Leviticus


Sacrifices and Feasts


  Reading time approx 2,5 hours

Read now
About this book 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

About Leviticus

In Hebrew, the book is called Vayikra, which means "and he called," because it is the first word in the text describing how the Lord calls Moses, see verse 1. The third book of Moses is also called Leviticus (Latin for "the Levites"), i.e. "the book of the priests." Here Moses conveys the instructions that God gave him during the last month at Mount Sinai on how the people and the priests should live. At first glance, this book may be the most difficult for a modern reader to relate to. Are various sacrifices really necessary to please God? However, the book lays an important foundation for how man can approach God. In Judaism, a child's studies of the Torah do not begin with the First or Second Book of Moses, but with this third book. The reason given in the textual interpretations is that since the sacrifices are holy and the children are pure, let the pure handle the pure. The Epistle to the Hebrews serves as a commentary on Leviticus and shows how Jesus' blood won eternal redemption, see Heb. 9:11–12.

The basic Hebrew verb qara (of which vajikra is composed) has several meanings. In addition to calling someone (which is done by name), it is also used to invite (which is also usually done by name) or proclaim (which is often done either in someone's name or to a named person). But without exception, it is this word that is used every time in the Bible when someone is to be named, precisely in the sense of "gave him the name" or "he/she shall be called."

There is a biblical code that runs through the introduction to all five books of Moses. If you take the first occurrence of the letter tav and count 49 letters, the 50th letter is vav. With another 49 letters in between, resh and he follow. Between the first and fifth verses of Genesis, the word Torah (תורה) appears with 49 letters in between. The same pattern is also found in Exodus. The introduction to the Fourth and Fifth Books of Moses contain the same letters, but in the opposite reading direction (he–resh–vav–tav). However, this Bible code is not found in the Third Book of Moses. Instead, the word JHVH (יהוה) is encoded with 7 letters in between! The five books of Moses thus form a chiasm where the Torah points inward toward God's own name JHVH, to the book called Vajikra, which can also be translated from Hebrew as "He shall be called."

Gen. – TORAH →
Ex. – TORAH →
Lev. – JHVH
   Num. – HAROT ←
5 Num. – HAROT ←

In the Hebrew Bible, the Books of Moses are not divided into five different books but constitute a single scroll. However, a corresponding division into books, chapters, and verses has been made in the scroll to make it easier to find different sections. The books of Moses are called Torah in Hebrew, which means teaching or instruction. Torah thus points to the center, the Third Book of Moses, where God's own name is encoded in every seventh letter of the first verse.

It is no coincidence that the distance to form the word Torah is exactly 49 letters. The number 49 is 7 times 7, and the number 7 means completion – to finish. Every 7th day is a Sabbath, every 7th year is a sabbatical year, and when 7 sabbatical years have been celebrated, i.e. 49 years, it is a jubilee year. The Jubilee Year is about everything being restored, all property returning to its rightful owner, all debts being written off, and all slaves being set free. God's original order of creation is restored! This is only possible when a redeemer voluntarily undertakes the task of paying the full price for the redemption. Those who choose to become a goel (redeemer) cannot choose to redeem partially. It is either all or nothing. Leviticus describes the price and conditions in detail. God Himself is our Redeemer.

Structure:
The book is written as a chiasm. There is a movement toward the most holy place, culminating in reconciliation.

A Holy rituals (1-7)
  B A holy priesthood (8-10)
     C A holy people (11-15)
      D The Day of Atonement (16)
    C´ A holy people (17-20)
  B´ A holy priesthood (21-22)
A´ Holy Rituals (22-25)
Conclusion (26-27)

Report a problem

Table of Contents

Table of Contents


Persons (16) BETA

Persons in Leviticus


Places (8)

Places in Leviticus


Unique words (148)

Unique words in Leviticus



  Written: Around the year 1445 BC

Covers the period: 1445 BC, see Ex. 40:1; Num. 1:1

Author: Moses.

Reading time: ca 2,5 hours.

Total amount of words in this book: 11950

  Reading settings

Click the the gear settings in the menu for more settings. You can for example choose to hide chapter or verse numbers.

Tip! Click on a verse or chapter number in the text and you will see the exact hebrew words in an interlinear versionBETA where every word is linked to the Hebrew lexicon.

Reading view:

  Core Bible translation without expansions () or explanations [].
Text size:

Leviticus

HOLY SACRIFICES (chapters 1-7)

The Burnt Offering (Lev. 6:8-13)

11And the Lord (Yahweh) called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting (Hebr. óhel móed). He said: 2Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: If any of you wants to bring an offering to the Lord (Yahweh), he shall bring his offering from his herd, from the cattle or small livestock (sheep and goats), and present it as a blood sacrifice.
[The phrase "bring" is Hebr. korban, which means to offer a blood sacrifice, as opposed to mincha (Gen. 4:3; Lev. 2:1), where something is offered without the shedding of blood, such as grain or wine. The desired result of these blood sacrifices is that they are received favorably by the Lord (Yahweh). The word for "grace" here (in verse 3) is ratson, which describes something that could be described as "conditional grace." The condition for grace is that the sacrifice must be flawless. Then it is accepted and grace is given. Jesus was the flawless lamb, see 1 Pet. 1:19 and Ex. 12:5. See also Deut. 33:16; Isaiah 60:1; Ps. 5:13.]

Herd

3If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male animal without blemish. He shall offer it at the entrance of the meeting tent of the congregation (Hebr. óhel móed) for mercy (for favor, conditional mercy – Hebr. ratson) before the Lord (Yahweh). 4And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall give mercy (conditional mercy – Hebr. ratson) and make atonement for (cover over – Hebr. kapar) him. 5And he shall kill the ox before the Lord (Yahweh), and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall take the blood and sprinkle it around the altar that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 6And he shall skin the burnt offering and divide it into its pieces. 7And Aaron's sons, the priests [singular – the high priest], shall put fire on the altar and arrange the wood on the fire. [The fire was to burn continuously and never be extinguished, see Lev. 6:13. This may be the reason why the word priest (Hebr. kohen) is used in the singular here, while the plural kohanim is used in verses 5 and 8.] 8and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall arrange the pieces, the head and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. 9But he shall wash the entrails and the legs in water, and the priest shall burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering (Hebr. olah), a fire offering (Hebr. isheh) of a sweet aroma to the Lord (Yahweh).

Small livestock

10And if his offering is from the flock, from the sheep or from the goats as a burnt offering, he shall bring a male without blemish. 11And he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord (Yahweh), and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood around the altar. 12And he shall divide it into its pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. 13But he shall wash the entrails and the legs in water, and the priest shall take it all and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord (Yahweh).

Birds

14And if the burnt offering of his sacrifice to the Lord (Yahweh) is from birds, he shall bring his sacrifice of pigeons or young turtledoves. 15And the priest shall bring it to the altar and twist off its head and burn it on the altar, and its blood shall be poured out beside the altar. 16And he shall take off its skin with its feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place of the ashes. 17And he shall split it with its wings, but not divide it completely, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire, as a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord (Yahweh).

The food offering

Grain (Lev. 6:14-23)

21And when anyone (literally, a soul) wants to offer a food offering [Hebr. mincha] to the Lord (Yahweh), his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put incense on it. 2And he shall bring it before Aaron's sons, the priests. The priest shall take a handful [i.e., a small portion] of the flour, together with the oil and all the incense, and he shall burn this memorial portion (as a memorial offering – Hebr. azkarah) on the altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord (Yahweh). 3What remains of the food offering is for [shall be used by] Aaron and his sons, the most holy part of the Lord's (Yahweh's) fire. [The part of the flour that was burned on the altar was called azkarah (memorial offering), as a remembrance before the Lord (Yahweh). The rest was for the priests to use. The word is used 7 times, see Lev. 2:9, 16; 5:12; 6:15; 24:7; Deut. 5:26. In Lev. 6:14–23, the food offerings are described in more detail.]

Baked bread

4And when you bring a food offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened bread made of fine flour mixed with oil, or cakes of fine flour mixed with oil. 5And if the offering is a food offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened and drizzled with oil. 6You shall break it into pieces and pour oil on it; it is a food offering. 7And if your offering is a food offering baked in a frying pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 8And you shall take the food offering that you have made from these things to the Lord (Yahweh), and when it is presented to the priest, he shall take it to the altar. 9And the priest shall take from the food offering a memorial portion and burn it on the altar; it is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord (Yahweh). 10What remains of the food offering shall be [used by] Aaron and his sons, the most holy part of the Lord's (Yahweh's) fire. [In the same way as the flour in verse 3.]

Without leaven—with salt

11No grain offering brought to the Lord (Yahweh) shall be made with leaven, for you shall not burn any leaven or honey in any fire offering to the Lord (Yahweh). 12As for the offerings of first fruits, you shall offer them to the Lord (Yahweh), but they shall not be burned on the altar as a sweet aroma.
     13And all your grain offerings you shall season with salt; you shall not let the salt of the covenant of your God (Elohim) be lacking from any of your grain offerings; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. [Salt was used for preservation and was often used symbolically to show that, for example, a covenant was long-lasting. Entering into a salt covenant is considered a full equivalent to a blood covenant.]

First fruits

14And if you offer a food offering of your first fruits to the Lord (Yahweh), you shall offer green ears (unripe grain) that are dried (roasted) in fire as well as fully ripe ears. 15And you shall pour oil on it and put incense on it; it is a food offering. 16And the priest shall burn the memorial portion of it, part of its ripe ears and part of its oil with all its incense. It is a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh).

The fellowship offering

From the herd (Lev. 7:11-36)

31And if his offering is a shalom offering (communal offering – Hebr. zevach shelamim), if he offers it from the herd – whether male or female – it shall be without blemish (pure – Hebr. tamim) before the Lord (Yahweh). 2And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood around the altar. 3And he shall offer the peace offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord (Yahweh), the fat that surrounds the entrails and all its inner fat, 4and the two kidneys and the fat on them, which are near the loins, and the membranes over the liver (and) over the kidneys, he shall remove. 5And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is on top of the wood that is on the fire; it is a sacrifice made by fire as a sweet aroma to the Lord (Yahweh).

From small livestock

6And if his offering for a peace offering (communal offering – Hebr. zevach shelamim) to the Lord (Yahweh) comes from small livestock – male or female – it shall be without blemish (pure – Hebr. tamim) before the Lord (Yahweh). 7If he offers a lamb as his sacrifice, he shall offer it before the Lord (Yahweh). 8And he shall lay his hand on the head of his sacrifice and kill it in front of the meeting tent of the congregation, and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood on the altar all around. 9And he shall offer the peace offering, a sacrifice made by fire to the Lord (Yahweh), its fat and its entire fat tail [sheep in the Middle East are known for their thick tails] he shall remove near the tailbone (end of the spine, sacrum; Latin: sacrum), and the fat covering the entrails and all the fat on the entrails, 10and the two kidneys and the fat on them, which are near the loins, and the membranes over the liver (and) over the kidneys, he shall remove. 11And the priest shall burn it on the altar; it is a food offering made by fire to the Lord (Yahweh).
     12And if his offering is a goat, he shall offer it before the Lord (Yahweh). 13And he shall lay his hand upon its head and kill it before the meeting tent of the congregation, and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle its blood around the altar. 14And he shall offer his offering, a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh), the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 15and the two kidneys and the fat on them, which are near the loins, and the membranes over the liver (and) over the kidneys, he shall remove. 16And the priest shall burn it on the altar; it is a food offering made by fire, a sweet aroma; all the fat is the Lord's (Yahweh's).
     17It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations wherever you dwell, that you shall not eat any fat or any blood.

The sin offering (Lev. 6:24-30)

41The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said: 2Speak to the sons of Israel and say: If anyone (literally, a soul) sins unintentionally against any of the commandments (clear commands) of the Lord (Yahweh) concerning the things that should not be done, and yet does so against one of them [any of the following commandments, see verses 3, 13, 27, and 32]:

Sin offering for the priest

3If the priest who is anointed sins like the people, let him bring to the Lord (Yahweh) a young bull without blemish (pure – Hebr. tamim) as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. 4And he shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the Lord (Yahweh), and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the Lord (Yahweh). 5And the priest who is anointed shall take some of the bull's blood and bring it into the tent of meeting, 6and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle the blood seven times before the Lord (Yahweh), in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 7And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord (Yahweh), which is in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood (all the blood) of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
     8And he shall remove all the fat from the bull for the sin offering, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 9and the two kidneys and the fat on them, which are near the loins, and the membranes over the liver (and) over the kidneys, he shall remove them, 10just as it is removed from the ox for the peace offering, and the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 11And the skin of the bull and all its flesh with its head and with its bones and its entrails and its refuse (slaughter remains), 12he shall carry the whole bull outside the camp to a clean place where the ashes are spread out, and burn it on wood with fire. Where the ashes are spread out, it shall be burned.

Sin offering for the whole assembly

13If the whole assembly of Israel sins unintentionally, and this is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something (one thing) against any of the commandments (clear commands) of the Lord (Yahweh) concerning the things that should not be done, and are guilty, 14when the sin they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull (literally: 'a son of cattle') for the sin and bring it before the meeting tent. 15And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord (Yahweh), and the bull shall be killed before the Lord (Yahweh). 16And the priest who is anointed shall bring the blood of the bull into the tent of meeting, 17and the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord (Yahweh), in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 18And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord (Yahweh), which is in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood (all the blood) of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 19And he shall take all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. 20And he shall do with the bull as he did with the bull of the sin offering; so shall he do with it, and the priest shall make atonement for them (cover them – Hebr. kapar), and they shall be forgiven. 21And he shall carry the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is a sin offering for the congregation (the church).

Sin offering for the leader

22When a leader has sinned and done something unintentionally against something (a thing) against any of the commandments (clear commands) of the Lord (Yahweh) his God (Elohim) concerning the things that should not be done, and is guilty, 23or if his sin that he has sinned with comes to his knowledge, he shall bring his offering, a flawless (pure, innocent – Hebr. tamim) male kid, 24and he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where the burnt offering is killed before the Lord (Yahweh), it is a sin offering. 25And the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and sprinkle some of the blood on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. The rest of the blood (all the blood) he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26And he shall burn all its fat on the altar, as the fat of the peace offerings, and the priest shall make atonement for him (cover him – Hebr. kapar) for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

Sin offering for a person

27And if anyone (a soul; an individual – Hebr. nefesh) sins unintentionally when he does something (a thing) against any of the Lord's (Yahweh's) commandments (clear commands) concerning the things that should not be done, and is guilty, 28or if his sin that he has sinned comes to his knowledge, he shall bring his offering, a flawless (pure, innocent – Hebr. tamim) female goat, for the sin that he has sinned. 29And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of (where one kills) the burnt offering. 30And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle some of the blood on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. The rest of the blood (all the blood) he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 31And he shall remove all its fat as the fat is removed from the peace offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma to the Lord (Yahweh), and the priest shall make atonement for him (cover him – Hebr. kapar) and he shall be forgiven.
     32And if he brings a lamb as a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish (pure – Hebr. tamim). 33And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it as a sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is killed. 34And the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. The rest of the blood (all the blood) he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 35And he shall remove all its fat, as the fat is removed from the lamb of the peace offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, as the offerings made by fire to the Lord (Yahweh), and the priest shall make atonement for (cover) his sin which he has confessed, and he shall be forgiven.

Additional rules for sin offerings

51And if anyone (a soul; an individual – Hebr. nefesh) sins and hears the voice that swears (takes an oath) and is a witness who has seen or knows about it, if he does not tell anything, then he shall bear his sin.
     2Or if anyone (a soul) touches anything unclean, whether it is the carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and it has been hidden from him, he shall also be unclean and guilty.
     3Or if he touches the unclean of a human being, whatever uncleanness defiles a human being, and it is hidden from him, when he knows (becomes aware of) it, he shall be guilty.
     4Or if someone (a soul) swears (takes an oath) and utters with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatever it is that a human being says with an oath, and it is hidden from him, when he knows (becomes aware of) it, he shall be guilty in either respect.
     5And it shall be, when he is guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he has sinned in this. 6And he shall bring the sacrifice for his transgression to the Lord (Yahweh) for the sin he has sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid as a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.
7And if he cannot bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his transgression which he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the Lord (Yahweh), one for a guilt offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer the one that is for the sin offering first, and shall twist off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it completely. 9And he shall sprinkle the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10And he shall offer the other as a burnt offering according to the ordinance (for burnt offerings), and the priest shall make atonement for him (cover him) for his sin which he has sinned, and he shall be forgiven.
11But if he cannot afford to bring two pigeons or two turtledoves, then he who has sinned shall bring as his offering a tenth of an ephah [3.5 liters] of fine flour as a sin offering; he shall not pour oil on it, nor shall he put incense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12He shall bring it [the flour] to the priest, and the priest shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion (as a reminder offering – Hebr. azkarah) [Lev. 2:2] and burn it on the altar with the Lord's (Yahweh's) burnt offering. It is a sin offering. 13And the priest shall make atonement for him (cover him) concerning his sin which he has committed in any of these, and he shall be forgiven. And what remains shall be the priest's as a food offering.

The guilt offering (Lev. 7:1-10)

[The guilt offering concerns sins where someone has stolen, forfeited, or withheld property from fellow human beings, and then the stolen property must be returned and one-fifth of its value paid as compensation.] 14The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

Conscious transgression

15If anyone (a soul; individual – Hebr. nefesh) commits a transgression (wrongdoing) and sins unintentionally with the holy things of the Lord (Yahweh), he shall bring to the Lord (Yahweh) a flawless (pure – Hebr. tamim) ram from his flock, with a sum of silver in shekels according to your valuation [estimated by the priest], according to the sanctuary shekel, as a guilt offering. 16And he shall make restitution for the damage he has caused to the holy things, and shall add a fifth of the value and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.

