the remainder of the peace offerings being most holy, could only be eaten by the male members of the families of the priests within the court of the sanctuary; whilst the offerings of tithes, fruit, the shoulder and breast of the people's peace offerings, &c., being less holy, were not only eaten by the officiating priests in Jerusalem, but by their incapacitated sons, their daughters, &c., provided they were ritually clean. Any priest who ate the most holy things outside the wall of the courts, or the less holy things outside of the walls of Jerusalem, received forty stripes save one.

Every one that toucheth them shall be holy. -According to this rendering, which exhibits one of the views that obtained during the second Temple, the meaning is that any one who touches the sacrifices of the first order of holiness must not only be a descendant of Aaron and a male, but must have sanctified himself by undergoing the necessary ablutions. (See chap. xxii. 6, 7.) There is, however, another view of the passage which is of equal, if not of anterior, date. That is, whoso or whatsoever toucheth them shall become holy. Any layman or any ordinary utensil, &c., becomes sacred by touching one of the higher order of sanctity. (See Exod. xxix. 37, xxx. 29; Ezek. xliv. 19, xlvi. 20; Hag. ii. 12.)

(19) And the Lord spake unto Moses.-The new law, which is here introduced with this special formula (see verse 8), gives directions about the meat offering which the high priest is to bring on his consecration to the pontifical office (verses 19-23). It naturally follows the sacrificial instructions given for the priests in the preceding section.

(20) This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons. This offering, which is called the oblation of initiation, was, according to the practice which obtained during the second Temple, the mincha "of Aaron and his sons," as the text before us declares; that is, of the high priest and of every common priest. The ordinary priest, however, only offered it once on the day of his consecration, whilst the high priest was bound to offer it every day after the regular holocaust, with its meat offering and before the drink offering (Eccles. xlv. 14, with Josephus, Antiq. III. x. § 7). It is to this practice that the apostle refers when he says, "For such a high priest became us . . . who needeth not daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins, &c." (Heb. vii. 27).

In the day when he is anointed.-That is, when he is anointed (comp. Gen. ii. 4) or when his anointing ceremony is completed, and he entered upon the duties of his office, which was on the eighth day. (See chap. viii. 35, ix. 1.)

A meat offering perpetual.-That is, in the case of the high priest this oblation is to be offered every

Consecration of a Priest.

at night. (21) In a pan it shall be made with oil; and when it is baken, thou shalt bring it in: and the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the LORD. (22) And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever unto the LORD; it shall be wholly burnt. (23) For every meat offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.

(24) And the LORD spake unto Moses,

day as long as he lived or held the pontifical office. This perpetual meat offering is to consist of a tenth part of an ephah, which is an omer, half of which he is to offer in the morning and half in the evening.

In a pan it shall be made.—Better, upon a flat plate. (See chap. ii. 5.)

And when it is baken thou shalt bring it in. -Better, thou shalt bring it well soaked. That is, thoroughly saturated with oil.

And the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer.-That is, a meat offering consisted of small roasted cakes. After the flour was put into the pan, and was soaked in oil, it was divided into and baked in small pieces, apparently to represent the limbs into which the victim of the burnt offering was divided before it was burnt. (See chap. i. 8.) During the second Temple the following practice obtained. The high priest brought the whole tenth part of flour every morning. After sanctifying the whole, he divided it into halves with the measure kept in the sanctuary. He likewise brought three logs of oil, which he mingled with the flour, and kneaded six cakes of each half. After baking the cakes a little, he fried them upon the pan with some of the oil, taking care not to bake them too much, but that they should be between baked and raw, in accordance with the expression, tuphinei, which the authorities of those days explained in this manner, but which is rendered here in the Authorised Version by baken, and by us roasted cakes. Hereupon the high priest divided the six cakes into twelve cakes. being the same number as those of the shewbread, and offered six subdivided in two in the morning and six in the evening.

(22) And the priest of his sons.-That is, any one of his descendants who succeeds to the high priesthood is to do the same in all times to come, since it is a statute to last as long as the priesthood continues.

It shall be wholly burnt.-Unlike the ordinary meat offerings brought by the laity, which, with the exception of a handful, was the perquisite of the officiating priest (see chap. ii. 2, 3), the high priest could not eat of this mincha because he presented it himself, since it would be unseemly both to offer it to God and at the same time eat it himself. Nor was an ordinary priest allowed to eat it, because he was subordinate in rank to the officiating high priest.

