Leviticus 24

The Sanctuary’s Lamp and Bread

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Command the {Israelites} that they should bring pure olive oil [from] beaten [olives] for the light to {present} a lamp continually.

3 Aaron shall arrange for it {outside} the curtain of the testimony in [the] tent of assembly from evening until morning {before} Yahweh continually; [it shall be] a {lasting statute} throughout your generations.

4 On the pure [golden] lampstand he shall arrange for the lamps {before} Yahweh continually.

5 "And you shall take finely milled flour, and you shall bake [with] it twelve ring-shaped bread cakes: each one [shall be] two-tenths [of an ephah].

6 And you shall place them [in] two rows, six [to the] row, on the pure [gold] table {before} Yahweh.

7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each row so that it shall be for the bread as a memorial offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh.

8 {On every Sabbath} he shall arrange it in rows {before} Yahweh continually; [they are] from the {Israelites} [as] an everlasting covenant.

9 And it shall be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, because it [is] {a most holy thing} for him from Yahweh's offerings made by fire--a {lasting rule}."

Punishment for Blasphemy

10 And an Israelite woman's son, and he [was] an Egyptian man's son, went out in the midst of the {Israelites}; and the Israelite woman's son and an Israelite man fought in the camp.

11 Then the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the name, and he cursed, so they brought him to Moses--and the name of his mother [was] Shelomith the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.

12 Then they put him in custody {so that} [the matter] might be made clear to them in accordance with the mouth of Yahweh.

13 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

14 "Bring the curser {outside the camp}, and all the hearers shall place their hands on his head, and the whole community shall stone him.

15 And you shall speak to the {Israelites}, saying, '{Any man} when he curses his God shall bear his sin.

16 And he who blasphemes Yahweh's name certainly shall be put to death; the whole community certainly shall stone him. As the alien, so the native shall be put to death at blaspheming his name.

17 " 'And when a man kills any human being, he certainly shall be put to death.

18 And {he who kills} a domestic animal must repay [for] it life in place of life.

19 And when a man {causes} a physical defect in his fellow citizen {according to} what he has done, so it shall be done to him:

20 fracture in place of fracture, eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth--{according to} [the] physical defect he {causes} to the person, likewise it shall be {caused} to him.

21 And a killer of a domestic animal must repay [for] it, and a killer of a human shall be put to death.

22 {You must have} one norm; as [for] the alien, so it must be [for] the native, because I [am] Yahweh your God.'"

23 Thus Moses spoke to the {Israelites}, and they brought the curser {outside the camp}, and they stoned him [with] stones, and the {Israelites} did [just] as Yahweh had 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "And"
• [b]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [c]. Or "and"
• [d]. Literally "to cause raising up"; or "set up" (HALOT 830 s.v. 4.d)
• [e]. Literally "from the outside of to"
• [f]. Literally "to the faces of"
• [g]. Literally "a statute of eternity" or "a statute of long duration"
• [h]. Supplied by context and the description of the lampstand in Exod 25:31
• [i]. Literally "to the faces of"
• [j]. Supplied by context and the description of the table in Exod 25:24
• [k]. Literally "to the faces of"
• [l]. Hebrew "the"
• [m]. Or "and"
• [n]. Literally "On the day of the Sabbath on the day of the Sabbath"
• [o]. Literally "to the faces of"
• [p]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [q]. Or "eternal" or "enduring" or "perpetual"
• [r]. Literally "a holy thing of holy things"
• [s]. Literally "rule of eternity" or "rule of long duration"
• [t]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [u]. Hebrew "the"
• [v]. Or "And"
• [w]. Or "and"
• [x]. Or "And"
• [y]. Literally "to"
• [z]. Or "And"
• [aa]. Literally "to from an outside place of the camp"
• [ab]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [ac]. Literally "A man a man"
• [ad]. Or "and he shall bear"
• [ae]. Literally "he who kills the soul of" or "he who kills the life of"
• [af]. Literally "gives"
• [ag]. Literally "as that"
• [ah]. Literally "as that"
• [ai]. Literally "gives"
• [aj]. Literally "given"
• [ak]. Literally "it shall be for you"
• [al]. Hebrew "as"
• [am]. Or "And"
• [an]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [ao]. Literally "to from an outside place of the camp"
• [ap]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"

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.