Imamat 12:1--26:46
Konteks12:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 12:2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When a woman produces offspring 1 and bears a male child, 2 she will be unclean seven days, as she is unclean during the days of her menstruation. 3 12:3 On 4 the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin 5 must be circumcised. 12:4 Then she will remain 6 thirty-three days in blood purity. 7 She must not touch anything holy and she must not enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. 8 12:5 If she bears a female child, she will be impure fourteen days as during her menstrual flow, and she will remain sixty-six days in 9 blood purity. 10
12:6 “‘When 11 the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she must bring a one year old lamb 12 for a burnt offering 13 and a young pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering 14 to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to the priest. 12:7 The priest 15 is to present it before the Lord and make atonement 16 on her behalf, and she will be clean 17 from her flow of blood. 18 This is the law of the one who bears a child, for the male or the female child. 12:8 If she cannot afford a sheep, 19 then she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, 20 one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering, and the priest is to make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.’” 21
13:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 13:2 “When someone has 22 a swelling 23 or a scab 24 or a bright spot 25 on the skin of his body 26 that may become a diseased infection, 27 he must be brought to Aaron the priest or one of his sons, the priests. 28 13:3 The priest must then examine the infection 29 on the skin of the body, and if the hair 30 in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of the body, 31 then it is a diseased infection, 32 so when the priest examines it 33 he must pronounce the person unclean. 34
13:4 “If 35 it is a white bright spot on the skin of his body, but it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, 36 and the hair has not turned white, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the infection for seven days. 37 13:5 The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if, 38 as far as he can see, the infection has stayed the same 39 and has not spread on the skin, 40 then the priest is to quarantine the person for another seven days. 41 13:6 The priest must then examine it again on the seventh day, 42 and if 43 the infection has faded and has not spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person clean. 44 It is a scab, 45 so he must wash his clothes 46 and be clean. 13:7 If, however, the scab is spreading further 47 on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his purification, then he must show himself to the priest a second time. 13:8 The priest must then examine it, 48 and if 49 the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. 50 It is a disease.
13:9 “When someone has a diseased infection, 51 he must be brought to the priest. 13:10 The priest will then examine it, 52 and if 53 a white swelling is on the skin, it has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling, 54 13:11 it is a chronic 55 disease on the skin of his body, 56 so the priest is to pronounce him unclean. 57 The priest 58 must not merely quarantine him, for he is unclean. 59 13:12 If, however, the disease breaks out 60 on the skin so that the disease covers all the skin of the person with the infection 61 from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see, 62 13:13 the priest must then examine it, 63 and if 64 the disease covers his whole body, he is to pronounce the person with the infection clean. 65 He has turned all white, so he is clean. 66 13:14 But whenever raw flesh appears in it 67 he will be unclean, 13:15 so the priest is to examine the raw flesh 68 and pronounce him unclean 69 – it is diseased. 13:16 If, however, 70 the raw flesh once again turns white, 71 then he must come to the priest. 13:17 The priest will then examine it, 72 and if 73 the infection has turned white, the priest is to pronounce the person with the infection clean 74 – he is clean.
13:18 “When someone’s body has a boil on its skin 75 and it heals, 13:19 and in the place of the boil there is a white swelling or a reddish white bright spot, he must show himself to the priest. 76 13:20 The priest will then examine it, 77 and if 78 it appears to be deeper than the skin 79 and its hair has turned white, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. 80 It is a diseased infection that has broken out in the boil. 81 13:21 If, however, 82 the priest examines it, and 83 there is no white hair in it, it is not deeper than the skin, and it has faded, then the priest is to quarantine him for seven days. 84 13:22 If 85 it is spreading further 86 on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce him unclean. 87 It is an infection. 13:23 But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread, 88 it is the scar of the boil, so the priest is to pronounce him clean. 89
13:24 “When a body has a burn on its skin 90 and the raw area of the burn becomes a reddish white or white bright spot, 13:25 the priest must examine it, 91 and if 92 the hair has turned white in the bright spot and it appears to be deeper than the skin, 93 it is a disease that has broken out in the burn. 94 The priest is to pronounce the person unclean. 95 It is a diseased infection. 96 13:26 If, however, 97 the priest examines it and 98 there is no white hair in the bright spot, it is not deeper than the skin, 99 and it has faded, then the priest is to quarantine him for seven days. 100 13:27 The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if it is spreading further 101 on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce him unclean. It is a diseased infection. 102 13:28 But if the bright spot stays in its place, has not spread on the skin, 103 and it has faded, then it is the swelling of the burn, so the priest is to pronounce him clean, 104 because it is the scar of the burn.
13:29 “When a man or a woman has an infection on the head or in the beard, 105 13:30 the priest is to examine the infection, 106 and if 107 it appears to be deeper than the skin 108 and the hair in it is reddish yellow and thin, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. 109 It is scall, 110 a disease of the head or the beard. 111 13:31 But if the priest examines the scall infection and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, 112 and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the scall infection for seven days. 113 13:32 The priest must then examine the infection on the seventh day, and if 114 the scall has not spread, there is no reddish yellow hair in it, and the scall does not appear to be deeper than the skin, 115 13:33 then the individual is to shave himself, 116 but he must not shave the area affected by the scall, 117 and the priest is to quarantine the person with the scall for another seven days. 118 13:34 The priest must then examine the scall on the seventh day, and if 119 the scall has not spread on the skin and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, 120 then the priest is to pronounce him clean. 121 So he is to wash his clothes and be clean. 13:35 If, however, the scall spreads further 122 on the skin after his purification, 13:36 then the priest is to examine it, and if 123 the scall has spread on the skin the priest is not to search further for reddish yellow hair. 124 The person 125 is unclean. 13:37 If, as far as the priest can see, the scall has stayed the same 126 and black hair has sprouted in it, the scall has been healed; the person is clean. So the priest is to pronounce him clean. 127
13:38 “When a man or a woman has bright spots – white bright spots – on the skin of their body, 13:39 the priest is to examine them, 128 and if 129 the bright spots on the skin of their body are faded white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin. The person is clean. 130
13:40 “When a man’s head is bare so that he is balding in back, 131 he is clean. 13:41 If his head is bare on the forehead 132 so that he is balding in front, 133 he is clean. 13:42 But if there is a reddish white infection in the back or front bald area, it is a disease breaking out in his back or front bald area. 13:43 The priest is to examine it, 134 and if 135 the swelling of the infection is reddish white in the back or front bald area like the appearance of a disease on the skin of the body, 136 13:44 he is a diseased man. He is unclean. The priest must surely pronounce him unclean because of his infection on his head. 137
13:45 “As for the diseased person who has the infection, 138 his clothes must be torn, the hair of his head must be unbound, he must cover his mustache, 139 and he must call out ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 13:46 The whole time he has the infection 140 he will be continually unclean. He must live in isolation, and his place of residence must be outside the camp.
13:47 “When a garment has a diseased infection in it, 141 whether a wool or linen garment, 142 13:48 or in the warp or woof 143 of the linen or the wool, or in leather or anything made of leather, 144 13:49 if the infection 145 in the garment or leather or warp or woof or any article of leather is yellowish green or reddish, it is a diseased infection and it must be shown to the priest. 13:50 The priest is to examine and then quarantine the article with the infection for seven days. 146 13:51 He must then examine the infection on the seventh day. If the infection has spread in the garment, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in the leather – whatever the article into which the leather was made 147 – the infection is a malignant disease. It is unclean. 13:52 He must burn the garment or the warp or the woof, whether wool or linen, or any article of leather which has the infection in it. Because it is a malignant disease it must be burned up in the fire. 13:53 But if the priest examines it and 148 the infection has not spread in the garment or in the warp or in the woof or in any article of leather, 13:54 the priest is to command that they wash whatever has the infection and quarantine it for another seven days. 149 13:55 The priest must then examine it after the infection has been washed out, and if 150 the infection has not changed its appearance 151 even though the infection has not spread, it is unclean. You must burn it up in the fire. It is a fungus, whether on the back side or front side of the article. 152 13:56 But if the priest has examined it and 153 the infection has faded after it has been washed, he is to tear it out of 154 the garment or the leather or the warp or the woof. 13:57 Then if 155 it still appears again in the garment or the warp or the woof, or in any article of leather, it is an outbreak. Whatever has the infection in it you must burn up in the fire. 13:58 But the garment or the warp or the woof or any article of leather which you wash and infection disappears from it 156 is to be washed a second time and it will be clean.”
13:59 This is the law 157 of the diseased infection in the garment of wool or linen, or the warp or woof, or any article of leather, for pronouncing it clean or unclean. 158
14:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 14:2 “This is the law of the diseased person on the day of his purification, when 159 he is brought to the priest. 160 14:3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine the infection. 161 If the infection of the diseased person has been healed, 162 14:4 then the priest will command that two live clean birds, a piece of cedar wood, a scrap of crimson fabric, 163 and some twigs of hyssop 164 be taken up 165 for the one being cleansed. 166 14:5 The priest will then command that one bird be slaughtered 167 into a clay vessel over fresh water. 168 14:6 Then 169 he is to take the live bird along with the piece of cedar wood, the scrap of crimson fabric, and the twigs of hyssop, and he is to dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird slaughtered over the fresh water, 14:7 and sprinkle it seven times on the one being cleansed 170 from the disease, pronounce him clean, 171 and send the live bird away over the open countryside. 172
14:8 “The one being cleansed 173 must then wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water, and so be clean. 174 Then afterward he may enter the camp, but he must live outside his tent seven days. 14:9 When the seventh day comes 175 he must shave all his hair – his head, his beard, his eyebrows, all his hair – and he must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and so be clean. 176
14:10 “On the eighth day he 177 must take two flawless male lambs, one flawless yearling female lamb, three-tenths of an ephah of choice wheat flour as a grain offering mixed with olive oil, 178 and one log of olive oil, 179 14:11 and the priest who pronounces him clean will have the man who is being cleansed stand along with these offerings 180 before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
14:12 “The priest is to take one male lamb 181 and present it for a guilt offering 182 along with the log of olive oil and present them as a wave offering before the Lord. 183 14:13 He must then slaughter 184 the male lamb in the place where 185 the sin offering 186 and the burnt offering 187 are slaughtered, 188 in the sanctuary, because, like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; 189 it is most holy. 14:14 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, 190 on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe 191 of his right foot. 14:15 The priest will then take some of the log of olive oil and pour it into his own left hand. 192 14:16 Then the priest is to dip his right forefinger into the olive oil 193 that is in his left hand, and sprinkle some of the olive oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. 14:17 The priest will then put some of the rest of the olive oil that is in his hand 194 on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the guilt offering, 14:18 and the remainder of the olive oil 195 that is in his hand the priest is to put on the head of the one being cleansed. So the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord.
14:19 “The priest must then perform the sin offering 196 and make atonement for the one being cleansed from his impurity. After that he 197 is to slaughter the burnt offering, 14:20 and the priest is to offer 198 the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest is to make atonement for him and he will be clean.
14:21 “If the person is poor and does not have sufficient means, 199 he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering for a wave offering to make atonement for himself, one-tenth of an ephah of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil, 200 14:22 and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, 201 which are within his means. 202 One will be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 203
14:23 “On the eighth day he must bring them for his purification to the priest at the entrance 204 of the Meeting Tent before the Lord, 14:24 and the priest is to take the male lamb of the guilt offering and the log of olive oil and wave them 205 as a wave offering before the Lord. 14:25 Then he is to slaughter the male lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, 206 on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe 207 of his right foot. 14:26 The priest will then pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand, 208 14:27 and sprinkle some of the olive oil that is in his left hand with his right forefinger 209 seven times before the Lord. 14:28 Then the priest is to put some of the olive oil that is in his hand 210 on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering, 14:29 and the remainder of the olive oil that is in the hand 211 of the priest he is to put 212 on the head of the one being cleansed to make atonement for him before the Lord.
14:30 “He will then make one of the turtledoves 213 or young pigeons, which are within his means, 214 14:31 a sin offering and the other a burnt offering along with the grain offering. 215 So the priest is to make atonement for the one being cleansed before the Lord. 14:32 This is the law of the one in whom there is a diseased infection, 216 who does not have sufficient means for his purification.” 217
14:33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 14:34 “When you enter the land of Canaan which I am about to give 218 to you for a possession, and I put 219 a diseased infection in a house in the land you are to possess, 220 14:35 then whoever owns the house 221 must come and declare to the priest, ‘Something like an infection is visible to me in the house.’ 14:36 Then the priest will command that the house be cleared 222 before the priest enters to examine the infection 223 so that everything in the house 224 does not become unclean, 225 and afterward 226 the priest will enter to examine the house. 14:37 He is to examine the infection, and if 227 the infection in the walls of the house consists of yellowish green or reddish eruptions, 228 and it appears to be deeper than the surface of the wall, 229 14:38 then the priest is to go out of the house to the doorway of the house and quarantine the house for seven days. 230 14:39 The priest must return on the seventh day and examine it, and if 231 the infection has spread in the walls of the house, 14:40 then the priest is to command that the stones that had the infection in them be pulled and thrown 232 outside the city 233 into an unclean place. 14:41 Then he is to have the house scraped 234 all around on the inside, 235 and the plaster 236 which is scraped off 237 must be dumped outside the city 238 into an unclean place. 14:42 They are then to take other stones and replace those stones, 239 and he is to take other plaster and replaster the house.
