Imamat 16:1--18:30
Konteks16:1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord 1 and died, 16:2 and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil-canopy 2 in front of the atonement plate 3 that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement plate.
16:3 “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary – with a young bull 4 for a sin offering 5 and a ram for a burnt offering. 6 16:4 He must put on a holy linen tunic, 7 linen leggings are to cover his body, 8 and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash 9 and wrap his head with a linen turban. 10 They are holy garments, so he must bathe 11 his body in water and put them on. 16:5 He must also take 12 two male goats 13 from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 16:6 Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. 16:7 He must then take the two goats 14 and stand them before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, 16:8 and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats, 15 one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel. 16 16:9 Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord, 17 and he is to make it a sin offering, 16:10 but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive 18 before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away to Azazel into the wilderness. 19
16:11 “Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself, and he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. He is to slaughter the sin offering bull which is for himself, 16:12 and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord 20 and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, 21 and bring them inside the veil-canopy. 22 16:13 He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement plate which is above the ark of the testimony, 23 so that he will not die. 24 16:14 Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the atonement plate, 25 and in front of the atonement plate he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger. 26
16:15 “He must then slaughter the sin offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the veil-canopy, 27 and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement plate and in front of the atonement plate. 16:16 So 28 he is to make atonement for the holy place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins, 29 and thus he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities. 16:17 Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent 30 when he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel.
16:18 “Then 31 he is to go out to the altar which is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take 32 some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it all around on the horns of the altar. 16:19 Then he is to sprinkle on it some of the blood with his finger seven times, and cleanse and consecrate it 33 from the impurities of the Israelites.
16:20 “When he has finished purifying the holy place, 34 the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. 16:21 Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins, 35 and thus he is to put them 36 on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man standing ready. 37 16:22 The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land, 38 so he is to send the goat away 39 in the wilderness.
16:23 “Aaron must then enter 40 the Meeting Tent and take off the linen garments which he had put on when he entered the sanctuary, and leave them there. 16:24 Then he must bathe his body in water in a holy place, put on his clothes, and go out and make his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. So he is to make atonement 41 on behalf of himself and the people. 42
16:25 “Then he is to offer up the fat of the sin offering 43 in smoke on the altar, 16:26 and the one who sent the goat away to Azazel 44 must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. 16:27 The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the holy place, must be brought outside the camp 45 and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up, 46 16:28 and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.
16:29 “This is to be a perpetual statute for you. 47 In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves 48 and do no work of any kind, 49 both the native citizen and the foreigner who resides 50 in your midst, 16:30 for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you must be clean before the Lord. 51 16:31 It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves. 52 It is a perpetual statute. 53
16:32 “The priest who is anointed and ordained to act as high priest in place of his father 54 is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 16:33 and he is to purify 55 the Most Holy Place, 56 he is to purify the Meeting Tent and the altar, 57 and he is to make atonement for 58 the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 16:34 This is to be a perpetual statute for you 59 to make atonement for the Israelites for 60 all their sins once a year.” 61 So he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 62
17:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 17:2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites, and tell them: ‘This is the word that the Lord has commanded: 17:3 “Blood guilt 63 will be accounted to any man 64 from the house of Israel 65 who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp, 66 17:4 but has not brought it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent 67 to present it as 68 an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord. He has shed blood, so that man will be cut off from the midst of his people. 69 17:5 This is so that 70 the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field 71 to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent to the priest and sacrifice them there as peace offering sacrifices to the Lord. 17:6 The priest is to splash 72 the blood on the altar 73 of the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and offer the fat up in smoke for a soothing aroma to the Lord. 17:7 So they must no longer offer 74 their sacrifices to the goat demons, 75 acting like prostitutes by going after them. 76 This is to be a perpetual statute for them throughout their generations. 77
17:8 “You are to say to them: ‘Any man 78 from the house of Israel or 79 from the foreigners who reside 80 in their 81 midst, who offers 82 a burnt offering or a sacrifice 17:9 but does not bring it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it 83 to the Lord – that person will be cut off from his people. 84
17:10 “‘Any man 85 from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside 86 in their 87 midst who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, 88 17:11 for the life of every living thing 89 is in the blood. 90 So I myself have assigned it to you 91 on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life. 92 17:12 Therefore, I have said to the Israelites: No person among you is to eat blood, 93 and no resident foreigner who lives among you is to eat blood. 94
17:13 “‘Any man from the Israelites 95 or from the foreigners who reside 96 in their 97 midst who hunts a wild animal 98 or a bird that may be eaten 99 must pour out its blood and cover it with soil, 17:14 for the life of all flesh is its blood. 100 So I have said to the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any living thing 101 because the life of every living thing is its blood – all who eat it will be cut off. 102
17:15 “‘Any person 103 who eats an animal that has died of natural causes 104 or an animal torn by beasts, whether a native citizen or a foreigner, 105 must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening; then he becomes clean. 17:16 But if he does not wash his clothes 106 and does not bathe his body, he will bear his punishment for iniquity.’” 107
18:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 18:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘I am the Lord your God! 18:3 You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living, 108 and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to bring you; 109 you must not 110 walk in their statutes. 18:4 You must observe my regulations 111 and you must be sure to walk in my statutes. 112 I am the Lord your God. 18:5 So you must keep 113 my statutes and my regulations; anyone who does so will live by keeping them. 114 I am the Lord.
