16:1 The death of the two sons of Aaron. Cf. 10:1–3.
16:2 Common priests went every day to burn incense on the golden altar in the part of the tabernacle sanctuary outside the veil, where the lamp stand, table, and show bread were. None except the High-Priest was allowed to enter inside the veil (cf. v. 12), into the Holy Place, actually called the Holy of Holies, the Most Holy (Ex. 26:33), or the Holiest of All (Heb. 9:3, 8), where the ark of the covenant rested. This arrangement was designed to inspire a reverence for God at a time when His presence was indicated by visible symbols. appear in the cloud. This cloud was likely the smoke of the incense which the High-Priest burned on his annual entrance into the Most Holy Place. It was this cloud that covered the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant (see v. 13). the mercy seat. See Ex. 25:17–22. It lit. means “place of atonement” and referred to the throne of God between the cherubim (cf. Is. 6). It is so named because it was where God manifested Himself for the purpose of atonement.
16:3 sin…burnt offering. For these offerings brought by Aaron the High-Priest, see notes on 4:1—5:13; 6:24–30 and 1:3–17; 6:8–13, respectively. The bull was sacrificed first as a sin offering (16:11–14) and later the ram as a burnt offering (16:24).
16:4 For a description of the priests’ normal clothing see Ex. 28:1–43 and Lev. 8:6–19. He wore them later for the burnt offering (cf. v. 24). These humbler clothes were less ornate, required for the Day of Atonement to portray the High-Priest as God’s humble servant, himself in need of atonement (vv. 11–14).
16:5 two…goats. See 16:7–10, 20–22. One animal would be slain to picture substitutionary death and the other sent to the wilderness to represent removal of sin. one ram. Along with the High-Priest’s ram (v. 3), these were to be offered as burnt offerings (v. 24).
16:6–28 The following sequence describes the activities of the High-Priest and those who assisted him on the Day of Atonement: 1) The High-Priest (HP) washed at the laver in the courtyard and dressed in the tabernacle (v. 4). 2) The HP offered the bull as a sin offering for himself and his family (vv. 3, 6, 11). 3) The HP entered the Holy of Holies (HH) with the bull’s blood, incense, and burning coals from the altar of burnt offering (vv. 12, 13). 4) The HP sprinkled the bull’s blood on the mercy seat 7 times (v. 14). 5) The HP went back to the courtyard and cast lots for the two goats (vv. 7, 8). 6) The HP sacrificed one goat as a sin offering for the people (vv. 5, 9, 15). 7) The HP reentered the HH to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat and also the Holy Place (cf. Ex. 30:10; vv. 15–17). 8) The HP returned to the altar of burnt offering and cleansed it with the blood of the bull and goat (vv. 11, 15, 18, 19). 9) The scapegoat was dispatched to the wilderness (vv. 20–22). 10) Afterward, the goatkeeper cleansed himself (v. 26). 11) The HP removed his special Day of Atonement clothing, rewashed, and put on the regular HP clothing (vv. 23, 24). 12) The HP offered two rams as burnt offerings for himself and the people (vv. 3, 5, 24). 13) The fat of the sin offering was burned (v. 25). 14) The bull-and-goat sin offerings were carried outside the camp to be burned (v. 27). 15) The one who burned the sin offering cleansed himself (v. 28).
16:8 cast lots. See note on Prov. 16:33. the scapegoat. Cf. vv. 10, 26. This goat (lit. Azazel or “escape goat”) pictured the substitutionary bearing and total removal of sin which would later be fully accomplished by Jesus Christ (cf. Matt. 20:28; John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:4; 3:13; Heb. 9:28; 10:1–10; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:2). See notes on vv. 20–22.
16:9, 10 See notes on vv. 20–22.
16:12 inside the veil. See note on v. 2. The veil separated all from the holy and consuming presence of God. It was this veil in Herod’s temple that was torn open from top to bottom at the death of Christ, signifying access into God’s presence through Jesus Christ (see Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45).
16:13 cloud. See note on v. 2. on the Testimony. The Testimony included the tablets of stone, upon which were written the Ten Commandments (Ex. 25:16; 31:18), located in the ark under the mercy seat.
16:14 seven times. This number symbolically indicated completion or perfection (cf. v. 19).
16:16 atonement for the Holy Place. The object of this solemn ceremony was to impress the minds of the Israelites with the conviction that the whole tabernacle was stained by the sins of a guilty people. By those sins, they had forfeited the privileges of the presence of God and worship of Him, so that an atonement had to be made for their sins as the condition of God remaining with them.
