This book is commonly called by the Jews Vajikra, from the first word with which it begins, and sometimes Μθνηκ τρωτ, “the law of the priests” [[0]]; and this is its name in the Syriac and Arabic versions: by the Septuagint interpreters it is called נסכiתiצעל, and by the Latins, Leviticus, or the…

And the Lord called unto Moses Or “met him”, as the phrase is rendered in . The word (ויקרא) , translated “called”, the last letter of it is written in a very small character, to show, as the Jews [[1]] say, that he met him accidentally, and unawares to Moses: other mysteries they observe in it, as…

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them For unto no other was the law of sacrifices given; not to the Gentiles, but to the children of Israel: if any man; or woman, for the word “man”, as Ben Gersom observes, includes the whole species: of you; of you Israelites; the Targum of Jonathan…

If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd So called, because consumed by fire, see even all of it except the skin, and therefore its name with the Greeks is “a whole burnt offering”, as in its name in Hebrew is (עולה) , which comes from a word which signifies to “ascend” or “go up”, because…

And he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering According to the Targum of Jonathan, it was his right hand; but it is generally thought by the Jewish writers that both hands were laid on; so Ben Gersom and Aben Ezra, with whom Maimonides and it shall be accepted for him to make…

And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord That is, the man that brings the burnt offering, for no other is yet spoken of; and according to the traditions of the elders [[7]], killing of the sacrifice was right when done by strangers, by women, and by servants, and by unclean persons, even in…

And he shall flay the burnt offering Take off its skin; this was the only part of it that was not burnt, and was the property of the priest, but who this was done by is not so manifest, since it is in the singular number “he”, and seems to be the bringer of the offering; for Aaron’s sons, the…

And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar The fire of the altar originally came down from heaven, and consumed the sacrifice, and which was a token of God’s acceptance of it, see (1 Kings 18:23, 1 Kings 18:24, 1 Kings 18:38) and this fire was kept burning continually upon the…

And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts That were cut in pieces, some of which are particularly mentioned: the head and the fat; the head which was cut off, and the body, the trunk of it; so, Aben Ezra says, the wise men interpret the word (פדר) “fat”, which is only used here and in and…

But the inwards and his legs shall he wash in water This was first done in a room in the court of the temple, called (לשכת המדחין) , “the room of the washers”, or the washing room, where they washed the inwards of the holy things [[0]]; and after that they washed them upon the marble tables between…

And if his offering be of the flocks As it might be: namely, of the sheep, or of the goats for a burnt sacrifice; which were both typical of Christ, (See Gill on Lev. 1:2) he shall bring it a male without blemish; (See Gill on Lev. 1:3).

And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the Lord This is a circumstance not mentioned in the killing of the bullock: Maimonides [[6]] says, there was a square place from the wall of the altar northward, to the wall of the court, and it was sixty cubits, and all that was over…

And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat Or “his body”, as the Targum of Jonathan; this was to be cut in pieces in the same manner as the bullock, (See Gill on Lev.

But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water, &c.] As he did the bullock, : and the priest shall bring it all: all the parts to the ascent of the altar, as the Jews [[8]] interpret it; all the parts and pieces of it, even the very wool on the sheep’s head, and the hair on the goat’s beard,…

And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls As it might be for the poorer sort, who could not offer a bullock, nor a sheep, or a lamb, : then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons; the Jewish writers all agree, that the turtles should be old, and…

And the priest shall bring it unto the altar The southeast horn of it; near which was the place of the ashes, into which the crop and its feathers were cast [[12]]: and wring off his head; by twisting it back as it should seem; the word used is only to be found here, and in the Jews say, it…

And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers Or “with its meat”, or “dung”, as Onkelos renders it, meaning that which was in its crop; and so the Jerusalem Targum interprets it, “with its dung”; and Jonathan’s paraphrase is, “with its collection”, or what was gathered together in the crop; it…

And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof One wing being on one side, and the other on the other side: but shall not divide it asunder; the body of the bird, though it was cleaved down in the middle, yet not parted asunder, nor any of its wings separated from it; the Targum of Jonathan…