Leviticus 22:16

16 The priests must not allow those who are not priests to eat the holy offerings. If they do, they cause the ones who eat the holy offerings to become guilty, and they will have to pay for it. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.'"

Leviticus 22:16 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 22:16

Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass
The punishment of sin: either the strangers, when they eat their holy things;
the holy things belonging to the priests, which they permitting them to do, suffer them to be liable to the punishment incurred thereby, or else the priests themselves; so the Septuagint version renders the word "themselves"; and in like manner Jarchi interprets it; and then the sense may be, according to the Targums of Jonathan and Onkelos, that the priests shall bear the punishment of their sins,

``when they shall eat the holy things in uncleanness,''

which is what is forbidden them in the former part of the chapter; but this seems to be too remote; rather the former sense is best: for I the Lord do sanctify them;
both the priests, to whom the holy things belong, and the holy things for their use, and the use of their families, and them only.

Leviticus 22:16 In-Context

14 "'If someone eats some of the holy offering by mistake, that person must pay back the priest for that holy food, adding another one-fifth of the price of that food.

15 "'When the Israelites give their holy offerings to the Lord, the priest must not treat these holy things as though they were not holy.

16 The priests must not allow those who are not priests to eat the holy offerings. If they do, they cause the ones who eat the holy offerings to become guilty, and they will have to pay for it. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.'"

17 The Lord said to Moses,

18 "Tell Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel: 'A citizen of Israel or a foreigner living in Israel might want to bring a whole burnt offering, either for some special promise he has made or for a special gift he wants to give to the Lord.