Unconscious transgression

17And if anyone (a soul; an individual – Hebr. nefesh) sins and does any of these things that are forbidden by the commandments of the Lord (Yahweh), even if he did not know it, he is guilty and shall bear his transgression. 18And he shall bring a flawless (pure, innocent – Hebr. tamim) ram from his flock, with a [by the priest's estimation] comparable sum, as a guilt offering to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his negligence, whereby he has done wrong without knowing (understanding) it, and he shall be forgiven. [Cf. verse 15.] 19It is a guilt offering; he is indeed guilty before the Lord (Yahweh).

Transgressions through lies

61The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said: 2If anyone (a soul) sins and confesses a transgression against the Lord (Yahweh) and acts falsely toward his neighbor with a deposit, or with a pledge, or with theft, or has oppressed his neighbor, 3or has found something lost and been dishonest with it, or lied under oath. If any person has done any of these things and sinned, 4then it shall be done, if he who has sinned and is guilty, shall return (restore) what he has stolen or what he has acquired by oppression, or the deposit or pledge that was with him, or the lost thing that was found, 5or whatever else he has sworn falsely about. He shall restore it in full and add a fifth more to it [20% extra of its value] to the one to whom it belongs, he shall give it to him on the day he is found guilty. 6And he shall bring the forfeited item to the Lord (Yahweh), a flawless (pure, innocent – Hebr. tamim) ram from his flock, according to its estimated value, as a guilt offering to the priest. 7And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord (Yahweh), and he shall be forgiven for whatever he has done wrong.

Rules for the priests (6:8-7:38)

8The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said: 9Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. It is the burnt offering on the fire on the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. 10And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers shall he put on his body (literally over his flesh), and shall take up the ashes which the fire has consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 11And he shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not go out, and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning and arrange the burnt offering on it, and he shall burn the fat of the peace offering on it. 13The fire shall always burn on the altar; it shall never go out.

The grain offering for the people

14This is the teaching concerning the food offering. Aaron's sons shall offer it before the Lord (Yahweh), in front of the altar. 15And he shall take his hand full of it, of the flour of the grain offering and of its oil, and all its incense that is on the grain offering, and shall burn it on the altar as a sweet aroma, and a memorial to the Lord (Yahweh). 16And the rest of it shall be eaten by Aaron and his sons. It shall be eaten with unleavened bread in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. 17It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it to them as their portion of my burnt offering. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. 18All the men of Aaron's sons shall eat of it. It shall be a perpetual statute (literally "things engraved") in your generations concerning the Lord's (Yahweh's) burnt offerings. Everyone who touches them (is, becomes) shall be holy.

The food offering for the priests

19The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said: 20This is the offering of Aaron and his sons, which they shall offer to the Lord (Yahweh) on the day he is anointed. A tenth of an ephah [3.5 liters] of fine flour as a perpetual food offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. 21It shall be made in a pan with oil, and when it is baked, you shall bring forth the baked pieces of the food offering and you shall offer it as a sweet aroma to the Lord (Yahweh). 22And the priests among his sons who are anointed in his place [in future generations] shall offer it. It is a perpetual statute (literally "things engraved") to the Lord (Yahweh). It shall be burned entirely. 23For all food offerings offered by the priests shall be burned completely. They shall not be eaten. [There is a difference between the priest's own offering and the offerings they handle on behalf of the people.]

The sin offering

24[In the case of sin offerings and guilt offerings (Lev. 7:1–10), the offering is divided between the priest and the altar, and the one who brings the offering has no part in it, as he did with the fellowship offering. Since sin and guilt offerings are about repentance, it is more appropriate to fast than to have a feast.] The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses, saying: 25Speak to Aaron and his sons and say, "This is the teaching about the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the Lord (Yahweh). It is most holy. 26The priest who performs the sin offering shall eat it; it shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tabernacle. 27Whatever touches its flesh shall be holy, and if any of its blood is sprinkled on any garment, you shall wash that which was sprinkled in a holy place. 28But the earthenware vessels that have been defiled shall be broken, and if it is a bronze vessel that has been defiled, it shall be scrubbed and rinsed in water. 29All the men among the priests shall eat it. It is most holy. 30But no sin offering whose blood has been brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement for the holy shall be eaten. It shall be burned in the fire.

The guilt offering

71This is the teaching about the guilt offering (Hebr. asham). It is most holy. 2In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the guilt offering shall be killed, and its blood shall be sprinkled around the altar. 3And he [the one who makes the guilt offering] shall offer all its fat, the rump and the fat that covers the entrails, 4and the two kidneys and the fat on them, which are near the loins, and the membranes over the liver (and) over the kidneys, he shall remove. 5And the priest shall burn it on the altar as a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh). It is a guilt offering. 6Every male among the priests shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.
     7Like the sin offering, so is the guilt offering; there is a teaching about them. The priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.
8And the priest who sacrifices any man's burnt offering shall have the skin of the burnt offering which he has sacrificed. 9And all the food offerings that are baked in the oven and everything that is prepared in the frying pan and in the pan shall belong to the priest who sacrifices it. 10And all the grain offerings, both the oil-mixed and the dry, shall belong to Aaron's sons, one as much as the other.

The fellowship offering

11This is the teaching concerning the peace offering, which he shall offer to the Lord (Yahweh).
     12If he offers it as a thank offering, then he shall offer it with the thank offering, unleavened bread mixed with oil, and unleavened cakes spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour mixed with oil. 13Along with the cakes, he shall offer leavened bread with the thank offering to his peace offering. 14And from them he shall offer one of all the offerings as a wave offering to the Lord (Yahweh), and it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering. 15And the meat from his peace offering as a thanksgiving shall be eaten on the same day it is sacrificed; none of it shall be left until morning.
     16But if the sacrifice he offers is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten on the day it is offered, and in the morning the remainder shall be eaten. 17But if any of the meat from the sacrifice remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. 18But if any of the meat from his peace offering (communion offering) is eaten on the third day, no mercy (conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsah) shall be given [the offering shall not be accepted], it shall not be credited to him who offers it, but it shall be an abomination, and the person (the soul) who eats of it shall bear his sin.
     19And meat that touches anything unclean shall not be eaten; it shall be burned in the fire. And the meat, all who are clean shall eat the meat. 20But the person (soul) who eats of the flesh of the peace offering that belongs to the Lord (Yahweh), he has his uncleanness upon him. That person (soul) shall be cut off (cut down) from his people. 21The person (soul) who touches anything unclean, such as the uncleanness of a human being or an unclean animal, or any abominable unclean thing, and eats of the meat sacrificed as a peace offering belonging to the Lord (Yahweh), that person (soul) shall be cut off (cut down) from his people.

The fat and the blood

22The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said: 23Speak to the sons of Israel and say: You shall not eat any fat, whether from oxen, sheep, or goats. 24But the fat from animals that have died naturally, and the fat from animals torn by wild beasts, you may use for other purposes, but you shall not eat any of it. 25Whoever eats the fat of an animal that a man has sacrificed as a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh), that person (soul) who eats it shall be cut off (cut down) from his people. 26You shall not eat any blood, whether it be from a bird or an animal, anywhere where you live. 27Whatever individual (soul) eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off (exterminated) from its people.

The priests' share of the fellowship offering

28The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said: 29Speak to the sons of Israel and say: Anyone who offers a shalom sacrifice (communal sacrifice) to the Lord (Yahweh) shall bring his animal sacrifice to the Lord (Yahweh) from his shalom sacrifice. 30His own hands shall bring the offering to the Lord (Yahweh), made with fire. He shall bring the fat with the breast so that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the Lord (Yahweh). 31And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. 32And he shall give the right thigh to the priest as a wave offering from your peace offerings (communion offerings). 33The one among Aaron's sons who offers the blood and the fat from the peace offering shall have the right thigh as his portion. 34I have taken the wave offering and the wave offering thigh from the sons of Israel from their peace offerings, and given it to Aaron the priest and his sons as a statute (literally, "things engraved") forever among the sons of Israel.
     35This is the portion of Aaron's anointing, and of his sons' anointing, from the Lord's (Yahweh's) burnt offering, on the day he presented them to minister before the Lord (Yahweh) to serve as priests, 36which the Lord (Yahweh) commanded to give them from the sons of Israel on the day he anointed them as an everlasting ordinance (literally "things engraved") for their generations to come.

Summary

[Now the sacrifices are summarized in chapters 1-7.] 37This is the teaching about
    burnt offerings [Lev. 1],
    grain offerings [Lev. 2]
    and sin offerings [Lev. 4]
    and guilt offerings [Deut. 5]
    and consecration offerings (filling) [of the hand, see Lev. 8:33]
    and peace offerings (offerings for wholeness and community – Hebr. shelem) [Lev. 3],
38which the Lord (Yahweh) commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day when he commanded the sons of Israel to offer their sacrifices to the Lord (Yahweh) in the wilderness of Sinai.

A HOLY PRIESTHOOD (chapters 8-10)

The ordination of Aaron and his sons

81The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said: 2"Take Aaron and his sons,
    and the garments
    and the anointing oil
    and a bull as a sin offering [Lev. 4:3]
    and two rams
    and a basket of unleavened bread,
3and gather the whole assembly together at the entrance to the tent of meeting."
4And Moses did as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded, and the assembly gathered together at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
5And Moses said to the assembly, "These are the things that the Lord (Yahweh) has commanded to be done. 6And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. 7And he put the garments on him [Ex. 28:39–41] and girded him with the sash and clothed him with the robe of office [Ex. 28:39–41] and put the ephod [Ex. 28:6–14] on him and girded him with the ephod's magnificent belt and fastened it [the ephod] on him with it [the magnificent belt]. 8And he put the breastplate on him [Ex. 28:15–30], and in the breastplate he put the Urim and the Thummim.
[Urim and Thummim were the names of the two objects (probably two small stones or rods) that the priest carried in his breastplate and which were probably used for casting lots, see Ex. 28:30; 1 Sam. 14:42.] 9And he put the headdress on his head and placed the golden plate, the holy crown, on his forehead, as the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded Moses. [Ex. 28:36]
10Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle (Hebr. miskan) and everything in it, and consecrated it. 11And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar [Ex. 27:1–8] and all its utensils, both the laver [Ex. 30:17–21] and its base, to consecrate them. 12And he poured the anointing oil on Aaron's head [Ps. 133] and anointed him, to consecrate him. 13And Moses brought Aaron's sons and clothed them [Ex. 28:39–41] and girded them with sashes and put headdresses on them, as the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded Moses.
14And he brought the bull for the sin offering [Lev. 4:3], and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering. 15And he slaughtered it, and Moses took the blood and spread it with his finger on the horns of the altar [the four corners, see Ex. 27:2] all around and purified the altar and poured the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated (set apart) it to bring atonement (cover) on it. 16And he took all the fat that covers the entrails, and the membranes that are over the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses burned it on the altar. 17But the bull and its skin, its flesh, and its offal (slaughter remains) he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded Moses. [Ex. 29:14]
18And he brought the ram for the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17], and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 19And he slaughtered it, and Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar all around. 20And he divided the ram into pieces, and Moses burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21And he washed the entrails and the legs in water, and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering with a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord (Yahweh), as the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded Moses.
22And he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 23And he slaughtered it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on Aaron's right ear lobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot [Ex. 29:20]. 24And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put blood on their right earlobes, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar all around. 25And he took the fat and the fat tail and all the fat that was on the entrails and the membranes over the liver and the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh, 26and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord (Yahweh) [Ex. 25:30], he took one unleavened cake and one cake of oiled bread and one cake and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. 27And he placed everything on the hands of Aaron and on the hands of his sons and waved them as a wave offering before the Lord (Yahweh). 28And Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is the consecration offering, a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord (Yahweh). 29And Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before the Lord (Yahweh), it was Moses' share of the priestly consecration ram—as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded Moses.
30And Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes with him, and consecrated (set apart) Aaron and his clothes and his sons and their clothes with him.
31And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "Boil the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket for the consecration, as I have commanded and said, Aaron and his sons shall eat it. 32And whatever is left of the meat and the bread, you shall burn in the fire. 33And you shall not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are over; for seven days you shall consecrate yourselves. 34As he has done this day, so the Lord (Yahweh) has commanded to do, to make atonement for (cover over) you. 35Therefore, you shall remain at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, and keep watch over what the Lord (Yahweh) has commanded, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded. 36So Aaron and his sons did everything that the Lord (Yahweh) commanded through Moses.

The priests begin their service

91And on the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2And he said to Aaron, "Take a young calf, a bull calf (literally: "son of cattle"), as a sin offering, and a flawless (tamim, pure) ram as a burnt offering, and offer them before the Lord (Yahweh). 3And you shall speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: 'Take a kid from the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without blemish (tamim, clean) as a burnt offering, 4and a bull and a ram for a peace offering, to sacrifice before the Lord (Yahweh), and grain offerings mixed with oil, for today the Lord (Yahweh) will appear to you.
     5And they brought what Moses commanded to the opening of the tent of meeting, and all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord (Yahweh). 6And Moses said, "This is what the Lord (Yahweh) has commanded to be done, and the glory (weight) of the Lord (Yahweh) shall appear to you."
     7And Moses said to Aaron, "Go to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement (cover) for yourself and for the people, and offer the people's offering and make atonement (cover) for them, as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded.
     8And Aaron went to the altar and slaughtered the calf for the sin offering that was for himself. 9And Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar. 10But the fat and the kidneys and the membranes over the liver of the sin offering he burned on the altar, as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded Moses. 11And he burned the flesh and the skin in the fire outside the camp.
     12And he slaughtered the burnt offering, and Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it around the altar. 13And they brought the burnt offering to him with its parts and its head, and he burned them on the altar. 14And he washed the entrails and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.
     15And he brought the people's offering and took the goat that was the people's sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for sin, as the first (the people's first sin offering).
     16And he brought the burnt offering and offered it according to the regulations. 17And he brought the grain offering and took a handful of it and burned it on the altar beside the morning burnt offering.
     18He slaughtered the ox and the ram as peace offerings for the people, and Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, which he sprinkled around the altar. 19And the fat of the bull and the ram, the loin and the covering of the entrails and the kidneys and the membranes over the liver, 20and they placed the fat on the breast, and he burned the fat on top of the altar. 21And Aaron waved the breast and the right thigh as a wave offering before the Lord (Yahweh), as Moses had commanded.
     22And Aaron lifted his hand toward the people and blessed them, and came down from the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. [Aaron remains standing at the altar, which is an elevated place, when he blesses the people.]
     23And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting and came out and blessed the people. And the glory (weight) of the Lord (Yahweh) appeared to all the people. 24And fire came forth from the face of the Lord (Yahweh) and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

The death of Nadab and Abihu

101And Aaron's [two eldest] sons, Nadab [meaning "generous"] and Abihu [meaning "my father (is) he"], took their censers and put fire in them and laid incense on top and offered strange (unlawful – Hebr. zarah) fire (Hebrew esh) before the Lord (Yahweh), which he had commanded them not to do. 2And fire came forth from the Lord (Yahweh) and consumed them, and they died before the Lord (Yahweh). [The exact transgression is not specified, but Ex. 30:9 forbids offering strange incense (Hebr. ketoret zarah). This was incense that was not prepared in the proper manner, see Ex. 30:34–38. Another suggestion is that they offered it at the wrong time, see Ex. 30:7–8. This event is certainly the basis for the statement in Heb. 12:29.]
3Then Moses said to Aaron:
"This is what the Lord (Yahweh) spoke and said:

'I will be sanctified
    in those who come near me
    and I will be glorified in the sight of all the people.' "
Aaron was silent (as if frozen, not moving, waiting – Hebr. damam). [The word is often used in connection with disasters, see Ezek. 24:17.]
     4And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphhan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncles, and said to them, "Come near, carry your brothers away from the sanctuary out of the camp." 5They came near and carried them away in their garments out of the camp, as Moses had said.
     6And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, "Do not let your hair be loose [do not remove your head covering; do not let your hair be unkempt—do not show outward signs of mourning] and do not tear your clothes, lest you die and the wrath come upon all the people, but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, mourn the fire [that killed Nadab and Abihu] that the Lord (Yahweh) kindled. 7You shall not leave the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord (Yahweh) is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses."
8And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Aaron, saying
9"Do not drink wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you enter the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute (literally 'things engraved') forever throughout your generations,
     10so that you may distinguish between the holy
        and the unholy
        and between the unclean
    and the clean [here is a chiasm with holy/clean and unholy/unclean]
 11and so that you may teach the sons of Israel all the regulations (literally 'things engraved') that the Lord (Yahweh) has spoken to them through Moses."
12And Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left: "Take the grain offering that remains of the Lord's (Yahweh's) burnt offering and eat it without leaven beside the altar, for it is most holy. 13And you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons' due of the Lord's (Yahweh's) burnt offering, for I have commanded it. 14And the breast that is waved and the thigh that is waved you shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for it is your due and your sons' due from the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. 15The thigh and the breast shall be brought with the burnt offerings of fat, to wave it as a wave offering before the Lord (Yahweh), and it shall be yours and your sons with you; it is a perpetual statute (literally "things engraved") that the Lord (Yahweh) has commanded."
16Moses inquired carefully (Hebr. darash darash – literally: "questioning asked," which reinforces the search for) about the sin offering goat [Lev. 4:3; 9:15; 10:1], but behold, it was burned. [The words darash darash are the mathematical center of all Hebrew words in the Torah (the five books of Moses). It is interesting that there are a total of 77 double words in the Torah, such as "Abraham, Abraham" (Gen. 25:19) and "Noah, Noah" (Gen. 6:9). Of these 77 double words, the 39th and middle one is darash, darash right here. It is more than a coincidence that in the middle of all 304,805 words in the five Torah scrolls, the two words (words number 152,402 and 152,403) are also a double word, which in turn is the middle one of all 77 double words! Furthermore, this verse is about Moses carefully searching for the scapegoat, which points to the central question—who can reconcile us with God? John the Baptist (the greatest prophet, see Matt. 11:11) gives the answer: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," see John 1:29.] Then Moses became angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and said:
17"Why did you not eat the sin offering in a holy place? It is most holy, and it has been given to you to bear the transgressions of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord (Yahweh). 18See, the blood of it was not brought into the holy place; you should have eaten it in a holy place, as I commanded.
     19And Aaron spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, this day they have offered their sin offerings and their burnt offerings before the Lord (Yahweh), and such things have happened [the transgression of Nadab and Abihu], and if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the eyes of the Lord (Yahweh)? 20When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

