Imamat 1:1

Introduction to the Sacrificial Regulations

1:1 Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him ¹  from the Meeting Tent: ² 

Imamat 2:3

2:3 The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to his sons ³  – it is ⁴  most holy ⁵  from the gifts of the Lord.

Imamat 2:9

2:9 Then the priest must take up ⁶  from the grain offering its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar – it is ⁷  a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.

Imamat 2:12

2:12 You can present them to the Lord as an offering of first fruit, ⁸  but they must not go up to the altar for a soothing aroma.

Imamat 2:16

2:16 Then the priest must offer its memorial portion up in smoke – some of its crushed bits, some of its olive oil, in addition to all of its frankincense – it is ⁹  a gift to the Lord.

Imamat 3:7

3:7 If he presents a sheep as his offering, he must present it before the Lord.

Imamat 3:16

3:16 Then the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar as a food gift for a soothing aroma – all the fat belongs to the Lord.

Imamat 6:22

6:22 The high priest who succeeds him ¹⁰  from among his sons must do it. It is a perpetual statute; it must be offered up in smoke as a whole offering to the Lord.

Imamat 8:4-5

8:4 So Moses did just as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation assembled at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 8:5 Then Moses said to the congregation: “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.”

Imamat 8:34

8:34 What has been done ¹¹  on this day the Lord has commanded to be done ¹²  to make atonement for you.

Imamat 8:36

8:36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things the Lord had commanded through ¹³  Moses.

Imamat 16:7-9

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,

Imamat 16:30

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. ¹⁸ 

Imamat 18:2

18:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘I am the Lord your God!

Imamat 18:4

18:4 You must observe my regulations ¹⁹  and you must be sure to walk in my statutes. ²⁰  I am the Lord your God.

Imamat 18:21

18:21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, ²¹  so that you do not profane ²²  the name of your God. I am the Lord!

Imamat 19:3-4

19:3 Each of you must respect his mother and his father, ²³  and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. 19:4 Do not turn to idols, ²⁴  and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal. I am the Lord your God.

Imamat 19:8

19:8 and the one who eats it will bear his punishment for iniquity ²⁵  because he has profaned ²⁶  what is holy to the Lord. ²⁷  That person will be cut off from his people. ²⁸ 

Imamat 19:12

19:12 You must not swear falsely ²⁹  in my name, so that you do not profane ³⁰  the name of your God. I am the Lord.

Imamat 19:14

19:14 You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person. ³¹  You must fear ³²  your God; I am the Lord.

Imamat 19:16

19:16 You must not go about as a slanderer among your people. ³³  You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake. ³⁴  I am the Lord.

Imamat 19:18

19:18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge ³⁵  against the children of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself. ³⁶  I am the Lord.

Imamat 19:21

19:21 He must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, a guilt offering ram, ³⁷ 

Imamat 19:25

19:25 Then in the fifth year you may eat its fruit to add its produce to your harvest. ³⁸  I am the Lord your God.

Imamat 19:28

19:28 You must not slash your body for a dead person ³⁹  or incise a tattoo on yourself. ⁴⁰  I am the Lord.

Imamat 19:32

19:32 You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the presence of an elder, and fear your God. I am the Lord.

Imamat 19:37

19:37 You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations. ⁴¹  I am the Lord.’”

Imamat 22:15-16

22:15 They ⁴²  must not profane the holy offerings which the Israelites contribute ⁴³  to the Lord, ⁴⁴  22:16 and so cause them to incur a penalty for guilt ⁴⁵  when they eat their holy offerings, ⁴⁶  for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”

Imamat 22:24

22:24 You must not present to the Lord something with testicles that are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut off; ⁴⁷  you must not do this in your land.

Imamat 22:30

22:30 On that very day ⁴⁸  it must be eaten; you must not leave any part of it ⁴⁹  over until morning. I am the Lord.

Imamat 22:32-33

22:32 You must not profane my holy name, and I will be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 22:33 the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God. ⁵⁰  I am the Lord.”

Imamat 23:4

The Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread

23:4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed time.

Imamat 23:6

23:6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month ⁵¹  will be the festival of unleavened bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

Imamat 23:11-12

23:11 and he must wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for your benefit ⁵²  – on the day after the Sabbath the priest is to wave it. ⁵³  23:12 On the day you wave the sheaf you must also offer ⁵⁴  a flawless yearling lamb ⁵⁵  for a burnt offering to the Lord,

Imamat 23:16

23:16 You must count fifty days – until the day after the seventh Sabbath – and then ⁵⁶  you must present a new grain offering to the Lord.

Imamat 24:4

24:4 On the ceremonially pure lampstand ⁵⁷  he must arrange the lamps before the Lord continually.