18:6 “‘No man is to approach any close relative 115 to have sexual intercourse with her. 116 I am the Lord. 117 18:7 You must not 118 expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual intercourse with your mother. 119 She is your mother; you must not have intercourse with her. 18:8 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness. 120 18:9 You must not have sexual intercourse with your sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, 121 whether she is born in the same household or born outside it; 122 you must not have sexual intercourse with either of them. 123 18:10 You must not expose the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter by having sexual intercourse with them, because they are your own nakedness. 124 18:11 You must not have sexual intercourse with the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father; she is your sister. You must not have intercourse with her. 125 18:12 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister; she is your father’s flesh. 126 18:13 You must not have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s flesh. 18:14 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must not approach his wife to have sexual intercourse with her. 127 She is your aunt. 128 18:15 You must not have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. You must not have intercourse with her. 18:16 You must not have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness. 129 18:17 You must not have sexual intercourse with both a woman and her daughter; you must not take as wife either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to have intercourse with them. 130 They are closely related to her 131 – it is lewdness. 132 18:18 You must not take a woman in marriage and then marry her sister as a rival wife 133 while she is still alive, 134 to have sexual intercourse with her.
18:19 “‘You must not approach a woman in her menstrual impurity 135 to have sexual intercourse with her. 18:20 You must not have sexual intercourse 136 with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her. 18:21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, 137 so that you do not profane 138 the name of your God. I am the Lord! 18:22 You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman; 139 it is a detestable act. 140 18:23 You must not have sexual intercourse 141 with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it; 142 it is a perversion. 143
18:24 “‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before you 144 have been defiled with all these things. 18:25 Therefore 145 the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it, 146 so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants. 18:26 You yourselves must obey 147 my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner in your midst, 148 18:27 for the people who were in the land before you have done all these abominations, 149 and the land has become unclean. 18:28 So do not make the land vomit you out because you defile it 150 just as it has vomited out the nations 151 that were before you. 18:29 For if anyone does any of these abominations, the persons who do them will be cut off from the midst of their people. 152 18:30 You must obey my charge to not practice any of the abominable statutes 153 that have been done before you, so that you do not 154 defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God.’”
[16:1] 1 tn Heb “in their drawing near to the faces of the
[16:2] 2 tn Heb “into the holy place from house to the veil-canopy.” In this instance, the Hebrew term “the holy place” refers to “the most holy place” (lit. “holy of holies”), since it is the area “inside the veil-canopy” (cf. Exod 26:33-34). The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” or “curtain,” but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place, and thus formed more of a canopy than simply a curtain (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).
[16:2] 3 tn Heb “to the faces of the atonement plate.” The exact meaning of the Hebrew term כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet) here rendered “atonement plate” is much debated. The traditional “mercy seat” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) does not suit the cognate relationship between this term and the Piel verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to make atonement, to make expiation”). The translation of the word should also reflect the fact that the most important atonement procedures on the Day of Atonement were performed in relation to it. Since the
[16:3] 4 tn Heb “with a bull, a son of the herd.”
[16:3] 5 sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”
[16:3] 6 sn For the “burnt offering” see the note on Lev 1:3.
[16:4] 7 sn The term “tunic” refers to a shirt-like garment worn next to the skin and, therefore, put on first (cf. Exod 28:4, 39-40; 29:5, 8; 39:27). It covered the upper body only. For detailed remarks on the terminology for the priestly clothing in this verse (except the “linen leggings”) see the notes on Lev 8:7-9 and the literature cited there.