A HOLY PEOPLE (chapters 11-15)

Ritual impurity from animals

[The following five chapters deal with ritual purity. It consists of seven units, all of which begin with "The Lord spoke to Moses" (Lev. 11:1; 12:1; 13:1; 14:1, 33; 15:1; 16:1) and ending with a summary that begins with the words "this is the teaching concerning ..." (Lev. 11:46–47; 12:7; 13:59; 14:32; 14:54–56; 15:32). The seventh and final section deals with the Day of Atonement, when all ritual impurity during the year is forgiven.] 111The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron and said to them:

Clean and unclean land animals (Deut. 14:4-8)

2Speak to the sons of Israel and say: These are the animals you may eat from among all the animals that walk on the earth. 3You may eat any animal that has a split hoof and chews the cud (Hebr. ma'ale gera). [Cattle, sheep, and goats are cloven-hoofed animals whose hooves are divided into two parts. These are animals that chew the cud and have a complex stomach system with three or four chambers. In Deut. 14:4–6, a total of ten animals, both domestic and wild, are mentioned as clean. Many different suggestions have been made as to what makes animals clean or unclean. There are several purely practical implications, such as pork containing trichinella, etc. But perhaps the simplest explanation is that the "Israelites' diet" should also resemble "God's diet." If it could not be sacrificed to God, then it was not suitable to eat either. The rules about what could be eaten set the Israelites apart from other peoples. It was difficult to have fellowship if you could not eat together, see also Mark 7:19; Acts 10:13, 15, 28. These dietary commandments are similar to the commandment Adam and Eve received not to eat from a certain tree, see Gen. 3:2.] 4But these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud or of those that have cloven hooves:
the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves,
    it is unclean for you,
5and the rock hyrax [rock badger, rock hyrax – Hebr. shafan], for it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves,
    it is unclean for you,
6and the female goat (Hebr. arnevet) because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves,
    it is unclean for you,
7and the pig, it has cloven hooves but does not chew the cud (does not chew the cud – Hebr. gera lo jigar),
    it is unclean to you.
[The identification of shafan and arnevet as the rock hyrax and the hare is not entirely clear. The Hebrew word shafan comes from a verb meaning to cover and hide. The description is of a shy animal that "hides" and lives in the ground. The masculine form is arnav, which has to do with soil, and describes an animal that moves on the ground. Interestingly, the feminine form is used for the female. One interpretation is that verses 5-6 identify one and the same species – the male and the female. One problem with this identification is that neither the rock hyrax nor the hare ruminates, according to Carl von Linné's definition. However, the hare has two types of feces. The first type is soft and still contains nutrients. It is eaten again by the hare, which then produces the second type of feces, which are the hard pellets we see as hare droppings. The rock hyrax's stomach is divided into three compartments that process food in several stages. The expression ma´ale gera has been used five times (verses 3, 4, 5, 6) and is translated as "chew the cud," but here the sixth time for the pig (verse 7), another phrase is used (Hebr. gera lo jigar), which is more general to bring food through the throat. By using both of these terms, the Bible broadens its definition of what rumination is, which can include the behavior of the rock hyrax and the hare, even though they are not considered ruminants in modern animal classification.]
 8You shall not eat their meat, nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

Clean and unclean aquatic animals (Deut. 14:9-10)

9You may eat any of the creatures that live in the water. You may eat any creature that has fins and scales in the water, in the seas and in the rivers. 10And everything that does not have fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, and everything that moves in the waters, and of all living things that are in the waters, they shall be an abomination (Hebr. shiqats) to you. 11They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. 12Whatever does not have fins and scales in the water shall be an abomination to you.

Clean and unclean flying creatures (Deut. 14:11-20)

[There are different Hebrew words for birds. In Gen. 1:20 and here, the Hebr. word of is used to describe something that flies. (In the parallel passage in Deut. 14:11, the word tsipor is used, which is an onomatopoeic word for the chirping sound). In the modern biological classification of organisms, the bat (verse 19) is not classified as a bird but as a mammal. However, the list here fulfills the meanings of the Hebrew words. Among the clean birds are: chicken, dove, duck, goose, ptarmigan, quail, turkey, etc.]13And these are the ones you shall regard as detestable among the birds; you shall not eat them, they are detestable [20 kinds of flying creatures that are unclean are now listed]:
the eagle
and the vulture
and the osprey
14and the falcon
and the kite (hawk)
    according to their kinds (their species; classification – Hebr. min),

15all ravens
    according to their kind,
16and the ostrich [Hebr. bat jaana]
and the nightjar
and the seagull
and the hawk
    according to their kinds,

17
(3 Mos 11:17) In May 2008, the hoopoe (Upupa epops) was designated Israel's national bird. It has a distinctive loud call and when excited, it raises a plume of feathers on its head.

In May 2008, the hoopoe (Upupa epops) was designated Israel's national bird. It has a distinctive loud call and when excited, it raises a plume of feathers on its head.

and the little owl [a small owl; the Hebrew word shares its root with cup/beaker]
and the cormorant
and the desert owl
18and the ibis
and the pelican
and the vulture

19and the stork
and the heron
    according to their kinds,
and the hoopoe (Hebr. dochifat)
and the bat. [The word for hoopoe shares its root with words meaning to strike, hit, or crush. It may refer to the hoopoe's call, a staccato, repeated three-syllable "oop-oop-oop." The hoopoe is a relatively small and strikingly beautiful bird that has been designated Israel's national bird in modern times! The word dochifat still means hoopoe today. However, it is doubtful whether the meaning of the word fits the hoopoe, a relatively small bird that is hardly associated with pecking or crushing in any way. Perhaps it refers to woodpeckers instead? These birds have a habit of pecking at trees, which can be seen as a form of pecking, striking, and crushing. In that case, the species in question in the area is the Balkan woodpecker.]

Clean and unclean insects

20All winged (flying) small creatures that walk on four front legs should be abhorrent to you. 21But these winged (flying) creatures that walk on four front legs, which have two legs next to their [four] feet, which jump across the earth. [Hebrew is very precise in its description. The preposition "on" is used for the four "feet" (Hebr. regel) of the four insects in verse 21, and then two stronger legs (Hebr. kera) are described, which it uses to hop. In total, there are six feet and two legs, which correctly describes the six walking legs of this group of insects.] 22Of these, you may eat these:
the swarming locust
    according to its kind,
the devouring locust
    according to its kind,
the beetle
    according to its kind,
and the grasshopper
    according to its kind.
 23But all winged (flying) insects that have four feet [in front] shall be detestable to you.

Impurity from carcasses

24And for these you shall be unclean; whoever touches their carcasses shall be unclean until evening. 25And whoever carries a carcass of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
26The carcass of any animal that has cloven hooves but does not chew the cud is unclean to you; anyone who touches them shall be unclean. 27And whatever walks on its paws among all kinds of four-footed animals, these are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses shall be unclean until evening. 28And he who lifts (carries away) a carcass of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.
29These shall also be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth:
the weasel and the mouse and the turtle
    according to its kind,
30and the snake and the chameleon and the lizard and the snail and the mole.
 31These are unclean to you among all that creep, whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening.
32And anything that happens to fall on them when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is a wooden utensil or clothing or leather or sackcloth, whatever utensil it may be that one does work with, it must be put in water and shall be unclean until evening, then it shall be clean. 33And every earthen vessel into which they fall, whatever it contains, shall be unclean, and you shall break it. 34And all meat that can be eaten, upon which such water falls, shall be unclean, and all drink that can be drunk in any such vessel shall be unclean. 35And every thing on which any part of their carcasses falls shall be unclean, whether it be the oven or various kinds of pots, they shall be broken, for they are unclean and shall be unclean to you. 36But a spring (a fresh spring flow – Hebr. majan) or well (Hebr. bor) with collected (Hebr. miqveh) water shall be clean, only that which comes into contact with the carcass shall be unclean. [For the first time in the chapter, something that is to be clean is now mentioned! The word to defile (Hebr. tame) has been used 19 times so far in the chapter, but here comes the long-awaited word clean (Hebr. tahor). Purification is found in flowing "living" water. So there is hope that the impurity will be washed away. The word miqveh is used for the pool that came to be used for ritual purification baptisms. The same word miqveh is also translated as hope, see Ezra 10:2. The root word is qavah, which means to wait and to twist together. There is hope that the impurity will be cleansed, and the prophet Jeremiah uses the expression Israel's hope (Hebr. Jisrael Miqveh) about the Messiah, see Jer. 14:8; 17:13.]
37And if any part of the carcass falls on seed that is to be sown, it shall be clean. 38But if water is poured over the seed and any part of the carcass falls on it, it shall be unclean to you. [The reason may be that the wet grain was prepared for use in cooking and baking, while the dry grain was not.]
39And if any animal that may be eaten dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening. 40And whoever eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and whoever carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
41And all creeping things that creep on the earth shall be an abomination; they shall not be eaten. 42Whatever goes on its belly, whatever walks on all fours, or whatever has more legs among all the creeping things that creep on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable. 43You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps, nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, so that you become unclean. 44For I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim), therefore you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves in any way with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45For I am the Lord (Yahweh) who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God (Elohim). You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Summary

46This is the teaching about:
    animals (livestock, four-footed animals) [verses 2-8]
    and flying creatures [verses 13-19]
    and about all living creatures that move [in large shoals] in the waters [verses 9-12]
    and about all creatures that crawl on (swarm over) the earth [insects, verses 20-23]

 47To distinguish between the unclean
    and the clean
    and between animals that may be eaten
and animals that may not be eaten.
[Primarily, this distinction has to do with distinguishing the Jewish people, see Rom. 14:3–15; Acts 10:9–29. Jesus declares all food clean, see Mark 7:19.]

Ritual impurity from childbirth

[After giving birth, a woman is considered unclean for seven days, followed by a purification period of several weeks at home. If it is a boy, the period lasts just over a month (33 days), and if it is a girl, it lasts twice as long, just over two months (66 days). The English word "unclean" has a negative connotation, but in Jewish tradition, the word is also used positively to refer to the Torah scroll. The hands of anyone who touches it become "unclean." The meaning is that it is so holy that it must not be touched. For a new mother, the uncleanness and the long purification period are about giving the woman time to recover. It is a time for rest and peace. One of the reasons for the ritual impurity associated with childbirth is probably contact with blood, see Lev. 15:19–24.] 121The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

2Speak to the sons of Israel and say: If a woman has become pregnant and gives birth (has been fertilized and given birth) to a boy, then she shall be unclean for seven days, according to the days of separation for her menstruation, she shall be unclean. 3And on the eighth day he shall be circumcised (literally: 'the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised') [Gen. 17:10–14]

 4She shall then continue her purification for 33 days.
She shall not touch any sacred objects
and shall not come to the tabernacle until her days of purification are complete.
5But if she gives birth to a girl, she shall be unclean for two weeks as during her menstruation
and she shall continue her purification for 66 days.

sacrifice

6And when the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring a year-old lamb as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering [purification offering, see Num. 4:3] at the entrance to the tent of meeting, to the priest 7who shall offer it before the Lord (Yahweh) and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from her blood.

Summary

This is the teaching concerning her who has given birth to a son or daughter. 8If she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean. [This was the offering that Jesus' mother Mary (Miriam) made, see Luke 2:22–24.]

Ritual impurity from mold

The following passage (chapters 13-14) deals with skin diseases and mold on textiles or house walls. The Hebrew word used is tsaraat, which describes various manifestations of mold.
    Since the Greek translation Septuagint used the Greek word lepra, the term became associated with the English word "leprosy" and the disease leprosy (also called Hansen's disease). The Greek word was used for fish scales and also describes flaking skin. The disease leprosy certainly affects the skin, but the Hebrew word (and also the Greek) is a general term for the effects caused by mold. If someone suffers from tsaraat on the skin (the outside of the human body), we usually call it a fungal infection, but if it affects clothing/textiles or houses/house walls, the word mold is used. The King James Bible uses both of these words. The following people in the Old Testament were affected by this disease, apart from Moses (Ex. 4:6) and four men (2 Kings 7:3): Miriam (Num. 12:10), Uzziah (2 Kings 15:5), Naaman (2 Kings 5:1) and Gehazi (2 Kings 5:27).

In Jewish tradition, this affliction is a warning or punishment from God for those who engage in gossip or slander. Being isolated and unable to talk to anyone is an appropriate punishment for those who have a "wicked tongue" (Hebr. lashon hara) – an expression that is also usually translated as gossip or slander, see Ps. 34:14. Miriam was afflicted with tsara when she spoke ill of her brother Moses, see Num. 12:1, 10.
    Similarly, when this affliction strikes a house, it is considered a warning or punishment for those who are stingy or unhelpful and unwilling to share or lend to their fellow man. Here, the punishment is that all possessions must be displayed for public viewing outside the house for at least a week (Lev. 14:36). Then it is easy to see if one has lied and said that one does not have what someone else needs, or if one says that one is poor when in fact one is not.

131 The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

2When a person has something on the skin of their body (their flesh) that
    rises up (a swelling)
    or a rash (scabies)
    or a light spot
and it is on his skin on his body (flesh) like a spot with a fungal infection (mold – Hebr. tsaraat), then he shall be brought to the priest Aaron or to one of his sons, the priests. 3And the priest shall look at the spot on the skin of the body (flesh), and if the hair in the spot has turned white and if the spot looks deeper than the skin of his body, it is a spot with a fungal infection (mold), and the priest shall look at (examine) him and declare him unclean.

1 – Light spot on the skin

4If the light spot turns white in the skin of his body and does not appear deeper than the skin, and if the hair on it does not turn white, then the priest shall shut him up (isolate him) who has the spot for seven days. [The initial period of quarantine was always one week when the cause of the disease was not obvious.] 5And the priest shall look at (examine) him on the seventh day, and if the spot is unchanged when he looks at (examines) it and the spot has not spread on the skin, then he shall confine (isolate) him for another seven days. [A total of two weeks of quarantine.] 6And the priest shall look at (examine) him a second time on the seventh day, and see if the spot has become dark and the spot has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall declare him clean, for it is a scab, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. 7But if the scab spreads on the skin after the priest has examined him for his cleansing, then he shall be examined by the priest once more. 8And if the priest sees that the spot has spread on the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean; it is a fungal infection (mold).

2 – Elevation on the skin

9When the spot with the fungal infection (mold) is on a person, he shall be brought to the priest, 10and the priest shall look at him (examine him) and see if the swelling is white in the skin and if the hair has turned white and there is healthy flesh in the swelling, 11then it is an old fungal infection (mold) on the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall declare him unclean, and he shall not shut him up (isolate him) because he is unclean. 12And if the fungal infection (mold) spreads on the skin and the fungal infection (mold) covers all his skin that has the spot, from his head to his feet, wherever the priest looks (examines), 13then the priest shall consider and see if the fungal infection (mold) covers his entire body (flesh). He shall declare him clean who has the affliction, everything has turned white, he is clean. 14But when the healthy flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. 15And the priest shall look at (examine) the healthy flesh and declare him unclean, for the healthy flesh is unclean, it is a fungal infection (mold). 16If the healthy flesh recurs and turns white, he shall come to the priest. 17And the priest shall look at (examine) him, and see if the spot has turned white, then the priest shall declare him clean who had the spot—he is clean.

3 – Boil

[Job was afflicted with boils, see Job 2:7, and one of the ten plagues of Egypt was boils, see Ex. 9:9–11.] 18And the flesh where there was a boil in its skin is healed. 19And if instead there is a white elevation in the place of the boil, or a light spot, white and somewhat reddish, and it is shown to the priest, 20and if the priest, when he sees (examines) it, and it appears lower than the skin and its hair has turned white, the priest shall declare him unclean, it is a spot of fungal infection (mold) that has broken out from the boil. 21But if the priest looks at (examines) it and sees that there are no white hairs and if it is not lower than the skin but is darker, then the priest shall shut him up (isolate him) for seven days. 22And if it spreads in the skin, the priest shall declare him unclean, for it is a plague (disease). 23But if the light spots remain in place and do not spread, it is a boil, and the priest shall declare him clean.

4 – Burn on the skin

24If there is any flesh in the skin that is burned by fire, and the healthy flesh with the burn has a white light spot, reddish or white, 25then the priest shall look at (examine) it and see if the hair on the light spot has turned white and see (examine) if the spot is lower than the skin. Then it is a fungal infection (mold) that has broken out in the burn, therefore the priest shall declare him unclean. It is a spot with a fungal infection (mold). 26But if the priest looks at it (examines it) and sees that there is no white hair and that it is not lower than the skin but is darker, then the priest shall shut him up (isolate him) for seven days. 27And the priest shall look at (examine) him on the seventh day, and if it has spread over the skin, the priest shall declare him unclean. It is a spot with a fungal infection (mold). 28But if the light spot remains in place and does not spread in the skin but is a little darker, then it is a raised burn, and the priest shall declare him clean, for it is an inflammation in the burn.

5 – Hair loss on the head or beard

29If a man or woman has a spot on the head or in the beard, 30then the priest shall look at (examine) the spot and see if it looks deeper than the skin and if there is yellow thin hair, then the priest shall declare him unclean. It is dry scales and fungal infection (mold) on the head or in the beard. 31And if the priest sees the spot with scales and sees that it is not deeper than the skin and that there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall confine (isolate) the one with the spot with scales for seven days. 32And on the seventh day, the priest shall look at (examine) the spot and see if the scales have not spread and if there is no yellow hair and if the scales do not appear to be deeper than the skin. 33He shall be shaved, but the scales shall not be shaved, and the priest shall shut him up (isolate him) for another seven days. 34And on the seventh day the priest shall look at (examine) the scales, and see if the scales have not spread in the skin and if they do not appear to be deeper than the skin, then the priest shall declare him clean, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. 35But if the scales spread on the skin after washing, 36the priest shall look at (examine) him and see if the scabs have spread on the skin; the priest shall not look for yellow hair. He is unclean. 37But if the scales, when he looks at them, have stopped and there is black hair growing there, then the scales are healed, he is clean, and the priest shall declare him clean.