14:43 “If the infection returns and breaks out in the house after he has pulled out the stones, scraped the house, and it is replastered, 240 14:44 the priest is to come and examine it, and if 241 the infection has spread in the house, it is a malignant disease in the house. It is unclean. 14:45 He must tear down the house, 242 its stones, its wood, and all the plaster of the house, and bring all of it 243 outside the city to an unclean place. 14:46 Anyone who enters 244 the house all the days the priest 245 has quarantined it will be unclean until evening. 14:47 Anyone who lies down in the house must wash his clothes. Anyone who eats in the house must wash his clothes.
14:48 “If, however, the priest enters 246 and examines it, and the 247 infection has not spread in the house after the house has been replastered, then the priest is to pronounce the house clean because the infection has been healed. 14:49 Then he 248 is to take two birds, a piece of cedar wood, a scrap of crimson fabric, and some twigs of hyssop 249 to decontaminate 250 the house, 14:50 and he is to slaughter one bird into a clay vessel over fresh water. 251 14:51 He must then take the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, the scrap of crimson fabric, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and in the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 14:52 So he is to decontaminate the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, and the scrap of crimson fabric, 14:53 and he is to send the live bird away outside the city 252 into the open countryside. So he is to make atonement for the house and it will be clean.
14:54 “This is the law for all diseased infections, for scall, 253 14:55 for the diseased garment, 254 for the house, 255 14:56 for the swelling, 256 for the scab, 257 and for the bright spot, 258 14:57 to teach when something is unclean and when it is clean. 259 This is the law for dealing with infectious disease.” 260
15:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 15:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When any man 261 has a discharge 262 from his body, 263 his discharge is unclean. 15:3 Now this is his uncleanness in regard to his discharge 264 – whether his body secretes his discharge or blocks his discharge, he is unclean. All the days that his body has a discharge or his body blocks his discharge, 265 this is his uncleanness. 266
15:4 “‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, 267 and any furniture he sits on will be unclean. 268 15:5 Anyone who touches his bed 269 must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 270 15:6 The one who sits on the furniture the man with a discharge sits on must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:7 The one who touches the body 271 of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:8 If the man with a discharge spits on a person who is ceremonially clean, 272 that person must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:9 Any means of riding 273 the man with a discharge rides on will be unclean. 15:10 Anyone who touches anything that was under him 274 will be unclean until evening, and the one who carries those items 275 must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:11 Anyone whom the man with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water 276 must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:12 A clay vessel 277 which the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.
15:13 “‘When the man with the discharge becomes clean from his discharge he is to count off for himself seven days for his purification, and he must wash his clothes, bathe in fresh water, 278 and be clean. 15:14 Then on the eighth day he is to take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, 279 and he is to present himself 280 before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent and give them to the priest, 15:15 and the priest is to make one of them a sin offering 281 and the other a burnt offering. 282 So the priest 283 is to make atonement for him before the Lord for 284 his discharge.
15:16 “‘When a man has a seminal emission, 285 he must bathe his whole body in water 286 and be unclean until evening, 15:17 and he must wash in water any clothing or leather that has semen on it, and it will be unclean until evening. 15:18 When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman and there is a seminal emission, 287 they must bathe in water and be unclean until evening.
15:19 “‘When a woman has a discharge 288 and her discharge is blood from her body, 289 she is to be in her menstruation 290 seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 15:20 Anything she lies on during her menstruation will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 15:21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:22 Anyone who touches any furniture she sits on must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:23 If there is something on the bed or on the furniture she sits on, 291 when he touches it 292 he will be unclean until evening, 15:24 and if a man actually has sexual intercourse with her so that her menstrual impurity touches him, 293 then he will be unclean seven days and any bed he lies on will be unclean.
15:25 “‘When a woman’s discharge of blood flows 294 many days not at the time of her menstruation, or if it flows beyond the time of her menstruation, 295 all the days of her discharge of impurity will be like the days of her menstruation – she is unclean. 15:26 Any bed she lies on all the days of her discharge will be to her like the bed of her menstruation, any furniture she sits on will be unclean like the impurity of her menstruation, 15:27 and anyone who touches them will be unclean, and he must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 296
15:28 “‘If 297 she becomes clean from her discharge, then she is to count off for herself seven days, and afterward she will be clean. 15:29 Then on the eighth day she must take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons 298 and she must bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, 15:30 and the priest is to make one a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 299 So the priest 300 is to make atonement for her before the Lord from her discharge of impurity.
15:31 “‘Thus you 301 are to set the Israelites apart from their impurity so that they 302 do not die in their impurity by defiling my tabernacle which is in their midst. 15:32 This is the law of the one with a discharge: the one who has a seminal emission 303 and becomes unclean by it, 304 15:33 the one who is sick in her menstruation, the one with a discharge, whether male or female, 305 and a man 306 who has sexual intercourse with an unclean woman.’”
16:1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord 307 and died, 16:2 and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil-canopy 308 in front of the atonement plate 309 that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement plate.
16:3 “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary – with a young bull 310 for a sin offering 311 and a ram for a burnt offering. 312 16:4 He must put on a holy linen tunic, 313 linen leggings are to cover his body, 314 and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash 315 and wrap his head with a linen turban. 316 They are holy garments, so he must bathe 317 his body in water and put them on. 16:5 He must also take 318 two male goats 319 from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 16:6 Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. 16:7 He must then take the two goats 320 and stand them before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, 16:8 and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats, 321 one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel. 322 16:9 Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord, 323 and he is to make it a sin offering, 16:10 but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive 324 before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away to Azazel into the wilderness. 325
16:11 “Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself, and he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. He is to slaughter the sin offering bull which is for himself, 16:12 and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord 326 and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, 327 and bring them inside the veil-canopy. 328 16:13 He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement plate which is above the ark of the testimony, 329 so that he will not die. 330 16:14 Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the atonement plate, 331 and in front of the atonement plate he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger. 332
16:15 “He must then slaughter the sin offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the veil-canopy, 333 and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement plate and in front of the atonement plate. 16:16 So 334 he is to make atonement for the holy place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins, 335 and thus he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities. 16:17 Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent 336 when he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel.
16:18 “Then 337 he is to go out to the altar which is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take 338 some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it all around on the horns of the altar. 16:19 Then he is to sprinkle on it some of the blood with his finger seven times, and cleanse and consecrate it 339 from the impurities of the Israelites.
16:20 “When he has finished purifying the holy place, 340 the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. 16:21 Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins, 341 and thus he is to put them 342 on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man standing ready. 343 16:22 The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land, 344 so he is to send the goat away 345 in the wilderness.
16:23 “Aaron must then enter 346 the Meeting Tent and take off the linen garments which he had put on when he entered the sanctuary, and leave them there. 16:24 Then he must bathe his body in water in a holy place, put on his clothes, and go out and make his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. So he is to make atonement 347 on behalf of himself and the people. 348
16:25 “Then he is to offer up the fat of the sin offering 349 in smoke on the altar, 16:26 and the one who sent the goat away to Azazel 350 must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. 16:27 The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the holy place, must be brought outside the camp 351 and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up, 352 16:28 and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.
16:29 “This is to be a perpetual statute for you. 353 In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves 354 and do no work of any kind, 355 both the native citizen and the foreigner who resides 356 in your midst, 16:30 for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you must be clean before the Lord. 357 16:31 It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves. 358 It is a perpetual statute. 359
16:32 “The priest who is anointed and ordained to act as high priest in place of his father 360 is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 16:33 and he is to purify 361 the Most Holy Place, 362 he is to purify the Meeting Tent and the altar, 363 and he is to make atonement for 364 the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 16:34 This is to be a perpetual statute for you 365 to make atonement for the Israelites for 366 all their sins once a year.” 367 So he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 368
17:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 17:2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites, and tell them: ‘This is the word that the Lord has commanded: 17:3 “Blood guilt 369 will be accounted to any man 370 from the house of Israel 371 who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp, 372 17:4 but has not brought it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent 373 to present it as 374 an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord. He has shed blood, so that man will be cut off from the midst of his people. 375 17:5 This is so that 376 the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field 377 to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent to the priest and sacrifice them there as peace offering sacrifices to the Lord. 17:6 The priest is to splash 378 the blood on the altar 379 of the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and offer the fat up in smoke for a soothing aroma to the Lord. 17:7 So they must no longer offer 380 their sacrifices to the goat demons, 381 acting like prostitutes by going after them. 382 This is to be a perpetual statute for them throughout their generations. 383
17:8 “You are to say to them: ‘Any man 384 from the house of Israel or 385 from the foreigners who reside 386 in their 387 midst, who offers 388 a burnt offering or a sacrifice 17:9 but does not bring it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it 389 to the Lord – that person will be cut off from his people. 390
17:10 “‘Any man 391 from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside 392 in their 393 midst who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, 394 17:11 for the life of every living thing 395 is in the blood. 396 So I myself have assigned it to you 397 on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life. 398 17:12 Therefore, I have said to the Israelites: No person among you is to eat blood, 399 and no resident foreigner who lives among you is to eat blood. 400
17:13 “‘Any man from the Israelites 401 or from the foreigners who reside 402 in their 403 midst who hunts a wild animal 404 or a bird that may be eaten 405 must pour out its blood and cover it with soil, 17:14 for the life of all flesh is its blood. 406 So I have said to the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any living thing 407 because the life of every living thing is its blood – all who eat it will be cut off. 408
17:15 “‘Any person 409 who eats an animal that has died of natural causes 410 or an animal torn by beasts, whether a native citizen or a foreigner, 411 must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening; then he becomes clean. 17:16 But if he does not wash his clothes 412 and does not bathe his body, he will bear his punishment for iniquity.’” 413
18:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 18:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘I am the Lord your God! 18:3 You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living, 414 and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to bring you; 415 you must not 416 walk in their statutes. 18:4 You must observe my regulations 417 and you must be sure to walk in my statutes. 418 I am the Lord your God. 18:5 So you must keep 419 my statutes and my regulations; anyone who does so will live by keeping them. 420 I am the Lord.
18:6 “‘No man is to approach any close relative 421 to have sexual intercourse with her. 422 I am the Lord. 423 18:7 You must not 424 expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual intercourse with your mother. 425 She is your mother; you must not have intercourse with her. 18:8 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness. 426 18:9 You must not have sexual intercourse with your sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, 427 whether she is born in the same household or born outside it; 428 you must not have sexual intercourse with either of them. 429 18:10 You must not expose the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter by having sexual intercourse with them, because they are your own nakedness. 430 18:11 You must not have sexual intercourse with the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father; she is your sister. You must not have intercourse with her. 431 18:12 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister; she is your father’s flesh. 432 18:13 You must not have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s flesh. 18:14 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must not approach his wife to have sexual intercourse with her. 433 She is your aunt. 434 18:15 You must not have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. You must not have intercourse with her. 18:16 You must not have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness. 435 18:17 You must not have sexual intercourse with both a woman and her daughter; you must not take as wife either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to have intercourse with them. 436 They are closely related to her 437 – it is lewdness. 438 18:18 You must not take a woman in marriage and then marry her sister as a rival wife 439 while she is still alive, 440 to have sexual intercourse with her.
18:19 “‘You must not approach a woman in her menstrual impurity 441 to have sexual intercourse with her. 18:20 You must not have sexual intercourse 442 with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her. 18:21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, 443 so that you do not profane 444 the name of your God. I am the Lord! 18:22 You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman; 445 it is a detestable act. 446 18:23 You must not have sexual intercourse 447 with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it; 448 it is a perversion. 449
18:24 “‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before you 450 have been defiled with all these things. 18:25 Therefore 451 the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it, 452 so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants. 18:26 You yourselves must obey 453 my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner in your midst, 454 18:27 for the people who were in the land before you have done all these abominations, 455 and the land has become unclean. 18:28 So do not make the land vomit you out because you defile it 456 just as it has vomited out the nations 457 that were before you. 18:29 For if anyone does any of these abominations, the persons who do them will be cut off from the midst of their people. 458 18:30 You must obey my charge to not practice any of the abominable statutes 459 that have been done before you, so that you do not 460 defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God.’”
19:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 19:2 “Speak to the whole congregation of the Israelites and tell them, ‘You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. 19:3 Each of you must respect his mother and his father, 461 and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. 19:4 Do not turn to idols, 462 and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal. I am the Lord your God.
19:5 “‘When you sacrifice a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is accepted for you. 463 19:6 It must be eaten on the day of your sacrifice and on the following day, 464 but what is left over until the third day must be burned up. 465 19:7 If, however, it is eaten 466 on the third day, it is spoiled, 467 it will not be accepted, 19:8 and the one who eats it will bear his punishment for iniquity 468 because he has profaned 469 what is holy to the Lord. 470 That person will be cut off from his people. 471
19:9 “‘When you gather in the harvest 472 of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field, 473 and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. 19:10 You must not pick your vineyard bare, 474 and you must not gather up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.
19:11 “‘You must not steal, you must not tell lies, and you must not deal falsely with your fellow citizen. 475 19:12 You must not swear falsely 476 in my name, so that you do not profane 477 the name of your God. I am the Lord. 19:13 You must not oppress your neighbor or commit robbery against him. 478 You must not withhold 479 the wages of the hired laborer overnight until morning. 19:14 You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person. 480 You must fear 481 your God; I am the Lord.
