Discovery BoxLeviticus 2:1-2
Context2:1 “‘When a person presents a grain offering 1 to the Lord, his offering must consist of choice wheat flour, 2 and he must pour olive oil on it and put frankincense 3 on it. 2:2 Then he must bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and the priest 4 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 5 up in smoke on the altar – it is 6 a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.
Leviticus 2:4-7
Context2:4 “‘When you present an offering of grain baked in an oven, it must be made of 7 choice wheat flour baked into unleavened loaves 8 mixed with olive oil or 9 unleavened wafers smeared 10 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 11 and pour olive oil on it – it is a grain offering. 2:7 If your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, 12 it must be made of choice wheat flour deep fried in olive oil. 13
Leviticus 2:9
Context2:9 Then the priest must take up 14 from the grain offering its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar – it is 15 a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.
Leviticus 2:12
Context2:12 You can present them to the Lord as an offering of first fruit, 16 but they must not go up to the altar for a soothing aroma.
Psalms 141:2
Context141:2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering! 17
Isaiah 11:2-4
Context11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him 18 –
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, 19
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, 20
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. 21
11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord. 22
He will not judge by mere appearances, 23
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. 24
11:4 He will treat the poor fairly, 25
and make right decisions 26 for the downtrodden of the earth. 27
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, 28
and order the wicked to be executed. 29
Isaiah 61:1
Context61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen 30 me. 31
He has commissioned 32 me to encourage 33 the poor,
to help 34 the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
Romans 8:26-27
Context8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, 35 but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 8:27 And he 36 who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit 37 intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will.
Hebrews 5:7
Context5:7 During his earthly life 38 Christ 39 offered 40 both requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his devotion.
[2:1] 1 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] 2 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] 3 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] 4 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] 5 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] 6 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.
[2:4] 7 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] 8 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] 9 tn Heb “and.” Here the conjunction vav (ו) has an alternative sense (“or”).
[2:4] 10 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] 11 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] 12 tn Heb “a grain offering of a pan”; cf. KJV “fryingpan”; NAB “pot”; CEV “pan with a lid on it.”
[2:7] 13 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.
[2:9] 14 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] 15 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).
[2:12] 16 sn The “first fruit” referred to here was given to the priests as a prebend for their service to the
[141:2] 17 tn Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”
[11:2] 18 sn Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s spirit.
[11:2] 19 tn Heb “a spirit of wisdom and understanding.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v. 3). A very similar phrase occurs in Eph 1:17.
[11:2] 20 tn Heb “a spirit of counsel [or “strategy”] and strength.” The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v. 4).
[11:2] 21 tn Heb “a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” “Knowledge” is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and a willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. “Fear” here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (vv. 4-5).
[11:3] 22 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his smelling is in the fear of the Lord.” In Amos 5:21 the Hiphil of רוּחַ (ruakh, “smell”) carries the nuance of “smell with delight, get pleasure from.” There the Lord declares that he does not “smell with delight” (i.e., get pleasure from) Israel’s religious assemblies, which probably stand by metonymy for the incense offered during these festivals. In Isa 11:3 there is no sacrificial context to suggest such a use, but it is possible that “the fear of the Lord” is likened to incense. This coming king will get the same kind of delight from obeying (fearing) the Lord, as a deity does in the incense offered by worshipers. Some regard such an explanation as strained in this context, and prefer to omit this line from the text as a virtual dittograph of the preceding statement.
[11:3] 23 tn Heb “by what appears to his eyes”; KJV “after the sight of his eyes”; NIV “by what he sees with his eyes.”
[11:3] 24 tn Heb “by what is heard by his ears”; NRSV “by what his ears hear.”
[11:4] 25 tn Heb “with justice” (so NAB) or “with righteousness” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[11:4] 26 tn Heb “make decisions with rectitude”; cf. ASV, NRSV “and decide with equity.”
[11:4] 27 tn Or “land” (NAB, NCV, CEV). It is uncertain if the passage is picturing universal dominion or focusing on the king’s rule over his covenant people. The reference to God’s “holy mountain” in v. 9 and the description of renewed Israelite conquests in v. 14 suggest the latter, though v. 10 seems to refer to a universal kingdom (see 2:2-4).
[11:4] 28 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and he will strike the earth with the scepter of his mouth.” Some have suggested that in this context אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) as an object of judgment seems too broad in scope. The parallelism is tighter if one emends the word to ץ(י)עָרִ (’arits, “potentate, tyrant”). The phrase “scepter of his mouth” refers to the royal (note “scepter”) decrees that he proclaims with his mouth. Because these decrees will have authority and power (see v. 2) behind them, they can be described as “striking” the tyrants down. Nevertheless, the MT reading may not need emending. Isaiah refers to the entire “earth” as the object of God’s judgment in several places without specifying the wicked as the object of the judgment (Isa 24:17-21; 26:9, 21; 28:22; cf. 13:11).
[11:4] 29 tn Heb “and by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.” The “breath of his lips” refers to his speech, specifically in this context his official decrees that the wicked oppressors be eliminated from his realm. See the preceding note.
[61:1] 30 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
[61:1] 31 sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
[61:1] 32 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
[61:1] 33 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
[61:1] 34 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
[8:26] 35 tn Or “for we do not know what we ought to pray for.”
[8:27] 36 sn He refers to God here; Paul has not specifically identified him for the sake of rhetorical power (for by leaving the subject slightly ambiguous, he draws his audience into seeing God’s hand in places where he is not explicitly mentioned).
[8:27] 37 tn Grk “he,” or “it”; the referent (the Spirit) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:7] 38 tn Grk “in the days of his flesh.”
[5:7] 39 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:7] 40 tn Grk “who…having offered,” continuing the description of Christ from Heb 5:5-6.
