Leviticus — Chapter 24

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1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.

3Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.

4He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually.

5And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.

6And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.

7And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

8Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

9And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.

10And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp;

11And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)

12And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them.

13And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

14Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

15And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.

16And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.

17And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.

18And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.

19And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him;

20Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.

21And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.

22Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.

23And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.

1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

2Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

3Without the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron keep it in order from evening to morning before Jehovah continually: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations.

4He shall keep in order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before Jehovah continually.

5And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth parts [of an ephah] shall be in one cake.

6And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before Jehovah.

7And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

8Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before Jehovah continually; it is on the behalf of the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant.

9And it shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire by a perpetual statute.

10And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp:

11and the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother`s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.

12And they put him in ward, that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of Jehovah.

13And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

14Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

15And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.

16And he that blasphemeth the name of Jehovah, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the sojourner, as the home-born, when he blasphemeth the name [of Jehovah], shall be put to death.

17And he that smiteth any man mortally shall surely be put to death.

18And he that smiteth a beast mortally shall make it good, life for life.

19And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him:

20breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be rendered unto him.

21And he that killeth a beast shall make it good: and he that killeth a man shall be put to death.

22Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the sojourner, as for the home-born: for I am Jehovah your God.

23And Moses spake to the children of Israel; and they brought forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. And the children of Israel did as Jehovah commanded Moses.

1The Lord spoke to Moses:

2“Command the Israelites to bring to you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.

3Outside the special curtain of the congregation in the Meeting Tent, Aaron must arrange it from evening until morning before the Lord continually. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations.

4On the ceremonially pure lampstand he must arrange the lamps before the Lord continually.

5“You must take choice wheat flour and bake twelve loaves; there must be two-tenths of an ephah of flour in each loaf,

6and you must set them in two rows, six in a row, on the ceremonially pure table before the Lord.

7You must put pure frankincense on each row, and it will become a memorial portion for the bread, a gift to the Lord.

8Each Sabbath day Aaron must arrange it before the Lord continually; this portion is from the Israelites as a perpetual covenant.

9It will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they must eat it in a holy place because it is most holy to him, a perpetually-allotted portion from the gifts of the Lord.”

10Now an Israelite woman’s son whose father was an Egyptian went out among the Israelites, and the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man had a fight in the camp.

11The Israelite woman’s son misused the Name and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)

12So they placed him in custody until they were able to make a clear legal decision for themselves based on words from the mouth of the Lord.

13Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

14“Bring the one who cursed outside the camp, and all who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the whole congregation is to stone him to death.

15Moreover, you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If any man curses his God, he will bear responsibility for his sin,

16and one who misuses the name of the Lord must surely be put to death. The whole congregation must surely stone him, whether he is a resident foreigner or a native citizen; when he misuses the Name he must be put to death.

17“‘If a man beats any person to death, he must be put to death.

18One who beats an animal to death must make restitution for it, life for life.

19If a man inflicts an injury on his fellow citizen, just as he has done it must be done to him—

20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth—just as he inflicts an injury on another person that same injury must be inflicted on him.

21One who beats an animal to death must make restitution for it, but one who beats a person to death must be put to death.

22There will be one regulation for you, whether a resident foreigner or a native citizen, for I am the Lord your God.’”

23Then Moses spoke to the Israelites and they brought the one who cursed outside the camp and stoned him with stones. So the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2“Command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

3Outside of the veil of the Testimony, in the Tent of Meeting, shall Aaron keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh continually: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.

4He shall keep in order the lamps on the pure gold lamp stand before Yahweh continually.

5“You shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes of it: two tenths of an ephah shall be in one cake.

6You shall set them in two rows, six on a row, on the pure gold table before Yahweh.

7You shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

8Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before Yahweh continually. It is an everlasting covenant on the behalf of the children of Israel.

9It shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy to him of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire by a perpetual statute.”

10The son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelite woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp.

11The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.

12They put him in custody, until Yahweh’s will should be declared to them.

13Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

14“Bring out of the camp him who cursed; and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

15You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.

16He who blasphemes Yahweh’s name, he shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him. The foreigner as well as the native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

17“‘He who strikes any man mortally shall surely be put to death.

18He who strikes an animal mortally shall make it good, life for life.

19If anyone injures his neighbor; as he has done, so shall it be done to him:

20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has injured someone, so shall it be done to him.

21He who kills an animal shall make it good; and he who kills a man shall be put to death.

22You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born; for I am Yahweh your God.’”

23Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and they brought him who had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. The children of Israel did as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

God commands the continual lamp and showbread in the Tabernacle; a blasphemer is stoned — God's name must be honored.

