Leviticus 22

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Speak to Aaron and his sons so that they ¹abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they ²dedicate to me, so that they do not ³profane my holy name: I am the LORD.

3 Say to them, 'If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while ⁴he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD.

4 None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a ⁵discharge may eat of the holy things ⁶until he is clean. ⁷Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or ⁸a man who has had an emission of semen,

5 and ⁹whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or ¹⁰a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be--

6 the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has ¹¹bathed his body in water.

7 When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because ¹²they are his food.

8 ¹³He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the LORD.'

9 They shall therefore keep my charge, ¹⁴lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: ¹⁵I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

10 ¹⁶"A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired servant shall eat of a holy thing,

11 but if a priest buys a slave as his property for money, the slave^[a] may eat of it, and ¹⁷anyone born in his house may eat of his food.

12 If a priest's daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution of the holy things.

13 But if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and ¹⁸returns to her father's house, ¹⁹as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food; yet no lay person shall eat of it.

14 ²⁰And if anyone eats of a holy thing unintentionally, he shall add ²¹the fifth of its value to it and give the holy thing to the priest.

15 They ²²shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they contribute to the LORD,

16 and so cause them ²³to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: ²⁴for I am the LORD who sanctifies them."

Acceptable Offerings

17 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

18 "Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, ²⁵When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the LORD,

19 if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a ²⁶male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats.

20 ²⁷You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.

21 And when anyone ²⁸offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD ²⁹to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it.

22 Animals ³⁰blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or ³¹an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the LORD or give them to the LORD as a food ³²offering on the altar.

23 You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part ³³too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted.

24 Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the LORD; you shall not do it within your land,

25 neither shall you offer as ³⁴the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner. Since there is a ³⁵blemish in them, because of their mutilation, they will not be accepted for you."

26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

27 ³⁶"When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as a food offering to the LORD.

28 But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep ³⁷and her young in one day.

29 And when you sacrifice a ³⁸sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.

30 It shall be eaten on the same day; ³⁹you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the LORD.

31 ⁴⁰"So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the LORD.

32 ⁴¹And you shall not profane my holy name, that ⁴²I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. ⁴³I am the LORD who sanctifies you,

33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt ⁴⁴to be your God: I am the LORD."

Leviticus 22 Commentary

Chapter 22

Laws concerning the priests and sacrifices.

- In this chapter we have divers laws concerning the priests and sacrifices, all for preserving the honour of the sanctuary. Let us recollect with gratitude that our great High Priest cannot be hindered by any thing from the discharge of his office. Let us also remember, that the Lord requires us to reverence his name, his truths, his ordinances, and commandments. Let us beware of hypocrisy, and examine ourselves concerning our sinful defilements, seeking to be purified from them in the blood of Christ, and by his sanctifying Spirit. Whoever attempts to expiate his own sin, or draws near in the pride of self-righteousness, puts as great an affront on Christ, as he who comes to the Lord's table from the gratification of sinful lusts. Nor can the minister who loves the souls of the people, suffer them to continue in this dangerous delusion. He must call upon them, not only to repent of their sins, and forsake them; but to put their whole trust in the atonement of Christ, by faith in his name, for pardon and acceptance with God; thus only will the Lord make them holy, as his own people.

Cross References

• 1. [Numbers 6:3]
• 2. ver. 3; Exodus 28:38; Deuteronomy 15:19
• 3. [Numbers 18:32]; See Leviticus 18:21
• 4. Leviticus 7:20
• 5. Leviticus 15:2
• 6. Leviticus 14:2; Leviticus 15:13
• 7. Numbers 19:11
• 8. Leviticus 15:16
• 9. Leviticus 11:24, 43, 44
• 10. Leviticus 15:7, 19
• 11. [Hebrews 10:22]; See Leviticus 15:5-11
• 12. Leviticus 21:22; [Numbers 18:11, 13]; See Leviticus 3:11
• 13. See Leviticus 7:24
• 14. [Exodus 28:43]; See Leviticus 19:17
• 15. Leviticus 21:8, 15, 23
• 16. Leviticus 24:9; [1 Samuel 21:6; Matthew 12:4; Mark 2:26; Luke 6:4]
• 17. Numbers 18:11, 13
• 18. [Genesis 38:11; Ruth 1:8]
• 19. Leviticus 10:14; Numbers 18:11, 19
• 20. Leviticus 4:2; Leviticus 5:15, 16, 18
• 21. Leviticus 27:13, 15, 19
• 22. Leviticus 19:8; Numbers 18:32
• 23. [See ver. 9 above]
• 24. [See ver. 9 above]
• 25. Leviticus 1:2, 3, 10; Numbers 15:14
• 26. Leviticus 1:3, 10
• 27. Deuteronomy 15:21; Deuteronomy 17:1; Malachi 1:8, 14; [Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19]
• 28. Leviticus 3:1, 6
• 29. Leviticus 7:16; Numbers 15:3, 8; Deuteronomy 23:21, 23; Psalms 61:8; Psalms 65:1; Ecclesiastes 5:4, 5
• 30. ver. 20; Leviticus 21:18; Malachi 1:8
• 31. Leviticus 21:20
• 32. Leviticus 1:9, 13; Leviticus 3:3, 5
• 33. Leviticus 21:18
• 34. See Leviticus 3:11
• 35. Malachi 1:14
• 36. Exodus 22:30
• 37. [Deuteronomy 22:6]
• 38. Leviticus 7:12; Psalms 107:22; Psalms 116:17; Amos 4:5
• 39. Leviticus 7:15
• 40. Leviticus 19:37; Numbers 15:40; Deuteronomy 4:40
• 41. See Leviticus 18:21
• 42. Leviticus 10:3
• 43. See Leviticus 20:8
• 44. See Exodus 6:7

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew he

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 22

In this chapter several laws are delivered out, forbidding the priests to eat of holy things, when in any uncleanness, or at any time what dies of itself, or is torn of beasts, Le 22:1-9; also showing who belonging to the priests might or might not eat of the holy things, Le 22:10-16; and others requiring that whatever offerings were brought by the children, of Israel, they should be perfect and without blemish, Le 22:17-25; and also declaring what age a creature should be of when sacrificed, and the time when thank offerings were to be eaten, Le 22:26-30; concluding with an exhortation to observe the commands of God, and sanctify him, and not profane his name, Le 22:31-33.