Leviticus

Introduction
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27

CHAPTER 2

Grain Offerings. 1 ^* ^a When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, the offering must consist of bran flour. The offerer shall pour oil on it and put frankincense^b over it, 2and bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. A priest shall take a handful of the bran flour and oil, together with all the frankincense, and shall burn it on the altar as a token of the offering,^* a sweet-smelling oblation to the LORD.^c 3The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons,^d a most holy^e portion from the oblations to the LORD.

4When you offer a grain offering baked in an oven, it must be in the form of unleavened cakes made of bran flour mixed with oil, or of unleavened wafers spread with oil.^f 5If your offering is a grain offering that is fried on a griddle,^g it must be of bran flour mixed with oil and unleavened. 6Break it into pieces, and pour oil over it. It is a grain offering. 7If your offering is a grain offering that is prepared in a pan, it must be made of bran flour, fried in oil. 8A grain offering that is made in any of these ways you shall bring to the LORD. It shall be presented to the priest, who shall take it to the altar. 9The priest shall then remove from the grain offering a token and burn it on the altar as a sweet-smelling oblation to the LORD. 10The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons, a most holy portion from the oblations to the LORD.

11 ^* Every grain offering that you present to the LORD shall be unleavened, for you shall not burn any leaven or honey as an oblation to the LORD.^h 12Such you may present to the LORD in the offering of the first produce that is processed,ⁱ but they are not to be placed on the altar for a pleasing odor. 13You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not let the salt of the covenant with your God ^* be lacking from your grain offering. On every offering you shall offer salt.^j

14If you offer a grain offering of first ripe fruits to the LORD, you shall offer it in the form of fresh early grain, roasted by fire and crushed as a grain offering of your first ripe fruits. 15You shall put oil on it and set frankincense on it. It is a grain offering. 16The priest shall then burn some of the groats and oil, together with all the frankincense, as a token of the offering, an oblation to the LORD.

* [2:1] Grain offerings are used as independent offerings (those in this chapter and cf. 6:12–16; 8:26–27; 23:10–11), as substitutes for other offerings in a case of poverty (5:11–13), and as accompaniments to animal offerings (cf. Nm 15:1–12; 28:1–29:39; Lv 14:20; 23:12, 18, 37). Chapter 2 describes two basic types of grain offering: uncooked (vv. 1–3) and cooked (vv. 4–10). The flour (sōlet) used was made of wheat (Ex 29:2) and Jewish tradition and Semitic cognates indicate that it is a coarse rather than a fine flour.

* [2:2] Token of the offering: lit., “reminder.” Instead of burning the whole grain offering, only this part is burned on the altar.

* [2:11–12] No grain offering that is leavened can be offered on the altar. Those in 7:13 and 23:17 are leavened but not offered on the altar. The Hebrew word for “honey” may refer to fruit syrup as well as to bee honey.

* [2:13] The salt of the covenant with your God: partaking of salt in common was an ancient symbol of friendship and alliance. Cf. Mark 9:49–50 and Col 4:6.

a. [2:1] Lv 5:11–13; 6:7–16; 7:9–14; 24:5–9; Nm 15:1–21; cf. Gn 4:3–5.