16:17 himself…household…assembly. The Day of Atonement was necessary for everyone since all had sinned, including the High-Priest.
16:20–22 This “sin offering of atonement” (Num. 29:11) portrayed Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice (vv. 21, 22) with the result that the sinner’s sins were removed (v. 22). See notes on Is. 52:13—53:12 for another discussion of these truths. Christ lived out this representation when He cried from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46).
16:21, 22 putting them on the head of the goat. This act was more than a symbolic gesture; it was a picture of the ultimate “substitutionary atonement” fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Is. 53:5, 6; 10:12; see note on 2 Cor. 5:21).
16:27 outside the camp. This represents the historical reality of Christ’s death outside of Jerusalem (cf. Heb. 13:10–14).
16:29 seventh month. Tishri is Sept./Oct. afflict your souls. This act of denying oneself was probably with respect to food, making the Day of Atonement the only day of prescribed fasting in Israel’s annual calendar.
16:30 clean from all your sins. See Ps. 103:12; Is. 38:17; Mic. 7:19. This day provided ceremonially cleansing for one year, and pictured the forgiveness of God available to all who believed and repented. Actual atonement was based on cleansing through the sacrifice of Christ (cf. Rom. 3:25, 26; Heb. 9:15).
16:34 once a year. The better sacrifice of Jesus Christ was offered once-for-all, never to be repeated (cf. Heb. 9:11—10:18). Upon that sacrifice all forgiveness of sin is based, including that of OT believers.
Leviticus 17
17:1—27:34 Guidelines for practical holiness are detailed throughout this section.
17:1—22:33 Holiness issues that pertain to the individual are enumerated.
17:1–16 Miscellaneous laws relating to sacrifice are discussed.
17:1–9 The Lord warns against sacrificing anywhere other than at the door of the tabernacle of meeting (cf. vv. 5–7).
17:4 guilt of bloodshed. An unauthorized sacrifice could result in death.
17:5 peace offerings. See notes on 3:1–17; 7:11–34.
17:10–16 Warnings against the misuse of blood are issued (cf. 7:26, 27; Deut. 12:16, 23–25; 15:23; 1 Sam. 14:32–34).
17:11 life of the flesh is in the blood. This phrase is amplified by “its blood sustains its life” (17:14). Blood carries life-sustaining elements to all parts of the body; therefore it represents the essence of life. In contrast, the shedding of blood represents the shedding of life, i.e., death (cf. Gen. 9:4). NT references to the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ are references to His death. blood that makes atonement. Since it contains the life, blood is sacred to God. Shed blood (death) from a substitute atones for or covers the sinner, who is then allowed to live.
17:13, 14 It was customary with heathen hunters, when they killed any game, to pour out the blood as an offering to the god of the hunt. The Israelites, to the contrary, were enjoined by this directive and banned from all such superstitious acts of idolatry.
17:15, 16 This cleansing was necessary because these animals would not have had the blood drained properly. Cf. Ex. 22:31; Deut. 14:21.
Leviticus 18
18:1–30 Laws are given, relating to sexual practices, which would eliminate the abominations being practiced by the heathen in the land (18:27; cf. Lev. 20:10–21; Deut. 22:13–30). These specific laws assume the general prohibition of adultery (Ex. 20:14) and a father incestuously engaging his daughter. They do not necessarily invalidate the special case of a levirate
marriage (cf. Deut. 25:5). The penalties for such outlawed behavior are detailed in 20:10–21.
18:3 doings. Repeating the sexual practices or customs of the Egyptians and Canaanites was forbidden by God.
18:4 I am the LORD your God. This phrase, used over 50 times, asserts the uniqueness of the One True and Living God, who calls His people to holiness as He is holy, and calls them to reject all other gods.
18:5 if a man does, he shall live by them. Special blessing was promised to the Israelites on the condition of their obedience to God’s law. This promise was remarkably verified in particular eras of their history, in the national prosperity they enjoyed when pure and undefiled religion prevailed among them. Obedience to God’s law always insures temporal blessings, as this verse indicates. But these words have a higher reference to spiritual life as indicated by the Lord (cf. Luke 10:28) and Paul (cf. Rom. 10:5). Obedience does not save from sin and hell, but it does mark those who are saved (cf. Eph. 2:8, 9; see notes on Rom. 2:6–10).