19:15 “‘You 482 must not deal unjustly in judgment: 483 you must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich. 484 You must judge your fellow citizen fairly. 485 19:16 You must not go about as a slanderer among your people. 486 You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake. 487 I am the Lord. 19:17 You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him. 488 19:18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge 489 against the children of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself. 490 I am the Lord. 19:19 You must keep my statutes. You must not allow two different kinds of your animals to breed, 491 you must not sow your field with two different kinds of seed, and you must not wear 492 a garment made of two different kinds of fabric. 493
19:20 “‘When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman, 494 although she is a slave woman designated for another man and she has not yet been ransomed, or freedom has not been granted to her, there will be an obligation to pay compensation. 495 They must not be put to death, because she was not free. 19:21 He must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, a guilt offering ram, 496 19:22 and the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed, 497 and he will be forgiven 498 of his sin 499 that he has committed.
19:23 “‘When you enter the land and plant any fruit tree, 500 you must consider its fruit to be forbidden. 501 Three years it will be forbidden to you; 502 it must not be eaten. 19:24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, praise offerings 503 to the Lord. 19:25 Then in the fifth year you may eat its fruit to add its produce to your harvest. 504 I am the Lord your God.
19:26 “‘You must not eat anything with the blood still in it. 505 You must not practice either divination or soothsaying. 506 19:27 You must not round off the corners of the hair on your head or ruin the corners of your beard. 507 19:28 You must not slash your body for a dead person 508 or incise a tattoo on yourself. 509 I am the Lord. 19:29 Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, 510 so that the land does not practice prostitution and become full of lewdness. 511
19:30 “‘You must keep my Sabbaths and fear my sanctuary. I am the Lord. 19:31 Do not turn to the spirits of the dead and do not seek familiar spirits 512 to become unclean by them. I am the Lord your God. 19:32 You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the presence of an elder, and fear your God. I am the Lord. 19:33 When a foreigner resides 513 with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 19:34 The foreigner who resides with you must be to you like a native citizen among you; so 514 you must love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. 19:35 You must not do injustice in the regulation of measures, whether of length, weight, or volume. 515 19:36 You must have honest balances, 516 honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. 517 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt. 19:37 You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations. 518 I am the Lord.’”
20:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 20:2 “You are to say to the Israelites, ‘Any man from the Israelites or from the foreigners who reside in Israel 519 who gives any of his children 520 to Molech 521 must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones. 522 20:3 I myself will set my face 523 against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people, 524 because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 525 20:4 If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes 526 to that man 527 when he gives some of his children to Molech so that they do not put him to death, 20:5 I myself will set my face against that man and his clan. I will cut off from the midst of their people both him and all who follow after him in spiritual prostitution, 528 to commit prostitution by worshiping Molech. 529
20:6 “‘The person who turns to the spirits of the dead and familiar spirits 531 to commit prostitution by going after them, I will set my face 532 against that person and cut him off from the midst of his people.
20:7 “‘You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. 20:8 You must be sure to obey my statutes. 533 I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
20:9 “‘If anyone 535 curses his father and mother 536 he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood guilt is on himself. 537 20:10 If a man 538 commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, 539 both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 20:11 If a man has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness. 540 Both of them must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. 541 20:12 If a man has sexual intercourse with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have committed perversion; 542 their blood guilt is on themselves. 20:13 If a man has sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman, 543 the two of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. 20:14 If a man has sexual intercourse with both a woman and her mother, 544 it is lewdness. 545 Both he and they must be burned to death, 546 so there is no lewdness in your midst. 20:15 If a man has sexual intercourse 547 with any animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal. 20:16 If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual intercourse with it, 548 you must kill the woman, and the animal must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.
20:17 “‘If a man has sexual intercourse with 549 his sister, whether the daughter of his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. 550 He has exposed his sister’s nakedness; he will bear his punishment for iniquity. 551 20:18 If a man has sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her fountain of blood and she has exposed the fountain of her blood, so both of them 552 must be cut off from the midst of their people. 20:19 You must not expose the nakedness of your mother’s sister and your father’s sister, for such a person has laid bare his own close relative. 553 They must bear their punishment for iniquity. 554 20:20 If a man has sexual intercourse with his aunt, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness; they must bear responsibility for their sin, they will die childless. 20:21 If a man has sexual intercourse with 555 his brother’s wife, it is indecency. He has exposed his brother’s nakedness; 556 they will be childless.
20:22 “‘You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations, 557 so that 558 the land to which I am about to bring you to take up residence there does not vomit you out. 20:23 You must not walk in the statutes of the nation 559 which I am about to drive out before you, because they have done all these things and I am filled with disgust against them. 20:24 So I have said to you: You yourselves will possess their land and I myself will give it to you for a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God who has set you apart from the other peoples. 560 20:25 Therefore you must distinguish 561 between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean, and you must not make yourselves detestable by means of an animal or bird or anything that creeps on the ground – creatures 562 I have distinguished for you as unclean. 563 20:26 You must be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the other peoples to be mine.
20:27 “‘A man or woman who 564 has in them a spirit of the dead or a familiar spirit 565 must be put to death. They must pelt them with stones; 566 their blood guilt is on themselves.’”
21:1 The Lord said to Moses: “Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron – say to them, ‘For a dead person 567 no priest 568 is to defile himself among his people, 569 21:2 except for his close relative who is near to him: 570 his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 21:3 and his virgin sister who is near to him, 571 who has no husband; he may defile himself for her. 21:4 He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane himself. 572 21:5 Priests 573 must not have a bald spot shaved on their head, they must not shave the corner of their beard, and they must not cut slashes in their body. 574
21:6 “‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane 575 the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the Lord’s gifts, 576 the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy. 577 21:7 They must not take a wife defiled by prostitution, 578 nor are they to take a wife divorced from her husband, 579 for the priest 580 is holy to his God. 581 21:8 You must sanctify him because he presents the food of your God. He must be holy to you because I, the Lord who sanctifies you all, 582 am holy. 21:9 If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death. 583
21:10 “‘The high 584 priest – who is greater than his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured, who has been ordained 585 to wear the priestly garments – must neither dishevel the hair of his head nor tear his garments. 586 21:11 He must not go where there is any dead person; 587 he must not defile himself even for his father and his mother. 21:12 He must not go out from the sanctuary and must not profane 588 the sanctuary of his God, because the dedication of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord. 21:13 He must take a wife who is a virgin. 589 21:14 He must not marry 590 a widow, a divorced woman, or one profaned by prostitution; he may only take a virgin from his people 591 as a wife. 21:15 He must not profane his children among his people, 592 for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.’”
21:16 The Lord spoke to Moses: 21:17 “Tell Aaron, ‘No man from your descendants throughout their generations 593 who has a physical flaw 594 is to approach to present the food of his God. 21:18 Certainly 595 no man who has a physical flaw is to approach: a blind man, or one who is lame, or one with a slit nose, 596 or a limb too long, 21:19 or a man who has had a broken leg or arm, 597 21:20 or a hunchback, or a dwarf, 598 or one with a spot in his eye, 599 or a festering eruption, or a feverish rash, 600 or a crushed testicle. 21:21 No man from the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a physical flaw may step forward 601 to present the Lord’s gifts; he has a physical flaw, so he must not step forward to present the food of his God. 21:22 He may eat both the most holy and the holy food of his God, 21:23 but he must not go into the veil-canopy 602 or step forward to the altar because he has a physical flaw. Thus 603 he must not profane my holy places, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”
21:24 So 604 Moses spoke these things 605 to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites.
22:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 22:2 “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must deal respectfully with the holy offerings 606 of the Israelites, which they consecrate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name. 607 I am the Lord. 22:3 Say to them, ‘Throughout your generations, 608 if any man from all your descendants approaches the holy offerings which the Israelites consecrate 609 to the Lord while he is impure, 610 that person must be cut off from before me. 611 I am the Lord. 22:4 No man 612 from the descendants of Aaron who is diseased or has a discharge 613 may eat the holy offerings until he becomes clean. The one 614 who touches anything made unclean by contact with a dead person, 615 or a man who has a seminal emission, 616 22:5 or a man who touches a swarming thing by which he becomes unclean, 617 or touches a person 618 by which he becomes unclean, whatever that person’s impurity 619 – 22:6 the person who touches any of these 620 will be unclean until evening and must not eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body in water. 22:7 When the sun goes down he will be clean, and afterward he may eat from the holy offerings, because they are his food. 22:8 He must not eat an animal that has died of natural causes 621 or an animal torn by beasts and thus become unclean by it. I am the Lord. 22:9 They must keep my charge so that they do not incur sin on account of it 622 and therefore die 623 because they profane it. I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
22:10 “‘No lay person 624 may eat anything holy. Neither a priest’s lodger 625 nor a hired laborer may eat anything holy, 22:11 but if a priest buys a person with his own money, 626 that person 627 may eat the holy offerings, 628 and those born in the priest’s 629 own house may eat his food. 630 22:12 If a priest’s daughter marries a lay person, 631 she may not eat the holy contribution offerings, 632 22:13 but if a priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and she has no children so that she returns to live in 633 her father’s house as in her youth, 634 she may eat from her father’s food, but no lay person may eat it.
22:14 “‘If a man eats a holy offering by mistake, 635 he must add one fifth to it and give the holy offering to the priest. 636 22:15 They 637 must not profane the holy offerings which the Israelites contribute 638 to the Lord, 639 22:16 and so cause them to incur a penalty for guilt 640 when they eat their holy offerings, 641 for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”
22:17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 22:18 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘When any man 642 from the house of Israel or from the foreigners in Israel 643 presents his offering for any of the votive or freewill offerings which they present to the Lord as a burnt offering, 22:19 if it is to be acceptable for your benefit 644 it must be a flawless male from the cattle, sheep, or goats. 22:20 You must not present anything that has a flaw, 645 because it will not be acceptable for your benefit. 646 22:21 If a man presents a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord for a special votive offering 647 or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be flawless to be acceptable; 648 it must have no flaw. 649
22:22 “‘You must not present to the Lord something blind, or with a broken bone, or mutilated, or with a running sore, 650 or with a festering eruption, or with a feverish rash. 651 You must not give any of these as a gift 652 on the altar to the Lord. 22:23 As for an ox 653 or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted, 654 you may present it as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering. 655 22:24 You must not present to the Lord something with testicles that are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut off; 656 you must not do this in your land. 22:25 Even from a foreigner 657 you must not present the food of your God from such animals as these, for they are ruined and flawed; 658 they will not be acceptable for your benefit.’”
22:26 The Lord spoke to Moses: 22:27 “When an ox, lamb, or goat is born, it must be under the care of 659 its mother seven days, but from the eighth day onward it will be acceptable as an offering gift 660 to the Lord. 22:28 You must not slaughter an ox or a sheep and its young 661 on the same day. 662 22:29 When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is acceptable for your benefit. 663 22:30 On that very day 664 it must be eaten; you must not leave any part of it 665 over until morning. I am the Lord.
22:31 “You must be sure to do my commandments. 666 I am the Lord. 22:32 You must not profane my holy name, and I will be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 22:33 the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God. 667 I am the Lord.”
23:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘These are the Lord’s appointed times which you must proclaim as holy assemblies – my appointed times: 668
23:3 “‘Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, 669 a holy assembly. You must not do any work; it is a Sabbath to the Lord in all the places where you live.
23:4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed time. 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, 670 is a Passover offering to the Lord. 23:6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month 671 will be the festival of unleavened bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 23:7 On the first day there will be a holy assembly for you; you must not do any regular work. 672 23:8 You must present a gift to the Lord for seven days, and the seventh day is a holy assembly; you must not do any regular work.’”
23:9 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am about to give to you and you gather in its harvest, 673 then you must bring the sheaf of the first portion of your harvest 674 to the priest, 23:11 and he must wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for your benefit 675 – on the day after the Sabbath the priest is to wave it. 676 23:12 On the day you wave the sheaf you must also offer 677 a flawless yearling lamb 678 for a burnt offering to the Lord, 23:13 along with its grain offering, two tenths of an ephah of 679 choice wheat flour 680 mixed with olive oil, as a gift to the Lord, a soothing aroma, 681 and its drink offering, one fourth of a hin of wine. 682 23:14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this very day, 683 until you bring the offering of your God. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations 684 in all the places where you live.
23:15 “‘You must count for yourselves seven weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day you bring the wave offering sheaf; they must be complete weeks. 685 23:16 You must count fifty days – until the day after the seventh Sabbath – and then 686 you must present a new grain offering to the Lord. 23:17 From the places where you live you must bring two loaves of 687 bread for a wave offering; they must be made from two tenths of an ephah of fine wheat flour, baked with yeast, 688 as first fruits to the Lord. 23:18 Along with the loaves of bread, 689 you must also present seven flawless yearling lambs, 690 one young bull, 691 and two rams. 692 They are to be a burnt offering to the Lord along with their grain offering 693 and drink offerings, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 694 23:19 You must also offer 695 one male goat 696 for a sin offering and two yearling lambs for a peace offering sacrifice, 23:20 and the priest is to wave them – the two lambs 697 – along with the bread of the first fruits, as a wave offering before the Lord; they will be holy to the Lord for the priest.
23:21 “‘On this very day you must proclaim an assembly; it is to be a holy assembly for you. 698 You must not do any regular work. This is a perpetual statute in all the places where you live throughout your generations. 699 23:22 When you gather in the harvest 700 of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field, 701 and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.’” 702
23:23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:24 “Tell the Israelites, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have a complete rest, a memorial announced by loud horn blasts, 703 a holy assembly. 23:25 You must not do any regular work, but 704 you must present a gift to the Lord.’”
