Leviticus2:1–16

as the Jews say, this word is used because the Minchah, or meat offering here spoken of, was a freewill offering, and was offered up with all the heart and soul; and one that offered in this manner, it was all one as if he offered his soul to the Lord

The word used in the original for "meat offering" ( minchah ), means, like its Greek equivalent, δῶρον , a gift made by an inferior to a superior. Thus the sacrifices of Cain and Abel were their "minchah" to God ( Genesis 4:3, 4 ), the present sent to Esau by Jacob was his "minchah" ( Genesis 32:13 )

But it should not be overlooked that the grain had been modified, and made useful, by man's own labor. Hence, it has been supposed that the מנחה mı̂nchāh expressed a confession that all our good works are performed in God and are due to Him.

It does not mean the prize portion, i.e., the portion offered for the glory of God, as De Dieu and Rosenmller maintain, still less the fragrance-offering (Ewald), but the memorial, or remembrance-portion, μνημόσυνον or ἀνάμνησις ( Leviticus 24:7 , lxx), memoriale (Vulg.), inasmuch as that part of the minchah which was placed upon the altar ascended in the smoke of the fire

Memorial. —So called because it was designed to bring the worshipper into the grateful remembrance of God, and to remind him, as it were, of His promise to accept the service of His people rendered to Him in accordance with his command.

The frankincense is not mixed with the flour and the oil and the salt, as a constituent element of the offering, but is placed upon them, and is all of it burnt in "the memorial," symbolizing the need of adding prayer to sacrifice, that the latter may be acceptable to God.

The personal pronoun in the English version refers to the person who brings the offering, but the subject of the verb ‘take’ is the priest mentioned in the following clause

A thing most holy - literally, a holy of holies. All offerings were holy, including the portions of the peace-offerings which were eaten by the laity; but that was "most holy" of which every part was devoted either to the altar, or to the use of the priests.

it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire; some offerings with the Jews were only holy things, or, as they call them, "light" holy things, comparatively speaking; others were heavy holy things, or most holy; or, as it is in the original, "holiness of holiness", the most holy of all.

The circumstance of a portion of it being appropriated to the use of the priests distinguishes this from a burnt offering. They alone were to partake of it within the sacred precincts, as among "the most holy things."

Challoth: probably from חלל to pierce, perforated cakes, of a thicker kind. Rekkim: from רקק to be beaten out thin; hence cakes or pancakes. As the latter were to be smeared with oil, we cannot understand בּלוּל as signifying merely the pouring of oil upon the baked cakes, but must take it in the sense of mingled, mixed, i.e., kneaded with oil

The oven is probably the portable pot, open at the top, about three feet high and liable to be broken ( Leviticus 11:35 ), which is still used in the East for making bread and cakes. After the vessel is thoroughly heated, the dough, which is made into large, thin, oval cakes resembling pancakes or Scotch oatcakes, is dexterously thrown against the sides, the aperture above is covered, and the bread is completely baked in a few minutes.

The oil denoted the grace of the Spirit of God in Christ, and in his people; and being unleavened, the sincerity and truth with which the meat offering, Christ, is to be upon.

Better, a flat plate. This is probably the iron fire-plate ( Ezekiel 5:3 ), with a convex surface, which is placed horizontally upon stones about nine inches from the ground, and underneath which the fire is kindled, used by the Arabs to this day.

a thin plate, generally of copper or iron, placed on a slow fire, similar to what the country people in Scotland called a "girdle" for baking oatmeal cakes.

Machabath is a pan, made, according to Ezekiel 4:3 , of iron-no doubt a large iron plate, such as the Arabs still use for baking unleavened bread in large round cakes made flat and thin

Part it in pieces - Break, not cut. The Bedouins are in the habit of breaking up their cakes when warm and mixing the fragments with butter when that luxury can be obtained.

The cake thus baked was not to be offered as a whole, but broken up in pieces and mingled with oil. Bread, broken in pieces and steeped in oil, butter, milk, or sweet juices, still constitutes a favourite dish among the Bedouin Arabs.

Thou shalt part it in pieces,.... This answered to the dividing of the pieces of the burnt offering, Leviticus 1:6 and signified the same thing

Better, boiled in a pan. This is a deeper vessel than the frying-pan, and corresponds more to our stew-pan or pot. In this deep vessel the cakes were boiled in oil.

Marchesheth is not a gridiron (ἔσχαρα, lxx); but, as it is derived from חרשׁ, ebullivit, it must apply to a vessel in which food was boiled. We have therefore to think of cakes boiled in oil.

all these acts of mixing the flour, and kneading, and baking, and frying, and cutting in pieces, as well as burning part on the altar, signify the dolorous sufferings of Christ when he was sacrificed for us, to be both an atonement for our sins, and food for our faith

Whichever of the three cereal preparations is preferred, the offerer is to present it to the priest, who is to take it to the altar. During the second Temple, the pieces were put into a ministering vessel, oil and frankincense were then put on them, and the vessel was carried by the offerer to the priest, and the priest carried it to the altar

And thou shalt bring the meat offering, that is made of these things, unto the Lord,.... Either to the tabernacle, the house of the Lord, or to the Lord's priest, as it follows: and when it is presented to the priest; by the owner of it: he shall bring it unto the altar

that is made of these things ] of the things prepared as described in the preceding verses.

Leviticus 2:9-10 , which conclude the law about the bloodless offerings, resume and expand the directions given in Leviticus 2:1-2 .

And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof,.... That is, an handful of it; as of the fine flour, Leviticus 2:2 so of the pieces of that which was baked, whether in the oven, or pan, or fryingpan: and shall burn it upon the altar

And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.

