Leviticus 13:1-46

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: “When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a leprous disease on the skin of his body, he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. The priest shall examine the disease on the skin of his body, and if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous disease; after the priest has examined him he shall pronounce him ceremonially unclean.¹ But if the spot is white in the skin of his body, and appears no deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall confine the diseased person for seven days.² The priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if he sees that the disease is checked and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall confine him seven days more.³ The priest shall examine him again on the seventh day, and if the disease has abated and the disease has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only an eruption;⁴ and he shall wash his clothes,⁵ and be clean. But if the eruption spreads in the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again before the priest. The priest shall make an examination, and if the eruption has spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a leprous disease.

When a person contracts a leprous disease, he shall be brought to the priest. The priest shall make an examination, and if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is quick raw flesh in the swelling, it is a chronic leprous disease in the skin of his body.⁶ The priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not confine him, for he is unclean. But if the disease breaks out in the skin, so that it covers all the skin of the diseased person from head to foot, so far as the priest can see, then the priest shall make an examination, and if the disease has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean of the disease; since it has all turned white, he is clean.⁷ But if raw flesh ever appears on him, he shall be unclean; the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean. Raw flesh is unclean, for it is a leprous disease.⁸ But if the raw flesh again turns white, he shall come to the priest; the priest shall examine him, and if the disease has turned white, the priest shall pronounce the diseased person clean. He is clean.

When there is on the skin of one’s body a boil that has healed, and in the place of the boil there appears a white swelling or a reddish-white spot, it shall be shown to the priest. The priest shall make an examination, and if it appears deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; this is a leprous disease, broken out in the boil.⁹ But if the priest examines it and the hair on it is not white, nor is it deeper than the skin but has abated, the priest shall confine him seven days. If it spreads in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is diseased. But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread, it is the scar of the boil; the priest shall pronounce him clean.

Or, when the body has a burn on the skin and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a spot, reddish-white or white, the priest shall examine it. If the hair in the spot has turned white and it appears deeper than the skin, it is a leprous disease; it has broken out in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean.¹⁰ This is a leprous disease. But if the priest examines it and the hair in the spot is not white, and it is no deeper than the skin but has abated, the priest shall confine him seven days. The priest shall examine him the seventh day; if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. This is a leprous disease. But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread in the skin but has abated, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; for it is the scar of the burn.

When a man or woman has a disease on the head or in the beard, the priest shall examine the disease. If it appears deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an itch, a leprous disease of the head or the beard.¹¹ If the priest examines the itching disease, and it appears no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest shall confine the person with the itching disease for seven days. On the seventh day the priest shall examine the itch; if the itch has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the itch appears to be no deeper than the skin, he shall shave, but the itch he shall not shave. The priest shall confine the person with the itch for seven days more. On the seventh day the priest shall examine the itch; if the itch has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean. But if the itch spreads in the skin after he was pronounced clean, the priest shall examine him. If the itch has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean. But if in his eyes the itch is checked, and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed, he is clean; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

When a man or a woman has spots on the skin of the body, white spots, the priest shall make an examination, and if the spots on the skin of the body are of a dull white, it is a rash that has broken out on the skin; he is clean. If anyone loses the hair from his head, he is bald but he is clean. If he loses the hair from his forehead and temples, he has baldness of the forehead but he is clean.¹² But if there is on the bald head or the bald forehead a reddish-white diseased spot, it is a leprous disease breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. The priest shall examine him; if the diseased swelling is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, which resembles a leprous disease in the skin of the body, he is leprous, he is unclean.¹³ The priest shall pronounce him unclean; the disease is on his head.

The person who has the leprous disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head be disheveled; and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, “Unclean, unclean.”¹⁴ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He shall live alone;¹⁵ his dwelling shall be outside the camp.¹⁶

1 The contraction of a disease with certain symptoms causes one to be declared unclean. The spiritual reasons for this particular type of malady receiving such attention are not given.

2 The period in which the disease is being evaluated is a quarantine period for the subject.

3 This would now be 14 days that the person has been confined. It is not specified where such a person would be confined.

