Discovery BoxLeviticus 1:1--6:19
Context1:1 Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him 1 from the Meeting Tent: 2 1:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When 3 someone 4 among you presents an offering 5 to the Lord, 6 you 7 must present your offering from the domesticated animals, either from the herd or from the flock. 8
1:3 “‘If his offering is a burnt offering 9 from the herd he must present it as a flawless male; he must present it at the entrance 10 of the Meeting Tent for its 11 acceptance before the Lord. 1:4 He must lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to make atonement 12 on his behalf. 1:5 Then the one presenting the offering 13 must slaughter the bull 14 before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, must present the blood and splash 15 the blood against the sides of the altar which is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 1:6 Next, the one presenting the offering 16 must skin the burnt offering and cut it into parts, 1:7 and the sons of Aaron, the priest, 17 must put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 1:8 Then the sons of Aaron, the priests, must arrange the parts with the head and the suet 18 on the wood that is in the fire on the altar. 19 1:9 Finally, the one presenting the offering 20 must wash its entrails and its legs in water and the priest must offer all of it up in smoke on the altar 21 – it is 22 a burnt offering, a gift 23 of a soothing aroma to the Lord.
1:10 “‘If his offering is from the flock for a burnt offering 24 – from the sheep or the goats – he must present a flawless male, 1:11 and must slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, will splash its blood against the altar’s sides. 1:12 Next, the one presenting the offering 25 must cut it into parts, with its head and its suet, and the priest must arrange them on the wood which is in the fire, on the altar. 1:13 Then the one presenting the offering must wash the entrails and the legs in water, and the priest must present all of it and offer it up in smoke on the altar – it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.
1:14 “‘If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering from the birds, 26 he must present his offering from the turtledoves or from the young pigeons. 27 1:15 The priest must present it at the altar, pinch off 28 its head and offer the head 29 up in smoke on the altar, and its blood must be drained out against the side of the altar. 1:16 Then the priest 30 must remove its entrails by cutting off its tail feathers, 31 and throw them 32 to the east side of the altar into the place of fatty ashes, 1:17 and tear it open by its wings without dividing it into two parts. 33 Finally, the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is in the fire – it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.
2:1 “‘When a person presents a grain offering 34 to the Lord, his offering must consist of choice wheat flour, 35 and he must pour olive oil on it and put frankincense 36 on it. 2:2 Then he must bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and the priest 37 must scoop out from there a handful of its choice wheat flour and some of its olive oil in addition to all of its frankincense, and the priest must offer its memorial portion 38 up in smoke on the altar – it is 39 a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 2:3 The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to his sons 40 – it is 41 most holy 42 from the gifts of the Lord.
2:4 “‘When you present an offering of grain baked in an oven, it must be made of 43 choice wheat flour baked into unleavened loaves 44 mixed with olive oil or 45 unleavened wafers smeared 46 with olive oil. 2:5 If your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it must be choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil, unleavened. 2:6 Crumble it in pieces 47 and pour olive oil on it – it is a grain offering. 2:7 If your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, 48 it must be made of choice wheat flour deep fried in olive oil. 49
2:8 “‘You must bring the grain offering that must be made from these to the Lord. Present it to the priest, 50 and he will bring it to the altar. 2:9 Then the priest must take up 51 from the grain offering its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar – it is 52 a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 2:10 The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to his sons – it is 53 most holy from the gifts of the Lord.
2:11 “‘No grain offering which you present to the Lord can be made with yeast, 54 for you must not offer up in smoke any yeast or honey as a gift to the Lord. 55 2:12 You can present them to the Lord as an offering of first fruit, 56 but they must not go up to the altar for a soothing aroma. 2:13 Moreover, you must season every one of your grain offerings with salt; you must not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be missing from your grain offering 57 – on every one of your grain offerings you must present salt.
2:14 “‘If you present a grain offering of first ripe grain to the Lord, you must present your grain offering of first ripe grain as soft kernels roasted in fire – crushed bits of fresh grain. 58 2:15 And you must put olive oil on it and set frankincense on it – it is a grain offering. 2:16 Then the priest must offer its memorial portion up in smoke – some of its crushed bits, some of its olive oil, in addition to all of its frankincense – it is 59 a gift to the Lord.
3:1 “‘Now if his offering is a peace offering sacrifice, 60 if he presents an offering from the herd, he must present before the Lord a flawless male or a female. 61 3:2 He must lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, must splash the blood against the altar’s sides. 62 3:3 Then the one presenting the offering 63 must present a gift to the Lord from the peace offering sacrifice: He must remove the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that surrounds the entrails, 64 3:4 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys). 65 3:5 Then the sons of Aaron must offer it up in smoke on the altar atop the burnt offering that is on the wood in the fire as a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 66
3:6 “‘If his offering for a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord is from the flock, he must present a flawless male or female. 67 3:7 If he presents a sheep as his offering, he must present it before the Lord. 3:8 He must lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it before the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron must splash 68 its blood against the altar’s sides. 3:9 Then he must present a gift to the Lord from the peace offering sacrifice: He must remove all the fatty tail up to the end of the spine, the fat covering the entrails, and all the fat on the entrails, 69 3:10 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys). 70 3:11 Then the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar as a food gift to the Lord. 71
3:12 “‘If his offering is a goat he must present it before the Lord, 3:13 lay his hand on its head, and slaughter it before the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron must splash its blood against the altar’s sides. 3:14 Then he must present from it his offering as a gift to the Lord: the fat which covers the entrails and all the fat on the entrails, 72 3:15 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys). 73 3:16 Then the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar as a food gift for a soothing aroma – all the fat belongs to the Lord. 3:17 This is 74 a perpetual statute throughout your generations 75 in all the places where you live: You must never eat any fat or any blood.’” 76
4:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 77 4:2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When a person sins by straying unintentionally 78 from any of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated, and violates any 79 one of them 80 –
4:3 “‘If the high priest 81 sins so that the people are guilty, 82 on account of the sin he has committed he must present a flawless young bull to the Lord 83 for a sin offering. 84 4:4 He must bring the bull to the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the Lord, lay his hand on the head of the bull, and slaughter the bull before the Lord. 4:5 Then that high priest must take some of the blood 85 of the bull and bring it to the Meeting Tent. 4:6 The priest must dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle 86 some of it 87 seven times before the Lord toward 88 the front of the veil-canopy 89 of the sanctuary. 4:7 The priest must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent, and all the rest of the bull’s blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
4:8 “‘Then he must take up all the fat from the sin offering bull: 90 the fat covering the entrails 91 and all the fat surrounding the entrails, 92 4:9 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys) 93 4:10 – just as it is taken from the ox of the peace offering sacrifice 94 – and the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. 4:11 But the hide of the bull, all its flesh along with its head and its legs, its entrails, and its dung – 4:12 all the rest of the bull 95 – he must bring outside the camp 96 to a ceremonially clean place, 97 to the fatty ash pile, 98 and he must burn 99 it on a wood fire; it must be burned on the fatty ash pile.
