Leviticus — Chapter 6
Loading ESV text...
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;
3Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:
4Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,
5Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto,
6And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:
7And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
8And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
9Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This
10And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
11And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.
12And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.
13The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
14And this
15And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which
16And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it.
17It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it
18All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it.
19And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
20This
21In a pan it shall be made with oil;
22And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it:
23For every meat offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.
24And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
25Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This
26The 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.
27Whatsoever 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.
28But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.
29All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it
30And no sin offering, whereof
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2If any one sin, and commit a trespass against Jehovah, and deal falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or have oppressed his neighbor,
3or have found that which was lost, and deal falsely therein, and swear to a lie; in any of all these things that a man doeth, sinning therein;
4then it shall be, if he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he hath gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found,
5or any thing about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in full, and shall add the fifth part more thereto: unto him to whom it appertaineth shall he give it, in the day of his being found guilty.
6And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest:
7and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah; and he shall be forgiven concerning whatsoever he doeth so as to be guilty thereby.
8And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
9Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt-offering: the burnt-offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night unto the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning thereon.
10And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes whereto the fire hath consumed the burnt-offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
11And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.
12And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereon, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning: and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and shall burn thereon the fat of the peace-offerings.
13Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.
14And this is the law of the meal-offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before Jehovah, before the altar.
15And he shall take up therefrom his handful, of the fine flour of the meal-offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meal-offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor, as the memorial thereof, unto Jehovah.
16And that which is left thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.
17It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as the sin-offering, and as the trespass-offering.
18Every male among the children of Aaron shall eat of it, as [his] portion for ever throughout your generations, from the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: whosoever toucheth them shall be holy.
19And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
20This is the oblation of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto Jehovah in the day when he is anointed: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half thereof in the evening.
21On a baking-pan it shall be made with oil; when it is soaked, thou shalt bring it in: in baken pieces shalt thou offer the meal-offering for a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
22And the anointed priest that shall be in his stead from among his sons shall offer it: by a statute for ever it shall be wholly burnt unto Jehovah.
23And every meal-offering of the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.
24And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
25Speak 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 Jehovah: it is most holy.
26The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.
27Whatsoever 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 a holy place.
28But the earthen vessel wherein it is boiled shall be broken; and if it be boiled in a brazen vessel, it shall be scoured, and rinsed in water.
29Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy.
30And no sin-offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt with fire.
1(5:20) Then the Lord spoke to Moses:
2“When a person sins and commits a trespass against the Lord by deceiving his fellow citizen in regard to something held in trust, or a pledge, or something stolen, or by extorting something from his fellow citizen,
3or has found something lost and denies it and swears falsely concerning any one of the things that someone might do to sin—
4when it happens that he sins and he is found guilty, then he must return whatever he had stolen, or whatever he had extorted, or the thing that he had held in trust, or the lost thing that he had found,
5or anything about which he swears falsely. He must restore it in full and add one-fifth to it; he must give it to its owner when he is found guilty.
6Then he must bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels, for a guilt offering to the priest.
7So the priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord and he will be forgiven for whatever he has done to become guilty.”
8(6:1) Then the Lord spoke to Moses:
9“Command Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth on the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar must be kept burning on it.
10Then the priest must put on his linen robe and must put linen leggings over his bare flesh, and he must take up the fatty ashes of the burnt offering that the fire consumed on the altar, and he must place them beside the altar.
11Then he must take off his clothes and put on other clothes, and he must bring the fatty ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place,
12but the fire which is on the altar must be kept burning on it. It must not be extinguished. So the priest must kindle wood on it morning by morning, and he must arrange the burnt offering on it and offer the fat of the peace offering up in smoke on it.
13A continual fire must be kept burning on the altar. It must not be extinguished.
14“‘This is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron are to present it before the Lord in front of the altar,
15and the priest must take up with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of the grain offering and some of its olive oil, and all of the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and he must offer its memorial portion up in smoke on the altar as a soothing aroma to the Lord.
16Aaron and his sons are to eat what is left over from it. It must be eaten unleavened in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent.
17It must not be baked with yeast. I have given it as their portion from my gifts. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
18Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. It is a perpetual allotted portion throughout your generations from the gifts of the Lord. Anyone who touches these gifts must be holy.’”
19Then the Lord spoke to Moses:
20“This is the offering of Aaron and his sons which they must present to the Lord on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of choice wheat flour as a continual grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.
21It must be made with olive oil on a griddle, and you must bring it well soaked, so you must present a grain offering of broken pieces as a soothing aroma to the Lord.
