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Leviticus 22

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Priestly Purity and Handling Holy Things 1–9

1
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they hallow unto me, and that they profane not my holy name: I am Jehovah. ​
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Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed throughout your generations, that approacheth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto Jehovah, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from before me: I am Jehovah. ​
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What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath an issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him; ​
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or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath;
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the soul that toucheth any such shall be unclean until the even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his flesh in water. ​
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And when the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his bread.
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That which dieth of itself, or is torn of beasts, he shall not eat, to defile himself therewith: I am Jehovah. ​
9
They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it, and die therein, if they profane it: I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them.

Who May Eat the Holy Offerings? 10–16

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There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest’s, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. ​
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But if a priest buy any soul, the purchase of his money, he shall eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they shall eat of his bread. ​
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And if a priest’s daughter be married unto a stranger, she shall not eat of the heave-offering of the holy things. ​
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But if a priest’s daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and be returned unto her father’s house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s bread: but there shall no stranger eat thereof.
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And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give unto the priest the holy thing. ​
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And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto Jehovah,
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and so cause them to bear the iniquity that bringeth guilt, when they eat their holy things: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them. ​

Requirements for Acceptable Sacrifices 17–25

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And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whosoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the sojourners in Israel, that offereth his oblation, whether it be any of their vows, or any of their freewill-offerings, which they offer unto Jehovah for a burnt-offering; ​
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that ye may be accepted, ye shall offer a male without blemish, of the bullocks, of the sheep, or of the goats. ​
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But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
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And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto Jehovah to accomplish a vow, or for a freewill-offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
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Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto Jehovah, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto Jehovah. ​
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Either a bullock or a lamb that hath anything superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill-offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. ​
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That which hath its stones bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut, ye shall not offer unto Jehovah; neither shall ye do thus in your land.
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Neither from the hand of a foreigner shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them: they shall not be accepted for you. ​

Additional Sacrificial Regulations 26–30

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And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
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When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for the oblation of an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ​
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And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and its young both in one day. ​
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And when ye sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto Jehovah, ye shall sacrifice it that ye may be accepted.
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On the same day it shall be eaten; ye shall leave none of it until the morning: I am Jehovah. ​

Call to Keep God’s Commandments 31–33

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Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am Jehovah.
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And ye shall not profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am Jehovah who halloweth you, ​
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who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Jehovah.

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

Study Notes for Leviticus 22

Verse 2

separate themselves from the holy things — Nazar is to hold aloof, the verb behind 'Nazarite': Num 6:2 uses it for those who 'separate themselves unto the LORD'. Here the priests hold back from the holy things when unclean, so as not to 'profane my holy name' (chalal) in the very things 'which they hallow unto me'.

Verse 3

cut off from my presence — Karath is to cut off, and 'presence' is panim, the face. The offender is a priest 'having his uncleanness upon him' who goes to the holy things. The same sentence is given to any Israelite who eats the peace offering in uncleanness, except that there he is 'cut off from his people' (7:20–21).

Verse 4

a leper, or hath a running issue — The leper's law is in chapters 13–14, and the 'running issue' (zuv, to flow) in 15:2. 'A man whose seed goeth from him' is the case of 15:16, where he 'shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even'. For all these the bar on the holy things lasts 'until he be clean'.

Verse 6

unless he wash his flesh with water — The uncleanness lasts 'until even' (erev), and the washing (rachats) is required before eating. Verse 7 gives the end: 'when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.' The Hebrews writer takes up the washing: 'our bodies washed with pure water' (Heb 10:22).

Verse 8

dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts — Nevelah is a carcass and terephah what is torn. For any Israelite it brought uncleanness until evening and washing (17:15), and Ex 22:31 forbids it to 'holy men unto me'. For the priest, eating it would 'defile himself'. Ezekiel the priest could say he had never eaten it (Ezek 4:14), and Ezek 44:31 repeats the rule for the priests.

Verse 10

no stranger eat of the holy thing — Zur is one turned aside, here a non-priest; the sojourner (toshav) and the 'hired servant' (sakir) of the priest are included. David was given 'hallowed bread' (1 Sam 21:6), which Christ says was 'not lawful for him to eat… but only for the priests' (Matt 12:4).

Verse 11

buy any soul with his money — A person bought by the priest ('soul' is nephesh) and one born in his house eat his food. The same pair, 'he that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money', is named in the covenant of circumcision (Gen 17:13). Ex 12:44 sets the condition for the passover meal: the bought servant must first be circumcised.

Verse 12

married unto a stranger — The holy portion here is terumah, the heave offering lifted from the sacrifice. A priest's daughter who marries outside the priests no longer shares it. Verse 13 restores her if she is 'a widow, or divorced', has no child and 'is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth'.

Verse 14

the fifth part thereof — Someone who eats the holy thing 'unwittingly' (shegagah) restores it and adds a fifth. That is also the measure of 5:15–16 for a trespass in the holy things: '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.'

Verse 16

bear the iniquity of trespass — Nasa is to carry, here causative: careless priests would make those who eat carry the guilt. Verse 9 states the same of themselves, 'lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore'. Aaron wears the plate on his forehead 'that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things' (Ex 28:38). The ground here is 'I the LORD do sanctify them'.

Verse 18

vows… freewill offerings — Neder is a vow and nedavah a freewill gift, and both are given as burnt offerings (olah). The law reaches 'the strangers in Israel' who offer them. Num 15:14–16 gives the same footing: 'One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.'

Verse 19

a male without blemish — Tamim is complete, sound. The burnt offering of 1:3 has the same wording, 'a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will'. 'At your own will' here is ratson. The New Testament says of Christ that he 'offered himself without spot to God' (Heb 9:14).

Verse 22

Blind, or broken, or maimed — Six defects are named (blind, broken, maimed, a wen, scurvy, scabbed), and none may go on the altar. Malachi charges the priests of his day with offering these: 'if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil?' (Mal 1:8).

Verse 23

superfluous or lacking in his parts — Sarua is the 'superfluous' limb, the word of the priest's disqualifying defect in 21:18. An animal with it may still be a freewill offering (nedavah), 'but for a vow it shall not be accepted'.

Verse 25

from a stranger's hand — Nekar is a foreigner. The defects named above bar an animal when it comes from a foreign hand as well, 'because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them'. The offering is called 'the bread of your God', as in 21:6 and 21:8.

Verse 27

seven days under the dam — The young animal waits a week, as in Ex 22:30: 'seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.' The eighth day is also the day of a boy's circumcision (12:3). From then it 'shall be accepted for an offering made by fire'.

Verse 28

it and her young both in one day — The ban is on killing both parent and young in the same day. It stands beside Deut 22:6–7, where the mother bird is let go and the young taken, 'that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days'.

Verse 30

On the same day it shall be eaten up — The sacrifice of thanksgiving (v.29) gets the strictest term, as in 7:15: 'he shall not leave any of it until the morning'. The vow and freewill offering are allowed the next day (7:16; 19:6). Of the manna Moses said, 'Let no man leave of it till the morning' (Ex 16:19).

Verse 32

I will be hallowed among the children of Israel — The verb qadash is the one used throughout the chapter: the LORD 'hallows' the priests and the offerings, and here he asks to be hallowed. Moses recalls the principle at the death of Nadab and Abihu, 'I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me' (10:3). The prayer of Matt 6:9 begins 'Hallowed be thy name'.