[16:4] 8 tn Heb “shall be on his flesh.” As in many instances in Lev 15, the term “flesh” or “body” here is euphemistic for the male genitals (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1017, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 222; cf. the note on Lev 15:2), which the priest must be careful not to expose during such ritual procedures (see Exod 20:26 with 28:42-43).
[16:4] 9 sn The sash fastened the tunic around the waist (Exod 28:4, 39; 29:9; 39:29).
[16:4] 10 tn Heb “and in a turban of linen he shall wrap.”
[16:4] sn The turban consisted of wound up linen (cf. Exod 28:4, 37, 39; 29:6; 39:31; Lev 16:4). It is usually thought to be a “turban,” but it might be only a “turban-like headband” wound around the forehead area (HALOT 624 s.v. מִצְנֶפֶת).
[16:4] 11 tn Heb “and he shall bathe….”
[16:5] 12 tn Heb “And he shall take.”
[16:5] 13 tn Heb “he-goats of goats”; CEV “two goats, both of them males.”
[16:7] 14 tn Heb “the two he-goats,” referred to as “two he-goats of goats” in v. 5.
[16:8] 15 tn Heb “and Aaron shall give lots on the two he-goats.” See the note on Lev 8:8 for the priestly casting of lots in Israel and the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 102, on Lev 16:8-9. J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:1019-20, suggests, however, that the expression here signifies that, the lots having been cast, the priest was to literally “place” (Heb “give”) the one marked “for the
[16:8] 16 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲזָאזֵל (’aza’zel, four times in the OT, all of them in this chapter; vv. 8, 10 [2 times], and 26) is much debated. There are three or perhaps four major views (see the summaries and literature cited in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1020-21; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 102; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 237-38; D. P. Wright, The Disposal of Impurity [SBLDS], 21-25; M. V. Van Pelt and W. C. Kaiser, NIDOTTE 3:362-63; and M. S. Moore, NIDOTTE 4:421-22). (1) Some derive the term from a combination of the Hebrew word עֵז (’ez, “goat”; i.e., the word for “goats” in v. 5) and אָזַל (’azal, “to go away”), meaning “the goat that departs” or “scapegoat” (cf., e.g., the LXX and KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). This meaning suits the ritual practice of sending the so-called “scapegoat” away into the wilderness (vv. 10, 21-22, 26). Similarly, some derive the term from Arabic ’azala (“to banish, remove”), meaning “entire removal” as an abstract concept (see BDB 736 s.v. עֲזָאזֵל). (2) Some see the term as a description of the wilderness area to which the goat was dispatched, deriving it somehow from Arabic ’azazu (“rough ground”) or perhaps עָזָז, (’azaz, “to be strong, fierce”). (3) The most common view among scholars today is that it is the proper name of a particular demon (perhaps even the Devil himself) associated with the wilderness desert regions. Levine has proposed that it may perhaps derive from a reduplication of the ז (zayin) in עֵז combined with אֵל (’el, “mighty”), meaning “mighty goat.” The final consonantal form of עֲזָאזֵל would have resulted from the inversion of the א (aleph) with the second ז. He makes the point that the close association between עֵז and שְׂעִירִים (shÿ’irim), which seems to refer to “goat-demons” of the desert in Lev 17:7 (cf. Isa 13:21, etc.), should not be ignored in the derivation of Azazel, although the term ultimately became the name of “the demonic ruler of the wilderness.” The latter view is supported by the parallel between the one goat “for (לְ, lamed preposition) the
[16:9] 17 tn Heb “which the lot has gone up on it for the
[16:10] 18 tn The LXX has “he shall stand it” (cf. v. 7).
[16:10] 19 tn Heb “to make atonement on it to send it away to Azazel toward the wilderness.”
[16:12] 20 tn Heb “and he shall take the fullness of the censer, coals of fire, from on the altar from to the faces of the
[16:12] 21 tn Heb “and the fullness of the hollow of his two hands, finely ground fragrant incense.”
[16:12] 22 tn Heb “and he shall bring from house to the veil-canopy.”
[16:13] 23 tn The text here has only “above the testimony,” but this is surely a shortened form of “above the ark of the testimony” (see Exod 25:22 etc.; cf. Lev 16:2). The term “testimony” in this expression refers to the ark as the container of the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them (see Exod 25:16 with Deut 10:1, 5, etc.).
