15 and the priest hath brought it near unto the altar, and hath wrung off its head, and hath made perfume on the altar, and its blood hath been wrung out by the side of the altar;
and he hath brought them in unto the priest, and hath brought near that which `is' for a sin-offering first, and hath wrung off its head from its neck, and doth not separate `it', and he hath sprinkled of the blood of the sin-offering on the side of the altar, and that which is left of the blood is wrung out at the foundation of the altar; it `is' a sin-offering.
To the Overseer, on `The Hind of the Morning.' -- A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation, The words of my roaring?
To the Overseer. -- `On the Lilies,' by David. Save me, O God, for come have waters unto the soul. I have sunk in deep mire, And there is no standing, I have come into the depths of the waters, And a flood hath overflown me. I have been wearied with my calling, Burnt hath been my throat, Consumed have been mine eyes, waiting for my God. Those hating me without cause Have been more than the hairs of my head, Mighty have been my destroyers, My lying enemies, That which I took not away -- I bring back. O God, Thou -- Thou hast known Concerning my overturn, And my desolations from Thee have not been hid. Let not those waiting on Thee be ashamed because of me, O Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Let not those seeking Thee Blush because of me, O God of Israel. For because of Thee I have borne reproach, Shame hath covered my face. A stranger I have been to my brother, And a foreigner to sons of my mother. For zeal for Thy house hath consumed me, And the reproaches of Thy reproachers Have fallen upon me. And I weep in the fasting of my soul, And it is for a reproach to me. And I make my clothing sackcloth, And I am to them for a simile. Those sitting at the gate meditate concerning me, And those drinking strong drink, Play on instruments. And I -- my prayer `is' to Thee, O Jehovah, A time of good pleasure, O God, In the abundance of Thy kindness, Answer me in the truth of Thy salvation. Deliver me from the mire, and let me not sink, Let me be delivered from those hating me, And from deep places of waters. Let not a flood of waters overflow me, Nor let the deep swallow me up, Nor let the pit shut her mouth upon me. Answer me, O Jehovah, for good `is' Thy kindness, According to the abundance Of Thy mercies turn Thou unto me, And hide not Thy face from Thy servant, For I am in distress -- haste, answer me. Be near unto my soul -- redeem it, Because of mine enemies ransom me. Thou -- Thou hast known my reproach, And my shame, and my blushing, Before Thee `are' all mine adversaries. Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am sick, And I look for a bemoaner, and there is none, And for comforters, and I have found none. And they give for my food gall, And for my thirst cause me to drink vinegar.
Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains -- he hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted. And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace `is' on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us.
And it came to pass, when Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples, `Ye have known that after two days the passover cometh, and the Son of Man is delivered up to be crucified.' Then were gathered together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, to the court of the chief priest who was called Caiaphas; and they consulted together that they might take Jesus by guile, and kill `him', and they said, `Not in the feast, that there may not be a tumult among the people.' And Jesus having been in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came to him a woman having an alabaster box of ointment, very precious, and she poured on his head as he is reclining (at meat). And having seen `it', his disciples were much displeased, saying, `To what purpose `is' this waste? for this ointment could have been sold for much, and given to the poor.' And Jesus having known, said to them, `Why do ye give trouble to the woman? for a good work she wrought for me; for the poor always ye have with you, and me ye have not always; for she having put this ointment on my body -- for my burial she did `it'. Verily I say to you, Wherever this good news may be proclaimed in the whole world, what this `one' did shall also be spoken of -- for a memorial of her.' Then one of the twelve, who is called Judas Iscariot, having gone unto the chief priests, said, `What are ye willing to give me, and I will deliver him up to you?' and they weighed out to him thirty silverlings, and from that time he was seeking a convenient season to deliver him up. And on the first `day' of the unleavened food came the disciples near to Jesus, saying to him, `Where wilt thou `that' we may prepare for thee to eat the passover?' and he said, `Go away to the city, unto such a one, and say to him, The Teacher saith, My time is nigh; near thee I keep the passover, with my disciples;' and the disciples did as Jesus appointed them, and prepared the passover. And evening having come, he was reclining (at meat) with the twelve, and while they are eating, he said, `Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up.' And being grieved exceedingly, they began to say to him, each of them, `Is it I, Sir?' And he answering said, `He who did dip with me the hand in the dish, he will deliver me up; the Son of Man doth indeed go, as it hath been written concerning him, but wo to that man through whom the Son of Man is delivered up! good it were for him if that man had not been born.' And Judas -- he who delivered him up -- answering said, `Is it I, Rabbi?' He saith to him, `Thou hast said.' And while they were eating, Jesus having taken the bread, and having blessed, did brake, and was giving to the disciples, and said, `Take, eat, this is my body;' and having taken the cup, and having given thanks, he gave to them, saying, `Drink ye of it -- all;
and you, the anointing that ye did receive from him, in you it doth remain, and ye have no need that any one may teach you, but as the same anointing doth teach you concerning all, and is true, and is not a lie, and even as was taught you, ye shall remain in him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Leviticus 1
Commentary on Leviticus 1 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 1
Le 1:1-17. Burnt Offerings of the Herd.