And that which is left of the meat offering,.... Not burnt with fire: shall be Aaron's and his sons'; the high priest took his part first, and then the common priests: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire

the greater part of this offering was to be eaten for food, not burned. These meat-offerings are mentioned after the burnt-offerings: without an interest in the sacrifice of Christ, and devotedness of heart to God, such services cannot be accepted.

Both leaven and honey produce fermentation, a process which has been associated in thought with the working of unruly desires, and considered as a symbol of evil. The idea of corruption in connexion with leaven was familiar to the Romans. Plutarch ( Quaest. Rom. 109) says: ‘Leaven is born of corruption, and corrupts that with which it is mixed … all fermentation is a kind of putrefaction.’

This was forbidden, partly to remind them of their deliverance out of Egypt, when they were forced through haste to bring away their meal or dough (which was the matter of this oblation) unleavened; partly to signify what Christ would be, and what they should be, pure and free from all error in the faith and worship of God, and from all hypocrisy, and malice or wickedness, all which are signified by leaven.

Nothing sweet or sour was to be offered. In the warm climates of the East leavened bread soon spoils, and hence it was regarded as the emblem of hypocrisy or corruption.

voluntary offerings made by individuals out of their increase, and leaven and honey might be used with these (Le 23:17; Nu 15:20). Though presented at the altar, they were not consumed, but assigned by God for the use of the priests.

Better, as an oblation of firstfruits ye may offer them. This verse mentions an exception to the rule laid down in the previous one. i.e., leaven and honey, which are excluded from the meat offerings, may be used with firstfruits.

you shall or may offer them, or either of them, to wit, leaven or honey, which were offered and accepted in that case, Leviticus 23:17 2 Chronicles 31:5 . They shall not be burnt; but reserved for the priests

From its antiseptic and savoury qualities, salt became the symbol of hospitality, friendship, durability, fidelity. “To eat bread and salt together” is, in the East, an expression for a league of mutual amity (Russell, Aleppo, i. 232). When the Arabs make a covenant together, they put salt on the blade of a sword, from whence every one puts a little into his mouth. This constitutes them blood relations, and they remain faithful to each other even when in danger of life (Ritter, Erd. 14:960). Hence the expression “a covenant of salt,” which also occurs in Numbers 18:19 , and 2Chronicles 13:5 , denotes an indissoluble alliance, an everlasting covenant.

It was the one symbol which was never absent from the altar of burnt-offering, showing the imperishablness of the love of Yahweh for His people. In its unalterable nature, it is the contrary of leaven (yeast).

salt of the sacrifice is called the salt of the covenant, because in common life salt was the symbol of covenant; treaties being concluded and rendered firm and inviolable, according to a well-known custom of the ancient Greeks (see Eustathius ad Iliad. i. 449) which is still retained among the Arabs, by the parties to an alliance eating bread and salt together, as a sign of the treaty which they had made.

it had a typical meaning referred to by our Lord concerning the effect of the Gospel on those who embrace it (Mr 9:49, 50); as when plentifully applied it preserves meat from spoiling, so will the Gospel keep men from being corrupted by sin.

The third kind was the meat-offering of first-fruits, i.e., of the first ripening corn. This was to be offered in the form of "ears parched or roasted by the fire; in other words, to be made from ears which had been roasted at the fire. To this is added the further definition כּרמל גּרשׂ "rubbed out of field-fruit." גּרשׂ, from גּרשׂ equals גּרס, to rub to pieces, that which is rubbed to pieces; it only occurs here and in Leviticus 2:14 and Leviticus 2:16 . כּרמל is applied generally to a corn-field, in Isaiah 29:17 and Isaiah 32:16 to cultivated ground, as distinguished from desert; here, and in Leviticus 23:14 and 2 Kings 4:42 , it is used metonymically for field-fruit, and denotes early or the first-ripe corn.

Green ears of corn - Rather, "fresh ears of corn;" that is, just-ripe grain, freshly gathered. Parched grain, such as is here spoken of, is a common article of food in Syria and Egypt, and was very generally eaten in ancient times. Beaten out - Not rubbed out by the hands, as described in Luke 6:1 , but bruised or crushed so as to form groats.

the firstfruits were a type of Christ, who is so called, 1 Corinthians 15:23 the beating of the ears of corn, and drying of them by the fire, and the grinding of them, denoted the sufferings of Christ.

The rçshîth of Leviticus 2:12 is not to be offered on the altar, while the ‘memorial’ of the bikkûrîm is offered ( Leviticus 2:16 ) as ‘an offering made by fire unto the Lord .’

And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon,.... Either on the ears of corn dried, or on the fine flour of them when ground; in like manner as the oil and frankincense were put upon the fine flour of wheat, and upon the cakes and wafers baked, Leviticus 2:1 . it is a meat offering; one sort of it, and like the rest.

Whatever was brought to God must be the best in its kind, though it were but green ears of corn. Oil and frankincense must be put upon it. Wisdom and humility soften and sweeten the spirits and services of young people, and their green ears of corn shall be acceptable. God takes delight in the first ripe fruits of the Spirit, and the expressions of early piety and devotion.

this seems to have been a voluntary offering before the harvest—the ears being prepared in the favorite way of Eastern people, by parching them at the fire, and then beating them out for use. It was designed to be an early tribute of pious thankfulness for the earth's increase

The fire denotes the fervency of spirit which ought to be in all our religious services. Holy love is the fire by which all our offerings must be made; else they are not of a sweet savour to God.

The priest shall burn the memorial of it,.... That which is taken out of it for a memorial, the same with the handful of fine flour and cakes of the meat offering: part of the beaten corn thereof; or that which was ground in a mill: and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; as was done in the other meat offerings

Holy love to God is the fire by which all our offerings must be made. The frankincense denotes the mediation and intercession of Christ, by which our services are accepted. Blessed be God that we have the substance, of which these observances were but shadows.