Leviticus 6

1 The LORD said to Moses,

2 If you sin: by acting unfaithfully against the LORD; by deceiving a fellow citizen concerning a deposit or pledged property; by cheating a fellow citizen through robbery;

3 or, though you've found lost property, you lie about it; or by swearing falsely about anything that someone might do and so sin,

4 at that point, once you have sinned and become guilty of sin, you must return the property you took by robbery or fraud, or the deposit that was left with you for safekeeping, or the lost property that you found,

5 or whatever it was that you swore falsely about. You must make amends for the principal amount and add one-fifth to it. You must give it to the owner on the day you become guilty.

6 You must bring to the priest as your compensation to the LORD a flawless ram from the flock at the standard value as a compensation offering.

7 The priest will make reconciliation for you before the LORD, and you will be forgiven for anything you may have done that made you guilty.

Priestly instructions

8 The LORD said to Moses:

9 Command Aaron and his sons: This is the Instruction for the entirely burned offering—the entirely burned offering that must remain on the altar hearth all night until morning, while the fire is kept burning.

10 The priest will dress in his linen robe, with linen undergarments on his body. Because the fire will have devoured the entirely burned offering on the altar, he must remove the ashes and place them beside the altar.

11 The priest will then take off his clothes, dress in a different set of clothes, and take the ashes outside the camp to a clean location.

12 The altar fire must be kept burning; it must not go out. Each morning the priest will burn wood on it, will lay out the entirely burned offering on it, and will completely burn the fat of the well-being offering on it.

13 A continuous fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not go out.

14 This is the Instruction for the grain offering: Aaron's sons will present it before the LORD in front of the altar.

15 The priest will remove a handful of the choice flour and oil from the grain offering, and all of the frankincense that is on it, and burn this token portion completely on the altar as a soothing smell to the LORD.

16 Aaron and his sons will eat the rest of it. It must be eaten as unleavened bread in a holy place; the priests must eat it in the meeting tent's courtyard.

17 It must not be baked with leaven. I have made it the priests' share from my food gifts. It is most holy like the purification offering and the compensation offering.

18 Only the males from Aaron's descendants can eat it as a permanent portion from the LORD's food gifts throughout your future generations. Anything that touches these food gifts will become holy.

19 The LORD said to Moses,

20 This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the LORD on the day of his anointment: one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour as a regular grain offering, half in the morning and half in the evening.

21 It must be prepared on a griddle with oil. You must bring it thoroughly mixed up and must present it as a grain offering of crumbled pieces as a soothing smell to the LORD.

22 The priest who is anointed from among Aaron's sons to succeed him will prepare the offering as a permanent portion for the LORD. It will be completely burned as a complete offering.

23 Every priestly grain offering must be a complete offering; it must not be eaten.

24 The LORD said to Moses,

25 Say to Aaron and his sons: This is the Instruction for the purification offering: The purification offering must be slaughtered before the LORD at the same place the entirely burned offering is slaughtered; it is most holy.

26 The priest who offers it as a purification offering will eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place, in the meeting tent's courtyard.

27 Anything that touches the purification offering's flesh will become holy. If some of its blood splashes on a garment, you must wash the bloodied part in a holy place.

28 A pottery container in which the purification offering is cooked must be broken, but if it is cooked in a bronze container, that must be scrubbed and rinsed with water.

29 Any male priest can eat it; it is most holy.

30 But no purification offering can be eaten if blood from it is brought into the meeting tent to make reconciliation in the holy place; it must be burned with fire.

Leviticus 6 Commentary

Chapter 6

Concerning trespasses against our neighbour. (1-7) Concerning the burnt-offering. (8-13) Concerning the meat-offering. (14-23) Concerning the sin-offering. (24-30)

Verses 1-7 Though all the instances relate to our neighbour, yet it is called a trespass against the Lord. Though the person injured be mean, and even despicable, yet the injury reflects upon that God who has made the command of loving our neighbour next to that of loving himself. Human laws make a difference as to punishments; but all methods of doing wrong to others, are alike violations of the Divine law, even keeping what is found, when the owner can be discovered. Frauds are generally accompanied with lies, often with false oaths. If the offender would escape the vengeance of God, he must make ample restitution, according to his power, and seek forgiveness by faith in that one Offering which taketh away the sin of the world. The trespasses here mentioned, still are trespasses against the law of Christ, which insists as much upon justice and truth, as the law of nature, or the law of Moses.

Verses 8-13 The daily sacrifice of a lamb is chiefly referred to. The priest must take care of the fire upon the altar. The first fire upon the altar came from heaven, ch. 9:24 ; by keeping that up continually, all their sacrifices might be said to be consumed with the fire from heaven, in token of God's acceptance. Thus should the fire of our holy affections, the exercise of our faith and love, of prayer and praise, be without ceasing.

Verses 14-23 The law of the burnt-offerings put upon the priests a great deal of care and work; the flesh was wholly burnt, and the priests had nothing but the skin. But most of the meat-offering was their own. It is God's will that his ministers should be provided with what is needful.

Verses 24-30 The blood of the sin-offering was to be washed out of the clothes on which it should happen to be sprinkled, which signified the regard we ought to have to the blood of Christ, not counting it a common thing. The vessel in which the flesh of the sin-offering was boiled must be broken, if it were an earthen one; but if a brazen one, well washed. This showed that the defilement was not wholly taken away by the offering; but the blood of Christ thoroughly cleanses from all sin. All these rules set forth the polluting nature of sin, and the removal of guilt from the sinner to the sacrifice. Behold and wonder at Christ's love, in that he was content to be made a sin-offering for us, and so to procure our pardon for continual sins and failings. He that knew no sin was made sin (that is, a ( 2 Corinthians. 5:21 ) only pardon, but power also, against sin, ( Romans 8:3 ) .

Footnotes

• [a]. 5:20 in Heb
• [b]. 6:1 in Heb
• [c]. Two quarts; an ephah is approximately twenty quarts dry.
• [d]. Heb uncertain

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 6

This chapter treats of the trespass offering for sins committed knowingly and wilfully, Le 6:1-7 and of the law of the burnt offering, and of cleansing the altar of burnt offering, and keeping the fire burning on it continually, Le 6:8-13 and of the meat offering, which is repeated with some additional circumstances, Le 6:14-18 and of the offering at the consecration of the high priest, Le 6:19-23 and of the sin offering, and where to be killed and eaten, and by whom, Le 6:24-30.