English · ASV

Leviticus 2

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

The Offering of Fine Flour 1–3

1
And when any one offereth an oblation of a meal-offering unto Jehovah, his oblation shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: ​
2
and he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and he shall take thereout his handful of the fine flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof. And the priest shall burn it as the memorial thereof upon the altar, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah: ​
3
and that which is left of the meal-offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire. ​

Baked Grain Offerings 4–10

4
And when thou offerest an oblation of a meal-offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. ​
5
And if thy oblation be a meal-offering of the baking-pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
6
Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meal-offering.
7
And if thy oblation be a meal-offering of the frying-pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
8
And thou shalt bring the meal-offering that is made of these things unto Jehovah: and it shall be presented unto the priest, and he shall bring it unto the altar.
9
And the priest shall take up from the meal-offering the memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
10
And that which is left of the meal-offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire.

Required Ingredients and Prohibitions 11–13

11
No meal-offering, which ye shall offer unto Jehovah, shall be made with leaven; for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ​
12
As an oblation of first-fruits ye shall offer them unto Jehovah: but they shall not come up for a sweet savor on the altar. ​
13
And every oblation of thy meal-offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meal-offering: with all thine oblations thou shalt offer salt. ​

The Offering of Firstfruits 14–16

14
And if thou offer a meal-offering of first-fruits unto Jehovah, thou shalt offer for the meal-offering of thy first-fruits grain in the ear parched with fire, bruised grain of the fresh ear. ​
15
And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meal-offering.
16
And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the bruised grain thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Leviticus 2

Verse 1

a meat offering — Minchah, a gift or tribute; 'meat' is the old English for food, and this is grain. It is the word for Cain's and Abel's 'offering' (Gen 4:3–5) and for Jacob's present to Esau (Gen 32:13). 'Any' is nephesh, literally 'a soul'. The gift is fine flour (soleth) with oil and frankincense (lebonah).

Verse 2

the memorial of it — Azkarah, a token or reminder, the handful (qomets) burned in place of the whole. The word is used of this offering (2:2, 9, 16; 5:12; 6:15) and of the frankincense on the showbread (24:7). 'Sweet savour' is nichoach, a restful aroma. Cornelius's alms were also 'come up for a memorial before God' (Acts 10:4).

Verse 3

a thing most holy — Literally 'holy of holies' (qodesh qodashim), the phrase used of the inner sanctuary. The remnant belongs to the priests, and Lev 6:16 sets the place: 'with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation'. Num 18:9 calls it the priests' share 'of the most holy things'.

Verse 4

unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil — The same pair as in the consecration of the priests (Ex 29:2): challah, cakes baked in the oven (tannur), and rekik, thin wafers smeared with oil. Verses 5–7 add the pan and the fryingpan. All are unleavened (matstsah), the bread that Paul sets beside 'sincerity and truth' (1 Cor 5:8).

Verse 11

no leaven, nor any honey — Seor is leaven, the fermenting yeast, and 'made with leaven' is chamets, the word of the Passover rule (Ex 12:15). The ban is on burning either 'in any offering of the LORD made by fire'. Christ warns, 'Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy' (Luke 12:1), and Paul bids 'purge out therefore the old leaven' (1 Cor 5:7).

Verse 12

the oblation of the firstfruits — These were brought to the LORD but 'shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour'. So the two wave loaves are leavened: 'they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD' (Lev 23:17). Honey also came as firstfruits (2 Chr 31:5).

Verse 13

the salt of the covenant of thy God — Melach is salt, and the phrase belongs to the covenant (berith). Salt is never to be absent: 'to be lacking' is shabath, to cease. The priests' portions are 'a covenant of salt for ever' (Num 18:19), as David's kingdom is 'a covenant of salt' (2 Chr 13:5). Christ says, 'every sacrifice shall be salted with salt' (Mark 9:49).

Verse 14

green ears of corn dried by the fire — Abib (young ears), parched (qalah) by the fire, with the grain beaten from the 'full ears' (karmel). The sheaf of the firstfruits of harvest was waved before the LORD (Lev 23:10–11); the month Abib takes its name from the ears (Ex 13:4). Paul calls Christ 'the firstfruits of them that slept' (1 Cor 15:20).