4:13 “‘If the whole congregation of Israel strays unintentionally 100 and the matter is not noticed by 101 the assembly, and they violate one of the Lord’s commandments, which must not be violated, 102 so they become guilty, 4:14 the assembly must present a young bull for a sin offering when the sin they have committed 103 becomes known. They must bring it before the Meeting Tent, 4:15 the elders of the congregation must lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and someone must slaughter 104 the bull before the Lord. 4:16 Then the high priest 105 must bring some of the blood of the bull to the Meeting Tent, 4:17 and that priest must dip his finger in the blood 106 and sprinkle 107 some of the blood seven times 108 before the Lord toward 109 the front of the veil-canopy. 110 4:18 He must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar 111 which is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent, and all the rest of the blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
4:19 “‘Then the priest 112 must take all its fat 113 and offer the fat 114 up in smoke on the altar. 4:20 He must do with the rest of the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; this is what he must do with it. 115 So the priest will make atonement 116 on their behalf and they will be forgiven. 117 4:21 He 118 must bring the rest of the bull outside the camp 119 and burn it just as he burned the first bull – it is the sin offering of the assembly.
4:22 “‘Whenever 120 a leader, by straying unintentionally, 121 sins and violates one of the commandments of the Lord his God which must not be violated, 122 and he pleads guilty, 4:23 or his sin that he committed 123 is made known to him, 124 he must bring a flawless male goat as his offering. 125 4:24 He must lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slaughter 126 it in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord – it is a sin offering. 4:25 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 4:26 Then the priest 127 must offer all of its fat up in smoke on the altar like the fat of the peace offering sacrifice. So the priest will make atonement 128 on his behalf for 129 his sin and he will be forgiven. 130
4:27 “‘If an ordinary individual 131 sins by straying unintentionally 132 when he violates one of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated, 133 and he pleads guilty 4:28 or his sin that he committed 134 is made known to him, 135 he must bring a flawless female goat 136 as his offering for the sin 137 that he committed. 4:29 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter 138 the sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 4:30 Then the priest must take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 4:31 Then he must remove all of its fat (just as fat was removed from the peace offering sacrifice) and the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the Lord. So the priest will make atonement 139 on his behalf and he will be forgiven. 140
4:32 “‘But if he brings a sheep as his offering, for a sin offering, he must bring a flawless female. 4:33 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it for a sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 4:34 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 4:35 Then the one who brought the offering 141 must remove all its fat (just as the fat of the sheep is removed from the peace offering sacrifice) and the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar on top of the other gifts of the Lord. So the priest will make atonement 142 on his behalf for his sin which he has committed and he will be forgiven. 143
5:1 “‘When a person sins 144 in that he hears a public curse against one who fails to testify 145 and he is a witness (he either saw or knew what had happened 146 ) and he does not make it known, 147 then he will bear his punishment for iniquity. 148 5:2 Or when there is 149 a person who touches anything ceremonially 150 unclean, whether the carcass of an unclean wild animal, or the carcass of an unclean domesticated animal, or the carcass of an unclean creeping thing, even if he did not realize it, 151 but he himself has become unclean and is guilty; 152 5:3 or when he touches human uncleanness with regard to anything by which he can become unclean, 153 even if he did not realize it, but he himself has later come to know it and is guilty; 5:4 or when a person swears an oath, speaking thoughtlessly 154 with his lips, whether to do evil or to do good, with regard to anything which the individual might speak thoughtlessly in an oath, even if he did not realize it, but he himself has later come to know it and is guilty with regard to one of these oaths 155 – 5:5 when an individual becomes guilty with regard to one of these things 156 he must confess how he has sinned, 157 5:6 and he must bring his penalty for guilt 158 to the Lord for his sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, whether a female sheep or a female goat, for a sin offering. So the priest will make atonement 159 on his behalf for 160 his sin.
5:7 “‘If he cannot afford an animal from the flock, 161 he must bring his penalty for guilt for his sin that he has committed, 162 two turtledoves or two young pigeons, 163 to the Lord, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. 5:8 He must bring them to the priest and present first the one that is for a sin offering. The priest 164 must pinch 165 its head at the nape of its neck, but must not sever the head from the body. 166 5:9 Then he must sprinkle 167 some of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood 168 must be squeezed out at the base of the altar – it is a sin offering. 5:10 The second bird 169 he must make a burnt offering according to the standard regulation. 170 So the priest will make atonement 171 on behalf of this person for 172 his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven. 173
5:11 “‘If he cannot afford 174 two turtledoves or two young pigeons, 175 he must bring as his offering for his sin which he has committed 176 a tenth of an ephah 177 of choice wheat flour 178 for a sin offering. He must not place olive oil on it and he must not put frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. 5:12 He must bring it to the priest and the priest must scoop out from it a handful as its memorial portion 179 and offer it up in smoke on the altar on top of the other gifts of the Lord – it is a sin offering. 5:13 So the priest will make atonement 180 on his behalf for his sin which he has committed by doing one of these things, 181 and he will be forgiven. 182 The remainder of the offering 183 will belong to the priest like the grain offering.’” 184
5:14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 185 5:15 “When a person commits a trespass 186 and sins by straying unintentionally 187 from the regulations about the Lord’s holy things, 188 then he must bring his penalty for guilt 189 to the Lord, a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels according to the standard of the sanctuary shekel, 190 for a guilt offering. 191 5:16 And whatever holy thing he violated 192 he must restore and must add one fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest will make atonement 193 on his behalf with the guilt offering ram and he will be forgiven.” 194
5:17 “If a person sins and violates any of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated 195 (although he did not know it at the time, 196 but later realizes he is guilty), then he will bear his punishment for iniquity 197 5:18 and must bring a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels, 198 for a guilt offering to the priest. So the priest will make atonement 199 on his behalf for his error which he committed 200 (although he himself had not known it) and he will be forgiven. 201 5:19 It is a guilt offering; he was surely guilty before the Lord.”
6:1 (5:20) 202 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 203 6:2 “When a person sins and commits a trespass 204 against the Lord by deceiving his fellow citizen 205 in regard to something held in trust, or a pledge, or something stolen, or by extorting something from his fellow citizen, 206 6:3 or has found something lost and denies it and swears falsely 207 concerning any one of the things that someone might do to sin 208 – 6:4 when it happens that he sins and he is found guilty, 209 then he must return whatever he had stolen, or whatever he had extorted, or the thing that he had held in trust, 210 or the lost thing that he had found, 6:5 or anything about which he swears falsely. 211 He must restore it in full 212 and add one fifth to it; he must give it to its owner when he is found guilty. 213 6:6 Then he must bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels, 214 for a guilt offering to the priest. 6:7 So the priest will make atonement 215 on his behalf before the Lord and he will be forgiven 216 for whatever he has done to become guilty.” 217
6:8 (6:1) 218 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 219 6:9 “Command Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth 220 on the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar must be kept burning on it. 221 6:10 Then the priest must put on his linen robe and must put linen leggings 222 over his bare flesh, and he must take up the fatty ashes of the burnt offering that the fire consumed on the altar, 223 and he must place them 224 beside the altar. 6:11 Then he must take off his clothes and put on other clothes, and he must bring the fatty ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially 225 clean place, 6:12 but the fire which is on the altar must be kept burning on it. 226 It must not be extinguished. So the priest must kindle wood on it morning by morning, and he must arrange the burnt offering on it and offer the fat of the peace offering up in smoke on it. 6:13 A continual fire must be kept burning on the altar. It must not be extinguished.
