Chapter Twenty-Two
Instructions for the Priests Continued
22:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons so that they abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name: I am the LORD.
The Hebrew word ‘yin·nā·zerû’,[1] translated here as ‘abstain’, is a verb that means to dedicate, to separate or to consecrate, or to consider something as being sacred. The priests were not to abstain in the sense of staying away from, or not participate in, but to assure that the holy things given to them from the people of Israel (referring to sacrifices)[2] were acceptable to God. If they, for whatever reason, accepted something that was not suitable as a gift to God, they would be dishonoring God. The following text provides guidelines for the priests as to what to look for that can disqualify an animal from being used as a sacrifice to God.
22:3 Say to them, ‘If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD. 4 None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a discharge may eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or a man who has had an emission of semen, 5 and whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be— 6 the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water. 7 When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because they are his food. 8 He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the LORD.’ 9 They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
The priests, now and in the future, were not allowed to approach (or accept) any gifts from the people of Israel intended for God if they were ceremonially unclean. If they did, that priest would be cut off from being a priest (one cannot intercede on behalf of others before God if they themselves were cut off from God’s presence). If a priest had a skin disease that made him unclean or a discharge, they were not allowed to eat any of the food from the sacrifices until they were ceremonially clean again. If a priest were to touch anything unclean including contact with the dead, a man with an emission of semen, an unclean swarming thing,[3] or a person who is ceremonially unclean, that priest would be considered ceremonially unclean until evening and is not to eat any of the food from sacrifices unless he has bathed his body in water. When the sun goes down, the priest shall be considered clean and then eat of the food from the sacrifices as that is his food (that is to be eaten by the priests only).[4] A priest was also not allowed to eat an animal that died on its own or was killed by some other animal, as doing so would make him unclean (see also Leviticus 7:24; 17:15).
God then clearly states that the priests are to follow these instructions, otherwise they will be punished for their sin and die for their violation. Equally clear is the fact that YHWH is the one who makes them holy, something not available through their own abilities.
22:10 “A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired worker shall eat of a holy thing, 11 but if a priest buys a slave as his property for money, the slave may eat of it, and anyone born in his house may eat of his food. 12 If a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution of the holy things. 13 But if a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and returns to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food; yet no lay person shall eat of it. 14 And if anyone eats of a holy thing unintentionally, he shall add the fifth of its value to it and give the holy thing to the priest. 15 They shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they contribute to the LORD, 16 and so cause them to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”
The food available for the priests to eat from sacrifices could be shared with others, but only with certain family members. The word translated as a “lay person,” is the Hebrew word ‘zār’,[5] it refers to being strange or foreign, a verb meaning to be a stranger, this is the first appearance of this word in Scripture.
A foreign guest was not allowed to eat of the holy food, but a slave or servant bought as property could (ethnic group not specified). Anyone that was born in a priest’s home may eat the food (assumed bloodline not necessarily those from a non-priest family that may be born in the home). If a priest’s daughter marries a non-priest (Hebrew ‘zār’,[6] noun meaning a strange or unauthorized person, often translated as an outsider, same word used in verse 13), she can no longer eat the holy food. However, if that daughter becomes a widow or is divorced and has no child when she returns to her father’s house, she may eat the holy food. If anyone were to eat the holy food by mistake, they are to pay the priest for the amount eaten plus an additional twenty percent. Since the holy food could be defiled by an unclean person participating in eating the food the priests were to prevent any unclean person from eating the holy food. Allowing them to participate would cause them to bear the guilt (perhaps negating the purpose of the sacrifice) and iniquity (responsible to pay the compensation).
Acceptable Offerings
22:17 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the LORD, 19 if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. 20 You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. 21 And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it.
Just as the priest who officiates any sacrificial offering needs to be without blemish, so does the animal being sacrificed. The requirements for the animals to be blemish-free were included in the descriptions of the various forms of offerings listed earlier in Leviticus, however, now God wants Moses to tell Aaron, his sons, and all the people of Israel what exactly that means. Regarding animals to be sacrificed for a burnt offering, a vow offering, or a freewill offering, are to be male animals without blemish. The requirement of a male animal for the burnt offering was previously stated (see Leviticus 1:3, 10), however, as peace offerings, the gender of the animals for the vow or fellowship offerings was not previously stipulated (see Leviticus 7:16).
22:22 Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the LORD or give them to the LORD as a food offering on the altar. 23 You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted. 24 Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the LORD; you shall not do it within your land, 25 neither shall you offer as the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner. Since there is a blemish in them, because of their mutilation, they will not be accepted for you.”
All animals being sacrificed needed to be physically perfect with no blemish. Acceptable animals were to not to be blind; not to be disabled (Hebrew ‘šā·ḇûr’,[7] meaning to break or burst); not to be mutilated (Hebrew ‘ḥā·rûṣ’,[8] word has multiple meanings, in this context it is referring to an incision or cut); not having a discharge; nor have any skin disease. An animal that was deformed or stunted that had either a long leg or a short leg was acceptable for a freewill offering, but not for a vow offering. No animal that had its testicles damaged in any way was to be offered. These regulations were to be always followed, including when they enter in their land, nor are they to offer any animals obtained from any foreigner. Any animal that contains a blemish (the Hebrew word in verse 25 translated as ‘blemish’ is ‘mǒš·ḥā·ṯā’,[9] used only this once in the Bible, a noun that basically refers to any defect) because of their mutilation (Hebrew ‘mûm’, the usual word for blemish)[10] is not acceptable for sacrifice.
22:26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as a food offering to the LORD. 28 But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep and her young in one day. 29 And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30 It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the LORD.
When an ox, sheep, or goat is born, it must remain with its mother for a minimum of seven days. If desired, on the eighth day, the young calf, lamb, or kid, would be an acceptable sacrifice to YHWH. The mother was not to be killed on the same day as her young was slaughtered.
Regarding sacrifices for any peace offering given to YHWH as a thanksgiving, the meat must be eaten on the same day the animal is sacrificed (see Leviticus 7:15).
22:31 “So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the LORD. 32 And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD.”
God once again tells Moses that he, as well as the priests, and the people of Israel, are to keep and follow His commandments (see Leviticus 19:37). In so doing they will be holy and not defile His name, as He is the one that consecrated them, the one that brought them out of the land of Egypt.[11]
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 5144.
[2] See commentary under Leviticus 21:16-24.
[3] See commentary under Leviticus 11:29-32.
[4] See commentary under Leviticus 21:16-24.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 2114.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 2214.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 7665.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 2742.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 4893.
[10] See commentary under Leviticus 21:16-24.
[11] See Considerations under Exodus 12:31-32.