Leviticus 6

AND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

If a soul sin and commit a trespass against the LORD This sin, though directly committed against man only, is here emphatically said to be done against the lord, not only in general, for so every sin against man is also against the Lord, whose image in man is thereby injured, and whose law, which obligeth us to love and fidelity and justice to other men, is thereby violated; but in a more special sense, because this was a violation of humane society, whereof God is the author and president and defender; See Numb. 5. 6. and because it was a secret sin, of which God alone was the witness and judge; see Act. 5. 4. and because Gods name was abused in it by perjury, ver. 3., and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep To wit, in trust,, or in fellowship Heb. or in putting of the hand. Which may be either 1. another expression of the same thing immediately going before, which is very frequent in Scripture; and so the sense is, when one man puts any thing into another mans hand to keep for him, and, when he requires it, to restore it to him. Or 2. a distinct branch, which seems more probable, and so it belongs to commerce or fellowship in trading, which is very usual, when one man puts any thing into anothers hand not to keep it, as in the foregoing word or member, but to use and improve it for the common benefit of them both in which cases of partnership it is... e for one to deceive the other, and therefore provision is here made against it. And this is called a putting of the hand, because such agreements and associations used to be confirmed by giving or joyning their hands together, Ier. 50. 15. Gal. 2. 9. Compare Exod. 23. 1., or in a thing taken away by violence To wit, secretly; for he seems to speak here of such sins as could not be proved by witness., or has deceived his neighbour Get any thing from him by calumny or fraud, or circumvention; for so the word signifies.:

Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsly His oath being required, seeing there was no other way of discovery left.: in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:

Then it shall be, because he has sinned, and is guilty This guilt of his being manifested either by his refusing to swear when called to it, as in some of the cases alledged: or by his voluntary confession upon remorse, whereby he reapeth this benefit, that he only restores the principal with the addition of a fifth part, whereas if he were convicted of his fault, he was to pay double, Exod. 22. 9., that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he has deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found:

Or all that about which he has sworn falsly: 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 It must not be delaved, but restitution to man must accompany repentance towards God. Compare Mat. 5. 23..

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.

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 has done, in trespassing therein.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Command Aaron and his sons Hitherto he has prescribed the sacrifices themselves, now he comes to the manner of them, saying, This is the Law of the burnt-offering To wit, of the daily one, of which Exod 29. 38. Numb. 28. 3. as the following words show.: (it is the burnt-offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night, unto the morning The meaning is the evening-burnt-offering was to be so managed and laid on piece after piece that the fire might be constantly maintained by it. It is to be understood, that the offerings were to be kept burning all the day from morning to night also but he mentions not that, because there was so great a and such a constant succession of sacrifices in the day time that there needed Law for seeding and keeping in the fire then, the only danger was for the night, when other sacrifices were not... red, but only the evening-burnt-offering, which if it had been consumed quickly, as the morning burnt-offering was, there had been danger of the going out of that fire, which they were commanded diligently and constantly to keep in and maintain, here below, ver. 13., and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.)

And the Priest shall put on his linen garment (i. e.) His li... n co...: O... which see Exod. 28. 39, 40., and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire has consumed The ashes are said to be consumed improperly, when the wood is confumed into ashes, as is said to be ground, Esa. 47. 2. when the is ground into m... l; and the naked to be stripped of their, Io... 22. 6. when by being stripped they are made naked. with the burnt-offering on the altar, and he shall put them besides the altar.

And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments Because this was no sacred, but a common work., and carry forth the ashes without the camp, unto a clean place Where no dung or filth was... aid, See Levit. 4. 12. and compare Levit. 14. 40, 41..

And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it: it shall not be put out The fire coming down from Heaven, Levit..... 24. was to be perpetually preserved, and not suffered to go out,... artly that there might be no occasion nor temptation to offer strange fire, nor to mingle their inventions with Gods appointments; and partly to teach them whence they were to expect the acceptance of all their sacrifices, even from the divine mercy and grace, signified by the fire which came down from Heaven which was an usual token of Gods favourable acceptance. See the notes on Gen. 4 4, 5.; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning Though the evening also be doubtless intended as it appears from.... 9 and from the nature of the thing, yet the morning only is mentioned, because then the altar was cleansed and the ashes taken away, and a new fire made., and lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and he shall burn thereon (i. e.) Upon the burnt-offering, which thereby would be sooner consumed, that so way might be made for other sacrifices, which were many. the fat of the peace-offerings.

