biscuits. To these authors let me add Pitts, who tells us the biscuits they carry with them from Egypt will last them to Mecca and back again.
" The Scriptures suppose their loaves of bread were very small, three of them being requisite for the entertainment of a single person, Luke xi. 5. That they were generally eaten new, and baked as they wanted them, as appears from the case of Abraham. That sometimes, however, they were made so as to keep several days; so the shew-bread was fit food, after lying before the Lord a week. And that bread for travellers was wont to be made to keep some time, as appears from the pretences of the Gibeonites, Josh. ix. 12, and the preparations made for Jacob's journey into Egypt, Gen. xlv. 23. The bread or rusks for travelling is often made in the form of large rings, and is moistened or soaked in water before it is used. In like manner, too, they seem to have had there a variety of eatables of this kind as the Aleppines now have. In particular, some made like those on which seeds are strewed, as we may collect from that part of the presents of Jeroboam's wife to the Prophet Ahi-
The priest's portion LEVITICUS.
A. M. 2514. the priest, he shall bring it unto
Abib ur N.s^n. g And the pricsl shall lake from the meat-offering « a meinorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an '■ offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto tlic
10 And ' that which is left of llie mcalofferinjT shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a
jah, whicli our translators have rendered cracknels, 1 Kings xiv. 3. Buxtorf indeed supposes the original word W\p: nikkuddim signifies hiscuits, called by this name, either because they were formed into little buttons like some of our gingerbread, or because they were pricked full of holes after a particular manner. The last of these two conjectures, I imagine, was embraced by our translators of this passage; for cracknels, if they are all over England of the same form, are full of holes, being formed into a kind of tlourisli of latticework. I have seen some of the unleavened bread of the English Jews made in like manner in a net form. Nevertheless I should think it more natural to understand the word of biscuit spotted with seeds; for it is used elsewhere to signify works of gold spotted with studs of silver;. and, as it should seem, bread spotted with mould. Josh. ix. 5-12; how much more natural is it then to understand the word of cakes spotted with seeds, which are so common in the east! Is not nUiS lebthoth, in particular, the word that in general means rich cakes? a sort of whicli Tamar used to prepare that was not common, and furnished Aninon with a pretence for desiring her being sent to his house, that she might make some of that kind for him in the time of his indisposition, his fancy running upon them; see 3 Sam. xiii. 2-8. Parkhurst supposes the original word to signily pancakes, and translates the root ^dS labab to move or toss up and dotvn: ' And she took the dough, ((yi'7ni vatlaloslt,) and kneaded (DDSni vattelabheb, and tossed) it in his sight, '7ty3ni vattebashshcl, and dressed the cakes.' In this passage, says Mr. Parkhurst, it is to be observed that 3:iS is distinguished from tyS to knead, and from W^ to dress, which agrees with the interpretation here given.
" The account which Mr. Jackson gives of an Arab baking apparatus, and the manner of kneading and tossing their cakes, will at once, if I mistake not, fi.x the meaning of this passage, and cast much light on chap. xi. 35. ' I was much amused by observing the dexterity of the Arab women in baking their bread. Thev have a small place built with clay, between two and three feet high, having a hole in the bottom for the convenience of drawing out the ashes, somewhat similar to that of a linie-kiln. The oven, which I think is the most proper name for this place, is usually about fifteen inches wide at top, and gradually grows wider to the bottom. It is heated with wood, and when sulRciently hot, and perfectly clear from smoke, having nothing but clear embers at the bottom, which continue to reflect great heat, they prepare the dough
of the meat-offering
1 1 No meat-offering, which ye AbiborNi.an. shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with •' leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire.
12 'As for the oblation of the first-fruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord: but they
in a large bowl, and mould the cakes to the desired size on a board or stone placed near the oven. After they have kneaded the cake to a jiroper consistence, they pat it a little, then toss it about with great dexterity in one hand till it is as thin as they choose to make it. They then wet one side of it with water, at the same time wetting the hand and arm with which they put it into the oven. The side of the cake adheres fast to the side of the oven till it is sufficiently baked, when, if not paid proper attention to, it would fall down among the embers. If they were not exceedingly quick at this viork, the heat of the oven would burn their arms; but they perform it with such amazing dexterity that one woman will continue keeping three or four cakes in the oven at once, till she has done baking. This mode, let me add, does not require half the fuel that is made use of in Europe.' " See more in IIarmer's Observat., vol. i., p. 414, &c.. Edit. 1808.