6 – Light spots on the skin

38If a man or woman has light spots on the skin of his body, white light spots, 39then the priest shall look at (examine) and see if the light spots on the skin of their body are darker white. Then it is a corrosive spot growing on the skin. He is clean.

7 – Baldness

40The man whose hair falls off his head is bald, but he is clean. 41And he whose hair falls off from parts of his head toward his face, he is bald, but he is clean. 42And if there is a reddish-white sore on the bald head or on the bald forehead, it is a fungal infection (mold) that has appeared on his bald head or his bald forehead. 43Then the priest shall look at (examine) and see if the raised sore is white reddish on his bald head or his bald forehead, as a fungal infection (mold) appears on the skin of the body, 44he is a man suffering from a fungal infection (mold). He is unclean. The priest shall declare him totally unclean (unclean unclean), his spot is on his head.

Fungal infections – summary

[This summary paragraph concerns those who have been diagnosed with any of the above seven different cases.] 45And the one who suffers from the fungal infection (mold), his clothes shall be torn, his head shaved, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, "Unclean, unclean." [Hebr. tame tame!] 46All the days that the spot is on him, he shall be unclean. He is unclean. He shall dwell alone (isolated), outside the camp shall be his dwelling place.

Removing mold from textiles/clothing

47The clothes in which the plague of mold (fungal infection) is, whether they are woolen or linen, 48whether woven or knitted, made of linen or wool, regardless of whether it is leather or something made of leather, 49and if the stain is greenish or reddish in the clothing or on the leather, on the woven or knitted fabric or on anything made of leather, it is a stain of mold (fungal infection) and must be shown to the priest. 50And the priest shall look at (examine) the stain and shut up (isolate) that which has the stain for seven days. 51And he shall look at (examine) the spot on the seventh day. If the spot has spread in the clothing, whether woven or knitted, or on the leather or anything made of leather, then the spot is a corrosive mold (fungal infection). It is unclean. 52He shall therefore burn that garment, whether woven or knitted, of wool or linen or anything made of leather where the stain is a corrosive mold (fungal infection). It shall be burned in fire.
     53But if the priest looks at it (examines it) and sees that the stain has not spread in the garment, neither in the woven nor in the knitted nor in anything made of leather, 54then the priest shall order them to wash the part where the stain was, and he shall shut it up (isolate it) for another seven days. [A total of two weeks' quarantine.] 55And the priest shall look at (examine) the stain after it has been washed and see if the color has not changed and if the stain has not spread, it is unclean. You shall burn it in the fire. It corrodes inwardly, whether it is inside or outside. 56But if the priest looks at it (examines it) and sees that the spot has darkened after it has been washed, then he shall tear it out of the garment or out of the skin or out of the woven fabric or out of the knitted fabric. 57And if it is still visible in the garment or in the woven or knitted fabric or in anything made of leather, then it is a stain that spreads. You shall burn what has the stain with fire. 58And the garment, whether woven or knitted or anything made of leather, which you shall wash, if the stain disappears from it, then it shall be washed a second time and it shall be clean.

Summary

59This is the teaching about stains of mold (fungal infection) in clothing made of wool or linen, whether woven or knitted, and in anything made of leather, to declare it clean or to declare it unclean.

Purification from skin diseases

141The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

2This is the teaching for those who have suffered from fungal infection (mold – Hebr. tsaraat) during the days of their purification. They shall be brought to the priest, 3and the priest shall come out of the camp and look at (examine) and see if the spot with the fungal infection (mold) is healed from the fungal infection (mold). 4Then the priest shall command that two birds, alive and clean, and cedar wood and scarlet dye [Hebr. toleah – the dye from the dried body of the female coccus ilicis moth, see Ps. 22:6] and hyssop be brought to the one who has been cleansed. 5And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. 6Then he shall take the live bird and the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop and dip it and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. 7And he shall sprinkle it seven times on the one who has been freed from the fungal infection (mold), and he shall declare him clean and let the living bird fly away over the open field (literally, over the mouth of the field).
     8And the one who has been cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and wash himself in water so that he may be clean, and then he shall enter the camp and shall remain outside his tent for seven days. 9But on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair, his beard, and his eyebrows; he shall shave off all his hair, and he shall wash his clothes and wash his body, and he shall be clean. 10On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish and one female lamb a year old without blemish, and three-tenths [of an ephah] of fine flour for a grain offering mixed with oil, and one log of oil [0.3 liters]. 11And the priest who is to make him clean shall bring the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the Lord (Yahweh) at the door of the tent of meeting. 12And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, and the measure of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the Lord (Yahweh). 13And he shall slaughter the lamb in the place where he kills the sin offering and the burnt offering, in a holy place, for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the guilt offering. It is most holy. 14And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and the priest shall put it on the right ear lobe of the one to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. [Lev. 8:23] 15And the priest shall take some of the oil and pour it into the palm of his left hand, 16and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord (Yahweh). 17And the rest of the oil that is in his hand the priest shall put on the right ear lobe of the one to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour on the head of the one to be cleansed, and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord (Yahweh).
     19And the priest shall offer the sin offering and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness, and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering. 20And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar, and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
21And if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one lamb as a guilt offering to be waved for atonement for him, and a tenth of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and a log of oil. 22And two turtledoves or two young pigeons that he can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
     23And he shall bring them to the priest on the eighth day of his cleansing, to the door of the tent of meeting before the Lord (Yahweh). 24And the priest shall take the lamb for a guilt offering and the measure of oil, and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord (Yahweh). 25And he shall kill the lamb for the guilt offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe of the one to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 26And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his left hand, 27and the priest shall sprinkle some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord (Yahweh). 28And the priest shall take some of the oil that is in his hand and put it on the right ear lobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put. 29And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour on the head of the one to be cleansed, and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord (Yahweh).
     30And he shall offer one of the turtledoves or young pigeons, whichever he can afford, 31according to what he can afford, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him who is to be cleansed before the Lord (Yahweh). 32This is the teaching concerning one who is afflicted with a fungal infection (mold), whose hand is not able to give what is (actually) required to be cleansed.

Cleansing from mold on the walls of the house

[Just as textiles and clothing could be affected by mold (Lev. 13:47–59), so could the walls of a house.] 33And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

34When you come to the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as a possession, and I put spots of mold (fungal infection) on a house in the land of your possession, 35and the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, "It seems that there are spots in my house."
     36Then the priest shall order the house to be emptied before the priest goes in to see (examine) the spots, so that everything in the house does not become unclean, and then the priest shall go in and see (examine) the house. 37And he shall look at (examine) the spots, if the spots are on the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, which look like depressions in the wall, 38then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house and shut (lock) the house for seven days. 39And the priest shall return on the seventh day and shall unlock (open) and see (examine) whether the spots have spread on the walls of the house. 40Then the priest shall order that the stones on which the stain is found be removed and thrown into an unclean place outside the city. 41And he shall see that the house is scraped inside all around, and they shall pour out the loose material [the plaster] that they have scraped off outside the city in an unclean place. 42And they shall take other stones and put them in place of these stones, and he shall take other mortar and plaster (literally plaster over) the house.
     43And if the spots come back again and appear in the house after he has removed the stones and after he has scraped the house and after it has been plastered, 44then the priest shall come and see (examine) and see if the spots have spread in the house. It is a corrosive mold (fungal infection) in the house. It is unclean. 45And he shall break down the house, its stones, and its timber, and all the mortar from the house, and he shall carry it outside the city to an unclean place. 46In addition, anyone who has entered the house while it has been closed (locked) shall be unclean until evening. 47And whoever lies in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

Rituals for cleansing mold from the walls of the house

48And if the priest comes in and looks at it (examines it) and sees that the stain has not spread in the house after the house has been plastered, then the priest shall declare the house clean, for the stain is cured. 49And to purify the house, he shall take two birds and cedar wood and scarlet dye [Hebr. toleah – the dye from the dried body of the female coccus ilicis moth, see Ps. 22:6] and hyssop. 50And he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. 51And he shall take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet dye and the living bird, and dip it in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the running water, and sprinkle it on the house seven times. 52And he shall purify the house with the blood of the bird and with the running water and with the living bird and with the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet dye. 53But he shall let the live bird fly out of the city into the open field (literally: over the mouth of the field) and make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.

Summary

54This is the teaching about all kinds of plagues (diseases) with fungal infection (mold) and scaly skin, 55and for mold (fungal infections) on clothing and on houses, 56and about elevations and about scaly patches and about light spots, 57to instruct when (on what day) it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the teaching about mold (fungal infection – Hebr. tsaraat).

Ritual impurity from discharge

[Chapter 15 has a chiastic pattern (A-B-C-B'-A') where the central part (B and B') describes normal sexual secretions. Verse 18 is the center point where man and woman meet (C). The surrounding parts describe abnormal secretions in men (Hos) and women (A’). Here, sacrifices are also required to become clean.] 151And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

Abnormal male discharge – sacrifice

2Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: When any man (Hebr. ish ish) has a discharge from his flesh [involuntary ejaculation], he is unclean because of it. [The word flesh (Hebr. basar) is used euphemistically for the male and female genitals or areas of the body in this chapter. See also Ezek. 16:26; 23:20.] 3And this is his uncleanness in this case, if his body has a discharge or his body is hindered from his discharge, it is his uncleanness.
     4Every bed on which he who has a discharge lies is unclean, and every piece of furniture on which he sits is unclean. 5And anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until evening. 6And anyone who sits on anything that he who has a discharge has sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until evening. 7And whoever touches the body of a man with a discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until evening. 8And if he who has a discharge spits on him who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until evening. 9And every saddle that he who has a discharge rides shall be unclean. 10And whoever touches anything that has been under him who has a discharge shall be unclean until evening, and he who has carried (moved) any of these things shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until evening. 11And whoever touches him who has a discharge and has not rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until evening. 12And any clay (pottery) utensil that he who has a discharge has touched shall be broken, and any wooden utensil shall be rinsed in water.
13And when he who has the discharge is clean from his discharge, he shall count for himself seven days [cf. Lev. 12:2; 13:4; 15:19] for his cleansing, and wash his clothes and bathe himself in running water, and shall be clean. 14And on the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord (Yahweh) at the door of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. 15And the priest shall offer them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord (Yahweh) for his emission.

Normal male discharge

16If a man's seed leaves him (spills beside him) during intercourse, he shall wash his body in water and be unclean until evening. 17And every garment and every skin on which the semen from intercourse is found shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening.

Normal intercourse – man and woman

18Even the woman with whom the man lay when the semen was spilled, they shall both bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

Normal female menstruation

19If a woman has a problem and her problem in her body is blood, she shall be separated (isolated) for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. 20Everything she lies on during her separation shall be unclean, and everything she sits on during her separation shall be unclean. 21And anyone who touches her bed shall wash their clothes and bathe themselves in water and be unclean until evening. 22And anyone who touches anything she has sat on must wash their clothes and bathe themselves in water and be unclean until evening. 23And if it is on her bed or anything she has sat on, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. 24And if any man lies with Hos, her uncleanness shall be upon him; he shall be unclean seven days, and all the bed whereon he lies shall be unclean.

Abnormal female bleeding – sacrifice

25If a woman has problems with her menstruation for many days beyond her period of seclusion, or if it flows beyond the time of her seclusion, all the days of her cause of uncleanness shall be like the days of her seclusion. She shall be unclean. 26Every bed she lies on all the days that her bleeding lasts shall be for her as the bed for her separation, and everything she sits on shall be unclean, like the uncleanness of her separation. 27And whoever touches these things shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until evening.
28But when she is cleansed of her bleeding, she shall count seven days, and then she shall be clean. 29And on the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the door of the tent of meeting. 30And the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord (Yahweh) for her uncleanness with her bleeding.

Summary

31Thus you shall separate the sons of Israel from their uncleanness, so that they may not die in their uncleanness when they defile my tabernacle among them. 32This is the teaching concerning him who has a discharge and him whose seed leaves him, so that he is unclean because of it, 33and about her who is unclean from her menstruation, and about him who has a discharge, about the man and about the woman, and about him who lies with her who is unclean.

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT – when all impurity is atoned for

[This chapter describes the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur; the biblical name is Yom Hakippurim – literally "Day of Atonements"), see Lev. 23:27-28. This is the holiest day and has come to be called Yoma – The Day.] 161The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons [Nadab and Abihu], when they offered before the Lord (Yahweh) and died [Lev. 10:1–2], 2and the Lord (Yahweh) said to Moses:

Speak to Aaron your brother, that he come not at any time into the holy place within the veil [Ex. 25:17–22], before the mercy seat that is upon the ark, lest he die: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. [The mercy seat was the lid of the ark with a 1.25 m long and 0.75 m wide ornamentation in pure gold, see Ex. 25:17.]

Preparatory sacrifices for the high priest

(3 Mos 16:3) The high priest in his colorful robes.

The high priest in his colorful robes.

[Five animal sacrifices were required: a young bull, two goats, and two rams.] 3Aaron shall enter the holy place with a young bull, a bull calf (literally: 'a son of cattle'), as a sin offering [Lev. 4:3] and a ram as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17]. 4He shall put on the holy linen garments, he shall have linen trousers on his body, and he shall be girded with a linen sash, and he shall be clothed with a linen turban. These are the holy garments, therefore he shall wash his body in water and then put them on. [The high priest usually wore a colorful robe with gold and precious stones, see Ex. 28:39–41; 39:29. The simpler white linen garments were the official attire of the other priests. Now that the high priest is to dress as simply as all the other priests, it prophetically shows that Jesus must become like one of us, a true human being, in order to give us atonement. The holiness is also reinforced by the fact that the phrase "for himself" is repeated seven times in this chapter in connection with sacrifices, see verse 6 (twice), verse 11 (three times), verse 17, and verse 24.] 5From the assembly of the sons of Israel, he shall take two goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

Summary: sin offering and scapegoat

6
(3 Mos 16:6) The Scapegoat by William Holman Hunt. Painted on location at the Dead Sea in 1854. In the background are the mountains of Edom and the carcass of a previous year's scapegoat sent out into the wilderness.

The Scapegoat by William Holman Hunt. Painted on location at the Dead Sea in 1854. In the background are the mountains of Edom and the carcass of a previous year's scapegoat sent out into the wilderness.

Aaron shall offer his sin offering bull, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and his household. 7He shall take two goats and present them before the Lord (Yahweh) at the entrance to the meeting tent (tabernacle) of the assembly. [This verse prophetically shows what happens when Barabbas takes Jesus' place. Lots are cast between two identical goats. Barabbas means "son of the father," and Jesus is the Son of the Father. Therefore, Jesus can take the place of man, while Barabbas receives Jesus' mercy, see Matt. 27:15–26.] 8Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord (Yahweh) and one lot for the scapegoat (Hebr. azazel). [Hebrew azazel is believed to come from the Hebrew words goat (Hebr. ez) and turn away (Hebr. azal). This is how the translators who translated into Greek in 200 BC interpreted it, choosing the translation "the goat that goes away". Another interpretation of the word is as an abstract noun meaning "to remove completely." The goat that disappears forever and is never seen again then becomes an image of sin that is completely removed. In Jewish tradition, azazel is interpreted as a description of the place where the goat goes (based on the word gezerah in verse 22, which describes a "cut off" land). A more modern Jewish interpretation is a reference to a demon named Azazel mentioned in the First Book of Enoch (ca. 300-100 BC), but there is no support in the Bible for such an interpretation that demons are involved in the removal of sin.] 9Aaron shall bring forth the goat on which the lot fell to the Lord and offer it as a sin offering. 10But the goat on which the lot fell to be a scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement with it and let it go as a scapegoat into the wilderness (desert).

Detailed instructions

(3 Mos 16:11) The ark of the covenant with the two cherubim of pure gold on top.

The ark of the covenant with the two cherubim of pure gold on top.

[The ceremony consists of four main parts:
1. A bull is sacrificed as a sin offering for the priests, see verses 11-14
2. A goat is sacrificed for the sins of the people (Heb. 9:21–22; 1 Tim. 2:5), verses 15-17.
3. The blood of the bull and the goat is mixed, verses 18-19.
4. The scapegoat is sent away, verses 20-22.

After these four parts, there is a concluding part, see verses 23-28.

11Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his household, and shall kill the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself.] 12He shall take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and his hands full of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil. 13He shall place the incense on the fire before the Lord (Yahweh), so that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on top of the testimony (the ark), so that he does not die. 14He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat facing east, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times. [The eastern side of the mercy seat is its front. The tabernacle, and later the temple, was always placed so that the entrance faced east. It follows that the ark and the mercy seat are also placed so that they always face east. Therefore, it can be said that God looks eastward when he sits on the mercy seat, for the wings of the cherubim are his throne. East is a direction that does not only mean a certain direction in relation to the surroundings. In this word, Hebr. kedem, there are many more meanings. The east is one of the two eternal points of the compass, unlike the north and south, which have their limitations at the respective poles. The east is also about the eternal perspective in the sense that it looks both backward and forward at the same time. It is a word that connects the limitations of time with the boundlessness of eternity. It is also a word that is about encounters, encountering oneself and encountering God. When looking back, it is a word that means taking stock of what has been. In the same way, when looking forward, one sees prophetically what is to come. It is also a word that speaks of guidance, which is exactly what you get when you look prophetically forward. The understanding of the word east lies not only in man's ability to see his whole life, but also in the understanding of God as the one who stands outside time and space and sees everything at once from his eternal perspective.] 15Then he [the priest] shall slaughter the sin offering of the people and bring the blood behind the curtain. He shall do the same as with the bull's blood: he shall sprinkle it on top of the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16In this way he shall purify the Holy of Holies from the uncleanness of the sons of Israel (the people) because of their transgressions in all their sins. He shall do the same with the tent of meeting [the tabernacle, which contains the holy and most holy things] that stands among them and is surrounded by their uncleanness. 17No man shall be in the tent of meeting when he [Aaron, the high priest] goes in to make atonement in the holy place, until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his household and for the whole congregation of Israel.
18He shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord (Yahweh) and make atonement for it, and he shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar all around. [Ex. 27:2. The altar has four horns, one at each corner. The horns of the altar represent power.] 19He shall sprinkle the blood on it with his finger seven times and purify it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the sons of Israel (the people).
20When he has finished making atonement for the holy place and for the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 21Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins, and lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness, into the hand of a man who is ready [someone who will lead the goat into the wilderness, which is the desert east of Jerusalem]. [This also speaks prophetically about what would happen to Jesus. When the chief priests strike Jesus in the face, this pattern is fulfilled, see Matt. 26:67; Mark 14:65; John 18:22.] 22The goat shall bear all their iniquities to an uninhabited land, and he shall let the goat go out into the wilderness.
23Aaron shall enter the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments he put on when he entered the holy place, and he shall leave them there. 24He shall wash his body with water in the holy place, put on his (own) clothes, come forward, offer his burnt offering and the people's burnt offering, and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25He shall burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
     26The man who led out the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and then come into the camp. 27The sin offering bull and the sin offering goat whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place shall be carried outside the camp, and they shall be burned in the fire, their skin and their flesh and their dung (slaughter remains). 28The one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and then he shall enter the camp.