6:14 “‘This is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron are to present it 227 before the Lord in front of the altar, 6:15 and the priest 228 must take up with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of the grain offering 229 and some of its olive oil, and all of the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and he must offer its memorial portion 230 up in smoke on the altar 231 as a soothing aroma to the Lord. 232 6:16 Aaron and his sons are to eat what is left over from it. It must be eaten unleavened in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent. 6:17 It must not be baked with yeast. 233 I have given it as their portion from my gifts. It is most holy, 234 like the sin offering and the guilt offering. 6:18 Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. It is a perpetual allotted portion 235 throughout your generations 236 from the gifts of the Lord. Anyone who touches these gifts 237 must be holy.’” 238
[1:1] 1 tn Heb “And he (the
[1:1] 2 sn The second clause of v. 1, “and the
[1:2] 3 tn “When” here translates the MT’s כִּי (ki, “if, when”), which regularly introduces main clauses in legislative contexts (see, e.g., Lev 2:1, 4; 4:2, etc.) in contrast to אִם (’im, “if”), which usually introduces subordinate sections (see, e.g., Lev 1:3, 10, 14; 2:5, 7, 14; 4:3, 13, etc.; cf. כִּי in Exod 21:2 and 7 as opposed to אִם in vv. 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11).
[1:2] 4 tn Heb “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ’adam), which in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female, since women could also bring such offerings (see, e.g., Lev 12:6-8; 15:29-30; cf. HALOT 14 s.v. I אָדָם); cf. NIV “any of you.”
[1:2] 5 tn The verb “presents” is cognate to the noun “offering” in v. 2 and throughout the book of Leviticus (both from the root קרב [qrb]). One could translate the verb “offers,” but this becomes awkward and, in fact, inaccurate in some passages. For example, in Lev 9:9 this verb is used for the presenting or giving of the blood to Aaron so that he could offer it to the
[1:2] 6 tn The whole clause reads more literally, “A human being (אָדָם, ’adam), if he brings from among you an offering to the
[1:2] 7 tn The shift to the second person plural verb here corresponds to the previous second person plural pronoun “among you.” It is distinct from the regular pattern of third person singular verbs throughout the rest of Lev 1-3. This too labels Lev 1:1-2 as an introduction to all of Lev 1-3, not just the burnt offering regulations in Lev 1 (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:146; cf. note 3 above).
[1:2] 8 tn Heb “from the domesticated animal, from the herd, and from the flock.” It is clear from the subsequent division between animals from the “herd” (בָּקָר, baqar, in Lev 1:3-9) and the “flock” (צֹאן, tso’n; see Lev 1:10-13) that the term for “domesticated animal” (בְּהֵמָה, bÿhemah) is a general term meant to introduce the category of pastoral quadrupeds. The stronger disjunctive accent over בְּהֵמָה in the MT as well as the lack of a vav (ו) between it and בָּקָר also suggest בְּהֵמָה is an overall category that includes both “herd” and “flock” quadrupeds.
[1:3] 9 sn The burnt offering (עֹלָה, ’olah) was basically a “a gift of a soothing aroma to the
[1:3] 10 tn Heb “door” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “doorway” (likewise throughout the book of Leviticus). The translation “door” or “doorway” may suggest a framed door in a casing to the modern reader, but here the term refers to the entrance to a tent.
[1:3] 11 tn The NIV correctly has “it” in the text, referring to the acceptance of the animal (cf., e.g., RSV, NEB, NLT), but “he” in the margin, referring to the acceptance of the offerer (cf. ASV, NASB, JB). The reference to a “flawless male” in the first half of this verse suggests that the issue here is the acceptability of the animal to make atonement on behalf of the offerer (Lev 1:4; cf. NRSV “for acceptance in your behalf”).
[1:4] 12 tn “To make atonement” is the standard translation of the Hebrew term כִּפֶּר, (kipper); cf. however TEV “as a sacrifice to take away his sins” (CEV similar). The English word derives from a combination of “at” plus Middle English “one[ment],” referring primarily to reconciliation or reparation that is made in order to accomplish reconciliation. The primary meaning of the Hebrew verb, however, is “to wipe [something off (or on)]” (see esp. the goal of the sin offering, Lev 4, “to purge” the tabernacle from impurities), but in some cases it refers metaphorically to “wiping away” anything that might stand in the way of good relations by bringing a gift (see, e.g., Gen 32:20 [21 HT], “to appease; to pacify” as an illustration of this). The translation “make atonement” has been retained here because, ultimately, the goal of either purging or appeasing was to maintain a proper relationship between the
[1:5] 13 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The LXX has “they” rather than “he,” suggesting that the priests, not the offerer, were to slaughter the bull (cf. the notes on vv. 6a and 9a).
[1:5] 14 tn Heb “the son of the herd”; cf. KJV “bullock”; NASB, NIV “young bull.”
[1:5] 15 tn “Splash” (cf. NAB) or “dash” (cf. NRSV) is better than “sprinkle,” which is the common English translation of this verb (זָרַק, zaraq; see, e.g., KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). “Sprinkle” is not strong enough (contrast נָזָה [nazah], which does indeed mean “to sprinkle” or “to splatter”; cf. Lev 4:6).
[1:6] 16 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The LXX and Smr have “they” rather than “he” in both halves of this verse, suggesting that the priests, not the offerer, were to skin and cut the carcass of the bull into pieces (cf. the notes on vv. 5a and 9a).
[1:7] 17 tc A few medieval Hebrew
[1:8] 18 tc A few Hebrew
[1:8] 19 tn Heb “on the wood, which is on the fire, which is on the altar.” Cf. NIV “on the burning wood”; NLT “on the wood fire.”
[1:9] 20 tn Heb “Finally, he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Once again, the MT assigns the preparation of the offering (here the entrails and legs) to the offerer because it did not bring him into direct contact with the altar, but reserves the actual placing of the sacrifice on the altar for the officiating priest (cf. the notes on vv. 5a and 6a).
[1:9] 21 tn Heb “toward the altar,” but the so-called locative ה (hey) attached to the word for “altar” can indicate the place where something is or happens (GKC 250 §90.d and GKC 373-74 §118.g; cf. also J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:161). This is a standard way of expressing “on/at the altar” with the verb “to offer up in smoke” (Hiphil of קָטַר [qatar]; cf. also Exod 29:13, 18, 25; Lev 1:9, 13, 15, 17; 2:2, etc.).
[1:9] 22 tc A few Hebrew
[1:9] 23 sn The standard English translation of “gift” (אִשֶּׁה, ’isheh) is “an offering [made] by fire” (cf. KJV, ASV). It is based on a supposed etymological relationship to the Hebrew word for “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) and is still maintained in many versions (e.g., NIV, RSV, NRSV, NLT; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 7-8). For various reasons, including the fact that some offerings referred to by this term are not burned on the altar (see, e.g., Lev 24:9), it is probably better to understand the term to mean “gift” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 22) or “food gift” (“food offering” in NEB and TEV; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:161-62). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:540-49 for a complete discussion.