4 The ability of the disease to continue spreading is a major factor in determining whether or not the person is unclean. This may translate to the disease being communicable, but it is difficult to determine whether the practical side of isolated a person with a communicable disease is actually the driving force behind the “unclean” restriction.

5 It is assumed that the clothes are tainted by the disease.

6 Additional criteria are given for quickly designating something a “leprous disease” without the spreading or the 14-day wait being necessary.

7 Strangely, being absolutely covered with the disease is a sign that the person is not “unclean”.

8 The words “leprous disease” (tsara'at in Hebrew” are assumed to go hand-in-hand with a person's uncleanliness.

9 Boils can also be a source for the unclean disease.

10 Burns can also be the starting point for the unclean disease.

11 The disease in the head or beard, the “itch”, appears quite different from the other leprous disease.

12 Three straight symptoms which may be confused with the “leprous disease” are given, and all three are declared clean.

13 Yet another manifestation of the unclean disease is given.

14 Visible and audible signals are given in order to ensure that no one contacts the unclean person.

15 The social ostracization is profound.

16 It is not merely a question of being excluded from holy things – the unclean person with the leprous disease is excluded from all aspects of community life.


Take-home: Symptoms are described which allow a priest to diagnose a particular type or types of disease which render a person “unclean”. Any person being evaluated for such a disease must be quarantined  and anyone determined to have such a disease must be ostracized and forced to live alone outside the camp. The actual nature of the disease, whether this disease or diseases were communicable, and the root reasons behind a person with these particular symptoms being declared unclean are all unknown today.

Leviticus 12:1-8

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the people of Israel, saying: 'If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days;¹ as at the time of her menstruation,² she shall be unclean. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Her time of blood purification³ shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed.⁴ If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days.⁵

When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering,⁶ and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. He shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement on her behalf; then she shall be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, male or female. If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons,⁷ one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean.

1 The idea that childbirth makes one unclean seems rather backwards. Is there a positive message here?

2 Why should menstruation make one unclean in the first place?

3 What is “blood purification”? The fact that she had shed so much blood is a potential reason to have concern for her contaminating other things, but the time periods involved seem unnecessary for that concern.

4 Again, treating a woman as unholy for over a month simply because she has given birth is difficult to defend.

5 Uncleanliness is doubled for giving birth to a female child. This seems to send a terrible message about girls.

6 I believe this is the first time that a woman is specifically described as giving a sacrifice.

7 Once again an allowance is made for those in poverty.


Take-home: Rule are laid down regarding uncleanliness at childbirth, a time where a great deal of blood and potential contamination occurs. The degree to which such constraints oppress a woman, especially in the greater uncleanliness apparently associated with producing a female child, seem not to be taken into account.

Leviticus 11:1-47

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them: “Speak to the people of Israel, saying: 'From among all the land animals, these are the creatures that you may eat. Any animal that has divided hoofs and is cleft-footed and chews the cud—such you may eat.¹ But among those that chew the cud or have divided hoofs, you shall not eat the following: the camel², for even though it chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you. The rock badger, for even though it chews the cud,³ it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you. The hare, for even though it chews the cud,⁴ it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you. The pig, for even though it has divided hoofs and is cleft-footed, it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.⁵ Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch;⁶ they are unclean for you.

These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the streams—such you may eat.⁷ But anything in the seas or the streams that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and among all the other living creatures that are in the waters—they are detestable to you and detestable they shall remain. Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall regard as detestable.⁸ Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

These you shall regard as detestable among the birds. They shall not be eaten; they are an abomination:⁹ the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, the buzzard, the kite of any kind; every raven of any kind; the ostrich,¹⁰ the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind; the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the water hen, the desert owl, the carrion vulture, the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.¹¹

All winged insects that walk upon all fours¹² are detestable to you. But among the winged insects that walk on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to leap on the ground. Of them you may eat: the locust according to its kind, the bald locust according to its kind, the cricket according to its kind, and the grasshopper according to its kind.¹³ But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.

By these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until the evening, and whoever carries any part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.¹⁴ Every animal that has divided hoofs but is not cleft-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean for you; everyone who touches one of them shall be unclean. All that walk on their paws, among the animals that walk on all fours, are unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until the evening, and the one who carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean for you.