(23) For every meat offering for the priest.— Better, and every meat offering of a priest. This rule applies to every meat offering brought by the priests themselves for the same reason.

(24) And the Lord spake unto Moses.-—As is indicated by the special formula, this introduces a new law, or rather a more expanded law than the one contained in chap. iv. 1-5, giving more precise

saying, (25) Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy. (26) The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation. (27) Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place. (28) But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden

a ch. 11. 33.

directions to the priests about the sin offering of the laity (verses 24—30).

(25) In the place where the burnt offering is killed. That is, the north side of the altar. (See chap. i. 11.)

It is most holy.-That is, the sin offering belongs to the class of sacrifices which is most holy. (See chap. ii. 3.) (26) The priest that offereth it for sin.-Rather, the priest that offereth it for expiation, or, the priest that expiateth sin by it. That is, who makes atonement by the blood thereof. (See chap. ix. 15.)

Shall eat it.-God gave the sin offering as food for the priests to bear the iniquity of the congregation, and to make atonement for them (chap. x. 17). It constituted a part of their livelihood (Ezek. xliv. 28, 29). The officiating priest to whom fell this perquisite could invite not only his family but other priests and their sons to partake of it. Covetous priests abused this gift (Hos. iv. 8).

In the holy place shall it be eaten.-That is, within the forecourt of the sanctuary. Eight of the offerings had to be eaten in the precincts of the sanctuary: (1) the flesh of the sin offering (chap. iv. 26); (2); the flesh of the trespass offering (chap. vii. 6); (3) the peace offering of the congregation (chap. xxiii. 19, 20); (4), the remainder of the omer (chap. xxiii. 10, 11); (5), of the meat offering of the Israelites (chap. ii., 3-10); (6), the two loaves (chap. xxiii., 20); (7), the shew-bread (chap. xxiv. 9); and (8), the leper's log of oil (chap. xiv. 10-13).

(27) Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof. -Better, every one that toucheth the flesh thereof, as the Authorised Version rightly renders this phrase in verse 18 of this very chapter, where it is explained. And when there is sprinkled .-So peculiarly sacred was the sin offering, that when any of its blood chanced to spurt upon the garment of the officiating priest, or the one who brought the sacrifice, the spot which received the stain had to be washed in the room of the court provided for this purpose, wherein was a well which supplied the water for the sanctuary, thus preventing the blood from being profaned outside the holy place.

Thou shalt wash.-That is, Aaron, to whom the command was first given, and then his descendants, the priests, not the Israelite or layman.

(28) But the earthen vessel.-The earthen vessels used by the Hebrews were unglazed. The ordinary domestic vessels throughout the East are so to this day. From their porous character, therefore, they

the Sin Offering.

a shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water. (29) All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy. (30) And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.

CHAPTER VII.-(1) Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy. (2) In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the

would absorb some of the fat juices of the flesh which was boiled in them for the priests to eat. And as the absorbed juices could not be washed out, the inexpensive earthenware was to be broken up. (See chap. xi. 33, 35). During the second Temple the fragments were carefully buried in the ground when there was a large accumulation of them.

And if it be sodden in a brasen pot.-Being a solid metal, no juices could sink into it, and any of the most holy flesh that might adhere to it could easily be removed by washing. During the second Temple the scouring was done with hot water, and the rinsing with cold.

(29) All the males among the priests.-Not only did the officiating priest, whose perquisite the flesh of the sin offering became, and his male children, partake of it, but he could invite any other priests and their sons to the meal. It is to this practice that the apostle refers when he says, "We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle " (Heb. xiii. 10).

(30) And no sin offering, whereof Better, but no sin offering, &c. The rule set forth in the preceding verse only applies to the sin offerings of the laity (chap. iv. 22, &c.); their flesh fell to the share of the priests, but the flesh of the sin offerings, the blood of which was brought into the tabernacle, "to make atonement in the sanctuary," was not to be eaten but to be burnt. Such were the sin offerings for the high priest (chap. iv. 3, 12), and the whole congregation (chaps. iv. 13-21), and the sin offering of the Day of Atonement (chap. xvi. 27).

To reconcile withal.-Better, to make atonement for, as the Authorised Version renders it in chap i. 4, and generally wherever it occurs.