The Day of Atonement – a recurring ordinance

29This shall be a perpetual statute (literally, "things engraved") for you. On the 10th day of the 7th month [10th of Tishri, falls in Sept/Oct], you shall examine yourselves [literally, "humble your souls"; this often includes fasting, see Ps. 35:13; Isa. 58:3, 10] and not do any work at all, whether you are a native or a stranger residing among you. 30On that day, the high priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, so that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord (Yahweh). 31It shall be a Sabbath of rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It shall be a perpetual statute (literally "things engraved"). [It shall be a perpetual statute (literally "things engraved") is repeated three times, see verses 29, 31, and 34. When things are repeated twice, it is to emphasize that they are especially important. Here it is repeated three times, and thus we know that it is not only important but absolutely necessary.] 32The high priest, whom he shall anoint and consecrate to serve in the office of high priest in his father's place, shall make atonement and shall put on linen garments, the holy garments. 33He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the high priest and for all the people of the assembly.
34This shall be a perpetual statute (literally, "things engraved") for you, to make atonement for the sons of Israel (people), for all their sins, once a year. And he did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

A HOLY PEOPLE (chapters 17-20)

171The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

2Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the sons of Israel, and say to them the words that the Lord (Yahweh) has commanded. Say:

Meat sacrificed to idols

3If any (literally: "and, man, man" – emphasizing that it is a general prohibition) of the house of Israel slaughters a cow, a lamb, or a goat in or outside the camp, 4and does not bring the animal to the entrance of the tent of meeting (Hebr. óhel meed) to present it as an offering to the Lord (Yahweh) before the tabernacle of the Lord (Yahweh) (Hebr. miskan), it shall be counted as blood guilt on that man. He has shed blood, and he shall be cut off from his people. 5Therefore, the children of Israel shall bring their slaughtered animals, which they usually slaughter in the field, before the Lord, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the priest, and slaughter them there as a peace offering (communion offering) to the Lord (Yahweh). 6The priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lord (Yahweh) at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as a sweet aroma to the Lord (Yahweh). 7They shall no longer offer their sacrifices to the hairy goats (evil spirits, satyrs, forest demons – Hebr. sair) that they cling to in unfaithful apostasy. This shall be an everlasting statute for them, from generation to generation.
     8And you shall say to them: If anyone (literally: "and, man, man") of the house of Israel or of the strangers who dwell among them offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the Lord, that man shall be cut off from his people.

Prohibition against eating blood

10If any (literally: "and, man, man") of the house of Israel or of the strangers who dwell among them eats any blood, I will set my face against the eater of the blood [Lev. 3:17] and cut him off from among his people. 11For the life (soul) of the body (of every creature) is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your lives (souls). It is the blood that makes atonement through the life (soul) that is in it. 12Therefore, I say to the children of Israel: None of you shall eat blood. The stranger who dwells among you shall not eat blood either.

Prohibition against eating meat from strangled animals

13If any (literally: "and, man, man") of the children of Israel or of the strangers who live among them kills a wild animal or a bird of the kind that may be eaten, he shall drain the blood and cover it with earth. 14For the life of every creature is its blood. Therefore, I say to the children of Israel: You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Anyone who eats it shall be cut off. 15And anyone who eats an animal that has died or been torn by wild animals, whether he is a native or a stranger, shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. Then he will be clean. 16If he does not wash his clothes and bathe his body, he will bear his guilt.

Unlawful sexual relations

A different people

181The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

2Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: [Verses 2b-5 form a chiasm in which the phrase "I am the Lord" both frames the passage and is emphasized centrally in verse 5. The words "do/do," "commandments," "ordinances," and "keep" are key words that are reflected in each level. I am the Lord (Yahweh), your God (Elohim).]
3You shall not do as they do in Egypt,
    where you have lived.
Nor shall you do as they do in the land of Canaan,
    where I am bringing you.
You shall not walk in (live by) their [Egypt and Canaan]
    statutes (ordinances, literally "things engraved," indicating permanent laws).
4You shall do my statutes (binding legal decisions),
and my ordinances (literally "things engraved")
you shall keep (watch over)
to walk after them.
    I am the Lord (Yahweh),
your God (Elohim).
 5You shall keep (watch over)
my statutes (literally "things engraved")
and my commandments (binding legal decisions);
the person who does them shall live by (in) them.
I am the Lord (Yahweh).

Prohibited close sexual relationships

[Incest and sexual relations between close relatives are forbidden. The word "approach" is used in verses 6, 14, and 19 and frames the passage. A key word used 24 times in verses 6-19 is nakedness (Hebr. ervah), which can also be translated as genitals and is also used for sexual relations. A total of 11 verses (verses 7-17) all begin with that word. There is a clear structure with several chiasms:

Relative – do not approach, verse 6
  Your mother, verse 7
    Your father's wife, verse 8
    Your sister, verse 9
    Your daughter, verse 10
    Your son's daughter, verse 11
    Your father's daughter, verse 12
    Your mother's daughter, verse 13
    Your sister's daughter, verse 14
    Your brother's daughter, verse 15
    Your uncle's daughter, verse 16
        Your sister, verse 9
        Your child's daughter, verse 10
        Your half-sister, verse 11
        Your father's sister, verse 12
        Your mother's sister, verse 13nbsp;Your half-sister, verse 11
    Your father's sister, verse 12
  Your mother's sister, verse 13
Your father's brother's wife – do not approach her, verse 14
  Your son's wife, verse 15
  Your brother's wife, verse 16
  A woman and her daughter, verse 17
  A woman and her sister, verse 18
A woman during her menstruation – do not approach her, verse 19

Incest is also mentioned in the following passages: Gen. 19:30–38; 20:12; 35:22; 49:4; 2 Sam. 13:1–14. These biblical rules form the basis for the laws of many countries. In Israel, anyone who has sexual relations with their own children is punished with five years in prison. Incest is illegal in all 50 US states, with penalties typically classified as felonies.] 6[A Relative]
No man (hebr. ish ish – the repetition of "man" emphasizes that this is a general prohibition) shall approach a close relative (flesh of his own flesh) to uncover her nakedness (have a sexual relationship with her).
I am the Lord (Yahweh).
[Verses 7-13 form a chiasm with seven prohibited close relationships. In a chiasm, topics often occur in pairs. First and last, second and second to last, etc. Here, the chiasm moves outward in kinship, from mother, father, children, and finally grandchildren. The mother's side (verses 7, 13), the father's side (see verses 8, 12), followed by siblings (verses 9, 11) and finally grandchildren (verse 10).] [Your mother]
7You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother;
    she is your mother;
you shall not uncover her nakedness (have a sexual relationship with her).
[Thematically related to verse 13 – incest on your mother's side of the family is forbidden. See also Gen. 35:22; 1 Cor. 5:1.]
[Your father's wife]
8You shall not uncover your father's wife's nakedness (have a sexual relationship with her),
    she is your father's nakedness [because husband and wife are "one flesh," see Gen. 2:24; 49:4].
[This is thematically related to verse 12 – incest on your father's side of the family is forbidden. This was known as an illicit relationship long before the law, as in the case of Reuben, see Gen. 35:22. Even among pagans, this was not accepted, see 1 Cor. 5:1. Despite this, it was a deliberate sin on the part of David's son Absalom, see 2 Sam. 16:22.]
[Your sister]
9You shall not uncover your sister's nakedness (you shall not have sexual relations with your sister)
    – whether she is your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, born at home or away.
[This is thematically related to verse 11 – incest between siblings is forbidden. The prohibition applies to a sister in every conceivable way, previous marriage, outside of marriage, etc.]
[Your child's daughter]
10You shall not uncover the nakedness of your granddaughter
    or your daughter's daughter (you shall not have sexual relations with your grandchildren),
    for they are your own nakedness.
[Central to the chiasmus (which has moved thematically outward in the family line) is also the prohibition of incest with grandchildren.]
 [Your half-sister]
11You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter (you shall not have sexual relations with a half-sister),
    for she is of your father's family and she is your sister;
you shall not uncover her nakedness (have a sexual relationship with her).
 [Your father's sister]
12You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister (you shall not have sexual relations with your aunt),
    for she is of your father's family.
[Your mother's sister]
13You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister (you shall not have sexual relations with your aunt),
    for she is of your mother's family.
[Your father's brother's wife]
14You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother,
    you shall not approach his wife (you shall not have sexual relations with your uncle's wife),
    for his wife is your [affinal] aunt. [The word "approach" frames the first chiasmus that began in verse 6, while at the same time introducing the next section, which ends with "approach" in verse 19.]
[Your son's wife]
15You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's wife (you shall not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law),
    she is your son's wife,
you shall not uncover her nakedness.

[Your brother's wife]
16You shall not uncover your brother's wife's nakedness (you shall not have sexual relations with your sister-in-law),
    for it is your brother's nakedness.
[There is an exception when a brother dies and he and his wife have no children. Levirate marriage is described in Deut. 25:5–10 and is voluntary for both parties, but a chalitzah ceremony is required to release the widow to remarry.]
 [Woman and her daughter]
17You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman
    and her daughter (you shall not have sexual relations with a mother and her daughter);
you shall not uncover the nakedness of her granddaughter or her great-granddaughter,
    for they are close relatives
    – it is depraved (indecent, an abomination – Hebr. zimah) [Lev. 19:29; 20:14].
    [Hebr. zimah comes from zamam, which means to think and fantasize; see also verses 22 and 23.] [Woman and her sister – not marriage]
18And you shall not take a woman and her sister as wives,
    and create enmity (rivalry) between them,
    and uncover both their nakedness while your first wife is still alive (you shall not have sexual relations with two sisters).
[Jacob's marriage to Leah and Rachel is an example of the problems this creates, see Gen. 29:23–30.]
 [Women during menstruation and after childbirth]
19You shall not approach [cf. verses 6, 14] a woman and expose her nakedness (have sexual relations with her) when she is menstruating and is ceremonially unclean.
[Ceremonial purification includes both monthly purification (Lev. 15:33) and the period of 40 and 80 days after childbirth (Lev. 12:2), see also Lev. 15:24; 20:18.]

Other illicit sexual relations

[The previous paragraph (verses 6-19) dealt with forbidden sexual relations within the family. The following paragraph (verses 20-23) deals with forbidden sexual relations outside the family. Here, a downward spiral of depraved behavior is described, see also Rom. 1:24–27. It begins with adultery, continues with child sacrifice, men lying with men, men lying with animals, and finally a woman attempting to mate with an animal. In verses 20 and 21, the Hebrew word for seed, zera, is used. The wording emphasizes the fruit of sexuality, i.e., children. Fornication with another woman produces a child outside of marriage (outside the family). It is not as intended in a family, but at least it is a human life. The next step is that a child is sacrificed to Molech and killed. A sexual relationship between two men cannot produce a child, and a man or woman who has sex with an animal (which is not even human) cannot possibly produce offspring. [Adultery]
20And you shall not lie with your neighbor's wife (have sexual relations with her) and give your seed to her,
    and thus become unclean with her.] [Adultery was also prohibited in Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18; John 8:2–5 and was punishable by death for both parties, see Lev. 20:10; 22:22. The seriousness of this transgression is due to the fact that marriage was instituted by God, see Gen. 2:18, 24; Prov 2:17; 18:22; Mal. 2:14.]
(3 Mos 18:21) Child sacrifice to the idol Molech, by Charles Foster, 1897.

Child sacrifice to the idol Molech, by Charles Foster, 1897.

[Child sacrifice to idols]
21You shall not let your seed [your offspring, children] be sacrificed (pass through) [by fire] to [the Ammonite idol] Molech [meaning "king," see 1 Kings 11:7];
    you shall not profane the name of your God.
I am the Lord (Yahweh). [Only God is "King" – not "Moloch".]

[The most common description of this Canaanite idol is that it was made of bronze and hollow – with a human body and a bull's head. It sat on a bronze throne with its arms outstretched, ready to receive the sacrifice. Fire was lit in and around the statue so that it became hot. Parents then sacrificed their children on the red-hot arms while the sound of drums and cymbals drowned out the children's cries. According to Jewish tradition, there were seven levels of worship of Molech. To reach the first level, a bird had to be sacrificed; the second, a goat; the third, a sheep; the fourth, a calf; the fifth, young bulls; and the sixth, a bull. For the seventh and highest occult level, a child sacrifice was required. Only those who sacrificed their son to Moloch were granted access. The "shrines" referred to in Amos 5:25-27 and Acts 7:43 may be miniatures illustrating these different levels. There are different opinions as to whether this description is linked to the customs of sacrifice to Molech, but the Bible states that it involves child sacrifice and fire, see Ezek. 16:20–21; Ps. 106:37–38; Jer. 7:31.]
[With a man – homosexuality]
22You shall not lie in bed with a man (have sexual intercourse with him) as with a woman
    – it is an abomination!
[In Hebrew, the seriousness of the warning is reinforced by the use of both the verb lie and the noun for bed. The fact that the verb is in the form yiktol also reinforces the intensity, that a man really should not lie in bed and have a consummated sexual relationship with him, as he does with a woman. The term abominable (Hebr. toeva) is used only five times in this book, and it is in this context, see Lev. 18:22, 26, 27, 29, 30; 20:13. Throughout the Bible, homosexual acts are condemned, see Gen. 19:5; Lev. 20:13; Judges 19:22; Rom. 1:27; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:10.]
[With an animal – bestiality]
23You shall not lie (have sexual intercourse) with an animal, so that you become unclean;
    and no woman shall stand before an animal (to have sexual intercourse with it)
    – it is madness (confusion; unnatural – violates the order of nature) [Hebr. tevel is used here and in Lev. 20:12]!
[Just as the prohibitions against homosexuality and bestiality are placed side by side here in Lev. 20:12, they have been followed by alongside in modern legislations. Until 2003, homosexual acts were punishable 1-20 years. Bestiality is is forbidden by most states exept for four. Although the word homosexuality is relatively new, the phenomenon is not new. Jesus points to the high standard of marriage and how some have renounced it for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, see Matt. 19:3–12.]
 24Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for by all these things the nations that I am casting out before you have defiled themselves. 25And the land is therefore defiled, and I will punish their iniquity upon them, so that the land itself will vomit out its inhabitants. [Lev. 20:23–24]

[This chapter describes sexual sin as something shameful (verse 17), detestable (verse 22), and confused (verse 23). The same downward moral spiral is described by Paul, see Rom. 1:24–32. God's grace and patience are great 2 Pet. 3:9. Here in the Books of Moses, God's patience is mentioned in four generations, see Gen. 15:16. In the Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul highlights five sexual sins along with idolatry and greed and makes it clear that no one who lives this way will inherit the kingdom of God. He then goes on to say that some of you have been like this, but you have been washed clean and sanctified and declared righteous in the name of the Lord Jesus, see 1 Cor. 6:9–11. To the adulteress, Jesus says, "Neither do I condemn you. Go now and sin no more," see John 8:11.]

 26[Verses 26-30 form a chiasm in which the word abominable appears four times.]
But you shall keep my statutes (literally "things engraved") and judgments (binding legal decisions),
    and do none of these abominable things
– this applies to both natives and immigrants!
27For all these detestable things were done by the inhabitants of the land before you,
and the land became defiled.
28Do not cause the land to vomit you out,
    by defiling it,
as it vomited out the people who lived there before you.
 29For anyone who does any of these abominable things,
shall be cut off from his people.
 30Obey my command (mishmar – something to be guarded and protected),
    so that you do not do any of these abominable decrees (traditions, customs) that were followed before you,
so that you become unclean through them!

I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim).

Be holy

There are many similarities between the Ten Commandments and what is discussed in this chapter:
Ex. 20:2 – I am the Lord – Lev. 19:3, 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 25, 28, 30, 31, 34, 36, 37
  Ex. 20:4–6 – Graven images – Lev. 19:4
   Ex. 20:7 – God's name – Lev. 19:12
      Ex. 20:8–12 – The Sabbath, love God – Lev. 19:3, 30
     Ex. 20:12 – Honor your parents, love your neighbor – Lev. 19:3
    Ex. 20:13 – Murder – Lev. 19:16
   Ex. 20:14 – Adultery – Lev. 19:29
  Ex. 20:15 – Theft – Lev. 19:11, 13, 35–36
 Ex. 20:16 – False witness – Lev. 19:11, 16
Ex. 20:17 – Coveting – Lev. 19:18

191 The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses, saying:

2Speak to all the people of Israel and say: You shall be holy (pure, set apart) for I, the Lord your God, am holy.
3Each of you shall
honor your mother and your father [love your neighbor]
and keep my Sabbaths [love God].
I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim).
4You shall not turn to idols
    and make for yourselves molten gods.