Verse 8. Thou shah bring the meat offering] It is likely that the person himself who otfered the sacrifice brought it to the priest, and then the priest presented it before the Lord.
Verse 1 1. No tneat-offering — shall he made with leaven] See the reason of this prohibition in the note on Exod. xii. 8.
Nor any honey] Because it was apt to jiroduce acidity, as some think, when wrought up with flour paste; or rather because it was apt to gripe and prove purgative. On this latter account the College of Physicians have totally left it out of all medicinal preparations. This effect which it has in most constitutions was a sufficient reason why it should be prohibited here, as a principal part of all these oflerings was used by the priests as a part of their ordinary diet; and these offerings, being those of the poorer sort, were in greater abundance than most others. On this account, the griping, and purgative quality of the honey must render it extremely improper. As leaven was forbidden because fxoAncmg fcnnentation, it was considered a species of corruption, and was therefore used to signify hypocrisy, malice, &c., whiclj corrupt the soul; it IS possible ibat honey might have had a moral reference,;ilso, and have signified, as St, Jerome thought, carnal pleasures and sensual gratifications..Some suppose ihat the honey mentioned here was a sort of saccharine matter extracted from dales. Leaven and honey might be oficred with the firstfruits, as we learn from the next verse; bnt thoy were forbidden to be burnt on the altar.
for a sweet savour. 13 And every oblation of thy meat-offering " shalt thou season with salt: neither slialt thou suffer " ihe salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meatoffering: P with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
14 And if thou offer a meat-offering of thy first-fruits unto the Lord, ■• thou shalt offer,
Verse 13. With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.] Salt was the opposite to leaven, for it preserved from putrefaction and corruption, and signified the purity and persevering fidelity tliat were necessary in the worship of God. Every thing was seasoned with it, to signify the purity and perfection that should be extended through every part of the Divine service, and through the hearts and lives of God's worshippers. It was called the salt of ihe covenant of God, because as salt is incorruptible, so was the covenant made with Abram, Isaac, Jacob, and the patriarchs, relative to the redemption of the world by the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ. Among the heathens salt was a common ingredient in all their sacrificial offerings; and as it was considered essential to the comfort and preservation of life, and an emblem of the most perfect corporeal and mental endowments, so it was supposed to be one of the most acceptable presents they could make unto their gods, from whose sacrifices it was never absent. That inimitable and invaluable writer, Pliny, has left a long chapter on this subject, the seventh of the thirty-first book of his Natural History, a few extracts from which will not displease the intelligent reader. Ergo, hercule, vita humanior sine Sale nequit degere: adeoque necessarium elementum est. ut transierit intellectus ad voluptates animi quoque. Nam ita Sales appellantur omnisque vita; lepos et summa hilaritas, laborumque requies non alio magis vocabulo constat. Honoribus etiam militiaeque interponitur, Salariis inde dictis — Maxime tamen in sacris intelligitur auctoritas, quando nulla conficiuntur sine mola salsa. " So essentially necessary is salt that without it human life cannot be preserved: and even the pleasures and endowments of the mind are expressed by it; the delights of!ife, repose, and the highest mental serenity, are expressed by no other term than sales among the Latins. It has also been applied to designate the honourable rewards given to soldiers, wliich are called salarn or salaries. But its importance m.ay be farther understood by its use in sacred things, as no sacrifice was offered to the gods without the salt cake."
Ipsa mola, mambusque pits, allaria juxta.
fruits, green ears of corn dried An. Exod. isr. 2 by the fire, even corn beaten out Abib or Nisan.
1 5 And ' thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat-offering.
1 6 And the priest shall burn ' the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense there of: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord
" Now with the sacred cake, and lifted hands, All bent on death, before her altar stands."
Tlaaae 6' dAof 6eioio, Kpamrauv tTraecpa;.
" And taking sacred salt from the hearth side, Where it was treasured, pour'd it o'er the feast."
Quotations of this kind might be easily multiplied, but the above may be deemed sufficient.