VII.

.-Better,

(1) Likewise this is the law and this is the law, &c. Just as chap. vi. 24-30 contains additional regulations addressed to the priest about the rites of the sin offering, so chap. vii. 1—10 gives more precise instructions about the trespass offering, supplementing chap. v. 1-13, also designed for the guidance of the priest.

(2) In the place where they kill.-That is, the north side of the altar (chap. i. 11).

Shall they kill the trespass offering.—That is, the people who bring these sacrifices shall kill them, since the offerers themselves slaughtered the victim. (See chap. i. 5.)

trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar.

(3) And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, () and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away: (5) and the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering. (6) Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place it is most holy. (7) As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it. (8) And

The blood thereof shall he sprinkle.-Better, throw the blood. (See chap. i. 5.) Unlike the sin offering, the blood of which was thrown upon the horns of the altar (chap. iv. 25, 30, 34), that of the trespass offering was simply thrown upon the walls of the altar, or round about it. (See chap. v. 9.) During the second Temple there was a scarlet line or thread round the altar, exactly in the middle. The blood of the trespass offering and of the peace offering was thrown round about below the central line, whilst that of the whole burnt offering was thrown round about above the central line.

(3, 4) And he shall offer.-For the regulations here described, see chap. iii. 3, 4, 8, 9, &c.

(5) And the priest shall burn.-These fat pieces he shall burn, as in the case of the sin offering and peace offering (chap. iv. 26, 31).

(7) There is one law for them.-That is, the same rule, as stated in chap. vi. 27, 28, applies to both the sin offering and the trespass offering; hence what is omitted in the regulation of the one must be supplied from the directions given in the other.

(8) The priest shall have to himself the skin. -As the skin was the only part not consumed by the fire, in the case of the burnt offering, it fell to the share of the officiating priest. According to the rule which obtained during the second Temple, all the skins of the most holy things belonged to the officiating priestsi.e., those of the trespass offering, the sin offerings of the laity, &c.-whereas those of the holy things-i.e., those of the peace offerings-belonged to the owners of the victims. These skins, which accumulated during the week, the priests whose course it was to serve divided between them every Sabbath evening.

(9) And all the meat offering.-Better, every meat offering. That is, dressed in whichever of the three ways here mentioned. (See chap. ii. 4-7.)

Shall be the priest's. With the exception of the memorial part, which was burnt upon the altar (see chap. ii. 4-10), the whole was to go to the particular priest who offered it.

(10) And every meat offering and dry.Better, but every meat offering. or dry. The only exception to the foregoing rule is the raw flour offering. That is, the voluntary offering of flour which was mingled with oil (chap. ii. 1), or the poor man's sin

the Trespass Offering.

the priest that offereth any man's burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered. (9) And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and 1in the pan, shall be the priest's that offereth it. (10) And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.

(11) And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD. (12) If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil,

offering, which, though resembling a meat offering, had no oil put upon it (see chap. v. 11), and the offering of jealousy (Num. v. 15).

Shall all the sons of Aaron have.-That is, whether with or without oil, the remainder of this kind of raw offering is to be equally shared by all the priests.

One as much as another.-Literally, a man as his brother; that is, every man alike. From the expression man, which, as it will thus be seen, is used in the original but does not appear in the Authorised Version, the rule obtained in the time of Christ that neither a child nor woman, though of priestly descent, could partake of this offering; but a priest who was disqualified from officiating through a physical blemish had a share in it, as he comes under the designation of man.

(11) And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings.-That is, the rites to be observed in connection with this sacrifice. As in the case of the sin offering (chap. iv. 24-31 with chap. vi. 24—30) and the trespass offering (chap. v. 1-13 with chap. vii. 1-10), so here (chap. vii. 11-21), we have more specific and fuller directions given to the priests with regard to the peace offerings, about which orders had previously been given to the people (chap. iii. 1-15).

Which he shall offer.-That is, he who feels it his duty to offer it to the Lord. This common Hebrew idiom of using a verb with he in it without an antecedent is better expressed in English by the impersonal, which one shall offer, or by the passive, which shall be offered. (See verses 20, 21, 29.) Three classes of peace offerings are specified-(1) an acknowledgment of mercies received, (2) as a vow offering, (3) as a freewill offering.