I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim).
5When you want to offer a shalom sacrifice (communion sacrifice – Hebr. zevach shelamim) to the Lord (Yahweh), you shall offer it in such a way that it is counted as mercy (becomes pleasing, conditional mercy – Hebr. ratson). 6It shall be eaten on the day you offer it or the next day. Whatever remains on the third day shall be burned in the fire. 7If it is eaten on the third day, it is detestable and will not be accepted (will not be pleasing, conditional favor – Hebr. ratsah). 8Anyone who eats it must bear his guilt, for he has profaned what was consecrated to the Lord (Yahweh). He shall be cut off from his people.
9When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edge of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10Neither shall you glean your vineyard,
    and you shall not pick up the grapes that have fallen in your vineyard.
You shall leave it for the poor and for the stranger.

I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim).

Love your neighbor

[The following passage, verses 11-18, consists of four sections, all of which end with "I am the Lord." Four different words for "fellow man" are used and they are nicely distributed throughout these verses.

    The first section uses "fellow countryman" (Hebr. amit) in verse 11.
    The second section uses "fellow man" (Hebr. rea), see verse 13.
    The third section uses both of these and also "people" (Hebr. amme), see verses 15-16.
    The last section—which is the crescendo—uses all three of these words and also "brother" (Hebr. ben), see verses 17-18.

The first two units (verses 11-12 and 13-14) both end with an exhortation, the first expressed in a negative (do not sanctify) and the second in a positive (fear). The structure is also reinforced by the use of the word "not" (Hebr. lo). In total, it is used 18 times, nine times in the first half, verses 11-14, and nine times in the second half, verses 15-18.

1. Theft and lying – against your fellow countrymen

11You shall not steal.
You shall not lie.
You shall not deceive one another, against your fellow countrymen.] 12You shall not swear falsely by my name;
for then you profane [singular] the name of your God.
I am the Lord (Yahweh). [The first action is a physical act (theft), followed by three verbal acts. A rabbinical interpretation is that the four acts are connected and follow as consequences of each other. A thief must lie, deceive, and ultimately even bear false witness to conceal his crime. Throughout this chapter, our actions toward our fellow human beings are linked to our relationship with God, which is also reinforced by the shift from the plural "you" to the personal "you" in verse 12b.]

2. Oppression and exploitation – against your fellow man

13You shall not deceive (oppress) your fellow man –
nor rob him.
You shall not withhold a worker's wages overnight. [He needs them to buy food for himself and his family.]
 14You shall not curse a deaf person to his face.
You shall not put anything in the way of a blind person so that he falls.
You shall fear (revere) your God (Elohim).
I am the Lord (Yahweh). [This section has five prohibitions. The first two are a pair about not deceiving/robbing, and the last two are a pair about the deaf/blind. Central to this is the phrase about withholding a worker's wages. On either side of this phrase, two aspects are highlighted: the first is the exploitation of not paying wages, and the second is the helplessness of the victim who is exposed. The structure of this section means that not only are five laws listed, but the arrangement encourages the reader to examine the connection—not just the letter of the law, but the spirit of the teaching. In comparison with verses 11-12, "bearing false witness" was mentioned. There, it was about someone who was the victim of theft/lies and was able to take the matter to court. Here in verses 13-14, it is about the weak and vulnerable who do not have that opportunity.]

3. Judge impartially

15You shall not judge partiality –
    neither favoring the poor [just because he is poor],
    nor taking the side of the rich [just because he is rich and influential].
You shall judge your countryman fairly.
16You shall not go about slandering (backbiting, spying on) your own people.
You shall not just stand by [without intervening] if your fellow man's life is at stake.
    [Literally, "You shall not stand on the blood of your fellow man."] I am the Lord (Yahweh). [From verse 15, the Hebrew suffix ka recurs seven times, which increases the proximity to the object of your actions.]

4. Rebuke openly—do not build up bitterness in your heart

17You shall not hate your brother in your heart,
    but rebuke him instead, lest you become complicit in his sin. 18You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against any of your people,
    but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the Lord (Yahweh).

Do not mix

19You shall keep my statutes.

You shall not let two kinds of animals from your herd mate with each other.
You shall not sow two kinds of seed in your field.
Do not wear clothing made of two kinds of yarn. 20If a man has slept with a woman who is another man's slave
and has had sexual intercourse with her, and she has not been redeemed or set free, they shall be punished but not put to death, because she was not free. 21He shall bring his guilt offering, a ram, before the Lord, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 22When the priest makes atonement for him before the Lord with the guilt offering ram, he shall be forgiven for the sin he has committed.
23When you enter the land and plant various kinds of trees bearing edible fruit, you shall regard their fruit as uncircumcised. For three years you shall regard them as uncircumcised and shall not eat their fruit. 24In the fourth year, all their fruit shall be holy as a thank offering to the Lord, 25and only in the fifth year shall you eat their fruit. You shall do this so that they will yield a much greater harvest for you.

I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim).
26You shall not eat anything that contains blood.
You shall not engage in divination or sorcery.
27You shall not round off the edge of your hair [to sacrifice to the dead, see Deut. 14:1],
    nor shall you cut off the edge of your beard. 28You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead,
    nor burn any marks on your body.

I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim).
29Do not defile (desecrate) your daughter by making her a prostitute,
    so that the land becomes corrupted by fornication and filled with shameful deeds.
[The word defile is a rich word meaning to not value, but it also has the meaning of piercing, wounding, killing, and sacrificing. The word also has the meaning "to begin" and to initiate a process. The meaning can be to give away one's daughter to Canaanite fertility rites, see Jer. 2:20; Hos. 2, but also incestuous relationships, see Lev. 18:17.]
 30You shall keep my Sabbaths,
    and you shall reverence my sanctuary.
    [Thematically related to verse 3.] I am the Lord (Yahweh).
31You shall not turn to familiar spirits [demons who pretend to be and speak for the dead],
    nor seek out fortune tellers, lest you become defiled by them.

I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim).
32You shall rise up before the gray head,
    and honor the old man.
You shall fear (respect, honor) your God.

I am the Lord (Yahweh).
33When a stranger resides with you in your land,
    you shall not oppress him. 34The stranger who lives among you shall be considered native among you. You shall love him as yourself. For you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.

I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim).
35You shall not commit injustice in judgment
in measure [measurement of length, but also a general term for measuring dry goods and liquids],
    in weight [measurement of weight] and
in volume [measurement of liquid (the hin measure), see Ezek. 4:11, 16, but also dry goods, see 1 Chron. 23:29].
36Fair scales [for weighing – also figuratively for judging]
– fair weights [weights for the balance scales];
a just ephah [standard measure for measuring dry goods – 22 liters] and
a just hin [standard measure for measuring liquids – 3.5 liters]
shall you have. [These two verses deal with honesty in transactions – just weights and measures. This passage relates directly to the commandments in verses 11-18 about not stealing, lying, and deceiving, but loving your neighbor. Standardized weights and measures are mentioned in Hammurabi's laws. It is interesting that in a passage that deals precisely with the right balance, "weight" is central in verse 35. The word weight in verse 35 is surrounded by two words for measures that balance the two measures efa and hin in verse 36. Verses 35-36 are well balanced with the words scales and stone central. Even the arrangement of words illustrates a well-balanced scale!]
I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim),
    who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my laws and follow them.

I am the Lord (Yahweh).

Verses 2-27 form a large chiasm with several smaller sections. The theme has to do with who is behind the condemnation of sin: society or the Lord (Yahweh).

Verses 3-6 describe how God's punishment is directed:

A The individual, v3-4
  B Society, v5
A´ The individual, v6

201 The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

2Speak to the children of Israel and say to them:

Idolatry – society shall punish

If any of the children of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel give any of their children to Molech, he shall be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him. [Lev. 18:21; 2 Kings 3:27; Ps. 106:38; Jer. 32:35]

God's punishment

3I will set my face against that man and cut him off from his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech and defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 4If the people of the land turn a blind eye to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech and do not kill him,
5then I myself will set my face against that man and against his family. I will cut him off from his people, along with all who follow him in unfaithful apostasy and worship Molech.
 6If anyone turns to familiar spirits [demons who pretend to be and speak for the dead] and fortune-tellers, to sell himself to them, I will turn my face against him and cut him off from his people.

Be holy

7You shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord (Yahweh) your God. 8You shall keep my commandments and follow them. I am the Lord (Yahweh) who sanctifies you.
[Five times the term "blood guilt" is used, which literally means "his/their blood"; see verses 9, 11, 12, 13, 16.] 9[Honor your parents, see Lev. 19:3]
Every man (Hebr. ish ish – the repetition of "man" emphasizes that this is a general prohibition) who curses his father or his mother
    shall be put to death. [Ex. 20:12; 21:17]
He has cursed his father and his mother,
    he bears blood guilt.

10[Man + another man's wife, see Lev. 18:20]
If a man commits adultery with another man's wife,
    the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death,
    both the adulterer and the adulteress. 11[Son + father's wife – incest, see Lev. 18:8]
If a man lies with a woman
    who is his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness.
Both of them shall be put to death.
    They bear blood guilt.

12[Father + daughter-in-law – incest, see Lev. 18:17]
If a man lies with his daughter-in-law,
    they shall both be put to death.
They have committed an abominable act.
    They bear blood guilt. 13[Man + man, see Lev. 18:22]
If a man lies with another man (has sexual relations with him)
    as a man lies with a woman,
    they have both committed an abomination!
They shall be put to death.
    They bear blood guilt.

14[Man + woman + her mother, see Lev. 18:17]
If a man takes a woman as his wife
    and also her mother,
    it is an abomination.
Both he and they shall be burned with fire,
    so that there will be no abomination among you.

15[Man + animal, see Lev. 18:23]
If a man lies with an animal,
    he shall be put to death,
    and you shall kill the animal. 16[Woman + animal, see Lev. 18:23]
If a woman approaches any animal to lie with it,
    you shall kill both the woman and the animal.
They shall be put to death.
    They bear blood guilt.

Exposed nakedness – God punishes

[In the following section, it is God who punishes:] 17If a man takes his sister as his wife,
    his father's daughter
    or his mother's daughter
and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a shameful act. [Lev. 18:9]
They shall be cut off before their people. [The passive form indicates that God punishes him.]
He bears the guilt, because he has exposed his sister's nakedness.
18If a man lies with a woman who is having her monthly period and exposes her nakedness,
    he exposes her flow of blood.
They shall be cut off from their people. [The passive form indicates that it is God who punishes them.]
19You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister [Lev. 18:13]
    or your father's sister [Lev. 18:12],
    for whoever does so uncovers the nakedness of a close relative.
They will bear their iniquity.
 20If a man lies with his uncle's wife,
    he is exposing his uncle's nakedness.
They will bear their iniquity,
    and they will die childless.
 21If a man takes his brother's wife, it is an unclean act. [Lev. 18:16]
He then exposes his brother's nakedness,
    and they shall be childless.
[This applies if the brother is alive; if the brother died childless, a brother would marry (levirate marriage) and ensure that the brother had an heir, see Gen. 38:8; Deut. 25:5–10.]

Keep my commandments

22You shall keep all my statutes and rules and follow them, so that the land will not spew you out, the land where I am bringing you to live. 23You shall not follow the customs of the peoples whom I am driving out before you, for it is because of their practices that I have detested them. 24Therefore, I have said to you: You shall inherit their land, for I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim), who has separated you from other peoples. [Lev. 18:24–25]
     25So make a distinction between clean and unclean four-footed animals [Lev. 11:2–8] and between clean and unclean flying creatures (Hebr. of) [Lev. 11:13–19, 20–23], so that you do not make yourselves detestable because of these four-footed animals or birds or creatures that move on the ground, all these animals that I have separated from you as unclean. 26You shall be holy to me, for I, the Lord (Yahweh), am holy. And I have set you apart from other peoples to be mine.

Idolatry – society shall punish

27When anyone—man or woman—engages in spiritism or familiar spirits [demons who pretend to be and speak for the dead], that person shall be punished with death. He bears blood guilt and shall be stoned.

A HOLY PRIESTHOOD (21:1-22:16)

Family life

211The Lord (Yahweh) said to Moses: Tell the priests, the sons of Aaron, say this to them:

Contact with the dead

No one among you shall become unclean because of any death among the people. 2But for his closest relatives, those who are close to him, that is, for his mother and for his father and for his son and for his daughter and for his brother, 3and for his sister who is a virgin, who is close to him and has no husband, for her he may become unclean. 4But he shall not defile himself by advising among his people and profaning himself. 5They shall not make their heads bald, nor shall they shave the corners of their beards, nor make any marks on their bodies.
     6They shall be holy to their God (Elohim) and shall not profane the name of their God (Elohim). They shall be holy for the burnt offerings of the Lord (Yahweh) and for the bread of their God (Elohim) which they offer.

Wife

7They shall not take a wife who is a prostitute or a blasphemer, nor shall they take one who has been rejected by her husband, for he is holy to his God (Elohim). 8Therefore, you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of his God (Elohim). He shall be holy to you, for I am the Lord (Yahweh) who sanctifies you. I am holy. 9And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by behaving like a harlot, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

The high priest

[The high priest has more requirements than an ordinary priest.]
10And he who is high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who is set apart to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head or tear his clothes. 11He shall not go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or for his mother. 12He shall not go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God (Elohim), for the anointing oil of his God (Elohim) is upon him. I am the Lord (Yahweh).
     13And he shall take a wife when she is a virgin. 14He shall not take a widow or a divorced woman, or a profane woman, or a harlot, but he shall take a virgin of his own people as his wife. 15He shall not profane his seed among his people, for I am the Lord (Yahweh) who sanctifies him.
16The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said: 17Speak to Aaron and say, "Whoever among your descendants in your generations has any blemish (a defect), let him not come near to offer the bread of his God (Elohim). 18For no man who has a blemish (a defect) shall come near, a blind man or a lame man or one who has a flat nose or any superfluous thing (malformation), 19or a man who has deformed feet or deformed hands, 20or a hunchback or a dwarf or one who has a damaged eye or who has a skin rash or scaly skin or has damaged testicles [Deut. 23:1]. 21No man who has a blemish (a defect) of the seed (descendants) of Aaron the priest shall come near to offer the Lord's (Yahweh's) burnt offerings. He who has a blemish (a defect) shall not come near to offer the bread of his God (Elohim). 22He shall eat the bread of his God (Elohim), both of the most holy and of the holy. 23But he shall not come near the altar because he has a defect, lest he profane my sanctuary, for I, the Lord (Yahweh), sanctify them. [Deut. 23:1] 24And Moses spoke it to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel.

Rules for eating food

221The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses, saying:

 2Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the sons of Israel, which they have consecrated (set apart) to me, so that they do not profane my holy name with what they consecrate to me. I am the Lord (Yahweh). 3Say to them: "Whoever among all your descendants throughout your generations (for all time) goes to the holy things that the sons of Israel have consecrated to the Lord (Yahweh), and has his uncleanness on him (who is ceremonially unclean), that person shall be cut off (cut away) from my presence (my presence) [Lev. 7:20]. I am the Lord (Yahweh). 4Any man of Aaron's family (seed, offspring) who suffers from a fungal infection (mold) or a problem with discharge shall not eat of the holy things until he is clean. And anyone who touches anything that is unclean through the dead or a man whose seed has left him, 5or anyone who touches any creeping thing that makes him unclean, or a person who is unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be. 6The soul that has touched such a thing shall be unclean until evening and shall not eat of the holy things until he has washed his body with water. 7And when the sun has set, he shall be clean and shall thereafter eat of the holy things, for they are his food. 8He shall not eat anything that has died of itself or been torn by beasts, and defile himself with it. I am the Lord (Yahweh). 9They shall keep (guard, protect, preserve) my customs, otherwise they shall bear the sin for it and therefore die if they profane them. I am the Lord (Yahweh) who sanctifies them.
10No stranger [who is not of Aaron's priestly family] shall eat of the holy things; a guest of the priest or a hired servant shall not eat of the holy things. 11But if the priest buys someone [a soul—a slave] with his money, he shall eat of it, and those born in his house shall eat of his flesh. 12If the priest's daughter marries a stranger, she shall not eat of the holy offerings. 13But if the priest's daughter becomes a widow or is divorced and has no children and returns to her father's house as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's flesh. But no stranger shall eat of it.
     14But if a man eats of the holy things unknowingly, he shall give a fifth of it (of its value) [as a sin offering, see Lev. 5:16; 6:5] and shall give it to the priest with the holy things. 15And they shall not profane the holy things of the sons of Israel which they offer unto the Lord (Yahweh), 16or cause them to bear the guilt of their sin when they eat their holy things, for I am the Lord (Yahweh) who sanctifies them."

HOLY RITUALS (22:17-25:55)

[This passage applies to the whole people, see verse 18.] 17The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses, saying:

Voluntary sacrifices

[This section is related to chapters 1-7. What is discussed here are defects in animals that disqualify them from being sacrificed.] 18Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the sons of Israel, and say to them: "Whoever he is from the house of Israel or from the strangers in Israel, who wants to offer his sacrifice for all his vows and all his voluntary gifts that they want to offer to the Lord (Yahweh) as a burnt offering, 19he shall offer a male animal without blemish from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats. 20But whatever has a defect (fault, blemish) you shall not offer, for it will not bring you favor (become pleasing, conditional grace – Hebr. ratson). 21And if anyone wants to offer a shalom offering [Lev. 3:1] to the Lord (Yahweh), either to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary offering, from cattle or sheep, it must be without blemish (Hebr. tamim) to be acceptable (to be pleasing, conditional favor – Hebr. ratson). It must not have any defect (fault, blemish).
     22Anything blind or broken [a broken bone] or mutilated (something cut; defective) or scabby (a growth, a rash) or open sore or scaly – these you shall not sacrifice to the Lord (Yahweh). Do not make a burnt offering of them on the altar to the Lord (Yahweh). 23An ox or a lamb that has any deformity (extra growth) or is missing any part of its body (is maimed) may be sacrificed as a voluntary offering, but for a vow (as a vow offering) it does not bring grace (conditional grace – Hebr. ratsah). [An ox is a castrated bull and is therefore not valid as a sacrificial animal, see also Deut. 17:1.] 24You shall not offer to the Lord (Yahweh) anything that is crushed, or broken, or cut, nor shall you make any sacrifice of such things in your land. 25Neither shall you offer the bread of God (Elohim) from the hand of a stranger, for their decay is in them and defects (lyten) are in them, they shall not give you mercy (conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsah)."