23:26 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:27 “The 705 tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. 706 It is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must humble yourselves 707 and present a gift to the Lord. 23:28 You must not do any work on this particular day, 708 because it is a day of atonement to make atonement for yourselves 709 before the Lord your God. 23:29 Indeed, 710 any person who does not behave with humility on this particular day will be cut off from his people. 711 23:30 As for any person 712 who does any work on this particular day, I will exterminate 713 that person from the midst of his people! 714 23:31 You must not do any work. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations 715 in all the places where you live. 23:32 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening, from evening until evening you must observe your Sabbath.” 716
23:33 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:34 “Tell the Israelites, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Temporary Shelters 717 for seven days to the Lord. 23:35 On the first day is a holy assembly; you must do no regular work. 718 23:36 For seven days you must present a gift to the Lord. On the eighth day there is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must present a gift to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly day; 719 you must not do any regular work.
23:37 “‘These are the appointed times of the Lord that you must proclaim as holy assemblies to present a gift to the Lord – burnt offering, grain offering, sacrifice, and drink offerings, 720 each day according to its regulation, 721 23:38 besides 722 the Sabbaths of the Lord and all your gifts, votive offerings, and freewill offerings which you must give to the Lord.
23:39 “‘On 723 the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the produce of the land, you must celebrate a pilgrim festival of the Lord for seven days. On the first day is a complete rest and on the eighth day is complete rest. 23:40 On the first day you must take for yourselves branches from majestic trees 724 – palm branches, branches of leafy trees, and willows of the brook – and you must rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 23:41 You must celebrate it as a pilgrim festival to the Lord for seven days in the year. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations; 725 you must celebrate it in the seventh month. 23:42 You must live in temporary shelters 726 for seven days; every native citizen in Israel must live in temporary shelters, 23:43 so that your future generations may know that I made the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”
23:44 So Moses spoke to the Israelites about the appointed times of the Lord. 727
24:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 24:2 “Command the Israelites to bring 728 to you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. 729 24:3 Outside the veil-canopy 730 of the congregation in the Meeting Tent Aaron 731 must arrange it from evening until morning before the Lord continually. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 732 24:4 On the ceremonially pure lampstand 733 he must arrange the lamps before the Lord continually.
24:5 “You must take choice wheat flour 734 and bake twelve loaves; 735 there must be two tenths of an ephah of flour in 736 each loaf, 24:6 and you must set them in two rows, six in a row, 737 on the ceremonially pure table before the Lord. 24:7 You must put pure frankincense 738 on each row, 739 and it will become a memorial portion 740 for the bread, a gift 741 to the Lord. 24:8 Each Sabbath day 742 Aaron 743 must arrange it before the Lord continually; this portion 744 is from the Israelites as a perpetual covenant. 24:9 It will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they must eat it in a holy place because it is most holy to him, a perpetual allotted portion 745 from the gifts of the Lord.”
24:10 Now 746 an Israelite woman’s son whose father was an Egyptian went out among the Israelites, and the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man 747 had a fight in the camp. 24:11 The Israelite woman’s son misused the Name and cursed, 748 so they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 24:12 So they placed him in custody until they were able 749 to make a clear legal decision for themselves based on words from the mouth of the Lord. 750
24:13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 24:14 “Bring the one who cursed outside the camp, and all who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the whole congregation is to stone him to death. 751 24:15 Moreover, 752 you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If any man curses his God 753 he will bear responsibility for his sin, 24:16 and one who misuses 754 the name of the Lord must surely be put to death. The whole congregation must surely stone him, whether he is a foreigner or a native citizen; when he misuses the Name he must be put to death.
24:17 “‘If a man beats any person to death, 755 he must be put to death. 24:18 One who beats an animal to death 756 must make restitution for it, life for life. 757 24:19 If a man inflicts an injury on 758 his fellow citizen, 759 just as he has done it must be done to him – 24:20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth – just as he inflicts an injury on another person 760 that same injury 761 must be inflicted on him. 24:21 One who beats an animal to death 762 must make restitution for it, but 763 one who beats a person to death must be put to death. 24:22 There will be one regulation 764 for you, whether a foreigner or a native citizen, for I am the Lord your God.’”
24:23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites and they brought the one who cursed outside the camp and stoned him with stones. So the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
25:1 The Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai: 25:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must observe a Sabbath 765 to the Lord. 25:3 Six years you may sow your field, and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather the produce, 766 25:4 but in the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath of complete rest 767 – a Sabbath to the Lord. You must not sow your field or 768 prune your vineyard. 25:5 You must not gather in the aftergrowth of your harvest and you must not pick the grapes of your unpruned 769 vines; the land must have a year of complete rest. 25:6 You may have the Sabbath produce 770 of the land to eat – you, your male servant, your female servant, your hired worker, the resident foreigner who stays with you, 771 25:7 your cattle, and the wild animals that are in your land – all its produce will be for you 772 to eat.
25:8 “‘You must count off 773 seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, 774 and the days of the seven weeks of years will amount to forty-nine years. 775 25:9 You must sound loud horn blasts 776 – in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, on the Day of Atonement – you must sound the horn in your entire land. 25:10 So you must consecrate the fiftieth year, 777 and you must proclaim a release 778 in the land for all its inhabitants. That year will be your jubilee; 779 each one of you must return 780 to his property and each one of you must return to his clan. 25:11 That fiftieth year will be your jubilee; you must not sow the land, harvest its aftergrowth, or pick the grapes of its unpruned vines. 781 25:12 Because that year is a jubilee, it will be holy to you – you may eat its produce 782 from the field.
25:13 “‘In this year of jubilee you must each return 783 to your property. 25:14 If you make a sale 784 to your fellow citizen 785 or buy 786 from your fellow citizen, no one is to wrong his brother. 787 25:15 You may buy it from your fellow citizen according to the number of years since 788 the last jubilee; he may sell it to you according to the years of produce that are left. 789 25:16 The more years there are, 790 the more you may make its purchase price, and the fewer years there are, 791 the less you must make its purchase price, because he is only selling to you a number of years of 792 produce. 25:17 No one is to oppress his fellow citizen, 793 but you must fear your God, because I am the Lord your God. 25:18 You must obey my statutes and my regulations; you must be sure to keep them 794 so that you may live securely in the land. 795
25:19 “‘The land will give its fruit and you may eat until you are satisfied, 796 and you may live securely in the land. 25:20 If you say, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow and gather our produce?’ 25:21 I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year so that it may yield 797 the produce 798 for three years, 25:22 and you may sow the eighth year and eat from that sixth year’s produce 799 – old produce. Until you bring in the ninth year’s produce, 800 you may eat old produce. 25:23 The land must not be sold without reclaim 801 because the land belongs to me, for you are foreigners and residents with me. 802 25:24 In all your landed property 803 you must provide for the right of redemption of the land. 804
25:25 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his near redeemer is to come to you and redeem what his brother sold. 805 25:26 If a man has no redeemer, but he prospers 806 and gains enough for its redemption, 807 25:27 he is to calculate the value of the years it was sold, 808 refund the balance 809 to the man to whom he had sold it, and return to his property. 25:28 If he has not prospered enough to refund 810 a balance to him, then what he sold 811 will belong to 812 the one who bought it until the jubilee year, but it must revert 813 in the jubilee and the original owner 814 may return to his property.
25:29 “‘If a man sells a residential house in a walled city, 815 its right of redemption must extend 816 until one full year from its sale; 817 its right of redemption must extend to a full calendar year. 818 25:30 If it is not redeemed before the full calendar year is ended, 819 the house in the walled city 820 will belong without reclaim 821 to the one who bought it throughout his generations; it will not revert in the jubilee. 25:31 The houses of villages, however, 822 which have no wall surrounding them 823 must be considered as the field 824 of the land; they will have the right of redemption and must revert in the jubilee. 25:32 As for 825 the cities of the Levites, the houses in the cities which they possess, 826 the Levites must have a perpetual right of redemption. 25:33 Whatever someone among the Levites might redeem – the sale of a house which is his property in a city – must revert in the jubilee, 827 because the houses of the cities of the Levites are their property in the midst of the Israelites. 25:34 Moreover, 828 the open field areas of their cities 829 must not be sold, because that is their perpetual possession.
25:35 “‘If your brother 830 becomes impoverished and is indebted to you, 831 you must support 832 him; he must live 833 with you like a foreign resident. 834 25:36 Do not take interest or profit from him, 835 but you must fear your God and your brother must live 836 with you. 25:37 You must not lend him your money at interest and you must not sell him food for profit. 837 25:38 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan – to be your God. 838
25:39 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished with regard to you so that he sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave service. 839 25:40 He must be with you as a hired worker, as a resident foreigner; 840 he must serve with you until the year of jubilee, 25:41 but then 841 he may go free, 842 he and his children with him, and may return to his family and to the property of his ancestors. 843 25:42 Since they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they must not be sold in a slave sale. 844 25:43 You must not rule over him harshly, 845 but you must fear your God.
25:44 “‘As for your male and female slaves 846 who may belong to you – you may buy male and female slaves from the nations all around you. 847 25:45 Also you may buy slaves 848 from the children of the foreigners who reside with you, and from their families that are 849 with you, whom they have fathered in your land, they may become your property. 25:46 You may give them as inheritance to your children after you to possess as property. You may enslave them perpetually. However, as for your brothers the Israelites, no man may rule over his brother harshly. 850
25:47 “‘If a resident foreigner who is with you prospers 851 and your brother becomes impoverished with regard to him so that 852 he sells himself to a resident foreigner who is with you or to a member 853 of a foreigner’s family, 25:48 after he has sold himself he retains a right of redemption. 854 One of his brothers may redeem him, 25:49 or his uncle or his cousin 855 may redeem him, or anyone of the rest of his blood relatives – his family 856 – may redeem him, or if 857 he prospers he may redeem himself. 25:50 He must calculate with the one who bought him the number of years 858 from the year he sold himself to him until the jubilee year, and the cost of his sale must correspond to the number of years, according to the rate of wages a hired worker would have earned while with him. 859 25:51 If there are still many years, in keeping with them 860 he must refund most of the cost of his purchase for his redemption, 25:52 but if only a few years remain 861 until the jubilee, he must calculate for himself in keeping with the remaining years and refund it for his redemption. 25:53 He must be with the one who bought him 862 like a yearly hired worker. 863 The one who bought him 864 must not rule over him harshly in your sight. 25:54 If, however, 865 he is not redeemed in these ways, he must go free 866 in the jubilee year, he and his children with him, 25:55 because the Israelites are my own servants; 867 they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
26:1 “‘You must not make for yourselves idols, 868 so you must not set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, and you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down before 869 it, for I am the Lord your God. 26:2 You must keep my Sabbaths and reverence 870 my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
26:3 “‘If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments, 871 26:4 I will give you your rains in their time so that 872 the land will give its yield and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. 873 26:5 Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes, 874 and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so 875 you will eat your bread until you are satisfied, 876 and you will live securely in your land. 26:6 I will grant peace in the land so that 877 you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you. 878 I will remove harmful animals 879 from the land, and no sword of war 880 will pass through your land. 26:7 You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword. 881 26:8 Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 26:9 I will turn to you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and maintain 882 my covenant with you. 26:10 You will still be eating stored produce from the previous year 883 and will have to clean out what is stored from the previous year to make room for new. 884
26:11 “‘I will put my tabernacle 885 in your midst and I will not abhor you. 886 26:12 I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you will be my people. 26:13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves, 887 and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright. 888
26:14 “‘If, however, 889 you do not obey me and keep 890 all these commandments – 26:15 if you reject my statutes and abhor my regulations so that you do not keep 891 all my commandments and you break my covenant – 26:16 I for my part 892 will do this to you: I will inflict horror on you, consumption and fever, which diminish eyesight and drain away the vitality of life. 893 You will sow your seed in vain because 894 your enemies will eat it. 895 26:17 I will set my face against you. You will be struck down before your enemies, those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when there is no one pursuing you.
26:18 “‘If, in spite of all these things, 896 you do not obey me, I will discipline you seven times more on account of your sins. 897 26:19 I will break your strong pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze. 26:20 Your strength will be used up in vain, your land will not give its yield, and the trees of the land 898 will not produce their fruit.
26:21 “‘If you walk in hostility against me 899 and are not willing to obey me, I will increase your affliction 900 seven times according to your sins. 26:22 I will send the wild animals 901 against you and they will bereave you of your children, 902 annihilate your cattle, and diminish your population 903 so that your roads will become deserted.
26:23 “‘If in spite of these things 904 you do not allow yourselves to be disciplined and you walk in hostility against me, 905 26:24 I myself will also walk in hostility against you and strike you 906 seven times on account of your sins. 26:25 I will bring on you an avenging sword, a covenant vengeance. 907 Although 908 you will gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you and you will be given into enemy hands. 909 26:26 When I break off your supply of bread, 910 ten women will bake your bread in one oven; they will ration your bread by weight, 911 and you will eat and not be satisfied.
26:27 “‘If in spite of this 912 you do not obey me but walk in hostility against me, 913 26:28 I will walk in hostile rage against you 914 and I myself will also discipline you seven times on account of your sins. 26:29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. 915 26:30 I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars, 916 and I will stack your dead bodies on top of the lifeless bodies of your idols. 917 I will abhor you. 918 26:31 I will lay your cities waste 919 and make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will refuse to smell your soothing aromas. 26:32 I myself will make the land desolate and your enemies who live in it will be appalled. 26:33 I will scatter you among the nations and unsheathe the sword 920 after you, so your land will become desolate and your cities will become a waste.
26:34 “‘Then the land will make up for 921 its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate while you are in the land of your enemies; then the land will rest and make up its Sabbaths. 26:35 All the days of the desolation it will have the rest it did not have 922 on your Sabbaths when you lived on it.