Averse 14. Green ears of corn dried by the fire] Green or half-ripe ears of wlieat parched with fire is a species of food in use among the poor people of Palestine and Egypt to the present day. As God is represented as keeping a table among his people, (for the tabernacle was his house, where he had Ihe golden table, shew-bread, &c.,) so he represents himself as parlakin<r with them of all the aliments that were in use and even sitting down with the poor to a repast on parched corn! We have already seen that these green cars were presented as a sort of eucharistical offering for the blessings of seed time, and the prospect of a plentiful harvest. See the note on ver. 1; several other examples might be added here, but they are not necessary.
The command to offer salt with every oblation, and which was punctually observed by the Jews, will afford the pious reader some profitable reflections. It is well known that salt has two grand properties. 1. It seasons and renders palato-ble the principal aliments used for the support of life. 2. It prevents putrefaction and decay. The covenant of God, that is, his agreement with his people, is called a covenant of salt, to denote as we have seen above, its stable undecaying nature, as well as to point out its importance and utility in the preservation of the life of the soul. The grace of God by Christ Jesus is represented under the emblem of 5a//, (see Mark ix. 49; Eph. iv. 29; Col. iv. 6,) because of its relishing, nourishing, and preserving quality. Without it no offering, no sacrifice, no religious service, no work even of charity and mercy, can be acceptable in the sight of God. In all things we must come unto the Father through him. And from none of our sacrifices or services must this salt of the covenant of our God be lacking.
The law of the peace-offering in general, 1-5. That of the peace-offering taken from the flock, 6-1 1
AND if his oblation be a "sacrifice of pcacc-offcring, if
it be a male or female, he shall offer it ** without blemish before the Lord.
3 Anil " he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace-ofTcring an offering made by fire unto the Lord; "^ the " fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the ' caul above tlic liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
•5 And Aaron's sons s shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt-sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savovir unto the Lord.
6 And if his oflTering for a sacrifice of peace-
offering unto the Lord be of the flock, male or female, *■ he shall offer it without blemish.
7 If he offer a lamb for his oflTering, then shall he oflTer it before the Lord.
8 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the taberna cle of the conOTCgation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar.
9 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the pcacc-offering, an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
10 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
1 1 xind the priest shall burn it upon the altar it is ' the food of the offering made by fire
Verse 1. Peace-offering] D"D7»ff.sAe/ajntm, an offering to make peace between God and man; see on chap, vii., and Gen. xiv. 18.
A'^erse 2. Lay his hand tipon the head of his offering] See this rite explained on Exod. xxix. 10, and chap. i. 4. " As the burnt-offering, (chap, i.,)" says Mr. Ainsworth, " figured our reconciliation to God by the death of Christ, and the mcat-nffcring, (chap ii.,) our sanctification in him before God, so this pcaccoffering.signified both Christ's oblation of himself whereby he became our peace and.salvation, (Eph. ii. 14-16: Acts xiii. 47; Heb. v. 9; ix. 28.) and our oblation of praise, thanksgiving, and prayer unto God."
Verse 3. The fat thai covereth the inwards] The omentum, canl or ipcb, as some term it. The fat that is upon the inwards; probably the mesentery or fatty part of the substance which connects the convolutions of the alimenl.ary canal or small intestines.
Verse 5. Aaron''s sons shall burn it] As the fat was deemed the most valuable part of the animal, it was offered in preference to all olherparls; and the heathens probably borrowed this custom from the Jews, for they burnt the omentum or caul in honour of their gods.
Verse 9 The tchole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone] To what has already been said on 5U the tails of the eastern sheep, in the note on Exod. xxix. 22, we may add the following observation from Dr. Russel concerning the sheep at Aleppo. " Their tails,'" says he, " are of a substance between fat and marrow, and are not eaten separately, but mixed with the lean meat in many of their dishes, and also often used instead of butter." He states also that a common sheep of this kind, without the head, fat, skin, and entrails, weidis from sixty to seventy English pounds, of which the tail usually \\c\ghs ff teen pounds and upwards; but that those of the largest breed, when fattened, will weigh nne hundred and fifh/ pounds, and their tails fifty, which corresponds with the account given by Ludolf in the note referred to above. The sheep about Jerusalem are the same with those in Abyssinia mentioned by Ludolf, and those of Syria mentioned by Dr. liusscl.