Proper sacrifices

26The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses, saying:

 27When a cattle (bull/ox/cow/calf – Hebr.) shor) or a sheep (Hebr. kesev) or a goat is brought forth, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day onward it shall give grace (conditional grace – Hebr. ratsah) as a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh). 28And if it is cattle (bull/ox/cow/calf – Hebr. shor) or sheep (lamb – Hebr. seh), you shall not kill her and her calf on the same day. [Ex. 23:19; Lev. 22:28; Deut. 22:6, 7] 29And when you want to offer a thank offering to the Lord (Yahweh), you shall offer it of your own free will (literally, with conditional grace). 30It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall not leave any of it until morning. I am the Lord (Yahweh).

Summary

31Therefore, you shall keep (guard, protect, preserve) my commandments (clear commands) and do them. I am the Lord (Yahweh). 32You shall not profane my holy name, but I will be holy among the sons of Israel. I am the Lord (Yahweh) who sanctifies you, 33who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God (Elohim). I am the Lord (Yahweh).

The Lord's Feasts

The feasts of the Lord (Yahweh) are more than just occasions to celebrate a festival. The feasts mentioned here are the Lord's own, which he himself has instituted, in order to have a special, extra intimate fellowship with us as believers and participants in the blood covenant with God at various times during the year, see Gen. 1:14. The Sabbath is a feast day that recurs every week, while the other feasts recur every year.

The Sabbath is about regularly setting aside time when we let go of our daily chores to spend more time with God than is possible when we also have to focus on everyday life. These concerns are in themselves something that God also wants us to devote ourselves to, but the Sabbath marks that our fellowship with God Himself is the most important priority in our lives.

In addition to what we should remember on each holiday, the annual feasts also have a clear prophetic dimension that points to something God will do in the future. The three spring feasts, together with Pentecost, point to the Messiah's first visit here on earth. They have all been fulfilled in what Jesus did when he walked among us and when the apostles completed the day of Pentecost. (These feasts had then been celebrated about 1,500 times.) The three autumn feasts point prophetically to what we are still waiting for to happen when the Messiah returns to earth for the second time.

231 The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:
2Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: The feasts of the Lord (Yahweh) (appointed meetings at fixed times – Hebr. móed), which you shall proclaim (announce, declare) as holy convocations – these are my feasts (appointed meetings at fixed times):

The Sabbath – every week

3Work shall be done for six days. The seventh day is the Sabbath for solemn rest, a holy gathering. You shall not do any work. It is the Sabbath of the Lord (Yahweh) wherever you live. [The Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening one hour after sunset. The evening begins with the lighting of candles and often a prayer service in the synagogue. It is a day when people do not work. They spend time with their families and go to the synagogue. Nowhere in the New Testament are Christians commanded to keep the Sabbath commandment in this way. However, Jesus says that man is not made for the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath is made for man. We need a day of rest, a day to seek God individually and worship. See also Ex. 20:8–11; 31:12–17; 35:1–3; Num. 28:9–10; Deut. 5:12–15]

Passover (Pesach) – 14th of Nisan

4These are the Lord's (Yahweh's) appointed times (agreed meetings at specific times), holy gatherings, which you shall proclaim (announce, declare) at their appointed times. 5In the first month [Nisan, which falls in March/April], at twilight (literally: 'between the two evenings') [Ex. 12:6] on the 14th day of the month is the Lord's (Yahweh's) Passover (Pesach).
[Passover is not described in detail here, but Ex. 12 contains a detailed description of how this day is to be celebrated. See also Num. 28:16–23; Deut. 16:1–7.]

The Feast of Unleavened Bread (matzot) – 15th of Nisan and seven days

6On the 15th day of the same month [Nisan, in the spring] is the Lord's (Yahweh's) Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hebr. chag matsah). For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7On the first day you shall hold a holy convocation and you shall not do any work. 8Instead, you shall bring a fire offering to the Lord (Yahweh) for seven days. On the seventh day, you shall hold a holy convocation and you shall not do any work.
[The unleavened bread is a picture of sinlessness and speaks partly of Jesus, but also of us who, through Jesus' work of atonement, have the right to share in His sinlessness through salvation. See also Num. 28:24–25; Deut. 16:8.]

Feast of Firstfruits (Bikkurim) – celebrated one day

9The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

10Speak to the children of Israel (sons) and say to them: When you have entered the land that I will give you and harvested its crops, you shall take a sheaf (Hebr. omer) of the first of the harvest and bring it to the priest. [The first crop harvested is barley, so it is a sheaf of barley that is brought forward as the first fruits on this occasion.] 11He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord (Yahweh) so that it may bring you favor (conditional favor – Hebr. ratson). On the morning after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave it.
     12And on the day you wave (lift) your sheaf (Hebr. omer), you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh). 13The accompanying food offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah [a total of 5-7 liters] of fine flour mixed with oil, a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh) as a pleasing aroma. The accompanying drink offering shall be a quarter of a hin [0.9 liters]. 14You shall not eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain (from the year's harvest) until this day, until you have brought the offering to your God (Elohim). It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations wherever you live. [Bikkurim can fall on both the second and third days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as it is the day after the Sabbath. If a regular weekly Sabbath and the Holy Sabbath, which is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, fall consecutively, there will be two Sabbath days before the Feast of Firstfruits can be celebrated. This may have been what happened in the year when Jesus was crucified, see Matt. 28:1; Mark 11. Pesach is always celebrated on the 14th of Nisan and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th of Nisan. The third day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the 17th of Nisan. The days of the week vary from year to year. However, in the year 30 CE, the 17th of Nisan is a Sunday. That year, Sunday also coincides with the Feast of Firstfruits, bikkurim. Imagine if, at the same time as a sheaf was waved in the temple as a firstfruits offering, the news spread that Jesus had risen, see 1 Cor. 15:20.

When we choose to celebrate the Feast of Firstfruits and, in accordance with other scriptures on the subject, give our firstfruits to the Lord regularly (Prov 3:9; Ezek. 44:30), it is a way for us to show that we always want God first in our lives. There are special blessings promised when we live that way, see Matt. 6:19–21.]

The counting of the omer – 49 days shall be counted

15Then you shall count from the morning after the Sabbath [the same day that the Feast of Firstfruits is celebrated], the same day that you bring the sheaf (Hebr. omer) with your wave offering, seven full Sabbaths. 16On the morning after the seventh Sabbath, you shall count fifty days and then bring a new food offering to the Lord (Yahweh). [During the seven weeks between the Feast of Firstfruits (bikkurim) and Pentecost (shavuot), 49 days are counted. The counting is called the counting of the Omer because the Hebr. word omer is both the word for a sheaf (verse 15) and the measure of volume that corresponded to about 3 liters, the daily requirement of manna for one person and the amount of grain obtained from the sheaf (Ex. 16:36). It is interesting to note that the next festival, Shavuot, also called the Feast of Weeks (Hebr. chag qatsir, see Ex. 23:16), has a numerological connection to the 49 days of the counting of the Omer. The word for harvest (Hebr. qatsir) is used 49 times in the Old Testament, two of which are in verse 22 of the passage dealing with Shavuot.]

Pentecost (Shavuot) – celebrated for seven days

17You shall [then, on the fiftieth day] bring out from your house two loaves of bread for a wave offering. They shall be made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour [approx. 5-7 liters], and you shall bake them with yeast as a first fruit offering to the Lord (Yahweh).[This is the only offering in the entire Torah that not only may, but must be made with leaven! This is significant in several ways. First, there are two loaves, which speak of Jews and Gentiles together. But it is also the leaven that symbolizes the sin in our lives. When Pentecost is fulfilled in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit is poured out on all people. This makes it possible for us as sinful beings to share in God's righteousness through Jesus. In this way, we can come before God with our sin without being condemned to eternal death, because we can now invoke the blood of Jesus, which makes us sinless in God's eyes despite our own sinfulness. It is the Holy Spirit's task to convince us of our sin and the need for the salvation that Jesus offers us.
    In modern times, this holiday is celebrated for only one or two days, unlike Passover and Sukkot, which are still celebrated for seven days.] 18Along with the bread, you shall bring seven yearling lambs without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh) with their accompanying grain offerings and drink offerings, an offering made by fire to the Lord (Yahweh) as a pleasing aroma. 19You shall also offer a male goat as a sin offering and two year-old male lambs as a peace offering [a fellowship offering that everyone in the family ate together, see Lev. 7:11–21].
20The priest shall wave them together with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before the Lord (Yahweh), with the two lambs. They shall be consecrated to the Lord (Yahweh) for the priests. 21You shall issue a decree (proclaim, announce) on that same day that it shall be a holy convocation, and you shall not do any work. It shall be a perpetual decree throughout your generations wherever you live.
22When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Instead, you shall leave them for the poor and the strangers. I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim). [Several examples of this can be found in the Bible. Ruth gleaned ears of grain in Boaz's field, see Ruth 2:2; Jesus and his disciples walked through a grain field, see Mark 2:23. See also Lev. 19:9–10; Deut. 24:19–22.]

The Feast of Shofar (Yom Teroah) – 1st of Tishri (Num. 29:1-6)

23The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

24Speak to the children (sons) of Israel and say: In the 7th month [Tishri – Sept/Oct], on the first day of the month, you shall observe a Sabbath rest, a day of remembrance (when you remember) with loud sounds [shouts and shofar blasts, see Num. 29:1], a holy convocation. 25You shall not do any work, and you shall bring an offering by fire to the Lord (Yahweh). [This feast is also called the Feast of Trumpets or the Feast of Trumpets. Prophetically, it points to when the last trumpet will sound before Jesus' return to earth. It is also this feast that marks the Jewish New Year. In Ex. 12:1–2, it is clearly stated that Nisan (when Passover is celebrated in the spring in memory of the exodus from Egypt and the birth of the nation) shall be the first month. It is not entirely clear how the shift from the first month to the seventh month came about. It may have to do with the fact that sowing takes place in the fall and the agricultural year begins. Since the 17th century, the holiday has also been called Rosh Hashanah (head of the year) among Jews. Jewish literature describes how, in biblical times, thirty blasts were sounded with the shofars. In modern Judaism, one hundred blasts are sounded to proclaim the new year.]

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) – 10th of Tishri (Num. 29:7-11)

26The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

27Exactly on (Hebr. ach, emphasizing something important) the 10th day of this seventh month [Tishri] is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur; the biblical name is Yom Hakippurim – literally "day of atonements"), a holy convocation for you to examine yourselves (your souls, your whole being – Hebr. nefesh). You shall bring a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh). 28You shall not do any work whatsoever on this special day (literally: "on the bone/strength of the day"), for it is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) when you shall make atonement for yourselves before the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim).
29Whoever among you does not examine himself (his soul) on that day shall be cut off from his people. 30The person (soul) who does any kind of work on that day, that person I will cut off from his people. 31You shall do no work. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32It shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall humble your souls. After the 9th day of the month in the evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath. [Here, the Hebrew is a little terse in its expression, but the Jews interpret this verse to mean that the Day of Atonement should begin before the sun has completely set, and therefore this day becomes longer than 24 hours. The ten days between Yom Teroah and Yom Kippur are days when the Jewish people still examine themselves today. It is a time when people try to resolve unresolved conflicts. They reflect on the past year and confess their faults and mistakes. It is a time when people do everything they can to live in peace with one another, see Rom. 12:18. According to Jewish tradition, it is on New Year's Day, Yom Teroah (in modern Hebrew Rosh Hashanah), that God decides who will be written in the book of life, and on Yom Kippur that the writing is sealed. Hence the greeting on Yom Kippur: Gmar chatimah tova, which means "may you be inscribed in the book of life".]

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) – 15th of Tishri and seven days (Num. 29:12-39)

33
(3 Mos 23:33) Temporary booths (Hebrew: sukkah) are built on balconies and roofs in Jerusalem during the festival of Sukkot.

Temporary booths (Hebrew: sukkah) are built on balconies and roofs in Jerusalem during the festival of Sukkot.

The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said: [This phrase appears for the fifth and last time in this chapter. It is also the tenth and last time the word "speak" is used. The chapter is a counterpart to the Ten Commandments in Ex. 20. Here we find the Ten Commandments concerning the festivals!] 34Speak to the children (sons) of Israel and say: On the 15th day of this seventh month [Tishri], it is the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord (Yahweh). 35On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no labor [it is a Sabbath day]. 36For seven days you shall offer burnt offerings to the Lord (Yahweh). On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and offer a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh). It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any work [it is a Sabbath day].
37This is the Lord's (Yahweh's) solemn assembly (appointed meeting at a fixed time), which you shall proclaim (declare) as a holy convocation to bring burnt offerings to the Lord (Yahweh), a burnt offering, a grain offering, and a drink offering, each on its own day, 38besides the Lord's (Yahweh's) Sabbaths and besides your gifts and all your vows and all your freewill offerings that you give to the Lord (Yahweh).
39
(3 Mos 23:39) During Sukkot, four types of plants are used to represent all the fruits and plants of the earth. They are called etrog (citrus), lulav (palm), hadas (myrtle), and aravah (willow).

During Sukkot, four types of plants are used to represent all the fruits and plants of the earth. They are called etrog (citrus), lulav (palm), hadas (myrtle), and aravah (willow).

Exactly on (Hebr. ach, also emphasizing something important) the 15th day of the 7th month [Tishri – Sept/Oct], when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the Lord's (Yahweh's) feast for seven days. The first day shall be a Sabbath rest, and the eighth day shall also be a Sabbath rest. [This eighth day is now called Shemni Atzeret, which means "eighth – stop." This day also concludes the annual reading of the Torah, and the scrolls are rolled up. In the evening, Simchat Torah (meaning "the joy of the Torah") is celebrated – a festival with dancing and rejoicing.] 40On the first day, you shall take
    a selected fruit (lemon – Hebr. hadar) [called etrog],
    a branch of palm trees (Hebr. lulav),
    a branch of deciduous trees (myrtle – Hebr. hadas)
    and a branch of a willow tree (Hebr. aravah)
and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim) for seven days. [These four plants (the lemon fruit, palm, myrtle, and willow branches) are called Arbaat Haminim. In accordance with this commandment, every Jew today still takes an etrog, which is a lemon-yellow citrus fruit that symbolizes the heart and has both taste and fragrance, a lulav, which is an unopened palm branch that symbolizes the spine and has taste but no fragrance, a myrtle branch that symbolizes the eye and has fragrance but no taste, and a willow branch that symbolizes the mouth and has neither fragrance nor taste. These are waved before the Lord in all directions, as well as up and down. This means that one includes one's entire life, both spiritually and physically. It is done with joy and also expresses a desire to have a heart after God's heart, to be upright in faith and conduct, to have eyes that see oneself and others as God sees us, and to have a mouth that speaks truth, blessing, faith, and life.] 41
(3 Mos 23:41) During the five days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, people still build small booths or huts on balconies, rooftops, lawns, and public places. They then eat all their meals there, and some spend the entire holiday literally living in their leafy huts.

During the five days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, people still build small booths or huts on balconies, rooftops, lawns, and public places. They then eat all their meals there, and some spend the entire holiday literally living in their leafy huts.

©Daniel Goldstein, Jewels of Judaism

You shall celebrate it as a festive feast to the Lord (Yahweh) for seven days each year. It is an eternal statute for future generations. You shall celebrate it [in the fall] in the 7th month [Tishri – Sept/Oct]. 42You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native to Israel shall dwell in booths, 43so that your future generations may know that I made the children (sons) of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim). [The four spring feasts speak prophetically of Jesus' first coming and how the Holy Spirit would come. All of these have been fulfilled. The remaining three autumn feasts point to Jesus' second coming and await their fulfillment, see Col. 2:17. There are different views on the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. However, the seventh and last, the Feast of Tabernacles, clearly points forward to the millennial kingdom when Jesus will reign on earth in peace, see Rev 20:1–3.]
44Moses spoke to the children (sons) of Israel about the Lord's (Yahweh's) feasts (appointed meetings at set times).

Oil and bread

[The previous chapter dealt with annual feasts, now comes a section reminiscent of the ongoing service in the tabernacle. There is also a connection to oil and grain, which are products of the harvest, which are also part of the celebration of the feasts.] 241The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:
2Command the sons of Israel to bring you pure olive oil, beaten [referring to the method of extracting the oil] for the light bearer (candelabra), so that the lamps may burn continuously. 3Outside the veil of the testimony in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord (Yahweh) continually. It is a statute (literally "things engraved") forever throughout your generations. 4He shall tend the lamps of the ritually pure menorah before the Lord (Yahweh) continually.
5And you shall take fine flour and bake 12 cakes of it, two-tenths of an ephah [a total of 5-7 liters] in each cake. 6And you shall place them in two rows [stacks], 6 in each row on the (ritually) pure table before the Lord (Yahweh). [Ex. 25:23–30] 7And you shall put incense on top of each row [stack] as a memorial (a remembrance) so that it becomes a memorial bread, a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh). 8Every Sabbath he shall arrange it before the Lord (Yahweh) continually. It shall be taken from the sons of Israel as an everlasting covenant. 9And it shall be Aaron's and his sons', and they shall eat it in a holy place, for it is most holy to him of the burnt offerings of the Lord (Yahweh) as an everlasting ordinance (literally "things engraved"). [The Jewish historian Josephus writes in his book "Antiquities of the Jews" that the twelve loaves of bread were baked without leaven the day before the Sabbath and on the morning of the Sabbath were brought into the temple where they were placed in two piles, instead of in rows, on the holy table.]