26:36 “‘As for 923 the ones who remain among you, I will bring despair into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a blowing leaf will pursue them, and they will flee as one who flees the sword and fall down even though there is no pursuer. 26:37 They will stumble over each other as those who flee before a sword, though 924 there is no pursuer, and there will be no one to take a stand 925 for you before your enemies. 26:38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will consume you.
26:39 “‘As for the ones who remain among you, they will rot away because of 926 their iniquity in the lands of your enemies, and they will also rot away because of their ancestors’ 927 iniquities which are with them. 26:40 However, when 928 they confess their iniquity and their ancestors’ iniquity which they committed by trespassing against me, 929 by which they also walked 930 in hostility against me 931 26:41 (and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the land of their enemies), and 932 then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for 933 their iniquity, 26:42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, 934 and I will remember the land. 26:43 The land will be abandoned by them 935 in order that it may make up for 936 its Sabbaths while it is made desolate 937 without them, 938 and they will make up for their iniquity because 939 they have rejected my regulations and have abhorred 940 my statutes. 26:44 In spite of this, however, when they are in the land of their enemies I will not reject them and abhor them to make a complete end of them, to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God. 26:45 I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors 941 whom I brought out from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’”
26:46 These are the statutes, regulations, and instructions which the Lord established 942 between himself and the Israelites at Mount Sinai through 943 Moses.
[12:2] 1 tn Heb “produces seed” (Hiphil of זָרַע, zara’; used only elsewhere in Gen 1:11-12 for plants “producing” their own “seed”), referring to the process of childbearing as a whole, from conception to the time of birth (H. D. Preuss, TDOT 4:144; cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 164-65; and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:742-43). Smr and LXX have Niphal “be impregnated” (see, e.g., Num 5:28); note KJV “If a woman have conceived seed” (cf. ASV, NAB, NRSV; also NIV, NLT “becomes pregnant”).
[12:2] 2 sn The regulations for the “male child” in vv. 2-4 contrast with those for the “female child” in v. 5 (see the note there).
[12:2] 3 tn Heb “as the days of the menstrual flow [nom.] of her menstruating [q. inf.] she shall be unclean” (R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:925-26; the verb appears only in this verse in the OT). Cf. NASB “as in the days of her menstruation”; NLT “during her menstrual period”; NIV “during her monthly period.”
[12:2] sn See Lev 15:19-24 for the standard purity regulations for a woman’s menstrual period.
[12:3] 5 tn This rendering, “the flesh of his foreskin,” is literal. Based on Lev 15:2-3, one could argue that the Hebrew word for “flesh” here (בָּשָׂר, basar) is euphemistic for the male genitals and therefore translate “the foreskin of his member” (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:748). A number of English versions omit this reference to the foreskin and mention only circumcision, presumably for euphemistic reasons (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
[12:4] 6 tn Heb “sit, dwell” (יָשָׁב, yashav) normally means “to sit, to dwell”), but here it means “to remain, to stay” in the same condition for a period of time (cf., e.g., Gen 24:55).
[12:4] 7 tn Heb “in bloods of purification” or “purifying” or “purity”; NASB “in the blood of her purification”; NRSV “her time of blood purification.” See the following note.
[12:4] 8 tn The initial seven days after the birth of a son were days of blood impurity for the woman as if she were having her menstrual period. Her impurity was contagious during this period, so no one should touch her or even furniture on which she has sat or reclined (Lev 15:19-23), lest they too become impure. Even her husband would become impure for seven days if he had sexual intercourse with her during this time (Lev 15:24; cf. 18:19). The next thirty-three days were either “days of purification, purifying” or “days of purity,” depending on how one understands the abstract noun טֹהֳרָה (toharah, “purification, purity”) in this context. During this time the woman could not touch anything holy or enter the sanctuary, but she was no longer contagious like she had been during the first seven days. She could engage in normal everyday life, including sexual intercourse, without fear of contaminating anyone else (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 73-74; cf. J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:749-50). Thus, in a sense, the thirty-three days were a time of blood “purity” (cf. the present translation) as compared to the previous seven days of blood “impurity,” but they were also a time of blood “purification” (or “purifying”) as compared to the time after the thirty-three days, when the blood atonement had been made and she was pronounced “clean” by the priest (see vv. 6-8 below). In other words, the thirty-three day period was a time of “blood” (flow), but this was “pure blood,” as opposed to the blood of the first seven days.
[12:5] 9 tn Heb “on purity blood.” The preposition here is עַל (’al) rather than בְּ (bÿ, as it is in the middle of v. 4), but no doubt the same meaning is intended.
[12:5] 10 tn For clarification of the translation here, see the notes on vv. 2-4 above.
[12:5] sn The doubling of the time after the birth of a female child is puzzling (see the remarks in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:750-51; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 188). Some have argued, for example, that it derives from the relative status of the sexes, or a supposed longer blood flow for the birth of a woman, or even to compensate for the future menstrual periods of the female just born. Perhaps there is a better explanation. First, a male child must be circumcised on the eighth day, so the impurity of the mother could not last beyond the first seven days lest it interfere with the circumcision rite. A female child, of course, was not circumcised, so the impurity of the mother would not interfere and the length of the impure time could be extended further. Second, it would be natural to expect that the increased severity of the blood flow after childbirth, as compared to that of a woman’s menstrual period, would call for a longer period of impurity than the normal seven days of the menstrual period impurity (compare Lev 15:19 with 15:25-30). Third, this suggests that the fourteen day impurity period for the female child would have been more appropriate, and the impurity period for the birth of a male child had to be shortened. Fourth, not only the principle of multiples of seven but also multiples of forty applies to this reckoning. Since the woman’s blood discharge after bearing a child continues for more than seven days, her discharge keeps her from contact with sacred things for a longer period of time in order to avoid contaminating the tabernacle (note Lev 15:31). This ended up totaling forty days for the birth of a male child (seven plus thirty-three) and a corresponding doubling of the second set of days for the woman (fourteen plus sixty-six). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:368-70. The fact that the offerings were the same for either a male or a female infant (vv. 6-8) suggests that the other differences in the regulations are not due to the notion that a male child had greater intrinsic value than a female child (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 169).
[12:6] 11 tn Heb “And when” (so KJV, NASB). Many recent English versions leave the conjunction untranslated.
[12:6] 12 tn Heb “a lamb the son of his year”; KJV “a lamb of the first year” (NRSV “in its first year”); NAB “a yearling lamb.”
[12:6] 13 sn See the note on Lev 1:3 regarding the “burnt offering.”
[12:6] 14 sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”
[12:7] 15 tn Heb “and he” (i.e., the priest mentioned at the end of v. 6). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:7] 16 sn See the note on Lev 1:4 “make atonement.” The purpose of sin offering “atonement,” in particular, was to purge impurities from the tabernacle (see Lev 15:31 and 16:5-19, 29-34), whether they were caused by physical uncleannesses or by sins and iniquities. In this case, the woman has not “sinned” morally by having a child. Even Mary brought such offerings for giving birth to Jesus (Luke 2:22-24), though she certainly did not “sin” in giving birth to him. Note that the result of bringing this “sin offering” was “she will be clean,” not “she will be forgiven” (cf. Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13). The impurity of the blood flow has caused the need for this “sin offering,” not some moral or relational infringement of the law (contrast Lev 4:2, “When a person sins by straying unintentionally from any of the commandments of the
[12:7] 17 tn Or “she will be[come] pure.”
[12:7] 18 tn Heb “from her source [i.e., spring] of blood,” possibly referring to the female genital area, not just the “flow of blood” itself (as suggested by J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:761). Cf. ASV “from the fountain of her blood.”
[12:8] 19 tn Heb “If her hand cannot find the sufficiency of a sheep.” Many English versions render this as “lamb.”
[12:8] 20 tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168, with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).
[12:8] 21 tn Or “she will be[come] pure.”
[13:2] 22 tn Heb “A man, if [or when] he has….” The term for “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2) in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female, since either could be afflicted with infections on the skin.
[13:2] 23 tn Some of the terms for disease or symptoms of disease in this chapter present difficulties for the translator. Most modern English versions render the Hebrew term שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et) as “swelling,” which has been retained here (see the explanation in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 189). Some have argued that “deeper (עָמֹק, ’amoq) than the skin of his body” in v. 3 means that “this sore was lower than the surrounding skin” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:773), in which case “swelling” would be an inappropriate translation of שְׂאֵת in v. 2. Similarly, שְׂאֵת also occurs in v. 19, and then v. 20 raises the issue of whether or not it appears to be “lower (שָׁפָל, shafal) than the skin” (cf. also 14:37 for a mark on the wall of a house), which may mean that the sore sinks below the surface of the skin rather than protruding above it as a swelling would (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 76-77). Thus, one could translate here, for example, “discoloration” (so Milgrom and II שְׂאֵת “spot, blemish on the skin” in HALOT 1301 s.v. II שְׂאֵת) or “local inflammation, boil, mole” (so Levine). However, one could interpret “lower” as “deeper,” i.e., visibly extending below the surface of the skin into the deeper layers as suggested by J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 188, 192. “Swelling” often extends deeply below the surface of the skin, it is certainly a common symptom of skin diseases, and the alternation of these two terms (i.e., “deeper” and “lower”) in vv. 25-26 below shows that they both refer to the same phenomenon (see also the note on v. 20 below), so it is retained in the present translation.
[13:2] 24 tn The etymology and meaning of this term is unknown. It could mean “scab” (KJV, ASV, NASB) or possibly “rash” (NIV, NLT), “flaking skin,” or an “eruption” (NRSV) of some sort.
[13:2] 25 tn Heb “shiny spot” or “white spot,” but to render this term “white spot” in this chapter would create redundancy in v. 4 where the regular term for “white” occurs alongside this word for “bright spot.”
[13:2] 26 tn Heb “in the skin of his flesh” as opposed to the head or the beard (v. 29).
[13:2] 27 tn Heb “a mark [or stroke; or plague] of disease.” In some places in this context (vv. 2, 3) it could be translated “a contagious skin disease.” Although the Hebrew term צָרָעַת (tsara’at) rendered here “diseased” is translated in many English versions as “leprosy,” it does not refer to Hanson’s disease, which is the modern technical understanding of the term “leprosy” (HALOT 1057 s.v. צָרְעַת a). There has been much discussion of the proper meaning of the term and the disease(s) to which it may refer (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:774-76, 816-26; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 187-89; and the literature cited by them). The further description of the actual condition in the text suggests that the regulations are concerned with any kind of infectious diseases that are observable on the surface of the skin and, in addition to that, penetrate below the surface of the skin (vv. 3-4) or spread further across the surface of the skin (vv. 5-8). It is true that, in the OT, the term “disease” is often associated specifically with white “scaly” skin diseases that resemble the wasting away of the skin after death (see Milgrom who, in fact, translates “scale disease”; cf., e.g., Exod 4:6-7 and Num 12:9-12, esp. v. 12), but here it appears to be a broader term for any skin disease that penetrates deep or spreads far on the body. Scaly skin diseases would be included in this category, but also other types. Thus, a “swelling,” “scab,” or “bright spot” on the skin might be a symptom of disease, but not necessarily so. In this sense, “diseased” is a technical term. The term “infection” can apply to any “mark” on the skin whether it belongs to the category of “disease” or not (compare and contrast v. 3, where the “infection” is not “diseased,” with v. 4, where the “infection” is found to be “diseased”).
[13:2] 28 tn Or “it shall be reported to Aaron the priest.” This alternative rendering may be better in light of the parallel use of the same expression in Lev 14:2, where the priest had to go outside the camp in order to inspect the person who had been diseased. Since the rendering “he shall be brought to Aaron the priest” might confuse matters there, this expression should be rendered “it shall be reported” both here in 13:2 (cf. also v. 9) and in 14:2. See, however, the further note on 14:2 below, where it is argued that the diseased person would still need to “be brought” to the priest even if this happened outside the camp. Most English versions retain the idea of the afflicted person being “brought” to the priest for inspection.
[13:3] 29 tn Heb “and the priest shall see the infection.”
[13:3] 30 tn There is no “if” expressed, but the contrast between the priestly finding in this verse and the next verse clearly implies it.
[13:3] 31 tn Heb “and the appearance of the infection is deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “deeper than”) the skin of the his flesh.” See the note on v. 20 below.
[13:3] 32 tn For the translation “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above. Cf. TEV “a dreaded skin disease”; NIV “an infectious skin disease”; NLT “a contagious skin disease.”
[13:3] 33 tn The pronoun “it” here refers to the “infection,” not the person who has the infection (cf. the object of “examine” at the beginning of the verse).
[13:3] 34 tn Heb “he shall make him unclean.” The verb is the Piel of טָמֵא (tame’) “to be unclean.” Here it is a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare unclean”), but it also implies that the person is put into the category of actually being “unclean” by the pronouncement itself (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 175; cf. the corresponding opposite in v. 6 below).
[13:4] 36 tn Heb “and deep is not its appearance from the skin”; cf. NAB “does not seem to have penetrated below the skin.”
[13:4] 37 tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the infection seven days.”
[13:5] 38 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
[13:5] 39 tn Heb “the infection has stood in his eyes”; ASV “if in his eyes the plague be at a stay.”
[13:5] 40 tn Although there is no expressed “and” at the beginning of this clause, there is in the corresponding clause of v. 6, so it should be assumed here as well.
[13:5] 41 tn Heb “a second seven days.”
[13:6] 42 tn That is, at the end of the second set of seven days referred to at the end of v. 5, a total of fourteen days after the first appearance before the priest.