1. the Lord … spake … out of the tabernacle—The laws that are contained in the previous record were delivered either to the people publicly from Sinai, or to Moses privately, on the summit of that mountain; but on the completion of the tabernacle, the remainder of the law was announced to the Hebrew leader by an audible voice from the divine glory, which surmounted the mercy seat.
2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them—If the subject of communication were of a temporal nature, the Levites were excluded; but if it were a spiritual matter, all the tribes were comprehended under this name (De 27:12).
If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord—The directions given here relate solely to voluntary or freewill offerings—those rendered over and above such, as being of standing and universal obligation, could not be dispensed with or commuted for any other kind of offering (Ex 29:38; Le 23:37; Nu 28:3, 11-27, &c.).
bring your offering of the cattle, &c.—that is, those animals that were not only tame, innocent and gentle, but useful and adapted for food. This rule excluded horses, dogs, swine, camels, and asses, which were used in sacrifice by some heathen nations, beasts and birds of prey, as also hares and deers.
3. a burnt sacrifice—so called from its being wholly consumed on the altar; no part of it was eaten either by the priests or the offerer. It was designed to propitiate the anger of God incurred by original sin, or by particular transgressions; and its entire combustion indicated the self-dedication of the offerer—his whole nature—his body and soul—as necessary to form a sacrifice acceptable to God (Ro 12:1; Php 1:20). This was the most ancient as well as the most conspicuous mode of sacrifice.
a male without blemish—No animal was allowed to be offered that had any deformity or defect. Among the Egyptians, a minute inspection was made by the priest; and the bullock having been declared perfect, a certificate to that effect being fastened to its horns with wax, was sealed with his ring, and no other might be substituted. A similar process of examining the condition of the beasts brought as offerings, seems to have been adopted by the priests in Israel (Joh 6:27).
at the door of the tabernacle—where stood the altar of burnt offering (Ex 40:6). Every other place was forbidden, under the highest penalty (Le 17:4).
4. shall put his hand upon the head—This was a significant act which implied not only that the offerer devoted the animal to God, but that he confessed his consciousness of sin and prayed that his guilt and its punishment might be transferred to the victim.
and it shall be—rather, "that it may be an acceptable atonement."
5. he shall kill the bullock—The animal should be killed by the offerer, not by the priest, for it was not his duty in case of voluntary sacrifices; in later times, however, the office was generally performed by Levites.
before the Lord—on the spot where the hands had been laid upon the animal's head, on the north side of the altar.
sprinkle the blood—This was to be done by the priests. The blood being considered the life, the effusion of it was the essential part of the sacrifice; and the sprinkling of it—the application of the atonement—made the person and services of the offerer acceptable to God. The skin having been stripped off, and the carcass cut up, the various pieces were disposed on the altar in the manner best calculated to facilitate their being consumed by the fire.
8. the fat—that about the kidneys especially, which is called "suet."
9. but his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water, &c.—This part of the ceremony was symbolical of the inward purity, and the holy walk, that became acceptable worshippers.
a sweet savour unto the Lord—is an expression of the offerer's piety, but especially as a sacrificial type of Christ.
10-13. if his offering be of the flocks—Those who could not afford the expense of a bullock might offer a ram or a he-goat, and the same ceremonies were to be observed in the act of offering.
14-17. if the burnt sacrifice … be of fowls—The gentle nature and cleanly habits of the dove led to its selection, while all other fowls were rejected, either for the fierceness of their disposition or the grossness of their taste; and in this case, there being from the smallness of the animal no blood for waste, the priest was directed to prepare it at the altar and sprinkle the blood. This was the offering appointed for the poor. The fowls were always offered in pairs, and the reason why Moses ordered two turtledoves or two young pigeons, was not merely to suit the convenience of the offerer, but according as the latter was in season; for pigeons are sometimes quite hard and unfit for eating, at which time turtledoves are very good in Egypt and Palestine. The turtledoves are not restricted to any age because they are always good when they appear in those countries, being birds of passage; but the age of the pigeons is particularly marked that they might not be offered to God at times when they are rejected by men [Harmer]. It is obvious, from the varying scale of these voluntary sacrifices, that the disposition of the offerer was the thing looked to—not the costliness of his offering.