These are unclean for you among the creatures that swarm upon the earth: the weasel, the mouse,¹⁵ the great lizard according to its kind, the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.¹⁶ These are unclean for you among all that swarm; whoever touches one of them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.

And anything upon which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether an article of wood or cloth or skin or sacking,¹⁷ any article that is used for any purpose; it shall be dipped into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening, and then it shall be clean. And if any of them falls into any earthen vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break the vessel.¹⁸ Any food that could be eaten shall be unclean if water from any such vessel comes upon it; and any liquid that could be drunk shall be unclean if it was in any such vessel. Everything on which any part of the carcass falls shall be unclean; whether an oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces; they are unclean, and shall remain unclean for you. But a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean,¹⁹ while whatever touches the carcass in it shall be unclean. If any part of their carcass falls upon any seed set aside for sowing, it is clean; but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.²⁰

If an animal of which you may eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.²¹ Those who eat of its carcass shall wash their clothes and be unclean until the evening; and those who carry the carcass shall wash their clothes and be unclean until the evening.

All creatures that swarm upon the earth are detestable; they shall not be eaten. Whatever moves on its belly, and whatever moves on all fours, or whatever has many feet, all the creatures that swarm upon the earth, you shall not eat; for they are detestable. You shall not make yourselves detestable with any creature that swarms; you shall not defile yourselves with them, and so become unclean. For I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming creature that moves on the earth.

For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy.²² This is the law pertaining to land animal and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms upon the earth, to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean,²³ and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.

1 These two simple definitions are a nice way of encapsulating a certain number of food animals, but still appear to be rather arbitrary.

2 Off the top of my head, I can't think of a significant reason to ban camels from being eaten, unless they were so valuable to transportation that to eat one was a waste. Or they just fell on the wrong side of the system.

3 Rock hyraxes, in fact, do not chew their cud, though some people might view them and be confused and think they do. I am unaware of any reason not to eat them outside this passage.

4 Rabbits also do not chew their cud, but appear to do so. Again, I am unaware of why they are designated unclean.

5 The pig, the most famous of the unclean animals, may have been considered unclean due to its rather disgusting habits or because of its transmission of disease (trichinosis). This may be the most significant and understandable inclusion in the “unclean” list.

6 “unclean” is not limited to not eating, but not even touching the carcass.

7 This basically keeps “true fish” in the picture while eliminating everything else – including eels, sharks, shellfish, crustaceans, and frogs. Some shellfish carry disease, and crustaceans are scavengers...not clear why the others are included as unclean.

8 “Detestable” is a new adjective in addition to “unclean”.

9 “Abomination” adds another adjective. The trend between nearly all of these birds is that they are carnivores or scavengers.

10 I am not clear why the ostrich would be included, especially not its eggs.

11 Bats are not a bird, though they were considered so then.

12 “fours”? Insects have six legs, of course, so this is just a colloquialism.

13 This makes an easy dividing line between the insects that are most easily palatable and all others. Obviously, though, there are many other species of insects that could be good for food.

14 Uncleanliness is taken as more than just a dietary thing.

15 Mice can be vectors of several human diseases.

16 It is unclear why all these lizards were be unclean – perhaps they are simply repulsed by appearance.

17 Even objects that touch the carcass are unclean. This does promote washing.

18 Earthen vessels, harder to wash, are simply broken.

19 I am unclear on this meaning.

20 This makes no issue of the common occurrence of mice dying in grain storage bins. I'm unclear of why it would be unclean in the field though.

21 Even clean animals are unclean if they die of natural causes – this is another important rule for health.

22 The uncleanliness is connected to a defying of holiness. Whatever the reason behind the cleanliness distinctions, God is holy, and He is giving the rules, and He asks for obedience.

23 By making a distinction between the clean and unclean, Israelites  will also have a way to distinguish between the obedient and the disobedient, and between followers of the law and non-followers.


