Matthew Poole and continuators on Leviticus 6

2 If 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 :

This sin, though directly committed against man onely, is here emphatically said to be done against the lord, not onely in general, for so every sin against man is also against the Lord, whose image in man is thereby injured, and whose law, which obligeth us to love and fidelity and justice to other men, is thereby violated; but in a more special sence, because this was a violation of humane society, whereof God is the author and president and defender; See Numb. 5. 6. and because it was a secret sin, of which God alone was the witness and judge; see Act. 5. 4. and because Gods name was abused in it by perjury, ver. 3.

To wit, in trust,

Heb. or in putting of the hand. Which may be either 1. another expression of the same thing immediately going before, which is very frequent in Scripture; and so the sence is, when one man puts any thing into another mans hand to keep for him, and, when he requires it, to restore it to him. Or 2. a distinct branch, which seems more probable, and so it belongs to commerce or fellowship in trading, which is very usual, when one man puts any thing into anothers hand not to keep it, as in the foregoing word or member, but to use and improve it for the common benefit of them both in which cases of partnership it is [illegible: 1+ letters]e for one to deceive the other, and therefore provision is here made against it. And this is called a putting of the hand, because such agreements and associations used to be confirmed by giving or joyning their hands together, Ier. 50. 15. Gal. 2. 9. Compare Exod. 23. 1.

To wit, secretly; for he seems to speak here of such sins as could not be proved by witness.

Get any thing from him by calumny or fraud, or circumvention; for so the word signifies.

Marginal references: Or, in [illegible: 1 word] ▪; Heb. putti[illegible: 1+ letters] of the hand.

3 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsly : in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:

His oath being required, seeing there was no other way of discovery left.

Marginal references: Numb. 5. 6.

4 Then 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:

This guilt of his being manifested either by his refusing to swear when called to it, as in some of the cases alledged: or by his voluntary confession upon remorse, whereby he reapeth this benefit, that he onely restores the principal with the addition of a fifth part, whereas if he were convicted of his fault, he was to pay double, Exod. 22. 9.

5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsly: he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass-offering .

It must not be delaved, but restitution to man must accompany repentance towards God. Compare Mat. 5. 23.

Marginal references: chap. 5. 16.; Or, in the day [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1+ letters]ing sound [illegible: 1 word] ▪; [illegible: 1 span] ▪

9 Command Aaron and his sons , saying, This is the Law of the burnt-offering : (it is the burnt-offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night, unto the morning , and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.)

Hitherto he hath prescribed the sacrifices themselves, now he comes to the manner of them

To wit, of the daily one, of which Exod▪ 29. 38. Numb. 28. 3. as the following words shew.

The meaning is the evening-burnt-offering was to be so managed and laid on piece after piece that the fire might be constantly maintained by it. It is to be understood, that the offerings were to be kept burning all the day from morning to night also but he mentions not that, because there was so great a [illegible: 1 word] and such a constant succession of sacrifices in the day time that there needed [illegible: 1 word] Law for seeding and keeping in the fire then, the onely danger was for the night, when other sacrifices were not [illegible: 1+ letters]red, but onely the evening-burnt-offering, which if it had been consumed quickly, as the morning burnt-offering was, there had been danger of the going out of that fire, which they were commanded diligently and constantly to keep in and maintain, here below, ver. 13.

Marginal references: Or, for the [illegible: 1+ letters]ing.

10 And 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 besides the altar.

(i. e.) His li[illegible: 1+ letters]n co[illegible: 1+ letters]: O[illegible: 1+ letters] which see Exod. 28. 39, 40.

The ashes are said to be consumed improperly, when the wood is confumed into ashes, as [illegible: 1 word] is said to be ground, Esa. 47. 2. when the [illegible: 1 word] is ground into m[illegible: 1+ letters]l; and the naked to be stripped of their [illegible: 1 word], Io[illegible: 1+ letters] 22. 6. when by being stripped they are made naked.

11 And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments , and carry forth the ashes without the camp, unto a clean place .

Because this was no sacred, but a common work.

Where no dung or filth was [illegible: 1+ letters]aid, See Levit. 4. 12. and compare Levit. 14. 40, 41.

12 And 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.

The fire coming down from Heaven, Levit. [illegible: 1+ letters]. 24. was to be perpetually preserved, and not suffered to go out, [illegible: 1+ letters]artly that there might be no occasion nor temptation to offer strange fire, nor to mingle their inventions with Gods appointments; and partly to teach them whence they were to expect the acceptance of all their sacrifices, even from the divine mercy and grace, signified by the fire which came down from Heaven which was an usual token of Gods favourable acceptance. See the notes on Gen. 4▪ 4, 5.

Though the evening also be doubtless intended as it appears from [illegible: 1+ letters]. 9 and from the nature of the thing, yet the morning onely is mentioned, because then the altar was cleansed and the ashes taken away, and a new fire made.

(i. e.) Upon the burnt-offering, which thereby would be sooner consumed, that so way might be made for other sacrifices, which were many.

Marginal references: chap. 3. [illegible: 1 word] 14.