(12) If he offer it for a thanksgiving.-That is, acknowledgment of special mercies received from God, such as deliverance in travels, by land or sea, redemption from captivity, restoration to health, &c., enumerated in Ps. cvii. It is to this sacrifice that the apostle alludes when he says, "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually."

Then he shall offer with the sacrifice.-That is, with the bullock or cow if it be from the herd, or a lamb or goat if it be from the flock (chap. iii. 1). Unleavened cakes mingled with oil.-From the fact that no mention is here made of the number

and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. (13) Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. (14) And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings. (15) And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. (16) But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall

of cakes or the quantity of oil, it is evident that this was left to the decision of the administrators of the laws and the spiritual guides of the people. The rule which obtained during the second Temple with regard to this offering was as follows:-The offerer brought twenty tenths or pottles of fine flour; ten of them he made leavened and ten he left unleavened. He made the leavened into ten cakes, and of the ten that were unleavened he made thirty cakes. These thirty leavened cakes, which were made with half a log of oil, were divided into three tens, and each ten was prepared in a different manner; that is, ten with an eighth of the oil were baked in the oven, ten with another eighth of the oil were made into wafers, and ten with a fourth of the oil were hastily fried. Of the forty cakes the priest received four, one of each sort, thus obtaining a tenth part.

(13) Besides the cakes.-That is, the thirty unleavened cakes which were made of half of the quantity of the flour brought by the offerer, as described in the previous verse, the ten leavened cakes made of the other half of the flour are to be brought. These had all to be baked before the victim was slaughtered. The only other occasion when leavened bread formed part of the offering was on Pentecost (Levit. xxiii. 17); but no portion of it was burnt on the altar as a memorial, for leaven was forbidden to be on the altar. (See chap. ii. 11, 12.)

(14) And of it he shall offer one out of the whole.-Better, and he shall offer of it one out of each. That is, the officiating priest waves one of each of the four kinds of cakes before the Lord as a heave offering (see Exod. xxix. 24, 28), and is to have these four loaves as his portion, while the rest or the remaining thirty-six cakes belonged to the owner of the sacrifice.

(15) And the flesh of the sacrifice. That is, after the priest had the breast and the shoulder, the share of the victim which belongs to the offerer, together with the remaining loaves, he with his family and poor guests (see Deut. xii. 11-18) are to eat up before the morning, which at the time of the second Temple was limited to midnight. This limitation of time was designed both to encourage liberality to the poor, and to impress upon those who partook of it that it was a sacrificial and sacred feast, so as to prevent its being turned into unseemly conviviality.

(16) Be a vow or a voluntary offering.- The vow and the voluntary offering which constitute the second class of peace offerings are both entirely voluntary. The distinction between them, as defined by the

the Peace Offering..

be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten : (17) but the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. (18) And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. (19) And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh,

canon law, which obtained in the time of Christ, is as follows:-A vow (neder) is an obligation voluntarily imposed upon oneself with the formula, “Behold, I take it upon myself to bring a bullock, &c., for a peace offering." This undertaking is binding upon the person till he fulfils it. Hence, if the bullock in question dies, or is stolen, or becomes disqualified for a sacrifice, he must bring another. A free-will offering (nedabah) simply pledges voluntarily a certain animal for a peace offering, with the formula," Behold, this animal I devote for a peace offering." Hence, if the animal in question dies, or is stolen, or has otherwise become disqualified for sacrifice, the obligation ceases, since it does not extend beyond the animal thus devoted.

It shall be eaten the same day.-As both these votive offerings were an indirect mode of supplication having respect to future favours, and hence were not a spontaneous expression of pious devotion, they were not so sacred as the former. They were, therefore, allowed to be eaten both on the day of presentation and on the following day.

(17) But the remainder of the flesh.-If, however, the sacrifices were very plentiful, or if through niggardliness of the owners a sufficient number of poor guests were not invited, so that the victim could not be eaten up within the time specified, all that remained on the third day was to be burnt.

(18) And if any of the flesh.. be eaten.The owner of the sacrifice was responsible for the due observance of this injunction. If, through his neglect, any one ate of the sacrifice after the limited time here specified, the efficacy of the sacrifice was disannulled, and the offerer had to bring another votive offering.