Imamat 24:6-7

24:6 and you must set them in two rows, six in a row, ⁵⁸  on the ceremonially pure table before the Lord. 24:7 You must put pure frankincense ⁵⁹  on each row, ⁶⁰  and it will become a memorial portion ⁶¹  for the bread, a gift ⁶²  to the Lord.

Imamat 24:22

24:22 There will be one regulation ⁶³  for you, whether a foreigner or a native citizen, for I am the Lord your God.’”

Imamat 25:17

25:17 No one is to oppress his fellow citizen, ⁶⁴  but you must fear your God, because I am the Lord your God.

Imamat 27:21-22

27:21 When it reverts ⁶⁵  in the jubilee, the field will be holy to the Lord like a permanently dedicated field; ⁶⁶  it will become the priest’s property. ⁶⁷ 

27:22 “‘If he consecrates to the Lord a field he has purchased, ⁶⁸  which is not part of his own landed property,

Imamat 27:34

Final Colophon

27:34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites ⁶⁹  at Mount Sinai.

[1:1]  ¹ tn Heb “And he (the Lord) called (וַיִּקְרָא, vayyiqra’) to Moses and the Lord spoke (וַיְדַבֵּר, vayÿdabber) to him from the tent of meeting.” The MT assumes “Lord” in the first clause but places it in the second clause (after “spoke”). This is somewhat awkward, especially in terms of English style; most English versions reverse this and place “Lord” in the first clause (right after “called”). The Syriac version does the same.

[1:1]  sn The best explanation for the MT of Lev 1:1 arises from its function as a transition from Exod 40 to Lev 1. The first clause, “And he (the Lord) called to Moses,” links v. 1 back to Exod 40:35, “But Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it and the glory of the Lord had filled the tabernacle” (cf. J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:134). Exod 40:36-38 is a parenthetical explanation of the ongoing function of the cloud in leading the people through the wilderness. Since Moses could not enter the tent of meeting, the Lord “called” to him “from” the tent of meeting.

[1:1]  ² sn The second clause of v. 1, “and the Lord spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,” introduces the following discourse. This is a standard introductory formula (see, e.g., Exod 20:1; 25:1; 31:1; etc.). The combination of the first and second clauses is, therefore, “bulky” because of the way they happen to be juxtaposed in this transitional verse (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 8). The first clause of v. 1 connects the book back to the end of the Book of Exodus while the second looks forward the ritual legislation that follows in Lev 1:2ff. There are two “Tents of Meeting”: the one that stood outside the camp (see, e.g., Exod 33:7) and the one that stood in the midst of the camp (Exod 40:2; Num 2:2ff) and served as the Lord’s residence until the construction of the temple in the days of Solomon (Exod 27:21; 29:4; 1 Kgs 8:4; 2 Chr 5:5, etc.; cf. 2 Sam 7:6). Exod 40:35 uses both “tabernacle” and “tent of meeting” to refer to the same tent: “Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” It is clear that “tent of meeting” in Lev 1:1 refers to the “tabernacle.” The latter term refers to the tent as a “residence,” while the former refers to it as a divinely appointed place of “meeting” between God and man (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:873-77 and 2:1130-34). This corresponds to the change in terms in Exod 40:35, where “tent of meeting” is used when referring to Moses’ inability to enter the tent, but “tabernacle” when referring to the Lord taking up residence there in the form of the glory cloud. The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 1:2 through 3:17, and encompasses the burnt, grain, and peace offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 4:1; 5:14; and 6:1 [5:20 HT] below.

[2:3]  ³ tn Heb “…is to Aaron and to his sons.” The preposition “to” (לְ, lamed) indicates ownership. Cf. NAB, NASB, NIV and other English versions.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn The words “it is” (הוּא, hu’) are not in the MT, but are supplied for the sake of translation into English. The Syriac also for translational reasons adds it between “most holy” and “from the gifts” (cf. 1:13, 17).

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “holy of holies”; KJV, NASB “a thing most holy.”

[2:9]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew verb הֵרִים (herim, “to take up”; cf. NAB “lift”) is commonly used for setting aside portions of an offering (see, e.g., Lev 4:8-10 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335-36). A number of English versions employ the more normal English idiom “take out” here (e.g., NIV, NCV); cf. NRSV “remove.”

[2:9]  ⁷ tn The words “it is” (הוּא, hu’) both here and in vv. 10 and 16 are not in the MT, but are assumed. (cf. vv. 2b and 3b and the notes there).

[2:12]  ⁸ sn The “first fruit” referred to here was given to the priests as a prebend for their service to the Lord, not offered on the altar (Num 18:12).

[2:16]  ⁹ tn See the note on “it is” in 2:9b.

[6:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “And the anointed priest under him.”

[8:34]  ¹¹ tn Heb “just as he has done” (cf. the note on v. 33).

