Day 33: Leviticus 10-12

(The previous post finished the theme from chapters 4-7 which covered mandatory offerings concerned with offenses towards man and finished the explanation of offerings all together. Also, this post began (Chapters 8-10) covering the consecration of the priesthood.)

(Chapter 10 concluded the theme of the consecration of the priesthood.)

Leviticus 10
¹ And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them.

(Nadab and Abihu (Aaron's sons) offered strange fire before the Lord. The word "strange" used here was the same Hebrew word used to describe a "stranger," or someone who was from a different nation than Israel.)

² And there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.

(The Lord devoured them with fire.)

³ Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that Jehovah spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

(Aaron said nothing after God "devoured" his sons. Aaron knew his sons were guilty.)

⁴ And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Draw near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
⁵ So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.

(Verses 6-7: Specific methods of mourning were prohibited.)

⁶ And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Let not the hair of your heads go loose, neither rend your clothes; that ye die not, and that he be not wroth with all the congregation: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which Jehovah hath kindled.
⁷ And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest ye die; for the anointing oil of Jehovah is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

(Nadab and Abihu were two people who did what God commanded, their way (wrong how). God was specific about how he wanted Aaron and the priests to respond to what Aaron's sons did.)

⁸ And Jehovah spake unto Aaron, saying,
⁹ Drink no wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, that ye die not: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
¹⁰ and that ye may make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean;
¹¹ and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Jehovah hath spoken unto them by Moses.

(Aaron and his sons (or any priests) were not to drink wine or strong drink when they went into the tent of meeting.)

(Verses 12-15: the priest's portions were defined.)

¹² And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meal-offering that remaineth of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy;
¹³ and ye shall eat it in a holy place, because it is thy portion, and thy sons' portion, of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: for so I am commanded.
¹⁴ And the wave-breast and the heave-thigh shall ye eat in a clean place, thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they are given as thy portion, and thy sons' portion, out of the sacrifices of the peace-offerings of the children of Israel.
¹⁵ The heave-thigh and the wave-breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave-offering before Jehovah: and it shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, as a portion for ever; as Jehovah hath commanded.

(Verses 16-20: Moses gave clarity to some confusion among the priests.)

¹⁶ And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin-offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left, saying,
¹⁷ Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin-offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and he hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Jehovah?
¹⁸ Behold, the blood of it was not brought into the sanctuary within: ye should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.
¹⁹ And Aaron spake unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin-offering and their burnt-offering before Jehovah; and there have befallen me such things as these: and if I had eaten the sin-offering to-day, would it have been well-pleasing in the sight of Jehovah?
²⁰ And when Moses heard that, it was well-pleasing in his sight.

(Moses and Aaron had a discussion about why Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar did not eat of the goat of the sin-offering since it was intended to bear the guilt of the congregation. Aaron responded that he did not eat of it because he was fasting on the day his sons died. Aaron was not allowed by God to do any of the other signs of mourning. Moses was pleased with this answer.)




(Chapters 11-16 covered sanitation.)

Leviticus 11

(This chapter covered laws regarding clean and unclean animals.)

(Verses 1-8: Eating mammals.)

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
² Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the living things which ye may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
³ Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that may ye eat.
⁴ Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that part the hoof: the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.
⁵ And the coney, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.

(A "coney" was a rock badger.)

⁶ And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, she is unclean unto you.
⁷ And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you.
⁸ Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you.

(Verses 9-12: Water animals.)

⁹ These may ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that may ye eat.
¹⁰ And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination unto you,
¹¹ and they shall be an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses ye shall have in abomination.
¹² Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that is an abomination unto you.

(Verses 13-19: Birds.)

¹³ And these ye shall have in abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the gier-eagle, and the ospray,
¹⁴ and the kite, and the falcon after its kind,

(An "ospray" was a type of eagle also known as a "sea hawk." A "kite" was another type of hawk or falcon.)

¹⁵ every raven after its kind,
¹⁶ and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the seamew, and the hawk after its kind,
¹⁷ and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

(A "seamew" was a type of gull (i.e. seagull), perhaps extinct. A "cormorant" was a type of pelican.)