It shall be an abomination.-That is, the flesh left so long in the Eastern climate begins to putrefy, and becomes loathsome and offensive on the third day; so that which is holy becomes desecrated.

And the soul that eateth of it.- Hence he who ate it after the prescribed time was regarded as eating carrion, he bore his guilt, i.e., incurred the penalty of excision.

(19) And the flesh that toucheth.—Not only does the sacrificial flesh become desecrated when left by itself beyond the prescribed period, but when it comes in contact with what is unclean, man, woman, or animal, which might happen whilst it is carried from the altar to the place where it is eaten, it becomes defiled, and must be burnt, so that no profane use is made of it.

And as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof. - Better, And as for the flesh,

The Fat and Blood

& 17. 14.

every one that is clean may eat the flesh —that is, any one whom the offerer invites may partake of the sacrificial repast, provided he is legally clean.

(20, 21) But the soul that eateth, &c.-Any one who partakes of the Lord's holy peace offering in a state of legal defilement, arising either from contact with unclean men or objects (see chap. xi. 8—44; xv. 1-33), incurs the penalty of excision.

(22) And the Lord spake unto Moses.-This formula introduces a fresh communication made to the lawgiver (verses 22-27), containing explanations and restrictions of the precept laid down in chap. iii. 17, about the fat and blood of animals. The section before us, therefore, supplements and expands the previous law upon the same subject, just as the foregoing section supplemented and expanded the regulations about the different sacrifices.

(23) Ye shall eat no manner of fat. That is, the fat of beeves, sheep, or goats. The fat of these three kinds of sacrificial quadrupeds is prohibited, even when they are not killed as sacrifices, but when slaughtered for private consumption; but the fat of other tame or wild clean quadrupeds, as stags, roes, &c. &c., was lawful. According to the practice which obtained during the second Temple, there are three kinds of fat for the eating of which a man incurred the penalty of excision: the fat (1) which is upon the inwards, (2) upon the two kidneys, and (3) upon the flanks (chap. ix. 10). The rump, the kidney, and the caul above the liver were not called fat, except in sacrifices. The fat which is covered with flesh is lawful, the fat upon the kidneys is forbidden; but that which is within the kidneys, as well as that of the heart, is lawful.

(24) And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself. That is, of the aforesaid animals which died of any disease or accident, or were killed by wild beasts, and which, therefore, are entirely unclean (see chaps. xvii. 15; xxii. 8), might be used for common purposes in ordinary life, such as making candles, &c., &c.

(25) The fat of the beast of which men offer an offering.-That is, the fat of beeves, sheep, or

goats. (See verse 23.) If he did it presumptuously he incurred the penalty of excision, and if he did it inadvertently he was beaten with forty stripes save one, and had to bring the sin offering appointed. (26) Moreover ye shall eat. .-Better, and ye shall eat no blood in all your dwellings. That is, this law is binding upon the Israelites wherever they may dwell. (See chap. iii. 17.)

Whether it be of fowl or of beast.-It extends to all fowls and quadrupeds, whether they are legally prescribed as sacrifices or not; but not to fishes, locusts, creeping things, &c., which are not prescribed in the dietary laws as unclean.

(27) That soul shall be cut off.--According to the law which obtained during the second Temple, the punishment of excision was only inflicted for eating the life-blood (see chap. xvii. 11), that is, the blood in which the life of the animal resides, and the loss of which causes death. For eating the blood found in the limbs, or in any internal portion of the body, a sin offering had to be brought, and the offender was beaten with stripes.

(28) And the Lord spake unto Moses.-With this formula, which, as we have seen, indicates a fresh communication made by the Lord to the lawgiver, additional precepts are introduced, regulating God's portion of the peace offering.

(29) He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings.-That is, if his peace offering is one of the three aforementioned classes. (See verse 11.)

Shall bring his oblation. That is, those portions of the peace offering which the offerer devoted to the Lord and to the officiating priest.

(30) His own hands shall bring.-This act the owner himself was to perform, and it was not to be deputed to any one else. The manner in which this rite was performed in the time of Christ was as follows: -The offerer killed the sacrifice, and the priest sprinkled the blood. The victim was then flayed, and the officiating priest took out the inwards, cut the flesh into pieces, and separated the breast and the right shoulder. Whereupon he laid the fat first upon the owner's hands, then the breast, then the shoulder above it; the