Verse 11. It is the food of the offering] We have already remarked that God is frequently represented as feasting trith his people on the sacrifices they offered; and because these sacrifices were consumed by that fire which was kindled from heaven, therefore they were considered;is the food of that fire, or rather of the Divine Being who was represented by it. " In the same idiom of speech," says Dodd, "the gods of the heathens are said, Deut. xxxii. 38, to eat
12 And if his offering be a goat, then ^ he shall offer it before the Lord.
13 And he shall lay iiis hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.
14 And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
B Verse 16; compare with Deuteronomy xxxii. 14; Nehemiah
Verse 12. A goat] Implying the whole species, he-goat, she-goat, and kid, as we have already seen.
Verse 17. That ye eat neither fat nor blood. \ It is not likely that the fat should be forbidden in the same manner and in the same latitude as the Mood. The blood was the life of the beast, and that was offered to make an atonement for their souls; consequently, this was never eaten in all their generations: but it was impossible to separate the fat from the flesh, which in many parts is so intimately intermixed with the muscular fibres; but the blood, being contained in separate vessels, the arteries and veins, might with great ease be entirely removed by cutting the throat of the animal, which was the Jewish method. By the fat therefore mentioned here and in the preceding verse, we may understand any fat that exists in a separate or unmixed state, such as the omentum or caul, the fat of the mesentery, the fat on the kidneys, and whatever else of the internal fat was easily separable, together with the whole of the tail already described. And probably it was the fat of snch animals only as were offered to God in sacrifice, that was unlawful to be eaten.
15 And the two kidneys, and
the fat that is upon them, which An.Exod,lsr.'2 is by the flanks, and the caul AbiborNisan.
above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
1 6 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: ' all the fat is the Lord's.
1 7 7^ shall 6e a " perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither " fat nor " blood
As all temporal as well as spiritual blessings come from God, he has a right to require that such of them should be dedicated to his service as he may think proper to demand. He required the most perfect of all the animals, and the best parts of these perfect animals. This he did, not that he needed any thing, but to show the perfection of his nature and the purity of his service. Had he condescended to receive the meanest animals and the meanest parts of animals as his offerings, what opinion could his worshippers have entertained of the perfection of his nature 1 If such imperfect offerings were worthy of this God, then his nature must be only worthy of such offerings. It is necess.-iry that every thing employed in the worship of God should be the most perfect of its kind that the time and circumstances can afford. As sensible things are generally the medium through which spiritual impressions are made, and the impression usually partakes of the nature of the medium through which these impressions are communicated; hence every thing should not only be decent, but as far as circumstances will admit dignified, in the worship of God: the object of religious worship, the place in which he is worshipped, and the worship itself, should have the strongest and most impressive correspondence possiblg.
The law concerning the sin-offering for transgressions committed through ignorance, I, 2. For the priest thus sinning, 3-12. For the sins of ignorance of the whole congregation, 13-21. For the sins of ignorance of a ruler, 22-26. For the sins of ignorance of any of the common people, 27-35.
Verse ^. If a soul shall sin through ignorance'
as the transgression or omission comes to his knowledge, he shall offer tlie sacrifice here prescribed, and shall not suppose that his ignorance is an excuse for his sin. lie who, when his iniquity comes to his knowledge, refuses to offer such a sacrifice, sins obstinately
Lord, concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:
3 '' If the priest tliat is anointed do sin according to the sin of tiie people; tiien let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, " a young Inillock wiliiout blemish, \u\\o the Lo.iD, for a sin-offering.
4 And he shall bring the bullock '' unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the Lord; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before
5 And the priest that is anointed ' shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation.
6 And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the Lord, before the veil of the sanctuary.
7 And the priest shall ^ put S07}ic of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour e all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt-offering, which 75 at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
and wilftiUi/, and to him there remains no otiier sacrifice for sin — no other mode by wliich he can be reconciled to God, but he has a certain fearful looking for of judgment — which shall devour such adversaries; and this seems the case to which the apostle alludes, Heb. x. 2G, <fec., in the words above quoted. There have been a great number of subtle questions started on this subject, both by Jews and Christians, but the above I believe to be the sense and spirit of the law.
Verse 3. If the priest that is anointed] Meaning;, most probably, the high priest. According to the sin of the people; for althougli he had greater advantages than the people could have, in being more conversant with the law of God, and his lips should understand and preserve knowledge, yet it was possible even for him, in that time in which the word of God had not been fidly revealed, to transgress through ignorance; and his transgression might have the very worst tendencv. because the people might be thereby led into sin. Hence several critics understand this passage in this way, and translate it thus: If the anointed priest shall lead the people to sin; or, literally, if the anointed priest shall sin to the sin of the people; that is, so as to cause the people to transgress, the shepherd going astray, and the sheep following after him.
