English · ASV

Leviticus 24

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Instructions for Tabernacle Service 1–4

1
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2
Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. ​
3
Without the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron keep it in order from evening to morning before Jehovah continually: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. ​
4
He shall keep in order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before Jehovah continually.

The Bread of the Presence 5–9

5
And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth parts of an ephah shall be in one cake. ​
6
And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before Jehovah.
7
And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ​
8
Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before Jehovah continually; it is on the behalf of the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant. ​
9
And it shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire by a perpetual statute. ​

The Case of the Blasphemer 10–16

10
And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp: ​
11
and the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. ​
12
And they put him in ward, that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of Jehovah. ​
13
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
14
Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. ​
15
And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.
16
And he that blasphemeth the name of Jehovah, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the sojourner, as the home-born, when he blasphemeth the name of Jehovah, shall be put to death. ​

Laws of Retribution and Justice 17–23

17
And he that smiteth any man mortally shall surely be put to death. ​
18
And he that smiteth a beast mortally shall make it good, life for life.
19
And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him: ​
20
breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be rendered unto him.
21
And he that killeth a beast shall make it good: and he that killeth a man shall be put to death.
22
Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the sojourner, as for the home-born: for I am Jehovah your God. ​
23
And Moses spake to the children of Israel; and they brought forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. And the children of Israel did as Jehovah commanded Moses. ​

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

Study Notes for Leviticus 24

Verse 2

pure oil olive beaten — Zak is clear, pure, and kathith is beaten, crushed rather than pressed. The command repeats Ex 27:20, 'pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always'. 'Continually' is tamid, the word that runs through the chapter for the lamps (vv.2–4) and the bread (v.8). Abijah later pointed to the lamps still lit (2 Chr 13:11).

Verse 3

shall Aaron order it — Arak is to set in order, the verb used again of the lamps in v.4 and of the bread in v.8. The place is 'without the vail of the testimony', in the holy place, with the lampstand opposite the table (Ex 26:35). Ex 27:21 gives the same hours, 'from evening to morning', and the same 'statute for ever'.

Verse 5

twelve cakes — Challah is a cake of fine flour, here 'two tenth deals' to the cake, the measure of the loaves in 23:17. The bread is called 'shewbread' (Ex 25:30), literally the bread of the face, set 'before me alway'. Verse 6 sets the cakes 'in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table'.

Verse 7

pure frankincense upon each row — Lebonah is frankincense, laid on the rows as a 'memorial' (azkarah), the same word for the portion of a grain offering burnt on the altar (2:2, 'the priest shall burn the memorial of it'). It is 'an offering made by fire unto the LORD', while the bread itself is removed and eaten (v.9).

Verse 8

Every sabbath he shall set it in order — Arak again, as for the lamps. The bread is renewed each Sabbath, and the Kohathites were 'over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath' (1 Chr 9:32). It is called 'continual' (tamid) bread in Num 4:7, and the arrangement stands 'by an everlasting covenant' (berith olam).

Verse 9

most holy unto him — The bread goes to 'Aaron and his sons', who 'shall eat it in the holy place', as the remainder of a grain offering is eaten 'in the court of the tabernacle' (6:16). Christ cites David, who 'did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests' (Mark 2:26; 1 Sam 21:4–6).

Verse 10

the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian — A 'mixed multitude' had gone up from Egypt with Israel (Ex 12:38). The man is not named, while his mother is (v.11). The incident happens 'in the camp' (machaneh), and it is the camp that is the place of sentence in vv.14 and 23.

Verse 11

blasphemed the name of the LORD — Naqab is to pierce or specify: the man pronounced the Name with a curse (qalal, as in 20:9). Verse 16 names the object, 'the name of the LORD', which Ex 3:15 calls 'my name for ever' and 'my memorial unto all generations'. His mother Shelomith is of Dan, named with her father Dibri.

Verse 12

the mind of the LORD — The Hebrew is literally the mouth of the LORD, peh, and 'shewed' is parash, to make distinct. The same parash appears in Num 15:34, where a Sabbath breaker is put 'in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him'. In both cases the sentence comes from the LORD, as Moses also 'brought their cause before the LORD' (Num 27:5).

Verse 14

lay their hands upon his head — Samak is the verb for laying a hand on the head of an offering (1:4) and on the live goat of the day of atonement (16:21). Here those who 'heard him' do it, and then 'all the congregation' stones him outside the camp. Deut 17:7 says of capital cases, 'The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him'.

Verse 16

he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD — The sentence is stoning, by 'all the congregation', and it falls alike on 'the stranger' (ger) and 'he that is born in the land' (ezrach). Verse 15 separates the lesser case: 'Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin'. The Jews took up stones against Christ 'for blasphemy' (John 10:33).

Verse 17

he that killeth any man — The Hebrew is to strike the life of a man (nakah nephesh adam). The sentence is the one stated to Noah: 'Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man' (Gen 9:6). The killing of a beast is a different case, 'beast for beast' (v.18).

Verse 19

cause a blemish in his neighbour — Mum is the blemish of chapters 21–22, here a bodily injury done to another. Verse 20 spells it out, 'Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth', as Deut 19:21 does. Christ cites it in the Sermon on the Mount, 'Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth' (Matt 5:38).

Verse 22

one manner of law — Mishpat echad, one judgment for the stranger (ger) and the native (ezrach). The same footing is given for the passover, 'one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land' (Num 9:14), and in general (Ex 12:49). It follows the case of the son of an Egyptian, who was judged by the same law as an Israelite.

Verse 23

did as the LORD commanded Moses — The sentence of v.14 is carried out outside the camp, the same procedure as the Sabbath breaker of Num 15:36, 'as the LORD commanded Moses'. Hebrews recalls that under the law 'every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward' (Heb 2:2).