[16:13] 24 tn Heb “and he will not die,” but it is clear that the purpose for the incense cloud was to protect the priest from death in the presence of the
[16:14] 25 tn Heb “on the faces of the atonement plate toward the east.” Some have taken this to mean that the ark was stationed just behind the veil-canopy on the eastern side of the most holy place. Thus, the high priest would need to enter and walk toward the west end of the most holy place and then turn eastward in order to face the ark and sprinkle the blood in an eastward direction. The rendering here, however, requires that the ark was stationed on the western end, or perhaps in the middle of the area, so that as the priest entered he was already facing the ark and would sprinkle the blood on the eastern face of the atonement plate, in a westward direction (see, e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 239 versus J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1032).
[16:14] 26 sn Presumably in this case the blood was sprinkled seven times on the ground in front of the ark on which the atonement plate was mounted.
[16:15] 27 tn Heb “and he shall bring its blood into from house to the veil-canopy.”
[16:16] 28 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.
[16:16] 29 tn Heb “to all their sins.”
[16:17] 30 tn Heb “And all man shall not be in the tent of meeting.” The term for “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2) refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female.
[16:18] 31 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) indicates the sequence of events here.
[16:18] 32 tn Heb “And he shall take.”
[16:19] 33 tn Heb “and he shall purify it and he shall consecrate it.”
[16:20] 34 tn Heb “And he shall finish from atoning the holy place.” In this case, the “holy place” etc. are direct objects of the verb “to atone” (cf. v. 33a below). In this case, therefore, the basic meaning of the verb (i.e., “to purge” or “wipe clean”) comes to the forefront. When the prepositions עַל (’al) or בֲּעַד (ba’ad) occur with the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper) the purging is almost always being done “for” or “on behalf of” priests or people (see the note on Lev 1:4 as well as R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:698, the literature cited there, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 110, for more details).
[16:21] 35 tn Heb “transgressions to all their sins.”
[16:21] 36 tn Heb “and he shall give them.”
[16:21] 37 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term עִתִּי (’itti) is uncertain. It is apparently related to עֵת (’et, “time”), and could perhaps mean either that he has been properly “appointed” (i.e., designated) for the task (e.g., NIV and NRSV) or “ready” (e.g., NASB and NEB).
[16:22] 38 tn The Hebrew term rendered “inaccessible” derives from a root meaning “to cut off” (cf. NAB “an isolated region”). Another possible translation would be “infertile land” (see HALOT 187 s.v. *גָּזֵּר and cf. NRSV “a barren region”; NLT “a desolate land.”
[16:22] 39 tn Heb “and he [the man (standing) ready, v. 21] shall send the goat away.”
[16:23] 40 tn Heb “And Aaron shall enter.”
[16:24] 41 tn Heb “And he shall make atonement.”
[16:24] 42 tn Heb “on behalf of himself and on behalf of the people.” After “on behalf of himself” the LXX adds the expected “and on behalf of his household” (cf. vv. 6, 11, and 17).
[16:25] 43 tn Heb “And the fat of the sin offering he is to offer up.”
[16:26] 44 tn For “Azazel” see the note on v. 8 above.
[16:27] 45 tn Heb “he shall bring into from outside to the camp.”
[16:27] 46 tn Heb “they shall burn with fire”; KJV “burn in the fire.” Because “to burn with fire” is redundant in contemporary English the present translation simply has “must be burned up.”
[16:29] 47 tn Heb “And it [feminine] shall be for you a perpetual statute.” Verse 34 begins with the same clause except for the missing demonstrative pronoun “this” here in v. 29. The LXX has “this” in both places and it suits the sense of the passage, although both the verb and the pronoun are sometimes missing in this clause elsewhere in the book (see, e.g., Lev 3:17).
[16:29] 48 tn Heb “you shall humble your souls.” The verb “to humble” here refers to various forms of self-denial, including but not limited to fasting (cf. Ps 35:13 and Isa 58:3, 10). The Mishnah (m. Yoma 8:1) lists abstentions from food and drink, bathing, using oil as an unguent to moisten the skin, wearing leather sandals, and sexual intercourse (cf. 2 Sam 12:16-17, 20; see the remarks in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1054; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 109; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 242).
[16:29] 49 tn Heb “and all work you shall not do.”
[16:29] 50 tn Heb “the native and the sojourner who sojourns.”
[16:30] 51 tn The phrase “from all your sins” could go with the previous clause as the verse is rendered here (see, e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 109, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1011), or it could go with the following clause (i.e., “you shall be clean from all your sins before the
[16:31] 52 tn See the note on v. 29 above.
[16:31] 53 tn Compare v. 29a above.