[13:6] 43 tn Heb “and behold.”
[13:6] 44 tn Heb “he shall make him clean.” The verb is the Piel of טָהֵר (taher, “to be clean”). Here it is a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare clean”), but it also implies that the person is put into the category of being “clean” by the pronouncement itself (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 176; cf. the corresponding opposite in v. 3 above).
[13:6] 45 tn On the term “scab” see the note on v. 2 above. Cf. NAB “it was merely eczema”; NRSV “only an eruption”; NLT “only a temporary rash.”
[13:6] 46 tn Heb “and he shall wash his clothes.”
[13:7] 47 tn Heb “And if spreading [infinitive absolute] it spreads [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
[13:8] 48 tn The “it” is not expressed but is to be understood. It refers to the “infection” (cf. the note on v. 2 above).
[13:8] 49 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
[13:8] 50 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).
[13:9] 51 tn Heb “When there is an infection of disease in a man.” The term for “a man; a human being” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2 and cf. v. 2 above) refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female. For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.
[13:10] 52 tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).
[13:10] 53 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
[13:10] 54 tn Heb “and rawness [i.e., something living] of living flesh is in the swelling”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “quick raw flesh.”
[13:11] 55 tn The term rendered here “chronic” is a Niphal participle meaning “grown old” (HALOT 448 s.v. II ישׁן nif.2). The idea is that this is an old enduring skin disease that keeps on developing or recurring.
[13:11] 56 tn Heb “in the skin of his flesh” as opposed to the head or the beard (v. 29; cf. v. 2 above).
[13:11] 57 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).
[13:11] 58 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:11] 59 sn Instead of just the normal quarantine isolation, this condition calls for the more drastic and enduring response stated in Lev 13:45-46. Raw flesh, of course, sometimes oozes blood to one degree or another, and blood flows are by nature impure (see, e.g., Lev 12 and 15; cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 191).
[13:12] 60 tn Heb “And if spreading [infinitive absolute] it spreads out [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
[13:12] 61 tn Heb “all the skin of the infection,” but see v. 4 above.
[13:12] 62 tn Heb “to all the appearance of the eyes of the priest.”
[13:13] 63 tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).
[13:13] 64 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
[13:13] 65 tn Heb “he shall pronounce the infection clean,” but see v. 4 above. Also, this is another use of the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher; cf. the note on v. 6 above).
[13:13] 66 tn Heb “all of him has turned white, and he is clean.”
[13:14] 67 tn Heb “and in the day of there appears in it living flesh.” Some English versions render this as “open sores” (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT).
[13:15] 68 tn Heb “and the priest shall see the living flesh.”
[13:15] 69 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’; cf. the note on v. 3 above).
[13:16] 70 tn Heb “Or if/when.”
[13:16] 71 tn Heb “the living flesh returns and is turned/changed to white.” The Hebrew verb “returns” is שׁוּב (shuv), which often functions adverbially when combined with a second verb as it is here (cf. “and is turned”) and, in such cases, is usually rendered “again” (see, e.g., GKC 386-87 §120.g). Another suggestion is that here שׁוּב means “to recede” (cf., e.g., 2 Kgs 20:9), so one could translate “the raw flesh recedes and turns white.” This would mean that the new “white” skin “has grown over” the raw flesh (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 79).
[13:17] 72 tn Heb “and the priest shall see it.”
[13:17] 73 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
[13:17] 74 tn Heb “the priest shall pronounce the infection clean,” but see v. 4 above. Also, this is another use of the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).
[13:18] 75 tc Heb (MT) reads, “And flesh if/when there is in it, in its skin, a boil.” Smr has only “in it,” not “in its skin,” and a few medieval Hebrew
[13:19] 76 tn Some English versions translate “it shall be shown to [or “be seen by”] the priest,” taking the infection to be the subject of the verb (e.g., KJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV). Based on the Hebrew grammar there is no way to be sure which is intended.
[13:20] 77 tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).
[13:20] 78 tn Heb “and behold.”
[13:20] 79 tn Heb “and behold its appearance is low (שָׁפָל, shafal) ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “lower than”) the skin.” Compare “deeper” in v. 3 above where, however, a different word is used (עָמֹק, ’amoq), and see the note on “swelling” in v. 1 above (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 192; note that, contrary to the MT, Tg. Onq. has עָמֹק in this verse as well as v. 4). The alternation of these two terms (i.e., “deeper” and “lower”) in vv. 25-26 below shows that they both refer to the same phenomenon. Some have argued that “this sore was lower than the surrounding skin” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:773, 788), in which case “swelling” would be an inappropriate translation of שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et) in v. 19. It seems unlikely, however, that the surface of a “boil” would sink below the surface of the surrounding skin. The infectious pus etc. that makes up a boil normally causes swelling.
[13:20] 80 tn The declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).
[13:20] 81 tn Heb “It is an infection of disease. In the boil it has broken out.” For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.
[13:21] 83 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
[13:21] 84 tn Heb “and the priest will shut him up seven days.”
[13:22] 86 tn Heb “is indeed spreading.”
[13:22] 87 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).
[13:23] 88 tn Heb “and if under it the bright spot stands, it has not spread.”
[13:23] 89 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).
[13:24] 90 tn Heb “Or a body, if there is in its skin a burn of fire.”
[13:25] 91 tn Heb “and the priest shall see it.”
[13:25] 92 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
[13:25] 93 tn Heb “and its appearance is deep ‘from’ [comparative מִן (min) meaning ‘deeper than’] the skin.”
[13:25] 94 tn Heb “it is a disease. In the burn it has broken out.”
[13:25] 95 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’; cf. the note on v. 3 above).
[13:25] 96 tn For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.
[13:26] 98 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “and indeed.”
[13:26] 99 tn Heb “and low it is not ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “lower than”) the skin.” See the note on v. 20 above. Cf. TEV “not deeper than the surrounding skin.”
[13:26] 100 tn Heb “and the priest will shut him up seven days.”
[13:27] 101 tn Heb “is indeed spreading.”
[13:27] 102 tn For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.
[13:28] 103 tn Heb “and if under it the bright spot stands, it has not spread in the skin.”
[13:28] 104 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher; cf. the note on v. 6 above).
[13:29] 105 tn Heb “And a man or a woman if there is in him an infection in head or in beard.”
[13:29] sn The shift here is from diseases that are on the (relatively) bare skin of the body to the scalp area of the male or female head or the bearded area of the male face.
[13:30] 106 tn Heb “and the priest shall see the infection.”
[13:30] 107 tn Heb “and behold.”
[13:30] 108 tn Heb “its appearance is deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “deeper than”) the skin.”
[13:30] 109 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’; cf. the note on v. 3 above).
[13:30] 110 tn The exact identification of this disease is unknown. Cf. KJV “dry scall”; NASB “a scale”; NIV, NCV, NRSV “an itch”; NLT “a contagious skin disease.” For a discussion of “scall” disease in the hair, which is a crusty scabby disease of the skin under the hair that also affects the hair itself, see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 192-93, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:793-94. The Hebrew word rendered “scall” (נֶתֶק, neteq) is related to a verb meaning “to tear; to tear out; to tear apart.” It may derive from the scratching and/or the tearing out of the hair or the scales of the skin in response to the itching sensation caused by the disease.
[13:30] 111 tn Heb “It is scall. It is the disease of the head or the beard.”
[13:31] 112 tn Heb “and behold there is not its appearance deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, meaning “deeper than”) the skin.”
[13:31] 113 tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the infection of the scall seven days.”
[13:32] 114 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
[13:32] 115 tn Heb “and the appearance of the scall is not deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, meaning “deeper than”) the skin.”
[13:33] 116 tn The shaving is done by the one who has the infection. Although KJV, ASV have the passive “he shall be shaven” here, most modern English versions have the reflexive “shall shave himself” (so NAB).
[13:33] 117 tn Heb “but the scall shall he not shave” (so KJV, ASV); NIV “except for the diseased area.”
[13:33] 118 tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the scall a second seven days.”
[13:34] 119 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
[13:34] 120 tn Heb “and its appearance is not deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, meaning “deeper than”) the skin.”
[13:34] 121 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).
[13:35] 122 tn Heb “And if spreading (infinitive absolute) it spreads further (finite verb).” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
[13:36] 123 tn Heb “and behold.”
[13:36] 124 tn Heb “the priest shall not search to the reddish yellow hair.”
[13:36] 125 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the affected person) is specified in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).
[13:37] 126 tn Heb “and if in his eyes the infection has stood.”
[13:37] 127 tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).
[13:39] 128 tn Heb “and the priest shall see.”
[13:39] 129 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
[13:39] 130 tn Heb “he,” but the regulation applies to a man or a woman (v. 38a). In the translation “the person” is used to specify the referent more clearly.
[13:40] 131 tn Heb “And a man, when his head is rubbed bare, he is bald-headed.” The translation offered here, referring to the back of the head (i.e., the area from the top of the head sloping backwards), is based on the contrast between this condition and that of the following verse. See also B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 82.
[13:41] 132 tn Heb “And if from the front edge of his face, his head is rubbed bare.” See the note on v. 40 above.
[13:41] 133 tn The rendering “balding in front” corresponds to the location of the bareness at the beginning of the verse.
[13:43] 134 tn Heb “and the priest shall see it” (cf. KJV). The MT has “him/it” which some take to refer to the person as a whole (i.e., “him”; see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:770; NIV, NRSV, etc.), while others take it as a reference to the “infection” (נֶגַע, nega’) in v. 42 (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 172, 177). Smr has “her/it,” which would probably refer to “disease” (צָרַעַת, tsara’at) in v. 42. The general pattern in the chapter suggests that “it,” either the infection or the disease, is the object of the examination (see, e.g., v. 3 above and v. 50 below).
[13:43] 135 tn Heb “and behold.”
[13:43] 136 tn Heb “like appearance of disease of skin of flesh.”
[13:44] 137 tn Or perhaps translate, “His infection [is] on his head,” as a separate independent sentence (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). There is no causal expression in the Hebrew text connecting these two clauses, but the logical relationship between them seems to be causal.
[13:45] 138 tn Heb “And the diseased one who in him is the infection.”
[13:45] 139 tn Heb “and his head shall be unbound, and he shall cover on [his] mustache.” Tearing one’s clothing, allowing the hair to hang loose rather than bound up in a turban, and covering the mustache on the upper lip are all ways of expressing shame, grief, or distress (cf., e.g., Lev 10:6 and Micah 3:7).
[13:46] 140 tn Heb “All the days which the infection is in him.”
[13:47] 141 tn Heb “And the garment, if there is in it a mark of disease.”
[13:47] 142 tn Heb “in a wool garment or in a linen garment.”
[13:48] 143 sn The warp (vertical) and woof (horizontal) thread may be two different sets of thread not yet woven together, or they may refer to two different kinds of thread already woven, in which case one might have the disease in it while the other does not. See the explanation in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:809-10.
[13:48] 144 tn Heb “in any handiwork of skin” (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV); most other modern English versions have “leather.”
[13:49] 145 tn Heb “and the infection is.” This clause is conditional in force, and is translated as such by almost all English versions.
[13:50] 146 tn Heb “And the priest shall see the infection and he shall shut up the infection seven days.”
[13:51] 147 tn Heb “to all which the leather was made into a handiwork.”
[13:53] 148 tn Heb “And if the priest sees and behold”; NASB “and indeed.”
[13:54] 149 tn Heb “a second seven days.”
[13:55] 150 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
[13:55] 151 tn Heb “the infection has not changed its eye.” Smr has “its/his eyes,” as in vv. 5 and 37, but here it refers to the appearance of the article of cloth or leather, unlike vv. 5 and 37 where there is a preposition attached and it refers to the eyes of the priest.
[13:55] 152 tn The terms “back side” and “front side” are the same as those used in v. 42 for the “back or front bald area” of a man’s head. The exact meaning of these terms when applied to articles of cloth or leather is uncertain. It could refer, for example, to the inside versus the outside of a garment, or the back versus the front side of an article of cloth or leather. See J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:814, for various possibilities.
[13:56] 153 tn Heb “And if the priest saw and behold….”
[13:56] 154 tn Heb “and he shall tear it from.”
[13:57] 155 tn Heb “And if”; NIV, NCV “But if”; NAB “If, however.”
[13:58] 156 tn Heb “and the infection turns aside from them.”
[13:59] 157 sn The Hebrew term translated “law” (תוֹרָה, torah) introduces here a summary or colophon for all of Lev 13. Similar summaries are found in Lev 7:37-38; 11:46-47; 14:54-57; and 15:32-33.
[13:59] 158 tn These are declarative Piel forms of the verbs טָהֵר (taher) and טָמֵא (tame’) respectively (cf. the notes on vv. 3 and 6 above).
[14:2] 159 tn Heb “and.” Here KJV, ASV use a semicolon; NASB begins a new sentence with “Now.”
[14:2] 160 tn The alternative rendering, “when it is reported to the priest” may be better in light of the fact that the priest had to go outside the camp. Since he or she had been declared “unclean” by a priest (Lev 13:3) and was, therefore, required to remain outside the camp (13:46), the formerly diseased person could not reenter the camp until he or she had been declared “clean” by a priest (cf. Lev 13:6 for “declaring clean.”). See especially J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:831, who supports this rendering both here and in Lev 13:2 and 9. B. A. Levine, however, prefers the rendering in the text (Leviticus [JPSTC], 76 and 85). It is the most natural meaning of the verb (i.e., “to be brought” from בּוֹא [bo’, “to come”] in the Hophal stem, which means “to be brought” in all other occurrences in Leviticus other than 13:2, 9, and 14:2; see only 6:30; 10:18; 11:32; and 16:27), it suits the context well in 13:2, and the rendering “to be brought” is supported by 13:7b, “he shall show himself to the priest a second time.” Although it is true that the priest needed to go outside the camp to examine such a person, the person still needed to “be brought” to the priest there. The translation of vv. 2-3 employed here suggests that v. 2 introduces the proceeding and then v. 3 goes on to describe the specific details of the examination and purification.