Take-home: A large number of animals are designated clean and unclean by God. There may be practical reasons behind many of these designations – however, the overall intent is to lay down a rule which Israel was to follow in obedience. By including the dinner table in that rule, it makes a clear distinction within one of the most important communal human activities between those who are following God's law and those who are not.

Leviticus 10:1-20

Now¹ Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not commanded them.² And fire came out from the presence of the Lord³ and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.⁴

Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said, ‘Through those who are near me I will show myself holy,⁵ and before all the people I will be glorified.’”⁶ And Aaron was silent.⁷

Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come forward, and carry your kinsmen away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside⁸ the camp.” They came forward and carried them by their tunics⁹ out of the camp, as Moses had ordered.

And Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not dishevel your hair, and do not tear your vestments, or you will die and wrath will strike all the congregation;¹⁰ but your kindred, the whole house of Israel, may mourn¹¹ the burning that the Lord has sent. You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, or you will die;¹² for the anointing oil of the Lord is on you.” And they did as Moses had ordered.¹³

And the Lord spoke to Aaron:¹⁴ Drink no wine or strong drink,¹⁵ neither you nor your sons, when you enter the tent of meeting, that you may not die; it is a statute forever throughout your generations. You are to distinguish between the holy and the common,¹⁶ and between the unclean and the clean;¹⁷ and you are to teach¹⁸ the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.

Moses spoke to Aaron and to his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: “Take the grain offering that is left from the Lord’s offerings by fire, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy;¹⁹ you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, from the offerings by fire to the Lord; for so I am commanded. But the breast that is elevated and the thigh that is raised, you and your sons and daughters as well may eat in any clean place; for they have been assigned to you and your children from the sacrifices of the offerings of well-being of the people of Israel. The thigh that is raised and the breast that is elevated they shall bring, together with the offerings by fire of the fat, to raise for an elevation offering before the Lord; they are to be your due and that of your children forever, as the Lord has commanded.

Then Moses made inquiry about the goat of the sin offering, and—it had already been burned! He was angry²⁰ with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and said, “Why did you not eat the sin offering in the sacred area? For it is most holy, and God has given it to you that you may remove the guilt of the congregation,²¹ to make atonement on their behalf before the Lord. Its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.”

And Aaron spoke to Moses, “See, today they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord; and yet such things as these have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been agreeable to the Lord?”²²

And when Moses heard that, he agreed.²³

1 My Study Bible ties this to the incident of the Golden Calf – in both cases, a major landmark in relationship with God is immediately threatened by an act of disobedience that threatens worship.

2 The sin appears to simply be offering any fire before God in a manner in which God had not commanded.

3 Emphasizes God's continuing presence in the temple, even in the midst of unholy sacrifice.

4 It's not necessary for any interpretation to be made by man – God takes care of the punishment and sends a clear warning to all of them.

5 In this case, God's holiness and glory are demonstrated via killing.

6 Moses interprets the event using a statement that had not previously been recorded in the Biblical narrative.

7 Aaron's silence appears to suggest that he knows there is no defense for what was done.

8 “Outside” the camp seeming to allude to their sinful state.

9 The narrative is careful to show that their dead bodies were not touched.

10 As priests, it is apparent that they are not supposed to mourn the holy action of God, even though it was their sons/brothers who were killed.

11 For some reason, it is okay for the rest of the congregation to mourn them.

12 This threat is clearly not idle in that context.

13 For the second time in the passage, everyone is being clear to follow Moses's orders.

14 Interesting that this command is directly to Aaron. This is the only time that happens in Leviticus.

15 More commands were given for proper conduct by priests within this somber setting.

16 Throughout Leviticus a clear distinction has been made between “the holy” and “the common”. Was that distinction meant to remain eternal?

17 Jesus appears to later invalidate at least some aspects of this distinguishing between the clean and the unclean.

18 Besides the ceremonial duties, another duty of the priests is to teach.

19 Different levels of holiness appear to be being assigned for the different types of offerings.

20 Apparent sin on top of sin makes Moses angry.

21 The failure to treat the sacrifice appropriately is linked not only to their harm, but to harm to the whole congregation.

22 Aaron appears to argue that the events of the day precluded any eating of the sacrifice, either because the time was not right or because the sacrifice was now contaminated. The fact that no harm befell Aaron may help his case.