[16:32] 54 tn Heb “And the priest whom he shall anointed him and whom he shall fill his hand to act as priest under his father.” Imperfect active verbs are often used as passives (see, e.g., v. 27 above and the note on Lev 14:4).
[16:33] 55 tn Heb “to atone” (also later in this verse); see the note on “purifying the holy place” in 16:20.
[16:33] 56 tn Heb “the sanctuary of the holy place.” Although this is the only place this expression occurs in the OT, it clearly refers to the innermost shrine behind the veil-canopy, where the ark of the covenant was located.
[16:33] 57 tn Heb “and the tent of meeting and the alter he shall atone.” The repetition of the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to atone”) at the beginning and end of the sequence appears to be strange, but the MT accents suggest that only “the Most Holy Place” goes with the verb at the beginning of the verse. Of course, the purging of “the Most Holy Place” has been the main emphasis of this chapter from the start (see vv. 2-3 and 11-17).
[16:33] 58 tn At this point in the verse the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to make atonement”) takes its object with the preposition עַל (’al, “for”; literally, “upon”; contrast the first part of the verse and cf. the notes on Lev 1:4 and 16:20 above).
[16:34] 59 tn Heb “And this shall be for you to a statute of eternity” (cf. v. 29a above). cf. NASB “a permanent statute”; NIV “a lasting ordinance.”
[16:34] 60 tn Heb “from”; see note on 4:26.
[16:34] 61 tn Heb “one [feminine] in the year.”
[16:34] 62 tn The MT of Lev 16:34b reads literally, “and he did just as the
[17:3] 63 tn The complex wording of vv. 3-4 requires stating “blood guilt” at the beginning of v. 3 even though it is not mentioned until the middle of v. 4. The Hebrew text has simply “blood,” but in this case it refers to the illegitimate shedding of animal blood, similar to the shedding of the blood of an innocent human being (Deut 19:10, etc.). In order for it to be legitimate the animal must be slaughtered at the tabernacle and its blood handled by the priests in the prescribed way (see, e.g., Lev 1:5; 3:2, 17; 4:5-7; 7:26-27, etc.; cf. vv. 10-16 below for more details).
[17:3] 64 tn Heb “Man man.” The reduplication is way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 15:2; 22:18, etc.). See the note on Lev 15:2.
[17:3] 65 tn The original LXX adds “or the sojourners who sojourn in your midst” (cf. Lev 16:29, etc., and note esp. 17:8, 10, and 13 below).
[17:3] 66 tn Heb “or who slaughters from outside to the camp.”
[17:4] 67 tn Smr and LXX add after “tent of meeting” the following: “to make it a burnt offering or a peace offering to the
[17:4] 68 tc Smr includes the suffix “it,” which is needed in any case in the translation to conform to English style.
[17:4] 69 sn The exact meaning of this penalty clause is not certain. It could mean (1) that he will be executed, whether by God or by man, (2) that he will be excommunicated from sanctuary worship and/or community benefits, or (3) that his line will be terminated by God (i.e., extirpation). See also the note on Lev 7:20.
[17:5] 70 tn Heb “So that which.”
[17:5] 71 tn Heb “on the faces of the field.”
[17:6] 72 tn For the translation “splash” see the note on Lev 1:5.
[17:6] 73 tn The LXX adds “all around” (i.e., Hebrew סָבִיב [saviv, “all around”]), which is normal for this overall construction (see, e.g., Lev 1:5; 3:8, etc.).
[17:7] 74 tn Heb “sacrifice.” This has been translated as “offer” for stylistic reasons to avoid the redundancy of “sacrifice their sacrifices.”
[17:7] 75 tn On “goat demons” of the desert regions see the note on Lev 16:8.
[17:7] 76 tn Heb “which they are committing harlotry after them.”
[17:7] 77 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[17:8] 78 tn Heb “Man, man.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any [or “every”] man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2).
[17:8] 79 tn Heb “and.” Here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has an alternative sense (“or”).
[17:8] 80 tn Heb “from the sojourner who sojourns.”
[17:8] 81 tc The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have “your” (plural) rather than “their.”
[17:8] 82 tn Heb “causes to go up.”
[17:9] 83 tn Heb “to make it,” meaning “to make the sacrifice.”
[17:9] 84 tn For remarks on the “cut off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above.
[17:10] 85 tn Heb “And man, man.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any (or every) man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2).
[17:10] 86 tn Heb “from the sojourner who sojourns.”