[1:10] 24 tn Heb “And if from the flock is his offering, from the sheep or from the goats, for a burnt offering.” Here “flock” specifies the broad category, with “sheep or goats” giving specific examples.
[1:12] 25 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also in v. 13).
[1:14] 26 tn Heb “from the [category] ‘bird.’”
[1:14] 27 tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT) or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168, with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14).
[1:15] 28 tn The action here seems to involve both a twisting action, breaking the neck of the bird and severing its vertebrae, as well as pinching or nipping the skin to sever the head from the main body. Cf. NASB, NRSV “wring off its head”; NAB “snap its head loose”; NLT “twist off its head.”
[1:15] 29 tn Many English versions have “it” here, referring to the head of the bird, which the priest immediately tossed on the altar fire. However, “it” could be misunderstood to refer to the bird’s body, so “head” is repeated in the present translation for clarity. As the following lines show, certain things needed to be done to the body of the bird before it could be placed on the altar.
[1:16] 30 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (apparently still the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:16] 31 tn This translation (“remove its entrails by [cutting off] its tail feathers”) is based on the discussion in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:169-71, although he translates, “remove its crissum by its feathers.” Others possibilities include “its crop with its contents” (Tg. Onq., cf. NIV, NRSV; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 23) or “its crop with its feathers” (LXX, NASB, RSV; “crop” refers to the enlarged part of a bird’s gullet that serves a pouch for the preliminary maceration of food).
[1:16] 32 tn The pronoun “them” here is feminine singular in Hebrew and refers collectively to the entrails and tail wing which have been removed.
[1:17] 33 tn Heb “he shall not divide it.” Several Hebrew
[2:1] 34 sn The “grain offering” ( מִנְחָה[minkhah]; here קָרְבַּן מִנְחָה, [qorbban minkhah], “an offering of a grain offering”) generally accompanied a burnt or peace offering to supplement the meat with bread (the libation provided the drink; cf. Num 15:1-10), thus completing the food “gift” to the
[2:1] 35 tn The Hebrew term for “choice wheat flour” (סֹלֶת, selet) is often translated “fine flour” (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NCV), but it refers specifically to wheat as opposed to barley (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 10). Moreover, the translation “flour” might be problematic, since the Hebrew term may designate the “grits” rather than the more finely ground “flour” (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:179 as opposed to Levine, 10, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 30).
[2:1] 36 sn This is not just any “incense” (קְטֹרֶת, qÿtoret; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:913-16), but specifically “frankincense” (לְבֹנָה, lÿvonah; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:756-57).
[2:2] 37 tn Heb “and he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. The syntax is strange here and might suggest that it was the offerer who scooped out a handful of the grain offering for the memorial portion (G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 66), but based on v. 9 below it should be understood that it was the priest who performed this act (see, e.g., NRSV “After taking from it a handful of the choice flour and oil…the priest shall…”; see also J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:177, 181 and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 30).
[2:2] 38 sn The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָרָה, ’azkharah) was the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (see the previous clause), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (v. 3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23[7-16]). It was probably intended to call to mind (i.e., memorialize) before the
[2:2] 39 tn The words “it is” have been supplied. See the notes on Lev 1:9 and 2:3. There is no text critical problem here, but the syntax suggests the same translation.
[2:3] 40 tn Heb “…is to Aaron and to his sons.” The preposition “to” (לְ, lamed) indicates ownership. Cf. NAB, NASB, NIV and other English versions.
[2:3] 41 tn The words “it is” (הוּא, hu’) are not in the MT, but are supplied for the sake of translation into English. The Syriac also for translational reasons adds it between “most holy” and “from the gifts” (cf. 1:13, 17).
[2:3] 42 tn Heb “holy of holies”; KJV, NASB “a thing most holy.”
[2:4] 43 tn The insertion of the words “it must be made of” is justified by the context and the expressed words “it shall be made of” in vv. 7 and 8 below.
[2:4] 44 sn These “loaves” were either “ring-shaped” (HALOT 317 s.v. חַלָּה) or “perforated” (BDB 319 s.v. חַלָּה; cf. J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:184).
[2:4] 45 tn Heb “and.” Here the conjunction vav (ו) has an alternative sense (“or”).
[2:4] 46 tn The Hebrew word מְשֻׁחִים (mÿshukhim) translated here as “smeared” is often translated “anointed” in other contexts. Cf. TEV “brushed with olive oil” (CEV similar).
[2:6] 47 tn There is no vav (ו, “and”) in the MT at the beginning of v. 6 and the verb is pointed as an infinite absolute. The present translation has rendered it as an imperative (see GKC 346 §113.bb) and, therefore, the same for the following vav consecutive perfect verb (cf. NIV “Crumble it and pour oil on it”; cf. also NRSV, NEB, NLT, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:185, but note the objections to this rendering in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 26). The LXX seems to suggest adding a vav (“and”) and pointing the verb as a consecutive perfect, which yields “and you shall break it in pieces” (cf. the BHS textual note; Hartley, 26, prefers the LXX rendering).
[2:7] 48 tn Heb “a grain offering of a pan”; cf. KJV “fryingpan”; NAB “pot”; CEV “pan with a lid on it.”
[2:7] 49 sn Lev 7:9 makes it clear that one cooked “on” a griddle but “in” a pan. This suggests that the oil in the pan served for deep fat frying, hence the translation “deep fried in olive oil” (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:185); cf. also NAB.
[2:8] 50 tc There are several person, gender, and voice verb problems in this verse. First, the MT has “And you shall bring the grain offering,” but the LXX and Qumran have “he” rather than “you” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:185). Second, the MT has “which shall be made” (i.e., the 3rd person masculine Niphal passive verb which, in fact, does not agree with its feminine subject, מִנְחָה, minkhah, “grain offering”), while the LXX has “which he shall make” (3rd person Qal), thus agreeing with the LXX 3rd person verb at the beginning of the verse (see above). Third, the MT has a 3rd person vav consecutive verb “and he shall present it to the priest,” which agrees with the LXX but is not internally consistent with the 2nd person verb at the beginning of the verse in the MT. The BHS editors conjecture that the latter might be repointed to an imperative verb yielding “present it to the priest.” This would require no change of consonants and corresponds to the person of the first verb in the MT. This solution has been tentatively accepted here (cf. also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 26-27), even though it neither resolves the gender problem of the second verb nor fits the general grammatical pattern of the chapter in the MT.
[2:9] 51 tn The Hebrew verb הֵרִים (herim, “to take up”; cf. NAB “lift”) is commonly used for setting aside portions of an offering (see, e.g., Lev 4:8-10 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335-36). A number of English versions employ the more normal English idiom “take out” here (e.g., NIV, NCV); cf. NRSV “remove.”
[2:9] 52 tn The words “it is” (הוּא, hu’) both here and in vv. 10 and 16 are not in the MT, but are assumed. (cf. vv. 2b and 3b and the notes there).
[2:10] 53 tn See the note on “it is” in v. 9b.
