Leviticus 2:14

14 But if thou offer a gift of the firstfruits of thy corn to the Lord, of the ears yet green, thou shalt dry it at the fire, and break it small like meal; and so shalt thou offer thy firstfruits to the Lord:

Leviticus 2:14 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 2:14

And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto
the Lord
This, according to Aben Ezra, was not any of the offerings of the firstfruits, which they were obliged to, as at the passover or pentecost, or feast of tabernacles, but a free will offering; but Jarchi thinks it is to be understood of the meat offering of the Omer, ( Leviticus 23:13 Leviticus 23:14 ) and so Gersom, which was offered up on the sixteenth of Nisan; and this is the general sense of the Jewish writers F2:

thou shalt bring for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green
ears of corn dried by the fire;
these were ears of barley, which began to be ripe in the month Abib, which month had its name from hence, and is the word here used; these were dried by the fire, being green and moist, or otherwise they could not have been ground; for, according to Gersom, these were afterwards ground into fine flour:

[even] corn beaten out of full ears;
and so made the finest flour: the firstfruits were a type of Christ, who is so called, ( 1 Corinthians 15:23 ) the beating of the ears of corn, and drying of them by the fire, and the grinding of them, denoted the sufferings of Christ.


FOOTNOTES:

F2 Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Menachot, c. 10. sect. 4.

Leviticus 2:14 In-Context

12 You shall offer only the firstfruits of them and gifts: but they shall not be put upon the altar, for a savour of sweetness.
13 Whatsoever sacrifice thou offerest, thou shalt season it with salt: neither shalt thou take away the salt of the covenant of thy God from thy sacrifice. In all thy oblations thou shalt offer salt.
14 But if thou offer a gift of the firstfruits of thy corn to the Lord, of the ears yet green, thou shalt dry it at the fire, and break it small like meal; and so shalt thou offer thy firstfruits to the Lord:
15 Pouring oil upon it and putting on frankincense, because it is the oblation of the Lord.
16 Whereof the priest shall burn for a memorial of the gift, part of the corn broken small and of the oil, and all the frankincense.
The Douay-Rheims Bible is in the public domain.