A case of blasphemy

10And a son of an Israeli woman, whose father was Egyptian, went around among the sons of Israel, and this son of an Israeli woman and an Israeli man wandered together in the camp. 11And the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the name of the Lord (Yahweh) and cursed. And they brought him to Moses. And his mother's name was Shelomit, daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan. 12They put him in custody until the will of the Lord (Yahweh) could be revealed to them.
13The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:
14Bring forth him that hath cursed before the congregation, and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying: "Every man (Hebr. ish ish – the repetition of "man" emphasizes that this is a general prohibition) who curses (does not respect; literally: "takes lightly" – Hebr. jekalel) his God (Elohim) shall bear his sin. 16And he who blasphemes the name of the Lord (Yahweh), he shall surely be put to death, and the whole congregation shall surely stone him, both the stranger and the native-born, when he blasphemes the name of the Lord (Yahweh), he shall be put to death.
     17And whoever strikes (kills) a human being (completely extinguishes human life – Hebr. kol nefesh adam), shall be put to death. 18And whoever strikes (kills) an animal (extinguishes animal life – Hebr. nefesh behemah) shall make restitution life [animal] for life [animal]. 19And if a man causes harm to his neighbor—as he has done, so shall it be done to him. 20Injury for injury, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, as he has caused injury to someone, so shall it be done to him. 21And whoever kills an animal shall make restitution for it, and whoever kills a man shall be put to death. 22You shall have one and the same commandment (binding legal decision) for the stranger as for your own countrymen, for I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim). 23And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel that they should bring forth him who had cursed around the camp and stone him with stones. And the sons of Israel did as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded Moses.

Rules for the sabbatical year – shmita

251The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and said:

2Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: When you come to the land that I will give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord (Yahweh). 3For six years you shall sow your fields and for six years you shall prune your vines and gather in their fruit. 4But in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord (Yahweh) [in honor of the Lord]; you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5You shall not reap what grows of itself, nor gather the grapes of your unpruned vines. This is a sabbatical year of rest for the land. 6The sabbatical rest of the land shall be food for you, for your male and female servants, for your hired workers, and for the strangers who live with you. 7All the abundance shall be food for your livestock and for the wild animals of the land.

Rules for the Jubilee Year

8And you shall count seven sabbatical years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that the time shall be seven sabbaths of years, that is, 49 years. 9On the 10th day of the 7th month [Tishri – Sept/Oct], on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), you shall blow the shofar (ram's horn) throughout the land. 10And you shall sanctify the 50th year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you. And you shall return to each his property, and you shall return each to his family. [If anyone has been forced to sell himself into slavery and thereby, or possibly in some other way, been separated from his family, he or she shall now be allowed to return to his or her own family.] 11This 50th year shall be a jubilee year for you. You shall not sow, nor reap what grows of itself, nor gather grapes from your unpruned vines. 12This is a jubilee year; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat the abundance of the fields (what remains from previous years).

Redemption of land

13During the jubilee year, everyone shall return to their own property. 14And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy anything from your neighbor's hand, no one shall oppress his brother. 15After the number of years following the jubilee year, you shall buy from your neighbor, and after the number of years of fruit, he shall sell to you. 16With many years, you shall increase the price, and with few years, you shall decrease its price, for after the number of years of fruit, he sells to you. 17You shall not oppress one another with this, but shall fear your God (Elohim), for I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim). 18Therefore, you shall do my statutes (literally, "things engraved") and keep my ordinances (binding legal decisions) and do them, and you shall dwell in the land in security.
     19And the land shall yield its fruit, and you shall eat your fill and dwell there in safety.
     20And if you say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow or gather in our crops." 21Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bear fruit for three years. 22And you shall sow in the eighth year and still eat of the old fruit until the ninth year, until her fruit comes in, you shall eat of the old store. 23The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is mine, and you are strangers and sojourners with me. 24And throughout the land, for your possession, you shall grant a redemption for the land.
25If your brother becomes poor and sells his property, and if his redeemer comes to redeem it, then he shall redeem what his brother has sold. 26And if the man has no redeemer but himself is able to redeem it, 27then you shall let him count the years since it was sold and pay the difference to the man who sold it, so that he may return to his property. 28But if he is unable to restore it to him, then what has been sold shall remain with the one who bought it until the Jubilee, and in the Jubilee it shall be restored, and he shall return to his property.

Redeeming a house

29And if a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he shall redeem it a full year after it was sold. After a full year, he shall redeem it. 30If it is not redeemed within a full year, the house in the walled city shall remain in the possession of the buyer for all time, through his generations. It shall not be returned in the year of jubilee. 31But houses in villages that do not have city walls shall be considered fields; they may be redeemed and shall be returned in the Jubilee year. 32The Levites may redeem the cities and the houses in the cities that are their possession at any time. 33And if a man buys from the Levites, the house that was sold and the city for his possession shall be returned in the Jubilee year, for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the sons of Israel. 34But the open fields belonging to their cities may not be sold, for they are their perpetual possession.

Rules for loans and slaves

35And if your brother becomes poor and his hand is weak (unable to support him), then you shall help him, whether he is a stranger or a sojourner, so that he may live with you. 36Do not take usury or interest from him, but fear your God (Elohim), so that your brother may live with you. 37You shall not give him your money at usury, nor lend him your goods at interest. 38I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim) who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and be your God (Elohim).
39And if your brother who lives with you becomes poor and is sold to you, you shall not force him to serve you as a slave, 40but as a hired servant and as a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the year of jubilee [which occurred every 50 years, see Lev. 25:10–12]. 41Then he shall leave you, both he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family and to his fathers' possession he shall return. 42For they are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall revere your God (Elohim).
44Both your male and female servants that you shall have shall be from the nations around you; from them you shall buy male and female servants. 45And also from the sons of strangers who wander among you, from them you shall buy, and from their families who are among you, whom they bore in your land, and they shall be your property. 46And you shall take them as an inheritance for your sons after you, to inherit for them as a possession; they shall be your slaves forever. But over your brothers, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule one over another with severity.
     47If a stranger or visitor (guest worker) becomes rich through you and your brother who lives with him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or visitor among you, or to someone else who belongs to a foreign family, 48he shall be able to redeem himself after he has sold himself. Any of his brothers may redeem him. 49Either his uncle or his cousin (his uncle's son) shall redeem him, or someone who is a close relative of his from his family shall redeem him, or if he has the means, he shall redeem himself. 50And he shall calculate with him who bought him from the year he was sold to him until the jubilee year, and the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years. As the days of a hired worker shall it be for him. 51If there are many years left, he shall deduct the price of his redemption from his purchase price. 52If there are only a few years left until the Jubilee year, he shall reckon with him, and according to the number of years he shall give him the price of his redemption. 53And as a hired worker year by year, he shall be to him, and the other shall not rule over him with severity in your eyes. 54And if he is not redeemed during those years, then he shall depart at the jubilee, both he and his children with him. 55For to me the sons of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim).

CONCLUSION (chapters 26-27)

261You shall not make for yourselves any graven image or any likeness of anything, nor shall you set up any pillar. You shall not set up any image of stone in your land to bow down before it, for I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim). 2You shall keep (guard, protect, preserve) my Sabbaths and revere my tabernacle. I am the Lord (Yahweh).

The blessings of obedience

3If you walk in my statutes (literally, "things engraved") and keep (guard, protect) my commandments (clear commands) and do them, 4then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5And your threshing season shall continue until the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall continue until the time of sowing, and you shall eat your bread in full measure (it shall be enough to satisfy you) and you shall dwell securely in your land. 6And I will give peace (shalom, all kinds of prosperity, health, and success) in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one shall make you afraid, and I will remove evil animals from the land, nor shall the sword pass through your land. 7And you shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. [A proverbial expression for military superiority, see Deut. 32:30; Isa. 30:17.] 9For I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and establish my covenant with you. 10You shall eat the old grain and clear out the old for the new. 11And I will set up my tabernacle (Hebr. miskan) among you, and I (my soul) will not abhor you. 12And I will walk among you and be your God (Elohim), and you shall be my people. 13I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim) who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I have broken the bonds of your yoke and let you walk upright.

The curse of disobedience

14But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments (clear commands), 15and if you despise my statutes (literally "things engraved") or if your soul abhors my judgments so that you do not do all my commandments (clear commands) but break my covenant [which I made on Mount Sinai], 16then I will also do this to you.

First warning – diseases

I will bring terror (sudden fear – Hebr. behalah) upon you, consumption and burning fever that devours the eyes and causes the heart sorrow, and you will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it. 17And I will set my face against you [the opposite of the blessing in verse 9], and you shall be slain before your enemies; those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.

Second warning – crops that fail

18And if you still will not listen to me, then I will punish (discipline – Hebr. jasa) you seven times more for your sins. 19And I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron and your ground like copper. 20And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its harvest, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit. [Now follow three more warnings. The Hebrew word qeri is used only seven times in the entire Bible, see verses 21, 23, 24, 27, 28, 40, and 41. It means the opposite and comes from the word qara, which means to meet someone or for something to happen. Since the word is only used here, its meaning is not entirely clear, but rabbis also teach that the word means apathy and indifference toward God.]

Third warning – wild animals and childlessness

21If you walk in opposition (live in rebellion, hostility – Hebr. qeri) to me and do not listen to me [are apathetic and indifferent], I will bring seven times more plagues [punishments] upon you for your sins. 22I will also send wild animals among you to steal your children from you and destroy your livestock and make you so few that your roads will be deserted. [In the 700s BC, those who lived in Samaria suffered from just this, see 2 Kings 17:25.]

Fourth warning – war, plagues, and famine

23If you do not let me change (discipline, train – Hebr. jasar) you with these things, but walk in opposition (live in rebellion, hostility) to me, 24then I will also walk in opposition to you and will punish you seven times for your sins. 25I will [remove my protective hand and] bring a sword upon you to avenge the violations of my covenant, and when you gather together in your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be delivered into the hands of your enemies. 26When I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake bread in one oven, and they shall give you the bread again by weight, and you shall eat without being satisfied.

Fifth warning—famine

27And if, despite all this, you refuse to listen to me and walk in opposition (live in rebellion) against me, 28then I will also walk in opposition to you in fury, and I will punish you seven times for your sins. 29And you shall eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters you shall eat. 30And I will destroy your high places and cut down your idols, and throw down the carcasses on top of the carcasses of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. 31And I will make your cities desolate, and your sanctuaries a desolation, and I will no longer smell the fragrance of your sweet sacrifices. 32And I will make the land desolate, and your enemies who dwell there will be astonished. 33And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw out a sword after you, and your land shall be desolate and your cities empty.
34Then the land shall be granted mercy (receive conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsah) for its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in the land of your enemies. Then the land shall rest (receive sabbath rest) and be granted mercy (receive conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsah) for its sabbaths. 35As long as it lies desolate, it shall rest, for it did not rest during your sabbaths when you lived there.
     36And upon those who are left alive, I will send a weariness in their hearts in the land of their enemies, and the sound of rustling leaves shall pursue them, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues them. 37And they shall fall one upon another, as if it were for a sword, when none pursueth them; and they shall have no strength to stand before their enemies. 38And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall devour you. 39And those of you who are left will waste away in your transgressions in the land of your enemies, and the transgressions of their fathers will waste away with them.

Repentance—the way back

40If they confess their own sins and the sins of their fathers, with their transgressions that they have committed against me, and that they have walked in opposition (lived in rebellion, hostility) against me, 41and I have also walked in opposition to them and brought them into the land of their enemies, so that their uncircumcised hearts may be humbled and they may then receive mercy (conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsah) for their sins, 42then I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac, and my covenant with Abraham—I will remember them, and I will remember the land. 43The land shall be desolate and receive mercy (receive conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsah) for its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall receive mercy (receive conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsah) for their sins. For as much as, yes, as much as they have despised my statutes (binding legal decisions) and as much as their souls have abhorred my ordinances (literally "things engraved"). 44Nevertheless, for all this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not completely reject them, nor will I abhor them so as to destroy them completely and break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God (Yahweh Elohim). 45But for their sake, I will remember the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, to be their God (Elohim). I am the Lord (Yahweh).

Summary

46These are the statutes (literally, "things engraved") and judgments (binding legal decisions) and teachings that the Lord (Yahweh) made between himself and the sons of Israel on Mount Sinai through the hand of Moses.

Vows (for the construction of the tabernacle)

[This last chapter focuses on promises made to the Lord (Yahweh). The context here is specifically in preparation for the construction of the tabernacle, but it also applies to other promises. The promises dealt with here are in addition to the regular sacrifices (Lev. 1–7). These were personal vows (Ps. 50:14), which were given to the Lord as special thanksgiving offerings (1 Sam. 1:28; Ps. 50:14; 61:8; 65:1; 66:13; 116:14, 18; Jonah 2:9). The passage begins with people (verses 2-8), followed by animals (verses 9-13) and finally inanimate objects (verses 14-25).] 271The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:
2Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: If anyone wants to make a special (wonderful, unusual, difficult) vow, the persons [to whom the vow applies] shall be valued (appraised) before the Lord (Yahweh).

The shekel is a unit of weight used in Mesopotamia, Israel, and Egypt. The word comes from the verb for weighing (Hebr. shaqal) and the unit was used as currency for trading silver and gold before coins (the first coin was minted in 600 BC). The value of a gold shekel was about twenty times more than a silver shekel. The earliest finds of the use of the shekel come from cities such as Ur and Uruk, and can be dated to around 3000 BC. The weight varies between different periods and regions. In Mesopotamia, the weight was around 8 grams, while in Egypt it was 11-12 grams.

During biblical times, the shekel was equivalent to 11.5 grams. An ancient limestone weight from the First Temple period was found in Jerusalem in 2020. The weight was exactly 23 grams, confirming that the official shekel weighed 11.5 grams. The fact that the find was made under Wilson's Arch (next to the Western Wall) also confirms the expression "shekel of the sanctuary" as a standardized measure (Ex. 30:13; 30:24; Deut. 5:15; 27:3).

The half-shekel was the annual temple tax for every Israeli man between the ages of 20 and 50 (Matt. 17:24). This word is the basis for today's currency in Israel, which is the NIS – New Israeli Shekel.

3If your assessment (valuation) applies to a man between the ages of 20 and 60, it shall be
    50 shekels of silver [575 grams] according to the sanctuary shekel. 4And if it is a woman, your estimate (valuation) shall be
    30 shekels [345 grams of silver].
5If it concerns someone between the ages of 5 and 20, the estimate (valuation) shall be
    20 shekels [230 grams of silver] for a boy (of male gender – Hebr. zachar) and
    10 shekels [115 grams of silver] for a girl (of female gender – Hebr. neqevah). zachar) and
    10 shekels [115 grams of silver] for a girl (female – Hebr. neqevah).
6And if it is from 1 month old to 5 years old, the estimate (valuation) shall be
    5 shekels [58 grams] of silver for a boy and
    3 shekels [34 grams] of silver for a girl.
7And if it is from 60 years of age and up, the estimate (valuation) shall be
    15 shekels [173 grams] of silver for a man (Hebr. zachar) and
    10 shekels [114 grams] of silver for a woman (Hebr. neqevah).
8But if anyone is poorer than the estimate (valuation), then he shall come before the priest, and the priest shall value him. According to his ability as one who has taken the oath, the priest shall value him.

Animals

9And if it is [if the vow offering is] an animal [ox, sheep, or goat] that is brought as an offering to the Lord (Yahweh), everything that anyone gives of such to the Lord (Yahweh) shall be holy. 10He shall not change it, nor exchange a good one for a bad one, or a bad one for a good one. But if he should exchange one animal for another, both the exchanged (both animals) shall be holy. 11If it is an unclean animal that is not used for sacrifice to the Lord (Yahweh), then he shall show the animal to the priest. 12And the priest shall assess it as good or bad, and as he assesses it as a priest, so shall it be. 13But if he wants to redeem it, he shall add a fifth of its estimated value.

House

14And when a man consecrates his house to be holy to the Lord (Yahweh), the priest shall appraise it as good or bad. As the priest appraises it, so it shall stand. 15And if the one who consecrates it wants to redeem his house, he shall add a fifth of the silver to the estimated value, and it shall be his.

Field

16And if a man consecrates part of his field from his possession to the Lord (Yahweh), then the valuation shall be made in relation to its crop. A homer of barley [the weight a donkey could carry] shall be valued at 50 shekels [575 grams] of silver. 17If he consecrates his field from the jubilee year, the valuation shall apply. 18But if he consecrates his field after the jubilee year [every 49 years], the priest shall calculate for him the money according to the number of years remaining until the jubilee year, and it shall be deducted from the valuation. 19And if he who consecrated the field wants to redeem it in any way, he shall add a fifth of the money for the valuation to it, and it shall be guaranteed to him. 20And if he does not wish to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed again. 21But the field shall be consecrated to the Lord (Yahweh) in the jubilee year, as a field set apart, and the possession shall be the priest's.
     22And if a man consecrates to the Lord (Yahweh) a field that he has bought that is not his possession, 23then the priest shall calculate for him the estimated value at the time of the Jubilee, and he shall give the estimated value on that day; it is holy to the Lord (Yahweh). 24In the year of jubilee, the field shall return to the one from whom it was bought, to the one to whom the land belongs. 25And all your estimates shall be according to the sanctuary shekel. 20 gera shall be a shekel. [A shekel is a unit of weight equal to 11.5 grams. A gera is 1/20 of a shekel, which is 0.6 grams.]

Firstborn

26Only the firstborn of the animals, which are the firstborn of the Lord (Yahweh), shall no man consecrate, whether it be an ox or a sheep. It is the Lord's (Yahweh's). 27And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it according to your estimates and shall add a fifth to it, or if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold according to your estimate.

Objects

28Make sure that no consecrated object (Hebr. charem) that a man has consecrated (Hebr. charam) to the Lord (Yahweh) from all that he has, both people and animals and the crops of the fields, is sold or redeemed. Every consecrated object is most holy to the Lord (Yahweh). 29Nothing consecrated by humans shall be redeemed, but shall be put to death.

Tithes

30And every tenth of the land, whether grain or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord (Yahweh). It is holy to the Lord (Yahweh). 31And if a man wants to redeem his tithe, he shall add a fifth of its value. 32And as for the tithe of the herd or flock, everything that passes under the rod, the tithe is holy to the Lord (Yahweh). 33He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he does exchange it, then both it and the exchanged shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

Summary

34These are the commandments (the clear commandments – Hebr. mitzvot) that the Lord (Yahweh) commanded (Hebrew tsavah) Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.




© 2004-2026 The Core Bible
ta bort markör