22The high priest who succeeds him from among his sons must do it. It is a perpetual statute; it must be offered up in smoke as a whole offering to the Lord.
23Every grain offering of a priest must be a whole offering; it must not be eaten.”
24Then the Lord spoke to Moses:
25“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered the sin offering must be slaughtered before the Lord. It is most holy.
26The priest who offers it for sin is to eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent.
27Anyone who touches its meat must be holy, and whoever spatters some of its blood on a garment must wash whatever he spatters it on in a holy place.
28Any clay vessel it is boiled in must be broken, and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then that vessel must be rubbed out and rinsed in water.
29Any male among the priests may eat it. It is most holy.
30But any sin offering from which some of its blood is brought into the Meeting Tent to make atonement in the sanctuary must not be eaten. It must be burned up in the fire.
1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2“If anyone sins, and commits a trespass against Yahweh, and deals falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or has oppressed his neighbor,
3or has found that which was lost, and dealt falsely therein, and swearing to a lie; in any of these things that a man does, sinning therein;
4then it shall be, if he has sinned, and is guilty, he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he has gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found,
5or any thing about which he has sworn falsely; he shall restore it even in full, and shall add a fifth part more to it. He shall return it to him to whom it belongs in the day of his being found guilty.
6He shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh, a ram without defect from the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest.
7The priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh, and he will be forgiven concerning whatever he does to become guilty.”
8Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
9“Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering: the burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.
10The priest shall put on his linen garment, and he shall put on his linen breeches upon his body; and he shall remove the ashes from where the fire has consumed the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
11He shall take off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning: and he shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.
13Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.
14“‘This is the law of the meal offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before Yahweh, before the altar.
15He shall take from there his handful of the fine flour of the meal offering, and of its oil, and all the frankincense which is on the meal offering, and shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma, as its memorial, to Yahweh.
16That which is left of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten without yeast in a holy place. They shall eat it in the court of the Tent of Meeting.
17It shall not be baked with yeast. I have given it as their portion of my offerings made by fire. It is most holy, as the sin offering, and as the trespass offering.
18Every male among the children of Aaron shall eat of it, as their portion forever throughout your generations, from the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. Whoever touches them shall be holy.’”
19Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
20“This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer to Yahweh in the day when he is anointed: one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half of it in the evening.
21It shall be made with oil in a griddle. When it is soaked, you shall bring it in. You shall offer the meal offering in baked pieces for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
22The anointed priest that will be in his place from among his sons shall offer it. By a statute forever, it shall be wholly burned to Yahweh.
23Every meal offering of a priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten.”
24Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
25“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: in the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before Yahweh. It is most holy.
26The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the Tent of Meeting.
27Whatever shall touch its flesh shall be holy. When there is any of its blood sprinkled on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled in a holy place.
28But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken; and if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, it shall be scoured, and rinsed in water.
29Every male among the priests shall eat of it: it is most holy.
30No sin offering, of which any of the blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be eaten: it shall be burned with fire.
Summary
God gives further instructions for the priests on maintaining the offerings — the fire on the altar must never go out.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes the perpetual fire as representing God's constant readiness to receive worship and the believer's call to unceasing devotion. He notes the restitution principle: sacrifice without making things right with your neighbor is insufficient.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The Fire That Never Goes Out" "The fire shall NEVER go out — here is the heart of worship. God does not sleep. His altar is never cold. His readiness to receive the sinner never wanes. And so our devotion must be: not a flash of enthusiasm that dies by Tuesday, but a steady flame that burns through every season. Keep the fire burning, Christian. Add the wood of prayer every morning. Let the fat of praise ascend continually. The altar of your heart must never grow cold."
Reflection
- 1. "Commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour" (v.2). Sin against people IS sin against God. You cannot wrong your neighbor and be right with God. Is there anyone you need to make restitution to?
- 2. "He shall restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part" (v.5). God requires MORE than what was taken — not just making it even, but making it MORE than even. Repentance costs something. Are you willing to go beyond "fair" in making things right?
- 3. "The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out" (v.13). Is the fire of your devotion still burning? Or has it gone cold? What "wood" do you need to add this morning — prayer, Scripture, worship, obedience — to keep the flame alive?
- 4. The priest's grain offering is wholly burned — he cannot eat his own offering (v.23). Those who serve God cannot serve themselves with what belongs to God. Ministry is not self-serving.
- 5. "First be reconciled to thy brother" (Matthew 5:23-24). The guilt offering teaches that worship without reconciliation is empty. God refuses the sacrifice of someone who won't make things right with their neighbor.