14 And this is the law of the meat offering : the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.

To wit, of that which was offered alone, and that by any of the people not by the Priest for then it must have been all burnt. This law delivered, Levit. 2. is here repeated for the sake of some additions here made to it as it is a common practise of Law makers▪ when they make additional Laws to recite such laws to which such additions belong.

Marginal references: chap. 2. [illegible: 1+ letters]. Numb. 1[illegible: 1+ letters]. [illegible: 1+ letters].

16 And 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.

The males onely might eat these because they were most holy things, whereas the daughters of Aaron might eat other holy things, Numb. 18. 11.

Or rather, [illegible: 1 word], for with is not in the Hebrew, and it disturbs the sense: For since the meat-offering it self was fine flour, Levit. 2. 1. It is not likely that they eat it with [illegible: 1 word] bread.

In some special room appointed for that purpose. See Levit. 8. 31. 1 Sam 3. 3. Ezek. 42. 13. and 46. 19, 24▪ The reason why this was to be eaten onely by holy persons [illegible: 1+ letters]nd that in an holy place is given ver 17. because it is most holy, and therefore to be treated with greater reverence.

Marginal references: chap. 2. 3.; Heb. It shall be eaten unleavened, chap. 10. 12.; chap. 10. 12.

17 It shall not be baken with leaven: I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire: it is most holy, as is the sin-offering, and as the trespass-offering.

That part which remains to the Priest: for the part here offered to God seems not to have been bake at all.

Marginal references: Num. 18. 9, 1[illegible: 1+ letters].; chap. 2. 3.

18 All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations, concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy .

It may be understood either 1. Of persons that none should touch, or eat them but consecrated persons, to wit, Priests. Or this may be an additional caution, that they w[illegible: 1+ letters]o eat them should be not onely Priests or their made-children, but also [illegible: 1 word], i. e. having no uncleanness upon them, [illegible: 1 word] in that case even the Priests themselves might not touch them Or [illegible: 1 word] 2. O[illegible: 1+ letters] things, as may be gathered by compari[illegible: 1+ letters] [illegible: 1 word] with ver. 2[illegible: 1+ letters]. 28. Whatsoever toucheth them, as [illegible: 1 word] the [illegible: 1 word] that receives them, the knife, or spoon, &c. which is used about them, those shall be taken for holy, and not employed [illegible: 1+ letters]or common uses. See Exod. 29. 37.

Marginal references: chap. 22. 4, 5, 6.

20 This is the offering of Aaron, and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD, in the day when he is anointed : the tenth part of an Ephah of fine flour for a meat-offering perpetual , half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night .

When any of them are anointed for High-Priest, for he onely of all the Priests was to be anointed in future ages. This Law of his consecration was delivered before Exod. 29. 2, 24, 25. and is here repeared because of some additions made to it.

To wit, whensoever any of them shall be so anointed.

Or, In the evening: the one to be annexed to the morning sacrifice, the other to the evening sacrifice, over and besides that meatoffering which every day was to be added to the daily morning and evening sacrifices▪ Exod. 29. 40.

Marginal references: Exod. 16. 36▪

21 In a pan it shall be made with oyl, and when it is baken , thou shalt bring it in: and the baken pieces of the meat-offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Or, Fryed▪ so that it swells and bubbles up.

Who art so anointed and consecrated, verse 22.

23 For every meat-offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten .

No part of it shall be eaten by the Priest, as it was when the offering was for the people. The reason of the difference is, partly because when he offered it for the people, he was to have some recompence for his pains, which he could not expect when he offered it for himself; partly to signifie the imperfection of the Levitical Priests, who could not bear their own iniquity; for the Priests eating part of the peoples sacrifices did signifie his typical bearing of the peoples iniquity, as appears from Levit. 10. 17. and partly to teach the Priests and Ministers of God, that it is their duty to serve God with singleness of heart, and to be content with Gods honour, though they have no present advantage by it.

26 The 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.

For the sins of the rulers, or of the people, or any of them, but not for the sins of the Priests; for then its blood was brought into the Tabernacle, and therefore it might not be eaten.

Marginal references: chap. 21. 22.

27 Whatsoever 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 .

Of which see the note on verse 18.

Upon the Priests garment, for it was he onely that sprinkled it, and in so doing he might easily sprinkle his garments.

Partly out of reverence to the blood of sacrifices, which hereby was kept from a prophane or common touch: and partly that such garments might be decent and fit for sacred administrations.

Marginal references: Or, whosoever. ver. 18.

28 But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden, shall be broken : and if it be sodden in a brazen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water .

Because being full of pores, the liquor in which it was sodden might castly sink into it▪ whereby it was ceremonially holy and therefore was broken▪ least afterwards it should be abused to prophane or common uses.

And not broken▪ as being of considerable value which therefore God would not have unnecessarily wasted. And this being of a more solid substance than an earthen vessel was not so apt to drink in the humour.

Marginal references: chap. 11. 33.

30 And no sin-offering whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place shall be eaten, it shall be burnt in the fire.

Such were the sacrifices offered for the High-priest, or for the whole assembly, either severally, Levit. 4. 7, 18. or jointly for both in the yearly atonement, Levit. 16. 27, 33.

Marginal references: Heb. 13. 1[illegible: 1+ letters].