In this chapter several laws are delivered out, forbidding the priests to eat of holy things, when in any uncleanness, or at any time what dies of itself, or is torn of beasts, Lev. 22:1–9; also showing who belonging to the priests might or might not eat of the holy things, Lev.

And the Lord spake unto Moses Immediately after he had spoken concerning blemishes in priests, and in a continued discourse signifying, that though priests that had blemishes might eat of the holy things, yet neither they, nor even such who had not any, if they were under legal impurity, might eat…

Speak unto Aaron and to his sons The priests; the children of Israel or the common people are not mentioned, as having no concern in the following laws about eating holy things: that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel; both from offering their lawful sacrifices,…

Say unto them, whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations Whether male or female, in all succeeding ages, as long as the ceremonial law lasted; for females as well as males of the families of the priests ate of the holy things, provided they had no uncleanness on them, but if they had,…

What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper A young, or an old man, as the Targum of Jonathan, and indeed man or woman; for the wives and daughters of the priests, if in this, and other circumstances following, might not eat of the holy things until cleansed, who otherwise might, see ; or hath…

Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean Jarchi thinks this respects the measure or quantity of what is touched, as if but the quantity of a lentil or small pea, see ; or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; as of a leper, a…

The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even Which is the time fixed by the several laws for such uncleannesses, see (Lev. 15:5, Lev. 15:7, Lev.

And when the sun is down he shall be clean Having washed himself in water, otherwise not, though the sun may be set: and shall afterwards eat of the holy things; the families of the priests lived upon: because it is his food: his common food, his ordinary diet, that by which he subsists, having…

That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts Whether fowls or beasts, and even clean ones, which, had they been killed in a proper manner, were fit to cut, but dying of themselves, or torn to pieces by other birds or beasts of prey, might not, see ; he shall not eat, to defile himself…

They shall therefore keep mine ordinance The observance of my word, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, of his word of command; either respecting the not eating of such creatures that died of themselves, or were torn by beasts; or else the not eating holy things in uncleanness, so Jarchi and…

There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing Any one of the holy things, as the heave shoulder, wave breast by a “stranger” is not meant one of another nation; though indeed all such were called strangers, and might not eat of these things, ; but one that was not of the family of a priest, though…

But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it Whether any of his own nation, who sometimes, when become poor, were obliged to sell themselves; or a stranger, as the Targum of Jonathan; one of another nation, a Canaanitish servant, as Jarchi.

If the priest’s daughter also be married to a stranger Not to an Heathen, but to any Israelite, that is, a common man, or a layman, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, one that is not a priest; but is married either to a Levite, or an Israelite, as Jarchi: she may not eat of an offering of the…

But if the priest’s daughter be a widow or divorced If her husband be dead, or if living, and she is put away by him, whether a Levite, or an Israelite: and have no child: by him, as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi add, nor is with child by him: and is returned to her father’s house, as in her…

And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly Either not knowing that it is an holy thing, or the heave offering, or any thing of that kind; or else is ignorant of the punishment of such an action, as Gersom observes; and this is to be understood of any man that was not a priest, or was not of the…

And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the Lord. ] By causing or suffering strangers to eat of them; so Jarchi, referring the words to the priests, who should be careful that strangers ate not of sacred things; or by the strangers themselves…

Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass The punishment of sin: either the strangers, when they eat their holy things; the holy things belonging to the priests, which they permitting them to do, suffer them to be liable to the punishment incurred thereby, or else the priests themselves; so…

And the Lord spake unto Moses At the same time; for having said many things concerning the holiness of priests, whose business it was to offer sacrifices, he adds various things concerning the nature, condition, and circumstances of the sacrifices they were to offer: saying, as follows.

Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons The priests, whose work it was to offer sacrifices, and therefore it behoved them to know what kind and sort were to be offered by them, when brought to them: and unto all the children of Israel: who were to bring the sacrifices, and for whom they were to be…

Ye shall offer at your own will For vows and freewill offerings were at their own option, and depended on their own will and pleasure, and when offered should be with a willing mind, and from their whole heart: or “for good will to you”; as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; or for gracious,…

For whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer Which is the general rule, the particulars of which are after given, and which has been imitated by the Heathens.

And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offering unto the Lord This, as Ben Gersom observes, is distinguished from a burnt offering; for though it was to be perfect, and without blemish, yet not obliged to be a male as that, .

Blind, or broken, or maimed Which is “blind” of one eye, or both: and so the Egyptians, as they would not sacrifice any of their oxen that had any blemishes on them, and were of a different colour, or changed in their form, so likewise such that were deprived of either of their eyes [[22]].

Either a bullock, or a lamb that hath anything superfluous, or lacking in its parts That has either more members than it should have, as five feet, or two gristles in an ear, as Gersom says, or has fewer than it should have; or, as Jarchi, that has one member longer or shorter than another, as the…

Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut The Targum of Jonathan is, whose testicles are pressed and bruised, and whose nerves are corrupted and bruised, and so most Jewish writers interpret it: neither shall you make any offering thereof in your land; any…

Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these That is, from a Gentile, a proselyte of the gate, who had renounced idolatry, and was willing to offer sacrifice to the true God; but what had such defects and blemishes in them as before described the priest might…

And the Lord spake unto Moses At the same time, as before, in a continued discourse, the subject being of the same kind, relating to sacrifices: saying, as follows.

When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth Those three are only mentioned, because they were only made use of in sacrifice, to which this law refers: then it shall be seven days under the dam; whether a calf, or a lamb, or a kid of the goats; it was not to be taken from its dam and…

And whether it be cow or ewe Or “an ox or sheep” [[5]], for this law, as Aben Ezra says, respects both male and female, and neither the one nor the other with their young might be slain; though Jarchi says, the custom is concerning the female, for it is forbidden to slay the dam and its son, or…

And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord Which was a sort of peace offering, distinct from freewill offerings and vows before spoken of: offer it at your own will; just what they pleased, whether a bullock, a sheep, or a goat, and whether a male or female; these were left to…

On the same day it shall be eaten up Which is the law concerning it; (See Gill on Lev. 7:15): ye shall leave none of it till the morning; of another day, as the Vulgate Latin version adds, and much less the fat of them, and the most holy things, as Ben Gersom observes, the one being to be burnt…

Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them Both priests and people, even all the commandments delivered at this time, as well as all others; these they were to observe and take notice of, and keep them in memory, and put them in practice: I am the Lord; (See Gill on Lev. 22:30).

Neither shall ye profane my holy name By transgressing the laws of God, particularly by offering blemished sacrifices, or before the proper tithe; or by slaying the dam and its young on one day; for, as Aben Ezra observes, this is said to the sons of Aaron: but I will be hallowed among the children…

That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God, &c.] Whereby he showed himself to be their covenant God and Father, who had a kind and gracious regard unto them, and which laid them under obligation to fear, serve, and worship him as their God: I am the Lord; that hath sovereign right…