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses. Leviticus is the third book of the Pentateuch, written during the wilderness period (approximately 1445-1405 BC). Hebrew title: "Vayikra" — "And He called." God speaks from the newly completed Tabernacle, giving Israel instructions for worship, sacrifice, and holy living.
Historical Context: Chapter 24 is a transitional chapter that combines ritual instruction with narrative — an unusual structure in Leviticus. It contains three distinct sections: (1) The perpetual lamp and showbread (vv.1-9) — ongoing worship in the Tabernacle; (2) The blasphemer stoned (vv.10-16, 23) — a narrative case illustrating the holiness of God's name; and (3) The law of retaliation — lex talionis (vv.17-22) — equal justice for all. The placement is significant: after the feasts (ch.23) which celebrate God's redemptive plan, chapter 24 addresses the daily, ongoing worship (lamp and bread) and the seriousness of profaning God's name. The blasphemy incident is the only narrative in the Holiness Code (chs.17-26) and serves as a concrete example of what it means to "profane my holy name" (22:32). The chapter also establishes a foundational principle of biblical justice: one law for all — native and stranger alike (v.22). The lamp that never goes out and the bread that is always present speak of Christ: the Light of the World and the Bread of Life.
The Perpetual Lamp (vv.1-4): God commands Israel to bring "pure oil olive beaten for the light" (KJV) / "pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp" (ESV) (v.2). The lamp must burn "continually" (tamid) — perpetually, without interruption (v.2). Aaron tends it from evening to morning "before the LORD continually" (v.3) — outside the veil, in the Holy Place. The lamps are on "the pure candlestick" (KJV) / "the lampstand of pure gold" (ESV) (v.4). The oil is beaten (not pressed) — the finest quality, producing the clearest flame. Christ is the Light of the World (John 8:12); the Holy Spirit is the oil; the Church is called to let its light shine (Matthew 5:14-16). The light never goes out — God's presence and truth are perpetual.
The Showbread (vv.5-9): Twelve cakes of fine flour, two-tenths of an ephah each (v.5). Set in two rows of six on "the pure table" (KJV) / "the table of pure gold" (ESV) (v.6). Pure frankincense placed on each row as a memorial/food offering to the LORD (v.7). Replaced every Sabbath — a perpetual covenant (v.8). The old bread is eaten by Aaron and his sons in the holy place — "it is most holy" (v.9). Twelve loaves = twelve tribes — all Israel perpetually before God. The bread of the Presence (Hebrew: "lechem ha-panim" — bread of the face/presence) represents God's provision and Israel's constant fellowship with Him. Christ is the Bread of Life (John 6:35) — always present, always sustaining.
The Blasphemer (vv.10-16, 23): A man of mixed parentage — Israelite mother (Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, of Dan) and Egyptian father (v.10) — fights with an Israelite in the camp (v.10). He "blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed" (KJV) / "blasphemed the Name, and cursed" (ESV) (v.11). He is brought to Moses and held in custody until God reveals His will (v.12). God's verdict: bring him outside the camp; all who heard him lay hands on his head (transferring guilt back to him); the whole congregation stones him (v.14). The general principle: anyone who curses God bears his sin (v.15). Anyone who blasphemes the NAME of the LORD — death by stoning, whether native or stranger (v.16). The sentence is carried out (v.23). The severity reveals the weight of God's name. To blaspheme (naqav — to pierce, bore through) the Name is to assault God's very character and authority. The laying on of hands by witnesses shows corporate responsibility — those who heard the blasphemy return the guilt to its source.
The Law of Retaliation — Lex Talionis (vv.17-22): Whoever kills a man shall be put to death (v.17). Whoever kills an animal shall make restitution — "life for life" (v.18). If a man injures his neighbor: "as he hath done, so shall it be done to him" (v.19). "Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (v.20). Kill an animal — restore it; kill a man — death (v.21). ONE LAW for stranger and native alike (v.22). This is NOT a license for personal vengeance but a principle of PROPORTIONAL JUSTICE administered by the community. The punishment must fit the crime — no more, no less. It limits excessive retaliation (you cannot kill a man for knocking out your tooth) and ensures justice for the powerless (the stranger receives the same protection as the native). Jesus addresses this in Matthew 5:38-39, not abolishing the principle of justice but forbidding personal vengeance — "resist not evil" applies to personal insult, not to civil justice.

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes the connection between the perpetual lamp/bread and Christ as Light and Bread. He emphasizes that lex talionis was a limitation on vengeance, not a license for it — it prevented blood feuds by requiring proportional justice.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "The lamp must never go out. The bread must always be there. These are pictures of Christ who is always the Light, always the Bread, always before the Father on our behalf. And when a man blasphemes that Name — the Name above every name — he strikes at the very foundation of all that is holy. God will not hold him guiltless. The severity of the penalty reveals the infinite worth of the Name that was profaned."

Videos

The Bible Project — Leviticus Overview

Reflection

  • 1. The perpetual lamp (vv.2-4). The light must never go out. In the Church, we are called to be light-bearers (Matthew 5:14-16). The oil must be pure (the Holy Spirit's work), the lamp must be tended daily (spiritual disciplines), and the light must shine continually (faithful witness). Is your lamp burning? Is it tended? Or has neglect allowed it to flicker?
  • 2. The showbread (vv.5-9). Twelve loaves — always before God. Every tribe represented, none forgotten. God sees all His people, all the time. You are never out of His sight or His provision. The bread is renewed every Sabbath — God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23).
  • 3. The blasphemer (vv.10-16). Words matter. God's name is not to be used carelessly, flippantly, or in cursing. In our culture, God's name is used as an expletive constantly — and believers often become desensitized. "Neither shall ye profane my holy name" (22:32). Do you treat God's name with the weight it deserves? Do you speak of Him with reverence?
  • 4. "Eye for eye" (v.20). This is not cruelty — it is JUSTICE. It prevents both excessive punishment (you cannot kill for a bruise) and insufficient punishment (the powerful cannot escape consequences). It also means equal justice for all (v.22). God is impartial. His justice does not favor the rich or the native-born. In Christ, "there is neither Jew nor Greek" (Galatians 3:28).
  • 5. One law for all (v.22). The stranger receives the same justice as the native. God's moral law is universal — it does not change based on ethnicity, status, or origin. This principle of equal justice under law is foundational to Western civilization and flows directly from this text.