18:6–18 This section deals with consanguinity, i.e., the sins of incest.
18:6 uncover his nakedness. This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
18:8 your father’s wife. Actually a stepmother is in mind here (cf. v. 7).
18:11 your sister. Here he is forbidden to marry a stepsister.
18:18 while the other is alive. The principle on which the prohibitions are made changes slightly. Instead of avoiding sexual involvement because it would violate a relational connection, this situation defaults to the principle of one person at a time, or while the other is still alive, i.e., it forbids polygamy. Commonly in Egyptian, Chaldean, and Canaanite culture, sisters were taken as wives in polygamous unions. God forbids such, as all polygamy is forbidden by the original law of marriage (see Gen. 2:24, 25). Moses, because of hard hearts, tolerated it, as did others in Israel in the early stages of that nation. But it always led to tragedy.
18:19 customary impurity. This refers to her menstrual period (cf. 15:24).
18:21 Molech. This Semitic false deity (god of the Ammonites) was worshiped with child sacrifice (cf. Lev. 20:2–5; 1 Kin. 11:7; 2 Kin. 23:10; Jer. 32:35). Since this chapter deals otherwise with sexual deviation, there is likely an unmentioned sexual perversion connected with this pagan ritual. Jews giving false gods homage gave foreigners occasion to blaspheme the true God.
18:22 not lie with a male. This outlaws all homosexuality (cf. 20:13; Rom. 1:27; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:10). See notes on Gen. 19:1–29.
18:23 mate with any animal. This outlaws the sexual perversion of bestiality.
18:29 cut off. All the sexual perversions discussed in this chapter were worthy of death, indicating their loathsomeness before God.
18:30 were committed before you. Not in their presence, but by the people who inhabited the Land before them in time (cf. v. 27), were such sins committed.
Leviticus 19
19:1–37 Here are practical applications of holy conduct in society.
19:2 I the LORD your God am holy. This basic statement, which gives the reason for holy living among God’s people, is the central theme in Leviticus (cf. 20:26). See note on 11:44, 45. Cf. 1 Pet. 1:16. Israel had been called to be a holy nation, and the perfectly holy character of God (cf. Is. 6:3) was the model after which the Israelites were to live (cf. 10:3; 20:26; 21:6–8).
19:3 revere his mother and his father. The fifth commandment (cf. Ex. 20:12) to honor one’s father and mother is amplified by the use of a different word, “revere.” Because they revered (an attitude), they could then honor (an action).
19:3, 4 In addition to the fifth commandment, the fourth (19:3b), the first (19:4a), and the second (19:4b) were commanded as illustrations of holy behavior (cf. Ex. 20:3–6, 8–11).
19:5–8 peace offering. See notes on 3:1–17; 7:11–34.
19:9, 10 This was the law of gleaning (cf. 23:22; Deut. 24:19–22), a practice seen in Ruth 2:8–23.
19:11 Commandments from Ex. 20 are again repeated.
19:12 Cf. Matt. 5:33.
19:13 wages…shall not remain with you all night. Hired workers were to be paid at the end of a work day. Unsalaried day workers depended on pay each day for their sustenance. See notes on Matt. 20:1, 2.
19:14 the deaf…the blind. Israel’s God of compassion always demonstrated a concern for the disabled.
19:16 take a stand against the life. This refers to doing anything that would wrongfully jeopardize the life of a neighbor.
19:18 This, called the second great commandment, is the most often quoted OT text in the NT (Matt. 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31, 33; Luke 10:27; Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8).
19:19 These mixtures may have been characteristic of some idolatrous practices.
19:20–22 In the case of immorality with a betrothed slave, the couple was to be punished (possibly by scourging), but not killed. Afterward, a trespass offering (see notes on 5:14—6:7) was to be rendered with appropriate reparation. This is an exception to the norm (cf. Deut. 22:23, 24).
19:23–25 uncircumcised. They could not eat from the fruit trees of Canaan for 4 years after entering the Land because the fruit of the first 3 years was to be considered unclean, and the fourth year the fruit was to be offered to the Lord. Some gardeners say preventing a tree from bearing fruit in the first years, by cutting off the blossoms, makes it more productive.
19:26 divination…soothsaying. Attempting to tell the future with the help of snakes and clouds was a common ancient way of foretelling good or bad future. These were forbidden forms of witchcraft which involved demonic activity. See note on Deut. 18:9–12.