[8:34]  ¹² tn Heb “the Lord has commanded to do” (cf. the note on v. 33).

[8:36]  ¹³ tn Heb “by the hand of” (so KJV).

[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 Lord” on the head of the goat to be sacrificed and the one marked “for Azazel” on the head of the one to be released in the wilderness in order to avoid confusing them later in the ritual sequence.

[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 Lord” and the one “for (לְ) Azazel” here in v. 8. The rendering as a proper name has been tentatively accepted here (cf. ASV, NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV). Perhaps a play on words between the proper name and the term for “goat” has occurred so that the etymology has become obscure. Even if a demon or the demonic realm is the source for the name, however, there is no intention here of appeasing the demons. The goal is to remove the impurity and iniquity from the community in order to avoid offending the Lord and the repercussions of such (see esp. vv. 21-22 and cf. Lev 15:31).

[16:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “which the lot has gone up on it for the Lord.”

[16:30]  ¹⁸ 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 Lord”; see the MT accents as well as J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 221, and recent English versions, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[18:4]  ¹⁹ 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 Lord’s regulations.

[18:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and my statutes you shall keep [or “watch; guard”] to walk in them.”

[18:21]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn Heb “and you shall not profane.” Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.

[19:3]  ²³ tn Heb “A man his mother and his father you [plural] shall fear.” The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain Targum mss reverse the order, “his father and his mother.” The term “fear” is subject to misunderstanding by the modern reader, so “respect” has been used in the translation. Cf. NAB, NRSV “revere”; NASB “reverence.”

[19:4]  ²⁴ sn Regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִים, ’elilim), see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 126; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 304; N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NBC), 89; and Judith M. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:411. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god; God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless; weak; powerless; nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”

[19:8]  ²⁵ tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.

[19:8]  ²⁶ sn Regarding “profaned,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.

[19:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the holiness of the Lord.”

[19:8]  ²⁸ sn On the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.

[19:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “And you shall not swear to the falsehood.”

[19:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and you shall not profane”; NAB “thus profaning.”

[19:14]  ³¹ tn Heb “You shall not curse a deaf [person] and before a blind [person] you shall not put a stumbling block.”

[19:14]  ³² tn Heb “And you shall fear.” Many English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV) regard the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) as adversative in force here (“but”).

[19:16]  ³³ tn The term רָכִיל (rakhil) is traditionally rendered “slanderer” here (so NASB, NIV, NRSV; see also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 304, 316), but the exact meaning is uncertain (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129). It is sometimes related to I רָכַל (“to go about as a trader [or “merchant”]”; BDB 940 s.v. רָכַל), and taken to refer to cutthroat business dealings, but there may be a II רָכַל, the meaning of which is dubious (HALOT 1237 s.v. II *רכל). Some would render it “to go about as a spy.”

[19:16]  ³⁴ tn Heb “You shall not stand on the blood of your neighbor.” This part of the verse is also difficult to interpret. The rendering here suggests that one will not allow a neighbor to be victimized, whether in court (cf. v. 15) or in any other situation (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129).

[19:18]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and you shall not retain [anger?].” This line seems to refer to the retaining or maintaining of some vengeful feelings toward someone. Compare the combination of the same terms for taking vengeance and maintaining wrath against enemies in Nahum 1:2 (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305).

[19:18]  ³⁶ sn Some scholars make a distinction between the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) with the direct object and the more unusual construction with the preposition לְ (lamed) as it is here and in Lev 19:34 and 2 Chr 19:2 only. If there is a distinction, the construction here probably calls for direct and helpful action toward one’s neighbor (see the discussion in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305, and esp. 317-18). Such love stands in contrast to taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against someone and, in NT terms, amounts to fulfilling the so-called “golden rule” (Matt 7:12).

[19:21]  ³⁷ sn On the guilt offering see the note on Lev 5:15 above.

[19:25]  ³⁸ tn Heb “to add to you its produce.” The rendering here assumes that the point of this clause is simply that finally being allowed to eat the fruit in the fifth year adds the fruit of the tree to their harvest. Some take the verb to be from אָסַף (’asaf, “to gather”) rather than יָסַף (yasaf, “to add; to increase”), rendering the verse, “to gather to you the produce” (E. S. Gerstenberger, Leviticus [OTL], 260, and see the versions referenced in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 306). Others take it to mean that by following the regulations given previously they will honor the Lord so that the Lord will cause the trees to increase the amount of fruit they would normally produce (Hartley, 303, 306; cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[19:28]  ³⁹ tn Heb “And slash for the soul you shall not give.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, person, life”) can sometimes refer to a “dead person” (cf. Lev 21:1, 5; 22:5). See J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 306, 320-21.

