Leviticus 24

The Lamps

1 ¹The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly.

3 Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the LORD regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.

4 He shall arrange the lamps on the ²lampstand of pure gold^[a] before the LORD regularly.

Bread for the Tabernacle

5 "You shall take fine flour and bake twelve ³loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah^[b] shall be in each loaf.

6 And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, ⁴on the table of pure gold^[c] before the LORD.

7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the LORD.

8 ⁵Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the LORD regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever.

9 And ⁶it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and ⁷they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the LORD's food offerings, a perpetual due."

Punishment for Blasphemy

10 Now an Israelite woman's son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought in the camp,

11 and the Israelite woman's son ⁸blasphemed the ⁹Name, and cursed. Then they ¹⁰brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.

12 And ¹¹they put him in custody, ¹²till the will of the LORD should be clear to them.

13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

14 ¹³"Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him ¹⁴lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

15 And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall ¹⁵bear his sin.

16 Whoever ¹⁶blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

An Eye for an Eye

17 ¹⁷"Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.

18 ¹⁸Whoever takes an animal's life shall make it good, life for life.

19 If anyone injures his neighbor, ¹⁹as he has done it shall be done to him,

20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.

21 ²⁰Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, ²¹and whoever kills a person shall be put to death.

22 You shall have the ²²same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the LORD your God."

23 So Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and ²³they brought out of the camp the one who had cursed and stoned him with stones. Thus the people of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Leviticus 24 Commentary

Chapter 24

Oil for the lamps, The shew-bread. (1-9) The law of blasphemy, blasphemer is stoned. (10-23)

Verses 1-9 The loaves of bread typify Christ as the Bread of life, and the food of the souls of his people. He is the Light of his church, the Light of the world; in and through his word this light shines. By this light we discern the food prepared for our souls; and we should daily, but especially from sabbath to sabbath, feed thereon in our hearts with thanksgiving. And as the loaves were left in the sanctuary, so should we abide with God till he dismiss us.

Verses 10-23 This offender was the son of an Egyptian father, and an Israelitish mother. The notice of his parents shows the common ill effect of mixed marriages. A standing law for the stoning of blasphemers was made upon this occasion. Great stress is laid upon this law. It extends to the strangers among them, as well as to those born in the land. Strangers, as well as native Israelites, should be entitled to the benefit of the law, so as not to suffer wrong; and should be liable to the penalty of this law, in case they did wrong. If those who profane the name of God escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgments. What enmity against God must be in the heart of man, when blasphemies against God proceed out of his mouth. If he that despised Moses' law, died without mercy, of what punishment will they be worthy, who despise and abuse the gospel of the Son of God! Let us watch against anger, do no evil, avoid all connexions with wicked people, and reverence that holy name which sinners blaspheme.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 27:20, 21
• 2. Exodus 31:8; Exodus 39:37
• 3. Exodus 25:30
• 4. Exodus 25:23, 24; 1 Kings 7:48; 2 Chronicles 4:19; 2 Chronicles 13:11; Hebrews 9:2
• 5. 1 Chronicles 9:32; [Numbers 4:7; 2 Chronicles 2:4]
• 6. 1 Samuel 21:6; Matthew 12:4; Mark 2:26; Luke 6:4
• 7. [Leviticus 6:16; Leviticus 8:31; Leviticus 21:22; Exodus 29:33]
• 8. See ver. 16
• 9. [Exodus 3:14, 15; Philippians 2:9]
• 10. Exodus 18:22, 26
• 11. [Numbers 15:34]
• 12. [Exodus 18:15, 16; Numbers 27:5; Numbers 36:5, 6]
• 13. [ver. 23]
• 14. [Deuteronomy 13:9; Deuteronomy 17:7]
• 15. Leviticus 5:1; Leviticus 20:17, 20; Leviticus 22:9; Numbers 9:13; [Exodus 20:7]
• 16. ver. 11; 1 Kings 21:10, 13; Matthew 26:65, 66; Mark 14:63, 64; John 10:33
• 17. Genesis 9:5, 6; Exodus 21:12; Numbers 35:31; Deuteronomy 19:11, 12
• 18. Exodus 21:33, 34
• 19. Exodus 21:23-25; Deuteronomy 19:21; Matthew 5:38; Matthew 7:2
• 20. [See ver. 18 above]
• 21. [See ver. 17 above]
• 22. Leviticus 19:34; Exodus 12:49; Numbers 15:16
• 23. [ver. 14]

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew the pure lampstand
• [b]. An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
• [c]. Hebrew the pure table

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 24

This chapter treats of the oil for the lamps, and the ordering of them, Le 24:1-4; of the making of the shewbread cakes, and the setting of them on the table, Le 24:5-9; and an Israelite having blasphemed the name of the Lord, and inquiry being made what should be done to him, he, and so any other person guilty of the same, is ordered to be stoned to death, Le 24:10-16; on occasion of which several laws are repeated concerning killing a man or a beast, or doing injury to any man, Le 24:17-23.