Leviticus 21:22

22 He may, of course, eat of his God's most holy or holy food,

Leviticus 21:22 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 21:22

He shall eat the bread of his God
That part of the sacrifices which was appropriated by the Lord to the priests, for the maintenance of them and their families; for though their natural infirmities disqualified them for service, yet they did not become hereby impure, either in a moral nor ceremonial sense, and might eat of the sacrifices, which impure persons might not; and so the tradition is, blemished persons, whether their blemishes are fixed or transient, may divide and eat, but not offer F7; these being priests, and having no inheritance, nor any way of getting their livelihood, provision is made for them that they might not perish through their defects in nature, which were not voluntary and brought upon them by themselves, but by the providence of God; and such were allowed to eat

[both] of the most holy and of the holy;
there were things the priests eat of, which were most holy, as what remained of the meat offerings, and of the sin offerings, and of the trespass offerings, which only the males of the priest's family might eat of, and that only in the holy place; and there were others less holy, the lighter holy things, as the Jews call them, as the wave breast, and heave shoulder, and the tithes and firstfruits, which were eaten of by all in their families, their daughters as well as their sons, and in their own houses; now of each of these might the blemished priests eat; see ( Numbers 18:9 Numbers 18:10 )


FOOTNOTES:

F7 Misn. Zebachim, c. 12. sect. 1.

Leviticus 21:22 In-Context

20 anyone who is a hunchback or too small; anyone who has an eye disease, a rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.
21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has an imperfection will be allowed to offer the LORD's food gifts; since he has an imperfection, he will not be allowed to offer his God's food.
22 He may, of course, eat of his God's most holy or holy food,
23 but since he has an imperfection, he cannot enter toward the inner curtain or officiate at the altar, making these parts of my sanctuary impure by doing so. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.
24 This is what Moses said to Aaron, his sons, and to all the Israelites.
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