[2:11] 54 tn Heb “Every grain offering which you offer to the
[2:11] 55 tc A few Hebrew
[2:12] 56 sn The “first fruit” referred to here was given to the priests as a prebend for their service to the
[2:13] 57 tn Heb “from upon your grain offering.”
[2:14] 58 tn The translation of this whole section of the clause is difficult. Theoretically, it could describe one, two, or three different ways of preparing first ripe grain offerings (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 27). The translation here takes it as a description of only one kind of prepared grain. This is suggested by the fact that v. 16 uses only one term “crushed bits” (גֶּרֶשׂ, geres) to refer back to the grain as it is prepared in v. 14 (a more technical translation is “groats”; see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:178, 194). Cf. NAB “fresh grits of new ears of grain”; NRSV “coarse new grain from fresh ears.”
[2:16] 59 tn See the note on “it is” in 2:9b.
[3:1] 60 sn The peace offering sacrifice primarily enacted and practiced communion between God and man (and between the people of God). This was illustrated by the fact that the fat parts of the animal were consumed on the altar of the
[3:1] 61 tn Heb “if a male if a female, perfect he shall present it before the
[3:2] 62 tn See the remarks on Lev 1:3-5 above for some of the details of translation here.
[3:3] 63 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the person presenting the offering) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. the note on Lev 1:5).
[3:3] 64 tn Heb “and all the fat on the entrails.” The fat layer that covers the entrails as a whole (i.e., “that covers the entrails”) is different from the fat that surrounds and adheres to the various organs (“on the entrails,” i.e., surrounding them; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:205-7).
[3:4] 65 tn Heb “and the protruding lobe on the liver on the kidneys he shall remove it.” Cf. NRSV “the appendage of the liver”; NIV “the covering of the liver” (KJV “the caul above the liver”).
[3:5] 66 tn Or “on the fire – [it is] a gift of a soothing aroma to the
[3:6] 67 tn Heb “a male or female without defect he shall present it”; cf. NLT “must have no physical defects.”
[3:8] 68 tn See the note on this term at 1:5.
[3:9] 69 sn See the note on this phrase in 3:3.
[3:10] 70 tn Heb “and the protruding lobe on the liver on the kidneys he shall remove it.”
[3:11] 71 tn Heb “food, a gift to the
[3:14] 72 sn See the note on this phrase in 3:3.
[3:15] 73 tn Heb “and the protruding lobe on the liver on the kidneys he shall remove it.”
[3:17] 74 tn The words “This is” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied due to requirements of English style.
[3:17] 75 tn Heb “for your generations”; NAB “for your descendants”; NLT “for you and all your descendants.”
[3:17] 76 tn Heb “all fat and all blood you must not eat.”
[4:1] 77 sn The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 4:2 through 5:13, and encompasses all the sin offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1 above, and 5:14 and 6:1 [5:20 HT] below.
[4:2] 78 tn Heb “And a person, when he sins in straying.” The English translation of “by straying” (בִּשְׁגָגָה [bishgagah] literally, “in going astray; in making an error”) varies greatly, but almost all suggest that this term refers to sins that were committed by mistake or done not knowing that the particular act was sinful (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:228-29). See, e.g., LXX “involuntarily”; Tg. Onq. “by neglect”; KJV “through ignorance”; ASV, RSV, NJPS “unwittingly”; NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “unintentionally”; NAB, NEB “inadvertently”; NCV “by accident.” However, we know from Num 15:27-31 that committing a sin “by straying” is the opposite of committing a sin “defiantly” (i.e., בְּיַד רָמָה [bÿyad ramah] “with a raised hand,” v. 30). In the latter case the person, as it were, raises his fist in presumptuous defiance against the
[4:2] 79 tn This is an emphatic use of the preposition מִן (min; see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 56-57, §325).
[4:2] 80 tn The “when” clause (כִּי, ki) breaks off here before its resolution, thus creating an open-ended introduction to the following subsections, which are introduced by “if” (אִם [’im] vv. 3, 13, 27, 32). Also, the last part of the verse reads literally, “which must not be done and does from one from them.”
[4:3] 81 tn Heb “the anointed priest” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the high priest (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
[4:3] 82 tn Heb “to the guilt of the people”; NRSV “thus bringing guilt on the people.”
[4:3] 83 tn Heb “and he shall offer on his sin which he sinned, a bull, a son of the herd, flawless.”
[4:3] 84 sn The word for “sin offering” (sometimes translated “purification offering”) is the same as the word for “sin” earlier in the verse. One can tell which rendering is intended only by the context. The primary purpose of the “sin offering” (חַטָּאת, khatta’t) was to “purge” (כִּפֶּר, kipper, “to make atonement,” see 4:20, 26, 31, 35, and the notes on Lev 1:4 and esp. Lev 16:20, 33) the sanctuary or its furniture in order to cleanse it from any impurities and/or (re)consecrate it for holy purposes (see, e.g., Lev 8:15; 16:19). By making this atonement the impurities of the person or community were cleansed and the people became clean. See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:93-103.
[4:5] 85 tn Heb “from the blood of the bull” (and similarly throughout this chapter).
[4:6] 86 tn The Hebrew verb וְהִזָּה (vÿhizzah, Hiphil of נָזָה, nazah) does indeed mean “sprinkle” or “splatter.” Contrast the different Hebrew verb meaning “splash” in Lev 1:5 (זָרָק, zaraq).
[4:6] 87 tn Heb “of the blood.” The relative pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation here for stylistic reasons.
[4:6] 88 tn The particle here translated “toward” usually serves as a direct object indicator or a preposition meaning “with.” With the verb of motion it probably means “toward,” “in the direction of” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:234; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 60); cf. NAB, CEV.
[4:6] 89 tn The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB) or “curtain” (e.g., NIV, NRSV), but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).
[4:8] 90 tn Heb “all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall take up from it.”
[4:8] 91 tc The MT has here the preposition עַל (’al, “on, upon” [i.e., “which covers on the entrails,” as awkward in Hebrew as it is in English]), but Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Targums read אֶת (’et), which is what would be expected (i.e., “which covers the entrails”; cf. Lev 3:3, 9, 14). It may have been mistakenly inserted here under the influence of “on (עַל) the entrails” at the end of the verse.
[4:8] 92 tn Heb “and all the fat on the entrails.” The fat layer that covers the entrails as a whole (i.e., “that covers the entrails”) is different from the fat that surrounds and adheres to the various organs (“on the entrails,” i.e., surrounding them; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:205-7).
[4:9] 93 tn Heb “and the protruding lobe on the liver on the kidneys he shall remove it.”
[4:10] 94 tn Heb “taken up from”; KJV, ASV “taken off from”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “removed.” See the notes on Lev 3:3-4 above (cf. also 3:9-10, 14-15).
[4:12] 95 tn All of v. 11 is a so-called casus pendens (also known as an extraposition or a nominative absolute), which means that it anticipates the next verse, being the full description of “all (the rest of) the bull” (lit. “all the bull”) at the beginning of v. 12 (actually after the first verb of the verse; see the next note below).
