Leviticus 22:2

2 "Here is what I want you to tell Aaron and his sons. Tell them to treat the sacred offerings with respect. They are the offerings the people of Israel set apart to honor me. So Aaron and his sons must never treat my name as if it were not holy. I am the Lord.

Leviticus 22:2 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 22:2

Speak unto Aaron and to his sons
The priests; the children of Israel or the common people are not mentioned, as having no concern in the following laws about eating holy things: that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of
Israel;
both from offering their lawful sacrifices, which was the business of their office when pure, and chiefly from eating that part of them which was their due, and was allowed them; neither of these they were to do, particularly the latter, when they were in any uncleanness, as the following words show: and that, they profane not my holy name [in those things] which they
hallow unto me;
which the children of Israel set apart and devoted to his service; which they would do, by eating their part of them when unclean, and thereby show little reverence to that holy name to which they were devoted; or which the priests themselves sanctified, by offering them to him; for Jarchi says, this takes in the holiness of the priests themselves; but the former seems best, and is confirmed in ( Leviticus 22:3 ) : I [am] the Lord;
who is holy himself, and whose holy things these are, and will be sanctified by those that draw nigh unto him.

Leviticus 22:2 In-Context

1 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said,

2 "Here is what I want you to tell Aaron and his sons. Tell them to treat the sacred offerings with respect. They are the offerings the people of Israel set apart to honor me. So Aaron and his sons must never treat my name as if it were not holy. I am the Lord.

3 "Say to them, 'Suppose a man in your family line is "unclean." And suppose he comes near the sacred offerings. They are the offerings the people of Israel set apart to honor me. That man must be cut off from serving me as a priest. That applies for all time to come. I am the Lord.

4 " 'Suppose a man in Aaron's family line has a skin disease. Or suppose liquid waste is flowing out of his body. Then he can't eat the sacred offerings until he is made pure and clean. " 'Suppose he touches something that has been made "unclean" by coming near a dead body. Or suppose he touches someone who has semen flowing from his body. Then he will not be "clean."

5 Or suppose he touches any crawling thing that makes him "unclean." Or suppose he touches any person who makes him "unclean." It does not matter what he touches that is "unclean." It will make him "unclean."