[17:10] 87 tc The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have “your” (plural) rather than “their.”
[17:10] 88 tn Heb “I will give my faces against [literally “in”] the soul/person/life [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh, feminine] who eats the blood and I will cut it [i.e., that נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] off from the midst of its people.” The uses of נֶפֶשׁ in this and the following verse are most significant for the use of animal blood in Israel’s sacrificial system. Unfortunately, it is a most difficult word to translate accurately and consistently, and this presents a major problem for the rendering of these verses (see, e.g., G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 244-45). No matter which translation of נֶפֶשׁ one uses here, it is important to see that both man and animal have נֶפֶשׁ and that this נֶפֶשׁ is identified with the blood. See the further remarks on v. 11 below. On the “cutting off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above. In this instance, God takes it on himself to “cut off” the person (i.e., extirpation).
[17:11] 89 tn Heb “the life of the flesh.” Here “flesh” stands for “every living thing,” that is, all creatures (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT “every creature”; CEV “every living creature.”
[17:11] 90 tn Heb “for the soul/life (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) of the flesh, it is in the blood” (cf. the note of v. 10 above and v. 14 below). Although most modern English versions begin a new sentence in v. 11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (see, e.g., NJPS, NASB, NIV, NRSV), the כִּי (ki, “for, because”) at the beginning of the verse suggests continuation from v. 10, as the rendering here indicates (see, e.g., NEB, NLT; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 261; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 239).
[17:11] sn This verse is a well-known crux interpretum for blood atonement in the Bible. The close association between the blood and “the soul/life [נֶפֶשׁ] of the flesh [בָּשָׂר, basar]” (v. 11a) begins in Gen 9:2-5 (if not Gen 4:10-11), where the
[17:11] 91 tn Heb “And I myself have given it to you.”
[17:11] 92 tn Heb “for the blood, it by (בְּ, bet preposition, “in”] the life makes atonement.” The interpretation of the preposition is pivotal here. Some scholars have argued that it is a bet of exchange; that is, “the blood makes atonement in exchange for the life [of the slaughtered animal]” (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:694-95, 697 for analysis and criticism of this view). It is more likely that, as in the previous clause (“your lives”), “life/soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) here refers to the person who makes the offering, not the animal offered. The blood of the animal makes atonement for the person who offers it either “by means of” (instrumental bet) the “life/soul” of the animal, which it symbolizes or embodies (the meaning of the translation given here); or perhaps the blood of the animal functions as “the price” (bet of price) for ransoming the “life/soul” of the person.
[17:12] 93 tn Heb “all/any person from you shall not eat blood.”
[17:12] 94 tn Heb “and the sojourner, the one sojourning in your midst, shall not eat blood.”
[17:13] 95 tc A few medieval Hebrew
[17:13] 96 tn Heb “from the sojourner who sojourns.”
[17:13] 97 tc The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain
[17:13] 98 tn Heb “[wild] game of animal.”
[17:13] 99 tn That is, it must be a clean animal, not an unclean animal (cf. Lev 11).
[17:14] 100 tn Heb “for the life/soul (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) of all flesh, its blood in its life/soul (נֶפֶשׁ) it is.” The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate leave out “in its life/soul,” which would naturally yield “for the life of all flesh, its blood it is” (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 261, 263). The present translation is something of an oversimplification, but the meaning is basically the same in any case. Cf. NRSV “For the life of every creature – its blood is its life.”
[17:14] 101 tn Heb “of all flesh” (also later in this verse). See the note on “every living thing” in v. 11.
[17:14] 102 tn For remarks on the “cut off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above.
[17:15] 103 tn Heb “And any soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh).
[17:15] 104 tn Heb “carcass,” referring to the carcass of an animal that has died on its own, not the carcass of an animal slaughtered for sacrifice or killed by wild beasts. This has been clarified in the translation by supplying the phrase “of natural causes”; cf. NAB “that died of itself”; TEV “that has died a natural death.”
[17:15] 105 tn Heb “in the native or in the sojourner.”
[17:16] 106 tn The words “his clothes” are not in the Hebrew text, but are repeated in the translation for clarity.
[17:16] 107 tn Heb “and he shall bear his iniquity.” The rendering “bear the punishment for the iniquity” reflects the use of the word “iniquity” to refer to the punishment for iniquity. This is sometimes referred to as the consequential use of the term (cf. Lev 5:17; 7:18; 10:17; etc.).
[17:16] sn For the interpretation of this verse reflected in the present translation, see the remarks on Lev 5:1 in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:292-97.