[4:12] 96 tn Heb “And he (the offerer) shall bring out all the bull to from outside to the camp to a clean place.”
[4:12] 97 tn Heb “a clean place,” but referring to a place that is ceremonially clean. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:12] 98 tn Heb “the pouring out [place] of fatty ash.”
[4:12] 99 tn Heb “burn with fire.” This expression is somewhat redundant in English, so the translation collocates “fire” with “wood,” thus “a wood fire.”
[4:13] 100 tn Heb “strays”; KJV “sin through ignorance.” The verb “strays” here is the verbal form of the noun in the expression “by straying” (see the note on Lev 4:2 above).
[4:13] 101 tn Heb “is concealed from the eyes of”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “escapes the notice of.”
[4:13] 102 tn Heb “and they do one from all the commandments of the
[4:14] 103 tn Heb “and the sin which they committed on it becomes known”; KJV “which they have sinned against it.” The Hebrew עָלֶיהָ (’aleha, “on it”) probably refers back to “one of the commandments” in v. 13 (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:243).
[4:15] 104 tn Heb “and he shall slaughter.” The singular verb seems to refer to an individual who represents the whole congregation, perhaps one of the elders referred to at the beginning of the verse, or the officiating priest (cf. v. 21). The LXX and Syriac make the verb plural, referring to “the elders of the congregation.”
[4:16] 105 tn Heb “the anointed priest” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the high priest (cf. TEV).
[4:17] 106 tn The words “in the blood” are not repeated in the Hebrew text at this point, but must be supplied in the English translation for clarity.
[4:17] 107 tn The Hebrew verb וְהִזָּה (vÿhizzah, Hiphil of נָזָה, nazah) does indeed mean “sprinkle” or “splatter.” Contrast the different Hebrew verb translated “splash” in Lev 1:5 (זָרָק, zaraq).
[4:17] 108 tc The MT reads literally, “and the priest shall dip his finger from the blood and sprinkle seven times.” This is awkward. Compare v. 6, which has literally, “and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle from the blood seven times.” The MT appears to be corrupt by haplography (i.e., assuming v. 6 to be the correct form, in v. 17 the scribe skipped from “his finger” to “from the blood,” thus missing “in the blood”) and metathesis (i.e., this also resulted in a text where “from the blood” stands before “sprinkle” rather than after it; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 47).
[4:17] 109 tn See the note on v. 6 above.
[4:17] 110 tn See the note on v. 6 above.
[4:18] 111 sn See v. 7, where this altar is identified as the altar of fragrant incense.
[4:19] 112 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Based on the parallel statement in 4:10 and 4:31, it is the priest who performs this action rather than the person who brought the offering.
[4:19] 113 tn Heb “take up all its fat from it”; NASB “shall remove all its fat from it.”
[4:19] 114 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fat) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Only the fat is meant here, since the “rest” of the bull is mentioned in v. 21.
[4:20] 115 sn Cf. Lev 4:11-12 above for the disposition of “the [rest of] the bull.”
[4:20] 116 sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).
[4:20] 117 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to them” or “it shall be forgiven to them.”
[4:21] 118 sn See the note on the word “slaughter” in v. 15.
[4:21] 119 tn Heb “And he shall bring out the bull to from outside to the camp.”
[4:22] 120 tn This section begins with the relative pronoun אֲשֶׁר (’asher) which usually means “who” or “which,” but here means “whenever.”
[4:22] 121 tn See the Lev 4:2 note on “straying.”
[4:22] 122 tn Heb “and does one from all the commandments of the
[4:23] 123 tn Heb “or his sin which he sinned in it is made known to him”; NAB “if he learns of the sin he committed.”
[4:23] 124 tn Lev 4:22b-23a is difficult. The present translation suggests that there are two possible legal situations envisioned, separated by the Hebrew אוֹ (’o, “or”) at the beginning of v. 23. Lev 4:22b refers to any case in which the leader readily admits his guilt (i.e., “pleads guilty”), whereas v. 23a refers to cases where the leader is convicted of his guilt by legal action (“his sin…is made known to him”). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:95-96; Lev 4:27-28; and esp. the notes on Lev 5:1 below.
[4:23] 125 tn Heb “a he-goat of goats, a male without defect”; cf. NLT “with no physical defects.”
[4:24] 126 tn The LXX has a plural form here and also for the same verb later in the verse. See the note on Lev 1:5a.
[4:26] 127 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Based on the parallel statements in 4:10 and 4:31, it is the priest who performs this action rather than the person who brought the offering.
[4:26] 128 sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).
[4:26] 129 tn Heb “from.” In this phrase the preposition מִן (min) may be referring to the reason or cause (“on account of, because of”; GKC 383 §119.z). As J. E. Hartley (Leviticus [WBC], 47) points out, “from” may refer to the removal of the sin, but is an awkward expression. Hartley also suggests that the phrasing might be “an elliptical expression for יְכַפֵּר עַל־לְטַהֵר אֶת־מִן, ‘he will make expiation for…to cleanse…from…,’ as in 16:30.”
[4:26] 130 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).
[4:27] 131 tn Heb “an individual from the people of the land”; cf. NASB “anyone of the common people” (KJV, ASV both similar); NAB “a private person.”
[4:27] 132 tn Heb “If one person sins by straying, from the people of the land.” See Lev 4:2 for a note on “straying.”
[4:27] 133 tn Heb “by doing it, one from the commandments of the
[4:28] 134 tn Heb “or his sin which he sinned is made known to him”; cf. NCV “when that person learns about his sin.”
[4:28] 135 tn Lev 4:27b-28a is essentially the same as 4:22b-23a (see the notes there).
[4:28] 136 tn Heb “a she-goat of goats, a female without defect”; NAB “an unblemished she-goat.”
[4:28] 137 tn Heb “on his sin.”
[4:29] 138 tc The LXX has a plural form here (see v. 24 above and the note on Lev 1:5a).
[4:31] 139 sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).
[4:31] 140 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).
[4:35] 141 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here “he” refers to the offerer rather than the priest (contrast the clauses before and after).
[4:35] 142 sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).
[4:35] 143 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).
[5:1] 144 tn Heb “And a person when he sins.” Most English versions translate this as the protasis of a conditional clause: “if a person sins” (NASB, NIV).
[5:1] 145 tn The words “against one who fails to testify” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to make sense of the remark about the “curse” (“imprecation” or “oath”; cf. ASV “adjuration”; NIV “public charge”) for the modern reader. For the interpretation of this verse reflected in the present translation see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:292-97.
[5:1] 146 tn The words “what had happened” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[5:1] 147 tn Heb “and hears a voice of curse, and he is a witness or he saw or he knew, if he does not declare.”
[5:1] 148 tn Heb “and he shall bear his iniquity.” The rendering “bear the punishment (for the iniquity)” reflects the use of the word “iniquity” to refer to the punishment for iniquity (cf. NRSV, NLT “subject to punishment”). It is sometimes referred to as the consequential use of the term (cf. Lev 5:17; 7:18; 10:17; etc.).
[5:2] 149 tc The insertion of the words “when there is” is a reflection of the few Hebrew
[5:2] 150 tn The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the uncleanness involved is ritual or ceremonial in nature.