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

And this is the law of the meat offering To wit, of that which was offered alone, and that by any of the people not by the Priest for then it must have been all burnt. This law delivered, Levit. 2. is here repeated for the sake of some additions here made to it as it is a common practise of Law makers when they make additional Laws to recite such laws to which such additions belong.: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.

And he shall take of it his handful of the flour of the meat-offering, and of the oyl thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meatoffering, and shall burn it upon the altar, for a sweet favour, even the memorial of it unto the LORD.

And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons The males only might eat these because they were most holy things, whereas the daughters of Aaron might eat other holy things, Numb. 18. 11. eat: with unleavened bread Or rather,, for with is not in the Hebrew, and it disturbs the sense: For since the meat-offering it self was fine flour, Levit. 2. 1. It is not likely that they eat it with bread. shall it be eaten in the holy place: in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation In some special room appointed for that purpose. See Levit. 8. 31. 1 Sam 3. 3. Ezek. 42. 13. and 46. 19, 24 The reason why this was to be eaten only by holy persons... nd that in an holy place is given ver 17. because it is most holy, and therefore to be treated with greater reverence. they shall eat it.

It That part which remains to the Priest: for the part here offered to God seems not to have been bake at all. 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.

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 It may be understood either 1. Of persons that none should touch, or eat them but consecrated persons, to wit, Priests. Or this may be an additional caution, that they w... o eat them should be not only Priests or their made-children, but also, i. e. having no uncleanness upon them, in that case even the Priests themselves might not touch them Or 2. O... things, as may be gathered by compari... with ver. 2.... 28. Whatsoever toucheth them, as the that receives them, the knife, or spoon, &c. which is used about them, those shall be taken for holy, and not employed... or common uses. See Exod. 29. 37..

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

This is the offering of Aaron, and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD, in the day when he is anointed When any of them are anointed for High-Priest, for he only of all the Priests was to be anointed in future ages. This Law of his consecration was delivered before Exod. 29. 2, 24, 25. and is here repeared because of some additions made to it.: the tenth part of an Ephah of fine flour for a meat-offering perpetual To wit, whensoever any of them shall be so anointed., half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night Or, In the evening: the one to be annexed to the morning sacrifice, the other to the evening sacrifice, over and besides that meatoffering which every day was to be added to the daily morning and evening sacrifices Exod. 29. 40..

In a pan it shall be made with oyl, and when it is baken Or, Fryed so that it swells and bubbles up., thou Who art so anointed and consecrated, verse 22. shalt bring it in: and the baken pieces of the meat-offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

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.

For every meat-offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten No part of it shall be eaten by the Priest, as it was when the offering was for the people. The reason of the difference is, partly because when he offered it for the people, he was to have some recompence for his pains, which he could not expect when he offered it for himself; partly to signifie the imperfection of the Levitical Priests, who could not bear their own iniquity; for the Priests eating part of the peoples sacrifices did signifie his typical bearing of the peoples iniquity, as appears from Levit. 10. 17. and partly to teach the Priests and Ministers of God, that it is their duty to serve God with singleness of heart, and to be content with Gods honour, though they have no present advantage by it..

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

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.

The priest that offereth it for sin For the sins of the rulers, or of the people, or any of them, but not for the sins of the Priests; for then its blood was brought into the Tabernacle, and therefore it might not be eaten., shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof, shall be holy: Of which see the note on verse 18. and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment Upon the Priests garment, for it was he only that sprinkled it, and in so doing he might easily sprinkle his garments. thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place Partly out of reverence to the blood of sacrifices, which hereby was kept from a prophane or common touch: and partly that such garments might be decent and fit for sacred administrations..

But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden, shall be broken Because being full of pores, the liquor in which it was sodden might castly sink into it whereby it was ceremonially holy and therefore was broken least afterwards it should be abused to prophane or common uses.: and if it be sodden in a brazen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water And not broken as being of considerable value which therefore God would not have unnecessarily wasted. And this being of a more solid substance than an earthen vessel was not so apt to drink in the humour..

All the males among the Priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy.

And no sin-offering Such were the sacrifices offered for the High-priest, or for the whole assembly, either severally, Levit. 4. 7, 18. or jointly for both in the yearly atonement, Levit. 16. 27, 33. 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.