23 Moses had been angry, but Aaron's argument appears to have swayed him.


Take-home: After a long series of careful instructions about proper disposition of sacrifices and ritual in the temple, an error by the priests and subsequent consequences dealt out by God bring home the seriousness of failing to follow through with God's commands. The somber setting is used to emphasize a couple new commands for the priests, though an interesting incident at the end suggests that some leeway for circumstances is allowed.

Leviticus 9:1-24

On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.¹ And say to the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering; a calf and a lamb, yearlings without blemish, for a burnt offering; and an ox and a ram for an offering of well-being to sacrifice before the Lord; and a grain offering mixed with oil.² For today the Lord will appear to you.’”³

They brought what Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting; and the whole congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. And Moses said, “This is the thing that the Lord commanded⁴ you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people; and sacrifice the offering of the people, and make atonement for them; as the Lord has commanded.”

Aaron drew near to the altar, and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. The sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; and the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. But the fat, the kidneys, and the appendage of the liver from the sin offering he turned into smoke on the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses; and the flesh and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp. Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. Aaron’s sons brought him the blood, and he dashed it against all sides of the altar. And they brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, and the head, which he turned into smoke on the altar. He washed the entrails and the legs and, with the burnt offering, turned them into smoke on the altar. Next he presented the people’s offering. He took the goat of the sin offering that was for the people, and slaughtered it, and presented it as a sin offering like the first one. He presented the burnt offering, and sacrificed it according to regulation. He presented the grain offering, and, taking a handful of it, he turned it into smoke on the altar, in addition to the burnt offering of the morning. He slaughtered the ox and the ram as a sacrifice of well-being for the people. Aaron’s sons brought him the blood, which he dashed against all sides of the altar, and the fat of the ox and of the ram—the broad tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the appendage of the liver. They first laid the fat on the breasts, and the fat was turned into smoke on the altar; and the breasts and the right thigh Aaron raised as an elevation offering before the Lord, as Moses had commanded. Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them; and he came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the offering of well-being.

Moses and Aaron entered the tent of meeting, and then came out and blessed⁵ the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.⁶ Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar;⁷ and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.⁸

1 Though Aaron has already made a sin offering and a burnt offering at the beginning of the 7 days, the ceremony to consecrate them as priests is so extensive that they must do it again.

2 The people must also make offerings again.

3 The given reason for these offerings is an appearance by the Lord.

4 Yet again, the fact that God has commanded this is emphasized.

5 The sacrifice is followed by a blessing upon the people.

6 Is the “glory of the Lord” something other than the fire? It appears to be that the fire came out from “the Lord”.

7 God is not only showing his approval by showing his presence, but also by supernaturally burning the sacrifice that was provided for Him.

8 The people's response to God is awe/humility.


Take-home: The consecration of the priests and the temple continues to be followed through with in just the way that God commanded. As an affirmation of this obedience, God miraculously appears before the people and blesses the sacrifice.

Leviticus 8:1-36

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Take Aaron and his sons with him, the vestments, the anointing oil, the bull of sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.' And Moses did as the Lord commanded him.¹

When the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting, Moses said to the congregation, 'This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.'² Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward, and washed them with water.³ He put the tunic on him, fastened the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He then put the decorated band of the ephod around him, tying the ephod to him with it. He placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden ornament, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses.⁴ Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its base, to consecrate them. He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.⁵ And Moses brought forward Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with tunics, and fastened sashes around them, and tied headdresses on them, as the Lord commanded Moses.

He led forward the bull of sin offering; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands⁶ upon the head of the bull of sin offering, and it was slaughtered. Moses took the blood and with his finger put some on each of the horns of the altar, purifying the altar;⁷ then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar. Thus he consecrated it, to make atonement⁸ for it. Moses took all the fat that was around the entrails, and the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and turned them into smoke on the altar. But the bull itself, its skin and flesh and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Then he brought forward the ram of burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram,⁹ and it was slaughtered. Moses dashed the blood against all sides of the altar. The ram was cut into its parts, and Moses turned into smoke the head and the parts and the suet. And after the entrails and the legs were washed with water, Moses turned into smoke the whole ram on the altar; it was a burnt offering for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the Lord, as the Lord commanded¹⁰ Moses.