[19:28]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and a writing of incision you shall not give in you.”

[19:37]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31).

[22:15]  ⁴² tn Contextually, “They” could refer either to the people (v. 14a; cf. NRSV “No one”) or the priests (v. 14b; cf. NIV “The priests”), but the latter seems more likely (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 356, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 150). The priests were responsible to see that the portions of the offerings that were to be consumed by the priests as prebends did not become accessible to the people. Mistakes in this matter (cf. v. 14) would bring “guilt” on the people, requiring punishment (v. 16).

[22:15]  ⁴³ tn The Hebrew verb הֵרִים (herim, rendered “contribute” here) is commonly used for setting aside portions of an offering (see, e.g., Lev 4:8-10 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335-36).

[22:15]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the holy offerings of the sons of Israel which they contribute to the Lord.” The subject “they” here refers to the Israelites (“the sons of Israel”) which is the most immediate antecedent. To make this clear, the present translation has “the holy offerings which the Israelites contribute to the Lord.”

[22:16]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “iniquity of guilt”; NASB “cause them to bear punishment for guilt.” The Hebrew word עָוֹן (’avon, “iniquity”) can designate either acts of iniquity or the penalty (i.e., punishment) for such acts.

[22:16]  ⁴⁶ sn That is, when the lay people eat portions of offerings that should have been eaten only by priests and those who belonged to priestly households.

[22:24]  ⁴⁷ sn Compare Lev 21:20b.

[22:30]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “On that day”; NIV, NCV “that same day.”

[22:30]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “from it.”

[22:33]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “to be to you for God.”

[23:6]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “to this month.”

[23:11]  ⁵² tn Heb “for your acceptance.”

[23:11]  ⁵³ sn See Lev 7:30 for a note on the “waving” of a “wave offering.”

[23:12]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “And you shall make in the day of your waving the sheaf.”

[23:12]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “a flawless lamb, a son of its year”; KJV “of the first year”; NLT “a year-old male lamb.”

[23:16]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and.” In the translation “then” is supplied to clarify the sequence.

[24:4]  ⁵⁷ tn Alternatively, “pure [gold] lampstand,” based on Exod 25:31, etc., where the term for “gold” actually appears (see NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, and the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395, etc.). However, in Lev 24:4 the adjective “pure” is feminine, corresponding to “lampstand,” not an assumed noun “gold” (contrast Exod 25:31), and the “table” in v. 6 was overlaid with gold, but was not made of pure gold. Therefore, it is probably better to translate “[ceremonially] pure lampstand” (v. 4) and “[ceremonially] pure table” (v. 6); see NEB; cf. KJV, ASV; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 164-65; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 307.

[24:6]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “six of the row.”

[24:7]  ⁵⁹ tn This is not just any “incense” (קְטֹרֶת, qÿtoret; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:913-16), but specifically “frankincense” (לְבֹנָה, lÿvonah; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:756-57).

[24:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “on [עַל, ’al] the row,” probably used distributively, “on each row” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395-96). Perhaps the frankincense was placed “with” or “along side of” each row, not actually on the bread itself, and was actually burned as incense to the Lord (cf. NIV “Along [Alongside CEV] each row”; NRSV “with each row”; NLT “near each row”; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 165). This particular preposition can have such a meaning.

[24:7]  ⁶¹ sn The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָרָה, ’azkharah) was normally the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (see Lev 2:2 and the notes there), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (Lev 2:3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23 [6:7-16 HT]).

[24:7]  ⁶² sn See the note on Lev 1:9 regarding the term “gift.”

[24:22]  ⁶³ tn Heb “a regulation of one”; KJV, ASV “one manner of law”; NASB “one standard.”

[25:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “And you shall not oppress a man his fellow citizen.”

[27:21]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “When it goes out” (cf. Lev 25:25-34).

[27:21]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “like the field of the permanent dedication.” The Hebrew word חֵרֶם (kherem) is a much discussed term. In this and the following verses it refers in a general way to the fact that something is permanently devoted to the Lord and therefore cannot be redeemed (cf. v. 20b). See J. A. Naudé, NIDOTTE 2:276-77; N. Lohfink, TDOT 5:180-99, esp. pp. 184, 188, and 198-99; and the numerous explanations in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 483-85.

[27:21]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “to the priest it shall be his property.”

[27:22]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “his field of purchase,” which is to be distinguished from his own ancestral “landed property” (cf. v. 16 above).

[27:34]  ⁶⁹ tn Most of the commentaries and English versions translate, “which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel.” The preposition אֶל (’el), however, does not usually mean “for.” In this book it is commonly used when the Lord commands Moses “to speak [un]to” a person or group of persons (see, e.g., Lev 1:2; 4:2, etc.). The translation “to tell” here reflects this pattern in the book of Leviticus.