19:27, 28 These pagan practices were most likely associated with Egyptian idolatry and were therefore to be avoided. The practice of making deep gashes on the face and arms or legs, in times of grief, was universal among pagans. It was seen as a mark of respect for the dead, as well as a sort of propitiatory offering to the gods who presided over death. The Jews learned this custom in Egypt and, though weaned from it, relapsed into the old superstition (cf. Is. 22:12; Jer. 16:6; 47:5). Tattoos also were connected to names of idols, and were permanent signs of apostasy.
19:29 prostitute your daughter. Even the pagans of ancient Assyria at this time forbade such horrendous means of monetary gain.
19:30 Sabbaths. See note on 19:3, 4.
19:31 mediums…familiar spirits. Mediums are humans who act as “go-betweens” to supposedly contact/communicate with the spirits of the dead, who are actually impersonated by demons. Cf. 20:6, 27.
19:32 rise…honor. Showing respect for the older man acknowledged God’s blessing of long life and the wisdom that comes with it (cf. Is. 3:5).
19:33, 34 stranger. Cf. Ex. 22:21.
19:36 ephah…hin. These dry and liquid measures respectively were equal approximately to 4 to 6 gallons and 6 to 8 pints.
Leviticus 20
20:1–27 Here capital and other grave crimes are discussed. Many of the same issues from chap. 18, 19 are elaborated, with the emphasis on the penalty paid for the violation.
20:2 gives any of his descendants to Molech. Molech (Moloch), the Ammonite god of the people surrounding Israel, required human (especially child) sacrifice. See note on 18:21.
20:5, 6 cut him off. This means to kill. It is synonymous with “put to death” in v. 9.
20:5 prostitute themselves. This speaks figuratively of spiritual harlotry.
20:6 medium…familiar spirits. See note on 19:31. “Familiar spirits” refers to demons (cf. 20:27).
20:9 curses his father or his mother. Doing the very opposite of the command to honor or to revere (cf. 19:3) had fatal consequences. See Mark 7:10, where Jesus referred to this text.
20:10–21 Here are the punishments for violating the prohibitions of sexual sins detailed in 18:1–30; see Deut. 22:13–30.
20:22 may not vomit you out. God told Israel repeatedly that remaining in the Land required obedience to the Mosaic Covenant (cf. 18:25, 28).
20:27 medium…familiar spirits. See note
on 19:31.
Leviticus 21
21:1–24 Laws for the priests are given, which demanded a higher standard of holy conduct than for the general Israelite.
21:1 defile himself. Coming into contact with a corpse (Num. 19:11) or being in the same room with one (Num. 19:14) made one unclean. The exceptions were the dead from the priest’s own family (vv. 2–4).
21:5 bald place…edges…cuttings in their flesh. These were the superstitious marks of grief. See note on 19:27, 28. Cf. 1 Kin. 18:28.
21:6 the bread of their God. This phrase appears 5 times in Lev. 21 (cf. vv. 8, 17, 21, 22). It most likely refers to the bread of the Presence in the Holy Place (cf. Ex. 25:30; 39:36; 40:23; Lev. 24:5–9).
21:7, 8 The priest was allowed to marry, but only in the purest of circumstances. A holy marriage union pictured the holy union between God and His people. See 21:13, 14. The priests were to be living models of that holy union. Cf. Paul’s words regarding pastors in 1 Tim. 3:2, 4; Titus 1:6.
21:9 The priests’ children were to live a holy life. The common punishment of stoning (cf. Deut. 22:21) is replaced with burning by fire. Cf. 1 Tim. 3:4; Titus 1:6.
21:10–15 Here is a summary of the standards for the High-Priest which were the highest and most holy in accord with his utmost sacred responsibility.
21:10 shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes. Acts associated with mourning or anguish (cf. the violation in Christ’s trial, Matt. 26:65; Mark 14:63).
21:16–23 defect. Just as the sacrifice had to be without blemish, so did the one offering the sacrifice. As visible things exert strong impressions on the minds of people, any physical impurity or malformation tended to distract from the weight and authority of the sacred office, failed to externally exemplify the inward wholeness God sought, and failed to be a picture of Jesus Christ, the Perfect High-Priest to come (cf. Heb. 7:26).
Leviticus 22
22:1–33 These are additional instructions on ceremonial cleanness for the priests, beginning with a death threat (v. 3, “cut off”) to those who might violate these rules.
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