8 And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin-offering; the fat that coverelh the inwards, and all the fat that i$ the inwards,
9 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away,
10 "^ As it was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace-offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of the burnt offering.
1 1 ' And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung,
12 Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth ^ without the camp unto a clean place, ' where the ashes are poured out, and ■" burn him on the wood with fire: " where the ashes arc poured out shall he be burnt.
13 And ° if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, p and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the command ments of the Lord should not bo done, and are guilty;
Verse 6. Sei-en times] See the note on Exod. xxix. 30. The blood of this sacrifice was applied in three different ways: 1. The priest put his finger in it, and sprinkled it seven times before the veil, ver. 6. 2. He put some of it on the horns of the altar of incense. 3. He poured the remaining part at the bottom of the altar of burnt-offerings, ver. 7.
Verse 12. Without the camp] This was intended figuratively to express the sinfulness of this sin, and the availableness of the atonement. The sacrifice, as having the sin of the priest transferred from himself to it by his confession and imposition of hands, was become unclean and abominable, and was carried, as it were, out of the Lord's sight; from the tabernacle and congregation it must be carried without the camp, and thus its own offensivcness was removed, and the sin of the person in whoso behalf it was offered. The apostle {Ilcb. xiii. 11-13) applies this in the most pointed manner to Christ: " For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesi's also, that he might sanctify the people with bis own blood, suffered ivithout the gate. Let ua go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach."
A'^erse IZ. If the tvhole congregation of Israel sin] This probably refers to some oversight in acts of Tt-
A.M. 251*. 14 When the sin, which they An. Exod. isr. 2. have sinned against it, is known, Abib or Nisan. ^^^^^ ^j^g congregation shall offer
a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.
1 5 And the elders of the congregation i shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord: and the bullock shall be killed before the Lord.
16 ''And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation.
17 And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, even before the veil.
1 8 And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congi'cgation.
19 And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar.
20 And he shall do with the bullock as he did ^ with the bullock for a sin-offering, so shall he do with this: ' and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
2 1 And he shall carry forth the bullock with-
ligious worship, or to some transgression of the letter of the law, which arose out of the peculiar circumstances in which they were then found, such as the case mentioned 1 Sam. xiv. 32, &c., where the people, through their long and excessive fatigue in their combat with the Philistines, being faint, Jlcw on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground, and did eat with the blood; and this was partly occasioned by the rash adjuration of Saul, mentioned ver. 24; Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening.
The sacrifices and rites in this case were the same as those prescribed in the preceding, only here the elders of the congregation, i. e., three of the sanhedrim, according to Maimonides, laid their liands on the head of the victim in the name of all the congregation.
Verse 23. When a ruler hath sinned] Under the term N'CJ nasi, it is probable that any person is meant who held any kind of political dignity among the people, though the rabbins generally understand it of the king.
A kid of the goats was the sacrifice in this ease, the rites nearly the same as in the preceding cases,
22 When a ruler hath sinned, and " done someivhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord his God, concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;
23 Or ' if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
24 And "■" he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt-offering before the Lord: it is a sin-offering.
25 " And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt-offering.
26 And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as y the fat of the sacrifice of peaceofferings: ^ and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
27 And " if *■ any one of the " common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the
only the fat was burnt as that of the peace-offering. See ver. 26, and chap. iii. 5.
Verse 27. The common people] y\i(nOi.' amhaarets, the people of the land, that is, any individual who was not a priest, king, or ruler among the people; any of the poor or ordinary sort. Any of these, having transgressed through ignorance, was obliged to bring a lamb or a kid, the ceremonies being nearly the same as in the preceding cases. The original may denote the very lowest of the people, the labouring or agricultural classes.
The law relative to the general cases of sins committed through ignorance, and the sacrifices to be offered on such occasions, so amply detailed in this chapter, may be thus recapitulated. For all sins and transgressions of this kind committed by the people, the prince, and the priest, they must offer expiatory offerings. The person so sinning must bring the sacrifice to the door of the tabernacle, and lay his hands upon its head, as in a case already referred to, acknowledging the sacrifice to be his, that he needed it for his transgression; and thus he was considered as confessing his sin, and the sin was considered as transferred to the animal, whose blood was then spilt
sinned, come to his knowledge; then he shall bring iiis otfcring, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.