[5:2] 151 tn Heb “and it is hidden from him,” meaning that the person who contracted the ceremonial uncleanness was not aware at the time what had happened, but later found out that he had become ceremonially unclean. This same phrase occurs again in both vv. 3 and 4.
[5:2] 152 sn Lev 5:2-3 are parallel laws of uncleanness (contracted from animals and people, respectively), and both seem to assume that the contraction of uncleanness was originally unknown to the person (vv. 2 and 3) but became known to him or her at a later time (v. 3; i.e., “has come to know” in v. 3 is to be assumed for v. 2 as well). Uncleanness itself did not make a person “guilty” unless he or she failed to handle it according to the normal purification regulations (see, e.g., “wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening,” Lev 15:5 NIV; cf. Lev 11:39-40; 15:5-12, 16-24; Num 19, etc.). The problem here in Lev 5:2-3 is that, because the person had not been aware of his or her uncleanness, he or she had incurred guilt for not carrying out these regular procedures, and it would now be too late for that. Thus, the unclean person needs to bring a sin offering to atone for the contamination caused by his or her neglect of the purity regulations.
[5:3] 153 tn Heb “or if he touches uncleanness of mankind to any of his uncleanness which he becomes unclean in it.”
[5:4] 154 tn Heb “to speak thoughtlessly”; cf. NAB “rashly utters an oath.”
[5:4] 155 tn Heb “and is guilty to one from these,” probably referring here to any of “these” things about which one might swear a thoughtless oath (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 45), with the word “oath” supplied in the translation for clarity. Another possibility is that “to one from these” is a dittography from v. 5 (cf. the note on v. 5a), and that v. 4 ends with “and is guilty” like vv. 2 and 3 (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:300).
[5:5] 156 tn Heb “and it shall happen when he becomes guilty to one from these,” referring to any of “these” possible transgressions in Lev 5:1-4. Tg. Onq., the original Greek translation, and the Latin Vulgate omit this clause, possibly due to homoioteleuton because of the repetition of “to one from these” from the end of v. 4 in v. 5a (cf. the note on v. 4b).
[5:5] 157 tn Heb “which he sinned on it”; cf. ASV “confess that wherein he hath sinned”; NCV “must tell how he sinned.”
[5:6] 158 tn In this context the word for “guilt” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) refers to the “penalty” for incurring guilt, the so-called consequential אָשָׁם (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:303; cf. the note on Lev 5:1).
[5:6] 159 sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).
[5:6] 160 tn See the note on 4:26 regarding the use of מִן (min).
[5:7] 161 tn Heb “and if his hand does not reach enough of a flock animal” (see the note on v. 11 below). The term translated “animal from the flock” (שֶׂה, seh) is often translated “lamb” (e.g., KJV, NASB, NIV, NCV) or “sheep” (e.g., NRSV, TEV, NLT), but it clearly includes either a sheep or a goat here (cf. v. 6), referring to the smaller pasture animals as opposed to the larger ones (i.e., cattle; cf. 4:3). Some English versions use the more generic “animal” (e.g., NAB, CEV).
[5:7] 162 tn Heb “and he shall bring his guilt which he sinned,” which is an abbreviated form of Lev 5:6, “and he shall bring his [penalty for] guilt to the
[5:7] 163 tn See the note on Lev 1:14 above.
[5:8] 164 tn Heb “he.” The subject (“he”) refers to the priest here, not the offerer who presented the birds to the priest (cf. v. 8a).
[5:8] 165 sn The action seems to involve both a twisting action, breaking the neck of the bird and severing its vertebrae, as well as pinching or nipping the skin, but in this case not severing the head from the main body (note the rest of this verse).
[5:8] 166 tn Heb “he shall not divide [it]” (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:305).
[5:9] 167 tn The Hebrew verb וְהִזָּה (vÿhizzah, Hiphil of נָזָה, nazah) does indeed mean “sprinkle” or “splatter” (cf. Lev 4:6, 17). Contrast “splash” in Lev 1:5, etc. (זָרָק, zaraq).
[5:9] 168 tn Heb “the remainder in the blood.” The Heb. preposition “in” (בְּ, bÿ) is used here to mean “some among” a whole collection of something.
[5:10] 169 tn The word “bird” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[5:10] 170 sn The term “[standard] regulation” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishppat) here refers to the set of regulations for burnt offering birds in Lev 1:14-17.
[5:10] 171 sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).
[5:10] 172 tn See the note on 4:26 with regard to מִן, min.
[5:10] 173 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).
[5:11] 174 tn Heb “and if his hand does not reach [or is not sufficient] to”; cf. NASB “if his means are insufficient for.” The expression is the same as that in Lev 5:7 above except for the verb: נָשַׂג (nasag, “to collect, to reach, to be sufficient”) is used here, but נָגַע (nagah, “to touch, to reach”) is used in v. 7. Smr has the former in both v. 7 and 11.
[5:11] 175 tn See the note on Lev 1:14 above (cf. also 5:7).
[5:11] 176 tn Heb “and he shall bring his offering which he sinned.” Like the similar expression in v. 7 above (see the note there), this is an abbreviated form of Lev 5:6, “and he shall bring his [penalty for] guilt to the
[5:11] 177 sn A tenth of an ephah would be about 2.3 liters, one day’s ration for a single person (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:306). English versions handle the amount somewhat differently, cf. NCV “about two quarts”; TEV “one kilogramme”; CEV “two pounds.”
[5:11] 178 tn See the note on Lev 2:1 above.
[5:12] 179 sn The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָּרָה, ’azkkarah) was the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (Lev 2:2), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (Lev 2:3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23 [6:7-16 HT]). It was probably intended to call to mind (i.e., memorialize) before the
[5:13] 180 sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).
[5:13] 181 tn Heb “from one from these,” referring to the four kinds of violations of the law delineated in Lev 5:1-4 (see the note on Lev 5:5 above and cf. Lev 4:27).
[5:13] 182 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).
[5:13] 183 tn Heb “and it”; the referent (the remaining portion of the offering) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:13] 184 tn Heb “and it shall be to the priest like the grain offering,” referring to the rest of the grain that was not offered on the altar (cf. the regulations in Lev 2:3, 10).
[5:14] 185 sn The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 5:14 through 5:19, encompassing the first main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 6:1 [5:20 HT].
[5:15] 186 tn Heb “trespasses a trespass” (verb and direct object from the same Hebrew root, מַעַל, ma’al); cf. NIV “commits a violation.” The word refers to some kind of overstepping of the boundary between that which is common (i.e., available for common use by common people) and that which is holy (i.e., to be used only for holy purposes because it has been consecrated to the
[5:15] 187 tn See Lev 4:2 above for a note on “straying.”
[5:15] 188 sn Heb “from the holy things of the
[5:15] 189 tn Here the word for “guilt” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) refers to the “penalty” for incurring guilt, the so-called consequential use of אָשָׁם (’asham; see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:303).
[5:15] 190 tn Heb “in your valuation, silver of shekels, in the shekel of the sanctuary.” The translation offered here suggests that, instead of a ram, the guilt offering could be presented in the form of money (see, e.g., NRSV; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:326-27). Others still maintain the view that it refers to the value of the ram that was offered (see, e.g., NIV “of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel”; also NAB, NLT; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 72-73, 81).