[14:3] 161 tn Heb “and he shall be brought to the priest and the priest shall go out to from outside to the camp and the priest shall see [it].” The understood “it” refers to the skin infection itself (see the note on 13:3 above). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:3] 162 tn Heb “And behold, the diseased infection has been healed from the diseased person.” The expression “diseased infection” has been translated as simply “infection” to avoid redundancy here in terms of English style.
[14:4] 163 tn The term rendered here “crimson fabric” consists of two Hebrew words and means literally, “crimson of worm” (in this order only in Lev 14:4, 6, 49, 51, 52 and Num 19:6; for the more common reverse order, “worm of crimson,” see, e.g., the colored fabrics used in making the tabernacle, Exod 25:4, etc.). This particular “worm” is an insect that lives on the leaves of palm trees, the eggs of which are the source for a “crimson” dye used to color various kinds of cloth (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 86). That a kind of dyed “fabric” is intended, not just the dye substance itself, is made certain by the dipping of it along with the other ritual materials listed here into the blood and water mixture for sprinkling on the person being cleansed (Lev 14:6; cf. also the burning of it in the fire of the red heifer in Num 19:6). Both the reddish color of cedar wood and the crimson colored fabric seem to correspond to the color of blood and may, therefore, symbolize either “life,” which is in the blood, or the use of blood to “make atonement” (see, e.g., Gen 9:4 and Lev 17:11). See further the note on v. 7 below.
[14:4] 164 sn Twigs of hyssop (probably one or several species of marjoram thymus), a spice and herb plant that grows out of walls in Palestine (see 1 Kgs 4:33 [5:13 HT], HALOT 27 s.v. אֵזוֹב, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 195), were particularly leafy and therefore especially useful for sprinkling the purifying liquid (cf. vv. 5-7). Many of the details of the ritual procedure are obscure. It has been proposed, for example, that the “cedar wood” was a stick to which the hyssop was bound with the crimson material to make a sort of sprinkling instrument (Hartley, 195). In light of the burning of these three materials as part of the preparation of the ashes of the red heifer in Num 19:5-6, however, this seems unlikely.
[14:4] 165 tn The MT reads literally, “And the priest shall command and he shall take.” Clearly, the second verb (“and he shall take”) contains the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that he take” (cf. also v. 5a). Since the priest issues the command here, he cannot be the subject of the second verb because he cannot be commanding himself to “take” up these ritual materials. Moreover, since the ritual is being performed “for the one being cleansed,” the antecedent of the pronoun “he” cannot refer to him. The LXX, Smr, and Syriac versions have the third person plural here and in v. 5a, which corresponds to other combinations with the verb וְצִוָּה (vÿtsivvah) “and he (the priest) shall command” in this context (see Lev 13:54; 14:36, 40). This suggests an impersonal (i.e., “someone shall take” and “someone shall slaughter,” respectively) or perhaps even passive rendering of the verbs in 14:4, 5 (i.e., “there shall be taken” and “there shall be slaughtered,” respectively). The latter option has been chosen here.
[14:4] 166 tn Heb “the one cleansing himself” (i.e., Hitpael participle of טָהֵר, taher, “to be clean”).
[14:5] 167 tn Heb “And the priest shall command and he shall slaughter.” See the note on “be taken up” (v. 4).
[14:5] 168 tn Heb “into a vessel of clay over living water.” The expression “living [i.e., ‘fresh’] water” (cf. Lev 14:50; 15:13; Num 19:17) refers to water that flows. It includes such water sources as artesian wells (Gen 26:19; Song of Songs 4:15), springs (Jer 2:13, as opposed to cisterns; cf. 17:13), and flowing streams (Zech 14:8). In other words, this is water that has not stood stagnant as, for example, in a sealed-off cistern.
[14:5] sn Although there are those who argue that the water and the blood rites are separate (e.g., E. S. Gerstenberger, Leviticus [OTL], 175-76), it is usually agreed that v. 5b refers to the slaughtering of the bird in such a way that its blood runs into the bowl, which contained fresh water (see, e.g., N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers [NCBC], 74; G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 208; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:836-38; cf. esp. Lev 14:51b, “and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and in the fresh water”). This mixture of blood and water was then to be sprinkled on the person being cleansed from the disease.
[14:6] 169 tc Heb “the live bird he [i.e., the priest] shall take it.” Although the MT has no ו (vav, “and”) at the beginning of this clause, a few medieval Hebrew
[14:7] 170 tn Heb “the one cleansing himself” (i.e., Hitpael participle of טָהֵר [taher, “to be clean”]).
[14:7] 171 tn Heb “and he shall make him clean.” The verb is the Piel of טָהֵר (taher, “to be clean”), here used as a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare clean”; cf. 13:6, etc.).
[14:7] 172 sn The reddish color of cedar wood and the crimson colored fabric called for in v. 4 (see the note there, esp. the association with the color of blood) as well as the priestly commands to bring “two live” birds (v. 4a), to slaughter one of them “over fresh water” (literally “living water,” v. 5b), and the subsequent ritual with the (second) “live” bird (vv. 6-7) combine to communicate the concept of “life” and “being alive” in this passage. This contrasts with the fear of death associated with the serious skin diseases in view here (see, e.g., Aaron’s description of Miriam’s skin disease in Num 12:12, “Do not let her be like the dead one when it goes out from its mother’s womb and its flesh half eaten away”). Since the slaughtered bird here is not sacrificed at the altar and is not designated as an expiatory “sin offering,” this ritual procedure probably symbolizes the renewed life of the diseased person and displays it publicly for all to see. It is preparatory to the expiatory rituals that will follow (vv. 10-20, esp. vv. 18-20), but is not itself expiatory. Thus, although there are important similarities between the bird ritual here, the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:20-22), and the red heifer for cleansing from corpse contamination (Num 19), this bird ritual is different in that the latter two constitute “sin offerings” (Lev 16:5, 8-10; Num 19:9, 17). Neither of the birds in Lev 14:4-7 is designated or treated as a “sin offering.” Nevertheless, the very nature of the live bird ritual itself and its obvious similarity to the scapegoat ritual suggests that the patient’s disease has been removed far away so that he or she is free from its effects both personally and communally.
[14:8] 173 tn Heb “the one cleansing himself” (i.e., Hitpael participle of טָהֵר [taher, “to be clean”]).
[14:8] 174 tn Heb “and he shall be clean” (so ASV). The end result of the ritual procedures in vv. 4-7 and the washing and shaving in v. 8a is that the formerly diseased person has now officially become clean in the sense that he can reenter the community (see v. 8b; contrast living outside the community as an unclean diseased person, Lev 13:46). There are, however, further cleansing rituals and pronouncements for him to undergo in the tabernacle as outlined in vv. 10-20 (see Qal “be[come] clean” in vv. 9 and 20, Piel “pronounce clean” in v. 11, and Hitpael “the one being cleansed” in vv. 11, 14, 17, 18, and 19). Obviously, in order to enter the tabernacle he must already “be clean” in the sense of having access to the community.
[14:9] 175 tn Heb “And it shall be on the seventh day.”
[14:9] 176 tn Heb “and he shall be clean” (see the note on v. 8).
[14:10] 177 tn The subject “he” probably refers to the formerly diseased person in this case (see the notes on Lev 1:5a, 6a, and 9a).
[14:10] 178 tn This term is often rendered “fine flour,” but it refers specifically to wheat as opposed to barley (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 10) and, although the translation “flour” is used here, it may indicate “grits” rather than finely ground flour (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:179; see the note on Lev 2:1). The unit of measure is most certainly an “ephah” even though it is not stated explicitly (see, e.g., Num 28:5; cf. 15:4, 6, 8), and three-tenths of an ephah would amount to about a gallon, or perhaps one-third of a bushel (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 196; Milgrom, 845). Since the normal amount of flour for a lamb is one-tenth of an ephah (Num 28:4-5; cf. 15:4), three-tenths is about right for the three lambs offered in Lev 14:10-20.
[14:10] 179 tn A “log” (לֹג, log) of oil is about one-sixth of a liter, or one-third of a pint, or two-thirds of a cup.
[14:11] 180 tn The MT here is awkward to translate into English. It reads literally, “and the priest who pronounces clean (Piel participle of טָהֵר, taher) shall cause to stand (Hiphil of עָמַד, ’amad) the man who is cleansing himself (Hitpael participle of טָהֵר) and them” (i.e., the offerings listed in v. 10; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity). Alternatively, the Piel of טָהֵר could be rendered “who performs the cleansing/purification” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:827), perhaps even as a technical term for one who holds the office of “purification priest” (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 87). It is probably better, however, to retain the same meaning here as in v. 7 above (see the note there regarding the declarative Piel use of this verb).
[14:12] 181 tn Heb “And the priest shall take the one lamb.”
[14:12] 182 tn See the note on Lev 5:15 above. The primary purpose of the “guilt offering” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) was to “atone” (כִּפֶּר, kipper, “to make atonement,” see v. 18 below and the note on Lev 1:4) for “trespassing” on the
[14:12] 183 tn Heb “wave them [as] a wave offering before the
[14:13] 184 tn Heb “And he shall slaughter.”
[14:13] 185 tn Heb “in the place which.”
[14:13] 186 sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”
[14:13] 187 sn See the note on Lev 1:3 regarding the “burnt offering.”
[14:13] 188 tn Since the priest himself presents this offering as a wave offering (v. 12), it would seem that the offering is already in his hands and he would, therefore, be the one who slaughtered the male lamb in this instance rather than the offerer. Smr and LXX make the second verb “to slaughter” plural rather than singular, which suggests that it is to be taken as an impersonal passive (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:852).
[14:13] 189 tn Heb “the guilt offering, it [is] to the
[14:14] 190 tn Heb “and the priest shall put [literally ‘give’] on the lobe of the ear of the one being cleansed, the right one.”
[14:14] 191 tn The term for “big toe” (בֹּהֶן, bohen) is the same as that for “thumb.” It refers to the larger appendage on either the hand or the foot.
[14:15] 192 tn Heb “And the priest…shall pour on the left hand of the priest.” As the Rabbis observe, the repetition of “priest” as the expressed subject of both verbs in this verse may suggest that two priests were involved in this ritual (see m. Nega’im 14:8, referred to by J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:852), but the seemingly unnecessary repetition of “priest” in several verses throughout the chapter argues against this (see esp. vv. 3, 14, 18, 20, 24, and 26). Moreover, in this case, “priest” may be repeated to avoid confusing the priest’s hand with that of the one being cleansed (cf. v. 14).
[14:16] 193 tn Heb “his right finger from the oil.”
[14:17] 194 tn Heb “on his hand.”
[14:18] 195 tn Heb “and the remainder in the oil.”
[14:19] 196 tn Heb “do [or “make”] the sin offering.”
[14:19] 197 tn Heb “And after[ward] he [i.e., the offerer] shall slaughter.” The LXX adds “the priest” as the subject of the verb (as do several English versions, e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT), but the offerer is normally the one who does the actually slaughtering of the sacrificial animal (cf. the notes on Lev 1:5a, 6a, and 9a).
[14:20] 198 tn Heb “cause to go up.”
[14:21] 199 tn Heb “and his hand does not reach”; NAB, NRSV “and cannot afford so much (afford these NIV).”
[14:21] 200 tn See the notes on v. 10 above.
[14:22] 201 tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168 with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).
[14:22] 202 tn Heb “which his hand reaches”; NRSV “such as (which NIV) he can afford.”
[14:22] 203 tn Heb “and one shall be a sin offering and the one a burnt offering.” The versions struggle with whether or not “one” should or should not have the definite article in its two occurrences in this verse (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB all have the English definite article with both). The MT has the first without and the second with the article.
[14:23] 204 tn Heb “to the doorway of”; KJV, ASV “unto the door of.”
[14:24] 205 tn Heb “and the priest shall wave them.” In the present translation “priest” is not repeated a second time in the verse for stylistic reasons. With regard to the “waving” of the “wave offering,” see the note on v. 12 above.
[14:25] 206 tn Heb “and the priest shall put [literally ‘give’] on the lobe of the ear of the one being cleansed, the right one.”
[14:25] 207 tn The term for “big toe” (בֹּהֶן, bohen) is the same as that for “thumb.” It refers to the larger appendage on either the hand or the foot.
[14:26] 208 tn Heb “And from the oil the priest shall pour out on the left hand of the priest.” Regarding the repetition of “priest” in this verse see the note on v. 15 above.
[14:27] 209 tn Heb “and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger from the oil which is on his left hand.”
[14:28] 210 tn Heb “on his hand.”
[14:29] 211 tn Heb “on the hand.”
[14:30] 213 tn Heb “the one from the turtledoves.”
[14:30] 214 tc Heb “from which his hand reaches.” The repetition of virtually the same expression at the beginning of v. 31 in the MT is probably due to dittography (cf. the LXX and Syriac). However, the MT may be retained if it is understood as “one of the turtledoves or young pigeons that are within his means – whichever he can afford” (see J. Milgrom’s translation in Leviticus [AB], 1:828, contra his commentary, 862; cf. REB).
