Bible Commentaries
Leviticus 6

Verse 1

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spake unto Moses. — See on Leviticus 4:1 .

Verse 2

If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;

Against the Lord. — As David in defiling his neighbour’s wife, and afterwards killing him, is said to have "despised the commandment of the Lord, and to have done evil in his sight," 2 Samuel 12:9 which also he penitently acknowledgeth. Psalms 51:4 Sin is properly against none but God, being a transgression of his law. Hence the manslayer was confined to the city of refuge as to a prison, during the life of the high priest; as being, saith one, Godw., Heb. Antiq., p. 98. the chief god on earth. That was a true position of the Pelagians, Omne peccatum est contemptus Dei, that every sin is a contempt of God. Proverbs 18:3

In fellowship. — Heb., In putting of the hand. Dextram coniungere dextrae. It is said in Job, Job 8:20 , marg. that "God will not take a wicked man by the hand," i.e., he will have no fellowship with him.

Verse 3

Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:

And lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely. — Through inordinate love of money, that "root of all evil"; Quid non mortalia pectora cogit auri sacra fames? ηη φιλοχρηματιη μητηρ κακοτητος απασης . but such money shall perish with them. Zechariah 5:3

Verse 4

Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,

And is guilty. — Found guilty by a self-condemning conscience; which now, like Samson’s wife, conceals not the riddle, but tells all; as she said of our Saviour in John 4:29 .

Verse 5

Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, [and] give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.

In the day of his trespass offering. — Before he compass God’s altar. See Matthew 5:23 , See Trapp on " Matthew 5:23 "

Verse 6

And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:

With thy estimation, — i.e, As thou shalt value it. Moses did the priest’s office for present. He was likewise a prophet, Deuteronomy 18:15 and king in Jeshurun, Deuteronomy 33:5 and so became a type of Christ, that true Trismegist, the Priest, Prophet, and Prince. Daniel 9:25

Verse 7

And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

Shall make an atonement. — Through the sacrifice of Christ. Hebrews 10:1 ; Hebrews 10:4 ; Hebrews 10:10 ; Hebrews 10:14

Verse 9

Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This [is] the law of the burnt offering: It [is] the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.

All night unto the morning. — God must be thought upon in the night season. Psalms 4:4 David willingly brake his sleep to do it. Psalms 119:62 "The day is thine, the night also is thine," saith he. Psalms 74:16

Verse 10

And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.

Beside the altar. — On the east side farthest from the sanctuary, Leviticus 1:16 in reverence of the Divine Majesty.

Verse 11

And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.

Unto a clean place. — Because they came from the Lord’s holy house. See the contrary commanded concerning the stones and dust of a leprous house. Leviticus 14:40

Verse 12

And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.

It shall not be put out. — No more should our faith, love, zeal (that flame of God, as Solomon calls it, Song of Solomon 8:9 ), that should never go out; the waters should not quench it, nor the ashes cover it. Song of Solomon 8:10 2 Timothy 1:6

Verse 13

The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.

The fire shall ever be burning. — The Gentiles, by an apish imitation hereof, had their vestal fire, salted meal, and many other sacred rites. Basil chargeth the devil as "a thief of the truth," in that he had decked his crows with her feathers.

Verse 14

And this [is] the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.

The law of the meat offering. — Besides what is set down in Leviticus 2:1-2 . Thus one text explains another; as the diamond is brightened with its own dust.

Verse 15

And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which [is] upon the meat offering, and shall burn [it] upon the altar [for] a sweet savour, [even] the memorial of it, unto the LORD.

Even the memorial. — See Trapp on " Leviticus 2:2 "

Verse 16

And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it.

Shall Aaron and his sons eat. — See 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 . See Trapp on " 1 Corinthians 9:13 " See Trapp on " 1 Corinthians 9:14 "

Verse 17

It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it [unto them for] their portion of my offerings made by fire; it [is] most holy, as [is] the sin offering, and as the trespass offering.

It shall not be baken with leaven. — Which is, (1.) souring; (2.) swelling; (3.) spreading; (4.) impuring.

Verse 18

All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. [It shall be] a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy.

Shall be holy. — God "will be sanctified in all that draw near unto him."

“ … Procul hinc, procul este profani. ”

Verse 20

This [is] the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.

When he is anointed, — i.e., When any high priest: for he only was anointed, Exodus 29:7 on the head at least.

Verse 21

In a pan it shall be made with oil; [and when it is] baken, thou shalt bring it in: [and] the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer [for] a sweet savour unto the LORD.

In a pan. — Figuring out the sufferings of Christ, who was so parched with the fire of afflictions for our sins.

Verse 22

And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it: [it is] a statute for ever unto the LORD; it shall be wholly burnt.

Of his sons, — i.e., The eldest, if he have no deformity or impediment, to make him incapable of the priesthood.

Verse 23

For every meat offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.

It shall not be eaten. — To teach the high priest to look for salvation out of himself.

Verse 25

Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This [is] the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it [is] most holy.

In the place, — i.e., At the north side of the altar. And why See Trapp on " Leviticus 5:9 "

Verse 26

The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Shall eat it. — Except in that case, Leviticus 6:30 .

Verse 27

Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place.

Shall be holy. — This taught a holy use of the mystery of our redemption: for the sin offering in special sort figured Christ.

Verse 28

But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.

But the earthen vessel. — So contagious a thing is sin, that it defileth the very visible heaven and earth: which therefore must be likewise purged by the last fire, as the earthen pot which held the sin offering was broken, and the brazen scoured and rinsed in water.

Verse 29

All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it [is] most holy.

It is most holy. — Heb., Holy of holies. The Greek addeth, unto the Lord.

Verse 30

And no sin offering, whereof [any] of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile [withal] in the holy [place], shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.

And no sin offerlng. — Here the ordinary gloss makes this observation, Remissionem dare, Dei solius est, qui per ignem significatur. That to pardon sin belongs to God alone, who is a consuming fire. The Rhemists Rhem. Annot. in Job xx. see. 3. tell us of a man that could remove mountains: of which they may as soon persuade us, as that their priests have as full power to pardon sins as Christ had. One of their priests meeting with a man troubled in mind, told him that their religion afforded more comfort to the conscience than ours; and that because it had, and exercised a power to pardon sin, which our ministers neither did nor durst assume to themselves. Ley’s Pattern of Piety, p. 145.