Leviticus 6:12

12 but the fire on the altar must be kept burning on it; it must not be quenched. And the priest must burn wood {every morning} on it, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it, and he shall turn into smoke the fat portions of the fellowship offerings on it.

Leviticus 6:12 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 6:12

And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it, it
shall not be put out
There were three fires, or piles of wood for fire continually; the first was a large one, on which the daily sacrifice was burnt; the second less, and called the pile of the incense, because they took from it fire in a censer to burn the morning and evening incense; and the third was only for preserving the fire that it might not go out: and of this it is written, ( Leviticus 6:12 ) F24; and Maimonides F25 observes, that some say, the first of these is meant by the burning all night, ( Leviticus 6:9 ) and the second by the fire of the altar burning in it, ( Leviticus 6:12 ) but his own sense is, the third is meant by it; and in the sense of R. Joses, these three fires were all burning upon the altar; the first was towards the east side of the altar, the second towards the southwest, as being nearer to the rise of the altar, where the priests were, and the third was made in any part of the altar as was thought fit F26; and this is the fire not to be put out, and he that quenched it, though but one coal, was to be beaten, yea, though it be brought down from the altar F1:

and the priest shall burn wood in it every morning:
until the fourth hour of the day, according to the Targum of Jonathan; that is, unto ten o'clock in the morning:

and lay the burnt offering in order upon it;
both morning and evening, and as often as any sacrifices of that kind were offered up:

and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings;
that which was upon the inwards and covered them, and upon the kidneys, and flanks, and caul of the liver; see ( Leviticus 3:3 Leviticus 3:4 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F24 Maimon. Hilchot Tamidin, c. 2. sect. 4. Bartenora in Misn. Tamid, c. 2. sect. 4. & in Yoma, c. 4. sect. 6.
F25 In ib. sect. 5. & in Yoma, c. 4. sect. 6.
F26 Maimon. Hilchot Tamidin, c. 2. sect. 7, 8, 9.
F1 Ibid. sect. 6.

Leviticus 6:12 In-Context

10 And the priest shall put on his linen robe, and he must put his linen undergarments on his body, and he shall take away the fatty ashes [of] the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall place them beside the altar.
11 And he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, and he shall bring out the fatty ashes {outside the camp} to a ceremonially clean place,
12 but the fire on the altar must be kept burning on it; it must not be quenched. And the priest must burn wood {every morning} on it, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it, and he shall turn into smoke the fat portions of the fellowship offerings on it.
13 A perpetual fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not be quenched.
14 " 'And this [is] the regulation of the grain offering. Aaron's sons shall present it {before} Yahweh {in front of} the altar,

Footnotes 5

  • [a]. Or "and"
  • [b]. Literally "in the morning in the morning"
  • [c]. Antecedent for this 3fs suffix is "fire" ("altar" is ms)
  • [d]. Antecedent for this 3fs suffix is "fire" ("altar" is ms)
  • [e]. Antecedent for this 3fs suffix is "fire" ("altar" is ms)
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