Discovery BoxLeviticus 6:11-18
Context6:11 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 1 clean place, 6:12 but the fire which is on the altar must be kept burning on it. 2 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 3 before the Lord in front of the altar, 6:15 and the priest 4 must take up with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of the grain offering 5 and some of its olive oil, and all of the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and he must offer its memorial portion 6 up in smoke on the altar 7 as a soothing aroma to the Lord. 8 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. 9 I have given it as their portion from my gifts. It is most holy, 10 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 11 throughout your generations 12 from the gifts of the Lord. Anyone who touches these gifts 13 must be holy.’” 14
[6:11] 1 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] 2 tn Heb “in it,” apparently referring to the “hearth” which was on top of the altar (cf. the note on v. 9).
[6:14] 3 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] 4 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] 5 tn Heb “shall take up from it with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of the grain offering.”
[6:15] 6 sn See the note on Lev 2:2.
[6:15] 7 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] 8 tn Heb “and he shall offer up in smoke [on] the altar a soothing aroma, its memorial portion, to the
[6:17] 5 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] 6 tn Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is”; cf. NAB “most sacred.”
[6:18] 6 tn Or “a perpetual regulation”; cf. NASB “a permanent ordinance”; NRSV “as their perpetual due.”
[6:18] 7 tn Heb “for your generations”; cf. NIV “for the generations to come.”
[6:18] 8 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] 9 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