[5:15] 191 tn The word for “guilt offering” (sometimes translated “reparation offering”) is the same as “guilt” earlier in the verse (rendered there “[penalty for] guilt”). One can tell which is intended only by the context.
[5:16] 192 tn Heb “and which he sinned from the holy thing.”
[5:16] 193 sn Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.
[5:16] 194 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).
[5:17] 195 tn Heb “and does one from all of the commandments of the
[5:17] 196 tn The words “at the time” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[5:17] 197 tn Heb “and he did not know, and he shall be guilty and he shall bear his iniquity” (for the rendering “bear his punishment [for iniquity]”) see the note on Lev 5:1.) This portion of v. 17 is especially difficult. The translation offered here suggests (as in many other English versions) that the offender did not originally know that he had violated the
[5:18] 198 tn The statement here is condensed. See the full expression in 5:15 and the note there.
[5:18] 199 sn Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.
[5:18] 200 tn Heb “on his straying which he strayed.” See the note on Lev 4:2.
[5:18] 201 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV and NASB both similar).
[6:1] 202 sn Beginning with 6:1, the verse numbers through 6:30 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 6:1 ET = 5:20 HT, 6:2 ET = 5:21 HT, 6:8 ET = 6:1 HT, etc., through 6:30 ET = 6:23 HT. Beginning with 7:1 the verse numbers in the English text and Hebrew text are again the same.
[6:1] 203 sn This paragraph is Lev 6:1-7 in the English Bible but Lev 5:20-26 in the Hebrew text. The quotation introduced by v. 1 extends from Lev 6:2 (5:21 HT) through 6:7 (5:26 HT), encompassing the third main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 5:14 above.
[6:2] 204 tn Heb “trespasses a trespass” (verb and direct object from the same Hebrew root מַעַל, ma’al). See the note on 5:15.
[6:2] 205 tn Or “neighbor” (ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NASB “companion”; TEV “a fellow-Israelite.”
[6:2] 206 tn Heb “has extorted his neighbor”; ASV “oppressed”; NRSV “defrauded.”
[6:3] 207 tn Heb “and swears on falsehood”; cf. CEV “deny something while under oath.”
[6:3] 208 tn Heb “on one from all which the man shall do to sin in them.”
[6:4] 209 tn Heb “and it shall happen, when he sins and becomes guilty,” which is both resumptive of the previous (vv. 2-3) and the conclusion to the protasis (cf. “then” introducing the next clause as the apodosis). In this case, “becomes guilty” (cf. NASB, NIV) probably refers to his legal status as one who has been convicted of a crime in court; thus the translation “he is found guilty.” See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:559-61.
[6:4] 210 tn Heb “that had been held in trust with him.”
[6:5] 211 tn Heb “or from all which he swears on it to falsehood.”
[6:5] 212 tn Heb “in its head.” This refers “the full amount” in terms of the “principal,” the original item or amount obtained illegally (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:338; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 84).
[6:5] 213 tn Heb “to whom it is to him he shall give it in the day of his being guilty.” The present translation is based on the view that he has been found guilty through the legal process (see the note on v. 4 above; cf., e.g., TEV and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 33-34). Others translate the latter part as “in the day he offers his guilt [reparation] offering” (e.g., NIV and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 73, 84), or “in the day he realizes his guilt” (e.g., NRSV and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:319, 338).
[6:6] 214 tn The words “into silver shekels” are supplied here. See the full expression in Lev 5:15, and compare 5:18. Cf. NRSV “or its equivalent”; NLT “or the animal’s equivalent value in silver.”
[6:7] 215 sn Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.
[6:7] 216 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).
[6:7] 217 tn Heb “on one from all which he does to become guilty in it”; NAB “whatever guilt he may have incurred.”
[6:8] 218 sn Lev 6:8 in the English Bible = 6:1 in the Hebrew text. See also the note on 6:1.
[6:8] 219 sn The following paragraphs are Lev 6:8-30 in the English Bible but 6:1-23 in the Hebrew text. This initial verse makes the special priestly regulations for the people’s burnt and grain offerings into a single unit (i.e., Lev 6:8-18 [6:1-11 HT]; cf. Lev 1-2 above). Note also the separate introductions for various priestly regulations in Lev 6:19 [12 HT], 24 [17 HT], and for the common people in Lev 7:22, 28 below.
[6:9] 220 tn Heb “It is the burnt offering on the hearth.”
[6:9] 221 tn Heb “in it.” In this context “in it” apparently refers to the “hearth” which was on top of the altar.
[6:10] 222 tn The exact nature of this article of the priest’s clothing is difficult to determine. Cf. KJV, ASV “breeches”; NAB “drawers”; NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “undergarments”; NCV “underclothes”; CEV “underwear”; TEV “shorts.”
[6:10] 223 tn Heb “he shall lift up the fatty ashes which the fire shall consume the burnt offering on the altar.”
[6:10] 224 tn Heb “it,” referring the “fatty ashes” as a single unit.
[6:11] 225 tn The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the uncleanness of the place involved is ritual or ceremonial in nature.
[6:12] 226 tn Heb “in it,” apparently referring to the “hearth” which was on top of the altar (cf. the note on v. 9).
[6:14] 227 tn Heb “offering it, the sons of Aaron.” The verb is a Hiphil infinitive absolute, which is used here in place of the finite verb as either a jussive (GKC 346 §113.cc, “let the sons of Aaron offer”) or more likely an injunctive in light of the verbs that follow (Joüon 2:430 §123.v, “the sons of Aaron shall/must offer”).
[6:15] 228 tn Heb “and he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. The “he” refers to the officiating priest. A similar shift between singular and plural occurs in Lev 1:7-9, but see the note on Lev 1:7 and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 89 for the possibility of textual corruption.
[6:15] 229 tn Heb “shall take up from it with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of the grain offering.”
[6:15] 230 sn See the note on Lev 2:2.
[6:15] 231 tc Smr reading, which includes the locative ה (hey, translated “on” the altar), is preferred here. This is the normal construction with the verb “offer up in smoke” in Lev 1-7 (see the note on Lev 1:9).
[6:15] 232 tn Heb “and he shall offer up in smoke [on] the altar a soothing aroma, its memorial portion, to the
[6:17] 233 tn Heb “It must not be baked leavened” (cf. Lev 2:11). The noun “leaven” is traditional in English versions (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), but “yeast” is more commonly used today.
[6:17] 234 tn Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is”; cf. NAB “most sacred.”
[6:18] 235 tn Or “a perpetual regulation”; cf. NASB “a permanent ordinance”; NRSV “as their perpetual due.”
[6:18] 236 tn Heb “for your generations”; cf. NIV “for the generations to come.”
[6:18] 237 tn Heb “touches them”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. In this context “them” must refer to the “gifts” of the
[6:18] 238 tn Or “anyone/anything that touches them shall become holy” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:443-56). The question is whether this refers to the contagious nature of holy objects (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or whether it simply sets forth a demand that anyone who touches the holy gifts of the