[18:3] 108 tn Heb “As the work [or “deed”] of the land of Egypt, which you were dwelling in it, you must not do.”
[18:3] 109 tn Heb “and as the work [or “deed”] of the land of Canaan which I am bringing you to there, you must not do.” The participle “I am bringing” is inceptive; the
[18:3] 110 tn Heb “and you shall not walk.”
[18:4] 111 tn Heb “My regulations you shall do”; KJV, NASB “my judgments”; NRSV “My ordinances”; NIV, TEV “my laws.”
[18:4] sn The Hebrew term translated “regulation” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) refers to the set of regulations about to be set forth in the following chapters (cf. Lev 19:37; 20:22; 25:18; 26:46). Note especially the thematic and formulaic relationships between the introduction here in Lev 18:1-5 and the paraenesis in Lev 20:22-26, both of which refer explicitly to the corrupt nations and the need to separate from them by keeping the
[18:4] 112 tn Heb “and my statutes you shall keep [or “watch; guard”] to walk in them.”
[18:5] 113 tn Heb “And you shall keep.”
[18:5] 114 tn Heb “which the man shall do them and shall live in them.” The term for “a man, human being; mankind” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2) in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female. The expression וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living” so it is written וְחָיָה (vÿkhayah) in Smr, but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 25:35).
[18:6] 115 tn Heb “Man, man shall not draw near to any flesh (שְׁאֵר, shÿ’er) of his body/flesh (בָּשָׂר, basar).” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any (or “every”) man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2). The two words for “flesh” are combined to refer to emphasize the physical familial relatedness (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119).
[18:6] 116 tn Heb “to uncover [her] nakedness” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), which is clearly euphemistic for sexual intercourse (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119). This expression occurs a number of times in the following context and is generally translated “have sexual intercourse with [someone],” although in the case of the father mentioned in the following verse the expression may be connected to the shame or disgrace that would belong to the father whose wife’s sexuality is violated by his son. See the note on the word “mother” in v. 7.
[18:6] 117 sn The general statement prohibiting sexual intercourse between close relatives serves as an opening summary statement for the following section, which gives details concerning which degrees of relationship are specifically forbidden.
[18:7] 118 tn The verbal negative here is the same as that used in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:4-5, 7, 13-17). It suggests permanent prohibition rather than a simple negative command and could, therefore, be rendered “must not” here and throughout the following section as it is in vv. 3-4 above.
[18:7] 119 tn Heb “The nakedness of your father and [i.e., even] the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover.”
[18:7] sn Commentators suggest that the point of referring to the father’s nakedness is that the mother’s sexuality belongs to the father and is forbidden to the son on that account (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 120, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 294). The expression may, however, derive from the shame of nakedness when exposed. If one exposes his mother’s nakedness to himself it is like openly exposing the father’s nakedness (cf. Gen 9:22-23 with the background of Gen 2:25 and 3:7, 21). The same essential construction is used in v. 10 where the latter explanation makes more sense than the former.
[18:8] 120 tn Heb “the nakedness of your father she is.” See the note on v. 7 above. This law refers to another wife of the man’s father, who is not that man’s mother. The laws in the Pentateuch sometimes assume the possibility that a man may have more than one wife (cf., e.g., Deut 21:15-17).
[18:9] 121 tn Heb “the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother.”
[18:9] 122 tn Heb “born of house or born of outside.” CEV interprets as “whether you grew up together or not” (cf. also TEV, NLT).
[18:9] 123 tc Several medieval Hebrew
[18:9] tn For a smooth English translation “either of” was added.
[18:10] 124 sn That is, to have sexual intercourse with one’s granddaughter would be like openly exposing one’s own shameful nakedness (see the note on v. 7 above).
[18:11] 125 tn Heb “The nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father, she is your sister; you must not uncover her nakedness.” That is, a half sister, the daughter of the man’s father by another wife, who is not the man’s mother, is to be considered a true sister. Therefore, the man must not have sexual intercourse with her.
[18:12] 126 tc A few medieval Hebrew
[18:14] 127 tn Heb “you must not draw near to his wife.” In the context this refers to approaching one’s aunt to have sexual intercourse with her, so this has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:14] 128 tn As in v. 12 (see the note there), some
[18:16] 129 sn Regarding the last clause, see the notes on vv. 7 and 10 above.