29 * And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and slay the sin-offering in the place of the burnt-offering.
30 And the priest shall lake of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.
31 And ^he shall take away all the fat thereof, ^ as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace-offering; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a *" sweet savour unto the Lord; ' and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.
to make an atonement. See on chap. i. 4. Such institutions as these could not be considered as terminating in themselves, they necessarily had reference to something of infinitely higher moment; in a word, they typified Him whose soul was made an offering for sin, Isa. liii. 10. And taken out of this reference they seem both absurd and irrational. It is obviously in reference to these innocent creatures being brought as sin-offerings to God for the guilty that St, Paul alludes 2 Cor. v. 21, where he says, He (God) made him lo be sin (u/iapTiav, a sin-offering) for us who KNEW NO SIN, that we might be made the righteousness of God — holy and pure by the power and grace of God, in or Ihi-ough him. And it is worthy of remark, tliat the Greek word used by the apostle is the same by which the Septuagint, in more than fourscore places in the Pentateuch, translate the Hebrew word riNUn chattaah, sin, which in all those places our translation renders sin-offering. Even sins of ignorance cannot
33 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and slay it for a sin-offering, in the place where they kill the burnt-offering.
34 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bot tom of the altar:
35 And he shall take away all the fat thereof as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, ' according to the offerings make by fire unto the Lord: " and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.
be unnoticed by a strict and holy law; these also need the great atonement: on which account we should often pray with David, Cleanse thou me from secret faults! Psa. xix. 12. How little attention is paid to this solemn subject! Sins of this kind — sins committed sometimes ignorantly, and more frequently heedlessly, are permitted to accumulate in their number, and consequently in their guilt; and from this very circumstance we may often account for those painful desertions, as they are called, under which many comparatively good people labour. They have committed sins of ignorance or heedlessness, and have not offered the sacrifice which can alone avail in their behalf. How necessary in ten thousand cases is the following
excellent prayer! " That it may please thee to give us true repentance; to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, to amend our lives according to thy Holt Word." — Litany.
Concerning witnesses who, being adjured, refuse to tell the truth, I. Of those who contract defilement by touching unclean things or persons, 2, 3. Of those who bind themselves by vows or oaths, and do not fulfil them, 4, 5. The trespass-offering prescribed in such cases, a lamb or a kid, 6; a turtle-dove or two young pigeons, 7-10; or an ephah of fine flour with oil and frankincense, 11-13. Other laws relative to trespasses, through ignorance in holy things, 14-16. Of trespasses in things unknoicn, 17-19.
Verse 1. If a soul sin] It is generally supposed that the case referred to here is that of a person who, or known of it; if he do not A. M. 2514. utter it, then he shall •'bear his An. Exod. isr. 2.
being demanded by the civil magistrate to answer upon oath, refuses to tell what he knows concerning the subject; such a one shall bear his iniguity — shsU
A. M. 25U. 2 Or ° if a soil touch any An. Exod. isr. 2. uiiclean thing, whether it be a Abib or Nisan. ^arcass of an unclean beast, or a carcass of uncfean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping tilings, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and ^ guilty.
3 Or if he touch " the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.
4 Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips ' to do evil, or ^ to do good, whatsoever it he that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.
5 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall ^ confess that he hath sinned in that thing:
6 And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto the Lord, for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.
7 And ' if '' he be not able to bring a lamb,
tjien he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two ' turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord; one for a sinoffering, and the other for a burnt-offering.
8 And he shall bring them unto the priest,
be considered as guilty in the sight of God, of the transgression which he has endeavoured to conceal, and must e.xpect to be punished by him for hiding the iniquity to which he was privy, or suppressing the truth which, being discovered, would have led to the exculpation of the innocent, and the punishment of the guilty.
Verse 2. Any unclean thing] Either the rfearf body of a clean animal, or the living or dead carcass of any unclean creature. All such persons were to wash their clothes and themselves in clean water, and were considered as unclean till the evening, chap. xi. 24-31. But if this had been neglected, they were obliged to bring a trespass-offering. What this meant, see in the notes on chap. vii.