Then he brought forward the second ram, the ram of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram,and it was slaughtered. Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.¹¹ After Aaron’s sons were brought forward, Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet; and Moses dashed the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar. He took the fat—the broad tail, all the fat that was around the entrails, the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat—and the right thigh. From the basket of unleavened bread that was before theLord, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread with oil, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. He placed all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and raised them as an elevation offering before the Lord. Then Moses took them from their hands and turned them into smoke on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the Lord. Moses took the breast and raised it as an elevation offering before the Lord; it was Moses’ portion¹² of the ram of ordination, as the Lord commanded Moses. Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his vestments, and also on his sons and their vestments. Thus he consecrated Aaron and his vestments, and also his sons and their vestments.

And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it’; and what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn with fire. You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days,¹³ until the day when your period of ordination is completed. For it will take seven days to ordain you; as has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you.¹⁴ You shall remain at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, keeping the Lord’s charge so that you do not die;¹⁵ for so I am commanded.”

Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded through Moses.

1 Moses is following through with God's command, a fact which will be repeatedly emphasized.

2 Are these details that God commanded to Moses earlier which we didn't see, or is Moses simply being led by the spirit?

3 Washing, a cleansing ritual, begins the ceremony.

4 I imagine at this point that Aaron appears quite ornamented.

5 The third step of preparation, after washing and clothing, is anointing with holy oil.

6 Symbolizing that the sacrifice is on behalf of Aaron and his sons.

7 This is an anointing both of the priests and of the alter.

8 I'm not completely sure what he's making “atonement” for.

9 Again, the ram is being sacrificed on behalf of the priests.

10 Once again the drumbeat of “as the Lord commanded” - they are doing this all in obedience.

11 The bloodiness of the whole ceremony would be quite gruesome today.

12 Like the priests, Moses also gets a portion.

13 Though the ceremony all takes place now, the ordination is a 7-day affair.

14 The “atonement” appears to be for the priests.

15 Failure to follow through has strong consequences.


Take-home: An elaborate ritual sets apart the priests and the alter for a new, holy status. It is all done as the Lord had commanded.

Leviticus 6:8-7:38

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Command Aaron and his sons,¹ saying: “This is the ritual of the burnt offering. The burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth upon the altar all night until the morning,² while the fire on the altar shall be kept burning. The priest shall put on his linen vestments after putting on his linen undergarments next to his body; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar, and place them beside the altar. Then he shall take off his vestments and put on other garments, and carry the ashes out to a clean place outside the camp.³ The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not go out.⁴ Every morning the priest shall add wood to it, lay out the burnt offering on it, and turn into smoke the fat pieces of the offerings of well-being. A perpetual⁵ fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out.”'

'”This is the ritual of the grain offering: The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, in front of the altar. They shall take from it a handful of the choice flour and oil of the grain offering, with all the frankincense that is on the offering, and they shall turn its memorial portion into smoke on the altar as a pleasing odor to the Lord. Aaron and his sons shall eat what is left of it; it shall be eaten as unleavened cakes in a holy place;⁶ in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings by fire; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. Every male⁷ among the descendants of Aaron shall eat of it, as their perpetual due throughout your generations, from the Lord’s offerings by fire; anything that touches them shall become holy.⁸”'

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall offer to the Lord on the day when he is anointed:⁹ one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour as a regular offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. It shall be made with oil on a griddle; you shall bring it well soaked, as a grain offering of baked pieces, and you shall present it as a pleasing odor to the Lord. And so the priest, anointed from among Aaron’s descendants as a successor, shall prepare it; it is the Lord’s—a perpetual due—to be turned entirely into smoke. Every grain offering of a priest shall be wholly burned; it shall not be eaten.¹⁰'

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: “This is the ritual of the sin offering. The sin offering shall be slaughtered before the Lord at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. The priest who offers it as a sin offering shall eat of it;¹¹ it shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting. Whatever touches its flesh shall become holy; and when any of its blood is spattered on a garment, you shall wash the bespattered part in a holy place.¹² An earthen vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; but if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water. Every male among the priests shall eat of it; it is most holy. But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting for atonement in the holy place; it shall be burned with fire.”'