¹⁸ and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the vulture,
¹⁹ and the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

(The "hoopoe" was believed to be a type of mountain bird.)

(Verses 20-23: Insects.)

²⁰ All winged creeping things that go upon all fours are an abomination unto you.
²¹ Yet these may ye eat of all winged creeping things that go upon all fours, which have legs above their feet, wherewith to leap upon the earth.
²² Even these of them ye may eat: the locust after its kind, and the bald locust after its kind, and the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
²³ But all winged creeping things, which have four feet, are an abomination unto you.

(Verses 24-28: Disposal of the carcasses of unclean animals.)

²⁴ And by these ye shall become unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcass of them shall be unclean until the even;
²⁵ And whosoever beareth aught of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
²⁶ Every beast which parteth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, is unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.
²⁷ And whatsoever goeth upon its paws, among all beasts that go on all fours, they are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcass shall be unclean until the even.
²⁸ And he that beareth the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.

(Verses 29-30: More unclean animals: Reptiles and other creeping things.)

²⁹ And these are they which are unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the great lizard after its kind,
³⁰ and the gecko, and the land-crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand-lizard, and the chameleon.

(Verses 31-38: the transmission of uncleanness from unclean animals.)

³¹ These are they which are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the even.
³² And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherewith any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; then shall it be clean.
³³ And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean, and it ye shall break.
³⁴ All food therein which may be eaten, that on which water cometh, shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
³⁵ And every thing whereupon any part of their carcass falleth shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces: they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.
³⁶ Nevertheless a fountain or a pit wherein is a gathering of water shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcass shall be unclean.
³⁷ And if aught of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.
³⁸ But if water be put upon the seed, and aught of their carcass fall thereon, it is unclean unto you.

(Verses 39-40: Carcasses of clean animals.)

³⁹ And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even.
⁴⁰ And he that eateth of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.

(Verses 41-43: Creeping animals considered unclean.)

⁴¹ And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth is an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
⁴² Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all fours, or whatsoever hath many feet, even all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
⁴³ Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.

(Verses 44-47: the purpose for God's dietary laws.)

⁴⁴ For I am Jehovah your God: sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that moveth upon the earth.

(1 Peter 1:16 referenced verse 44.)

⁴⁵ For I am Jehovah that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
⁴⁶ This is the law of the beast, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth;
⁴⁷ to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.

(God concluded His pronouncements on food.)




Leviticus 12

(This chapter continued the theme of sanitation and was specific to cleansing after childbirth.)

(Verses 1-4: When a male child was born.)

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
² Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman conceive seed, and bear a man-child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she be unclean.
³ And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

(Boys were circumcised on the eighth day after birth.)

⁴ And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.

(A woman who had a son was unclean for forty days. After the birth of a male: unclean for seven days, ceremonially unclean for a total of forty days. The symbolism was that the person being born was a sinner.)

(Verse 5: When a female child was born.)

⁵ But if she bear a maid-child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her impurity; and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.

(A woman who had a daughter was unclean for eighty days. Everything was double for the female: fourteen days unclean, ceremonial for a total of eighty days. Some people think it was double because females eventually birth more sinners into the world.)

(Verses 6-7: the sacrifice required for purification.)

⁶ And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb a year old for a burnt-offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtle-dove, for a sin-offering, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest:
⁷ and he shall offer it before Jehovah, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. This is the law for her that beareth, whether a male or a female.

(God covered the sacrifice because the woman essentially brought another "sinner" into the world.)

(Verse 8: Allowances for the poor.)

⁸ And if her means suffice not for a lamb, then she shall take two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons; the one for a burnt-offering, and the other for a sin-offering: and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.

(This verse was referenced in Luke 2:24 concerning Jesus' first visit to Jerusalem during His dedication by Joseph and Mary.)

(This post concluded God's directions for the consecration of the priesthood. Chapter 11 began God's directions for sanitation: directions for dealing with the cleanliness of various animals as sources of food and the cleanliness of people involved in the birth of a person.)

Day 34