^'erse 4. To da evil, or to do good] It is very likely that rash promises are here intended; for if a nian vow to do an act that is evil, though it would be criminal to keep such an oath or vow, yet he is guilty because he made it, and therefore must offer the Irespcus-ojfering. If he neglect to do the good he has who shall offer that which is for A. M. 2514. the sin-offering first, and '" wring An. Exod. Isr.' 2. off his head from his neck, but ^'"'' "'' '^'"'"- shall not divide it asunder:
9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-offering upon the side of the altar; and " the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin-offering
1 0 And he shall offer the second for a burntoffering, according to the " manner: p i and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him.
1 1 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering; ■'he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin-offeriniT.
12 Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, ' even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, ' according to the offerings made by fire unto the Lord: it is a sin-offering.
1 3 " And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and " the remnant shall be the priest's, as a meat-offering.
14 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying.
vowed, he is guilty, and must in both cases confess his iniquity, and bring his trespass-oifering.
Verse 5. He shall confess that he hath sinned] Even restitution was not sufficient without this confession, because a man might make restitution without being much humbled; but the confession of sin has a direct tendency to humble the soul, and hence it is so frequently required in the Holy Scriptures, as without humiliation there can bo no salvation.
Verse 7. If he he not able to bring a lamb] See the conclusion of chap. i.
Verse 10. He shall offer the second for a burntoffering] The pigeon for the burnt-offering was wholly consumed, it was the Lord's property; that for the sinoffering was the priest's property, and was to be eaten by him after its blood had been partly sprinkled on the side of the altar, and tlie rest poured out at the bottom of the altar. See also chap. vi. 36.
An. E.xod. Isr. 2. pass, and Sin through ignorance, ^^^ °' ^"''"'"- in tlie lioly things of tlic Lord; then ' he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after y tlio shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespassoffering:
16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and '■ shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: * and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespassoffering, and it shall be forgiven him.
Verse 15. In the holy things of the Lord] This law seems to relate particularly to sacrilege, and defrauds in spiritual matters; such as the neglect to consecrate or redeem the first-born, the withholding of the firstfruits, tithes, and such like; and, according to the rabbins, making any secular gain of Divine things, keeping b.ick any part of the price of things dedicated to God, or withholding what man had vowed to pay. See a long list of those things in Ain.<!worth.
With thy estimation] The wrong done or the defraud committed should be estimated at the number of shekels it was worth, or for which it would sell. These the defrauder was to pay down, to which he was to add a. fifth part more, and bring a ram without blemish for a sin-ofiering besides. There is an obscurity in the text, but this seems to be its meaning.
Verse 16. Shall make amend.^] Make restitution for the wrong he had done according to what is laid down in the preceding verse.
Verse 19. He hath certainly trespassed] And because he hath sinned, therefore he must bring a sacrifice. On no other ground shall he be accepted by the Lord. Reader, how dost thou stand in the sight of thy Maker?
On the subject of this chapter it may be proper to make the following reflections.
When the infinite purity and strict justice of God are considered, the exceeding breadth of his commandment, our slowness of heart to believe, and our com-
commit any of these things which An.Exod. 18^2. are forbidden to be done by *''*'' "' ^"»°- the commandments of the Lord; ' though he wist it not, yet is he ^ guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18 " And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest: ^ and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
1 9 It is a trespass-offering: « he hath certainljf trespassed against the Lord.
paratively cold performance of sacred duties, no wonder that there is sinfulness found in our holy things; and at what a low ebb must the Christian life be found when this is the case! This is a sore and degrading evil in the Church of God; but there is one even worse than this, that is, the strenuous endeavour of many religious people to reconcile their minds to this state of inexcusable imperfection, and defend it zealously, on the supposition that it is at once both un.. avoidable and useful — unavoidable, for they think they cannot live without it; and useful, because they suppose it tends to humble them! The more inward sin a man has, the more pride he will feel; the less, the more humilily. A sense of God's infinite kindness to us, and our constant dependence on him, will ever keep the soul in the dust. Sin can never be necessary to the maintenance or extension of the Christian life, it is the thing which Jesus Christ came into the world to destroy; and his name is called Jesus or Saviour because he saves his people from their sins. But how little of the spirit and influence of his Gospel is known in the world! He saves, unto the uttermost, them who come unto the Father through him. But alas! how (ew are thus saved! for they will not come unto him that they might have life. Should any Christian refuse to ofler up the following prayer to God? " Al-
mighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, and from whom no secrets are hid, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name, through Christ our Lord. Amen." — The Liturgy.