'”This is the ritual of the guilt offering. It is most holy; at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered, they shall slaughter the guilt offering, and its blood shall be dashed against all sides of the altar. All its fat shall be offered: the broad tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver, which shall be removed with the kidneys. The priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar as an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a guilt offering. Every male among the priests shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy. The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is the same ritual for them; the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. So, too, the priest who offers anyone’s burnt offering shall keep the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered.¹³ And every grain offering baked in the oven, and all that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle, shall belong to the priest who offers it. But every other grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron equally.”'

'”This is the ritual of the sacrifice of the offering of well-being that one may offer to the Lord.¹⁴ If you offer it for thanksgiving, you shall offer with the thank offering unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of choice flour well soaked in oil. With your thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being you shall bring your offering with cakes of leavened bread.¹⁵ From this you shall offer one cake from each offering, as a gift to the Lord; it shall belong to the priest who dashes the blood of the offering of well-being.¹⁶ And the flesh of your thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being shall be eaten on the day it is offered; you shall not leave any of it until morning. But if the sacrifice you offer is a votive offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that you offer your sacrifice, and what is left of it shall be eaten the next day; but what is left of the flesh of the sacrifice shall be burned up on the third day. If any of the flesh of your sacrifice of well-being is eaten on the third day, it shall not be acceptable, nor shall it be credited to the one who offers it; it shall be an abomination, and the one who eats of it shall incur guilt.¹⁷ Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burned up.¹⁸ As for other flesh, all who are clean¹⁹ may eat such flesh. But those who eat flesh from the Lord’s sacrifice of well-being while in a state of uncleanness shall be cut off from their kin.²⁰ When any one of you touches any unclean thing—human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature—and then eats flesh from the Lord’s sacrifice of well-being, you shall be cut off from your kin.”'

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Speak to the people of Israel, saying: “You shall eat no fat of ox or sheep or goat.²¹ The fat of an animal that died or was torn by wild animals may be put to any use, but you must not eat it. If any one of you eats the fat from an animal of which an offering by fire may be made to the Lord, you who eat it shall be cut off from your kin.²² You must not eat any blood whatever,²³ either of bird or of animal, in any of your settlements. Any one of you who eats any blood shall be cut off from your kin.²⁴”'

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Speak to the people of Israel, saying: “Any one of you who would offer to the Lord your sacrifice of well-being must yourself bring to the Lord your offering from your sacrifice of well-being. Your own hands shall bring the Lord’s offering by fire; you shall bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be raised as an elevation offering before the Lord. The priest shall turn the fat into smoke on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons. And the right thigh from your sacrifices of well-being you shall give to the priest as an offering; the one among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood and fat of the offering of well-being shall have the right thigh for a portion. For I have taken the breast of the elevation offering, and the thigh that is offered, from the people of Israel, from their sacrifices of well-being, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel.”'

This is the portion allotted to Aaron and to his sons from the offerings made by fire to the Lord, once they have been brought forward to serve the Lord as priests; these the Lord commanded to be given them, when he anointed them, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel throughout their generations. This is the ritual of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the offering of ordination, and the sacrifice of well-being, which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, when he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.

1 These instructions are directly for the priests, not for the common people giving the sacrifice.

2 In this way the sacrifice is continually “given” to God throughout the night

3 Even disposal of the ashes is covered, which makes sense.

4 The eternal nature of God's presence is symbolized with an eternal flame.

5 “perpetual” emphasizing the eternal nature again.

6 The holy food must remain in a holy place as it is eaten.

7 Turning what may have appeared to just be an allowance into a command.

8 The priests are noted as holy in themselves, granting holiness on what they touch – the flip side of “unclean” laws.

9 Apparently an offering the priests give when they attain priesthood.

10 Since the priest is the one offering it, it makes sense that they cannot eat of it.

11 Now clear that other offerings are eaten by the priests, not just the grain offerings.

12 All things in contact with the sacrifice must be regarded as holy.

13 The skin is kept, and apparently used, by the priests along with the meat. One imagines an impressive butchering operation within the temple.