[18:17] 130 tn Heb “You must not uncover the nakedness of both a woman and her daughter; the daughter of her son and the daughter of her daughter you must not take to uncover her nakedness.” Translating “her” as “them” provides consistency in the English. In this kind of context, “take” means to “take in marriage” (cf. also v. 18). The LXX and Syriac have “their nakedness,” referring to the nakedness of the woman’s granddaughters, rather than the nakedness of the woman herself.
[18:17] 131 tc Heb “they are her flesh.” The LXX reads “your” here (followed by NRSV). If the LXX reading were followed by the present translation, the result would be “They are closely related to you.”
[18:17] 132 tn The term rendered “lewdness” almost always carries a connotation of cunning, evil device, and divisiveness (cf. HALOT 272 s.v. I זִמָּה 2, “infamy”), and is closely associated with sexual and religious infidelity (cf., e.g., Lev 19:29; 20:14; Job 31:11; Jer 13:27; Ezek 16:27; 22:9). Recent English versions differ on how they handle this: NAB “would be shameful”; CEV “would make you unclean”; NIV “wickedness”; NLT “horrible wickedness”; NRSV “depravity”; TEV “incest.”
[18:18] 133 tn Or “as a concubine”; Heb “And a woman to her sister you shall not take to be a second wife [or “to be a concubine”].” According to HALOT 1059 s.v. III צרר, the infinitive “to be a second wife” (לִצְרֹר, litsror) is a denominative verb from II צָרָה A (“concubine; second wife”), which, in turn, derives from II צר “to treat with hostility” (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122).
[18:18] 134 tn Heb “on her in her life.”
[18:19] 135 tn Heb “in the menstruation of her impurity”; NIV “during the uncleanness of her monthly period.”
[18:20] 136 tn Heb “And to the wife of your fellow citizen you shall not give your layer for seed.” The meaning of “your layer” (שְׁכָבְתְּךָ, shÿkhavtÿkha) is uncertain (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122, “you shall not place your layer of semen”; but cf. also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and the literature cited there for the rendering, “you shall not give your penis for seed”).
[18:21] 137 tn Heb “And from your seed you shall not give to cause to pass over to Molech.” Smr (cf. also the LXX) has “to cause to serve” rather than “to cause to pass over.” For detailed remarks on Molech and Molech worship see N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCBC), 87-88; P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 259-60; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 333-37, and the literature cited there. It could refer to either human sacrifice or a devotion of children to some sort of service of Molech, perhaps of a sexual sort (cf. Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kgs 23:10, etc.). The inclusion of this prohibition against Molech worship here may be due to some sexual connection of this kind, or perhaps simply to the lexical link between זֶרַע (zera’) meaning “seed, semen” in v. 20 but “offspring” in v. 21.
[18:21] 138 tn Heb “and you shall not profane.” Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
[18:22] 139 tn Heb “And with a male you shall not lay [as the] lyings of a woman” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 123). The specific reference here is to homosexual intercourse between males.
[18:22] 140 tn The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, rendered “detestable act”) refers to the repugnant practices of foreigners, whether from the viewpoint of other peoples toward the Hebrews (e.g., Gen 43:32; 46:34; Exod 8:26) or of the
[18:23] 141 tn See the note on v. 20 above.
[18:23] 142 tn Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).
[18:23] 143 tn The Hebrew term תֶּבֶל (tevel, “perversion”) derives from the verb “to mix; to confuse” and therefore refers to illegitimate mixtures of species or violation of the natural order of things.
[18:24] 144 tn Heb “which I am sending away (Piel participle of שָׁלַח [shalakh, “to send”]) from your faces.” The rendering here takes the participle as anticipatory of the coming conquest events.
[18:25] 145 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.
[18:25] 146 tn Heb “and I have visited its [punishment for] iniquity on it.” See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
[18:26] 147 tn Heb “And you shall keep, you.” The latter emphatic personal pronoun “you” is left out of a few medieval Hebrew
[18:26] 148 tn Heb “the native and the sojourner”; NIV “The native-born and the aliens”; NAB “whether natives or resident aliens.”
[18:27] 149 tn Heb “for all these abominations the men of the land who were before you have done.”
[18:28] 150 tn Heb “And the land will not vomit you out in your defiling it.”
[18:28] 151 tc The MT reads the singular “nation” and is followed by ASV, NASB, NRSV; the LXX, Syriac, and Targum have the plural “nations” (cf. v. 24).
[18:29] 152 sn Regarding the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.
[18:30] 153 tn Heb “to not do from the statutes of the detestable acts.”
[18:30] 154 tn Heb “and you will not.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