14 The direction appears to switch from the priests to the common people?

15 The first note of “leavened” bread being acceptable for an offering.

16 The offering is for the Lord, but does belong to the priest. ;)

17 The first rebuke in this passage – leaving the sacrifice too long before eating it is an abomination. It no longer even counts as a sacrifice. My Study Bible suggests that this may be meant to keep people from just staying in the temple for days after a sacrifice.

18 Though the priests can make the flesh holy, they apparently cannot overcome it if the flesh becomes unclean.

19 Does this mean “all priests who are clean”, or any person who is clean? The context is unclear to me.

20 Extreme punishment – eating holy meat while unclean seems to mean exile. My Study Bible, however, says that this phrasing likely refers to “a divine threat to exterminate ones lineage”, and thus only refers to a punishment that will be carried out by God, not anything that would be enforced by the community.

21 The ban on eating of suet fat is emphasized, and expanded to include the suet fat of all animals, not just sacrifices.

22 The punishment is again extreme.

23 Ban on eating blood as well as fat.

24 And the same punishment given.


Take-home: The priests are given instructions so that they may conduct the sacrifice in an appropriate manner. Throughout the instructions the holiness of all involved is emphasized – not just the place, but also the fire, the priests, and the sacrificed meat itself.

Leviticus 5:14-6:7

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'When any of you commit a trespass and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord,¹ you shall bring, as your guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, convertible into silver by the sanctuary shekel;² it is a guilt offering. And you shall make restitution for the holy thing in which you were remiss, and shall add one-fifth to it³ and give it to the priest. The priest shall make atonement on your behalf with the ram of the guilt offering, and you shall be forgiven.⁴

If any of you sin without knowing it, doing any of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done,⁵ you have incurred guilt, and are subject to punishment. You shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, or the equivalent, as a guilt offering; and the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for the error that you committed unintentionally, and you shall be forgiven. It is a guilt offering; you have incurred guilt before the Lord.'

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'When any of you sin and commit a trespass against the Lord by deceiving a neighbor in a matter of a deposit or a pledge, or by robbery, or if you have defrauded a neighbor, or have found something lost and lied about it⁶—if you swear falsely regarding any of the various things that one may do and sin thereby—when you have sinned and realize your guilt, and would restore what you took by robbery or by fraud or the deposit that was committed to you, or the lost thing that you found, or anything else about which you have sworn falsely, you shall repay the principal amount and shall add one-fifth to it.⁷ You shall pay it to its owner when you realize your guilt. And you shall bring to the priest, as your guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering.⁸ The priest shall make atonement on your behalf before the Lord, and you shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and incur guilt thereby.'

1 This verse seems to focus on violating the statutes in place around holy objects.

2 Difficult verse for me to understand. My Study Bible brings up the possibilities that it may mean that a certain payment could be made instead of a ram, or that the ram's value must match the converted value of the desecrated holy thing.

3 The first time an additional financial restitution is noted in addition to the payment of a sacrifice.

4 Though additional financial considerations are detailed here, the end result is the same: to get atonement and forgiveness from the priest.

5 This seems like an incredibly broad command. Does it mean to cover everything not covered by a specific command elsewhere? My Study Bible seems to assume that it only specifically referred to other potential violations of holy things, being in the context of the previous verse.

6 A number of things, all of which involve taking advantage of a neighbor financially.

7 Returning the thing is not enough, a penalty must be paid as well.

8 Confession of the sin, restoration of the thing, and paying the penalty may make it all right with the neighbor, but not with God – a sacrifice must still be made to gain atonement for the sin that was committed.


Take-home: The atonement actions to be taken in the cases of unintentionally desecrating a holy thing or intentionally financially hurting a neighbor are described. In these cases, a sacrifice, a restitution, and a penalty must all be paid to gain forgiveness. It is clear that after sins that hurt others, things must be made right both with those who were hurt and with God.