[14:31] 215 tn Heb “and the one a burnt offering on the grain offering.”
[14:32] 216 tn Heb “This is the law of who in him [is] a diseased infection.”
[14:32] 217 tn Heb “who his hand does not reach in his purification”; NASB “whose means are limited for his cleansing”; NIV “who cannot afford the regular offerings for his cleansing.”
[14:34] 218 tn Heb “which I am giving” (so NAB, NIV).
[14:34] 220 tn Heb “in the house of the land of your possession” (KJV and ASV both similar).
[14:35] 221 tn Heb “who to him the house.”
[14:36] 222 tn Heb “And the priest shall command and they shall clear the house.” The second verb (“and they shall clear”) states the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that they clear” (cf. also vv. 4a and 5a above), and for the impersonal passive rendering of the active verb (“that the house be cleared”) see the note on v. 4 above.
[14:36] 223 tn Heb “to see the infection”; KJV “to see the plague”; NASB “to look at the mark (mildew NCV).”
[14:36] 224 tn Heb “all which [is] in the house.”
[14:36] 225 sn Once the priest pronounced the house “unclean” everything in it was also officially unclean. Therefore, if they emptied the house of its furniture, etc. before the official pronouncement by the priest those possessions would thereby remain officially “clean” and avoid destruction or purification procedures.
[14:36] 226 tn Heb “and after thus.”
[14:37] 227 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).
[14:37] 228 tn For “yellowish green and reddish” see Lev 13:49. The Hebrew term translated “eruptions” occurs only here and its meaning is uncertain. For a detailed summary of the issues and views see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:870. The suggestions include, among others: (1) “depressions” from Hebrew שׁקע (“sink”) or קער as the root of the Hebrew term for “bowl” (LXX, Targums, NAB, NASB, NIV; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 90), (2) “streaks” (ASV, NJPS), (3) and “eruptions” as a loan-word from Egyptian sqr r rwtj (“eruption; rash”); cf. Milgrom, 870; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 198-99. The latter view is taken here.
[14:37] 229 tn The Hebrew term קִיר (qir,“wall”) refers to the surface of the wall in this case, which normally consisted of a coating of plaster made of limestone and sand (see HALOT 1099 s.v. קִיר 1.a; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:871; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 199).
[14:38] 230 tn Heb “and he shall shut up the house seven days.”
[14:39] 231 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “If the mark has indeed spread.”
[14:40] 232 tn Heb “and the priest shall command and they shall pull out the stones which in them is the infection, and they shall cast them.” The second and third verbs (“they shall pull out” and “they shall throw”) state the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that they pull out…and throw” (cf. also vv. 4a, 5a, and 36a above), and for the impersonal passive rendering of the active verb (“be pulled and thrown”) see the note on v. 4 above.
[14:40] 233 tn Heb “into from outside to the city.”
[14:41] 234 tn Or, according to the plurality of the verb in Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Targums, “Then the house shall be scraped” (cf. NAB, NLT, and the note on v. 40).
[14:41] 235 tn Heb “from house all around.”
[14:41] 236 tn Heb “dust” (so KJV) or “rubble”; NIV “the material”; NLT “the scrapings.”
[14:41] 237 tn Heb “which they have scraped off.” The MT term קִיר (qir, “wall” from קָצָה, qatsah, “to cut off”; BDB 892), the original Greek does not have this clause, Smr has הקיצו (with uncertain meaning), and the BHS editors and HALOT 1123-24 s.v. I קצע hif.a suggest emending the verb to הִקְצִעוּ (hiqtsi’u, see the same verb at the beginning of this verse; cf. some Greek
[14:41] 238 tn Heb “into from outside to the city.”
[14:42] 239 tn Heb “and bring into under the stones.”
[14:43] 240 tn Heb “after he has pulled out the stones, and after scraping (variant form of the Hiphil infinitive construct, GKC 531) the house, and after being replastered (Niphal infinitive construct).”
[14:44] 241 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “If he sees that the mark has indeed spread.”
[14:45] 242 tn Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have the plural verb, perhaps suggesting a passive translation, “The house…shall be torn down” (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT, and see the note on v. 4b above).
[14:45] 243 tn Once again, Smr, LXX, and Syriac have the plural verb, perhaps to be rendered passive, “shall be brought.”
[14:46] 244 tn Heb “the one who comes into.”
[14:46] 245 tn Heb “he,” referring to the priest (see v. 38). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:48] 246 tn Heb “And if the priest entering [infinitive absolute] enters [finite verb]” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
[14:48] 247 tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “and the mark has not indeed spread.”
[14:49] 248 tn The pronoun “he” refers to the priest mentioned in the previous verse.
[14:49] 249 tn Regarding these ritual materials, see the note on v. 4 above.
[14:49] 250 tn Regarding the Piel of חָטָא (khata’, cf. v. 52) meaning to “decontaminate” or “perform a decontamination,” see the notes on Lev 8:15 and 9:15.
[14:49] sn In Lev 8:15, for example, the “sin offering” is used to “decontaminate” the burnt offering altar. As argued above (see the note on v. 7 above), these ritual materials and the procedures performed with them do not constitute a “sin offering” (contrast vv. 19 and 31 above). In fact, no sin offering was required for the purification of a house.
[14:50] 251 tn See the note on v. 5 above.
[14:53] 252 tn Heb “to from outside to the city.”
[14:54] 253 tn Heb “and for the scall”; NASB “a scale”; NIV “any infectious skin disease.” Cf. Lev 13:29-37.
[14:55] 254 sn Cf. Lev 13:47-59.
[14:55] 255 sn Cf. Lev 14:33-53.
[14:56] 256 sn Cf. Lev 13:9-28, 43.
[14:56] 258 sn Cf. Lev 13:4, 18-28, 38-39. For explanations of all these terms for disease in Lev 14:56 see 13:2.
[14:57] 259 tn Heb “to teach in the day of the unclean and in the day of the clean.”
[14:57] 260 tn Heb “This is the law of the disease.” Some English versions specify this as “skin disease” (e.g., NIV, NLT), but then have to add “and (+ infectious NLT) mildew” (so NIV) because a house would not be infected with a skin disease.
[14:57] sn For an explanation of the term “disease” see Lev 13:2.
[15:2] 261 tn Heb “Man man.” The reduplication is a way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 17:3; 22:18, etc.; see the distributive repetition of the noun in GKC 395-96 §123.c).
[15:2] 262 tn The term “discharge” actually means “to flow,” whether referring to a full flow as at a spring of water (Ps 78:20 and parallels) or in reference to the promised land as “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exod 3:8 and parallels).
[15:2] 263 tn Heb “man, man when there is a discharge from his flesh.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any [or “every”] man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c). It is well-recognized that the term “flesh” (i.e., “body”) in this chapter refers regularly and euphemistically to the male and female genital members or areas of the body (HALOT 164 s.v. בָּשָׂר 5.b; see also, e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 93). The euphemism has been retained in this translation since it is, in fact, intended in the Hebrew text. Some English versions partially remove the euphemism (e.g., NAB “from his private parts”; NRSV “from his member”) while some remove it completely (e.g., NLT “a genital discharge”; TEV “from his penis”; CEV “with an infected penis”).
[15:3] 264 tn The LXX has “this the law of his uncleanness…” (cf. v. 32 and compare, e.g., 13:59; 14:2, 56).
[15:3] 265 tc Smr, LXX, and the Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll from Qumran (11QpaleoLev; Fragment G contains Lev 14:52-15:5 and 16:2-4, and agrees with the LXX of Lev 15:3b) are in essential (although not complete) agreement against the MT in Lev 15:3b and are to be preferred in this case. The shorter MT text has probably arisen due to a lengthy haplography. See K. A. Mathews, “The Leviticus Scroll (11QpaleoLev) and the Text of the Hebrew Bible,” CBQ 48 (1986): 177-78, 198; D. N. Freedman, “Variant Readings in the Leviticus Scroll from Qumran Cave 11,” CBQ 36 (1974): 528-29; D. N. Freedman and K. A. Mathews, The Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll, 32. The MT of Lev 15:3 reads: “Now this is his uncleanness in [regard to] his discharge – whether his body secretes his discharge or blocks his discharge, this is his uncleanness.” Smr adds after MT’s “blocks his discharge” the following: “he is unclean; all the days that his body has a discharge or his body blocks his discharge, this is his uncleanness.” Thus, the MT appears to skip from Smr טמא הוא “he is unclean” in the middle of the verse to יא/טמאתו הו “this is his uncleanness” at the end of the verse, leaving out “he is unclean; all the days that his body has a discharge or his body blocks his discharge” (cf. the BHS footnote). 11Q1 (paleoLeva frag. G) is indeed fragmentary, but it does have ימי ז בו כל “…in him, all the days of the fl[ow],” supporting Smr and LXX tradition. The LXX adds after MT “blocks his discharge” the following: “all the days of the flow of his body, by which his body is affected by the flow,” followed by “it is his uncleanness” (i.e., the last two words of the MT).
[15:3] sn The contrast between the dripping or flowing from the male sexual member as opposed to there being a blockage is important. One might not understand that even though a blockage actually causes a lack of discharge, it is still unclean.
[15:3] 266 tn Heb “it is his uncleanness,” but the last clause recapitulates the effect of the first clause in this verse, both of which introduce the regulations for such uncleanness in the following verses. In other words, whether his discharge flows from his penis or is blocked in it, he is still unclean and must proceed according to the following regulations (vv. 4ff).
[15:4] 267 tn Heb “All the bed which the man with a discharge sits on it shall be unclean”; cf. NLT “Any bedding.”
[15:4] 268 tn Heb “and all the vessel which he sits on it shall be unclean”; NASB “everything on which he sits.”
[15:5] 269 tn Heb “And a man who touches in his bed”; NLT “touch the man’s bedding.”
[15:5] 270 tn Heb “he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until the evening” (cf. also vv. 6-8, 10-11, etc.).
[15:7] 271 tn Heb “And the one who touches in the flesh.” In this instance, “flesh” (or “body”) probably refers literally to any part of the body, not the genitals specifically (see the discussion in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:914).
[15:8] 272 tn Heb “And if the man with a discharge spits in the clean one.”
[15:9] 273 tn The Hebrew term for “means of riding” is a cognate noun from the verb “ride” later in this verse. It refers to anything on which one may ride without the feet touching the ground including, for example, a saddle, a (saddle) blanket, or a seat on a chariot (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:916).
[15:10] 274 tn Heb “which shall be under him.” The verb is perhaps a future perfect, “which shall have been.”
[15:10] 275 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the previously mentioned items which were under the unclean person) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:11] 276 tn Heb “And all who the man with the discharge touches in him and his hands he has not rinsed in water.”
[15:12] 277 tn The Hebrew term כְּלִי (kÿli) can mean “vessel” (v. 12a) or “utensil, implement, article” (v. 12b). An article of clay would refer to a vessel or container of some sort, while one made of wood would refer to some kind of tool or instrument.
[15:13] 278 tn For the expression “fresh water” see the note on Lev 14:5 above.
[15:14] 279 tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168 with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).
[15:14] 280 tc The MT has the Qal form of the verb בּוֹא (bo’) “to come” here, but the LXX (followed generally by the Syriac and Tg. Ps.-J.) reflects the Hiphil form of the same verb, “to bring” as in v. 29 below. In v. 29, however, there is no additional clause “and give them to the priest,” so the Hiphil is necessary in that context while it is not necessary here in v. 14.
[15:15] 281 sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”
[15:15] 282 tn Heb “and the priest shall make them one a sin offering and the one a burnt offering.” See the note on Lev 1:3 regarding the “burnt offering.”
[15:15] 283 tn Heb “And the priest.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[15:15] 284 tn Heb “from”; see the note on 4:26.
[15:16] 285 tn Heb “And a man when a lying of seed goes out from him”; KJV, ASV “any man’s seed of copulation”; NIV, NRSV, TEV, NLT “an emission of semen.”
[15:16] 286 tn Heb “and he shall bathe all his flesh in water.”
[15:18] 287 tn Heb “And a woman who a man lies with her a lying of seed.”
[15:19] 288 tn See the note on Lev 15:2 above.
[15:19] 289 tn Heb “blood shall be her discharge in her flesh.” The term “flesh” here refers euphemistically to the female sexual area (cf. the note on v. 2 above).
[15:19] 290 tn See the note on Lev 12:2 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:925-27.
[15:23] 291 tn Heb “and if on the bed it (הוּא, hu’) is or on the vessel which she sits on it, when he touches it….” The translation and meaning of this verse is a subject of much debate in the commentaries (see the summary in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:938-40). It is difficult to determine what הוּא refers to, whether it means “he” referring to the one who does the touching, “it” for the furniture or the seat in v. 22, “she” referring to the woman herself (see Smr היא rather than הוא), or perhaps anything that was lying on the furniture or the bed of vv. 21-22. The latter view is taken here (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 202).
[15:23] 292 tn The MT accent suggest that “when he touches it” goes with the preceding line, but it seems to be better to take it as an introduction to what follows (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 202).
[15:24] 293 tn Heb “and if a man indeed lies with her and her menstrual impurity is on him.”
[15:25] 294 tn Heb “And a woman when the flow of her blood flows.”
[15:25] 295 tn Heb “in not the time of her menstruation or when it flows on her menstruation.”
[15:27] 296 tn See the note on v. 5 above.
[15:28] 297 tn Heb “And if…” Although this clause is parallel to v. 13 above, it begins with וְאִם (vÿ’im, “and if”) here rather than וְכִי (vÿkhi, “and when/if”) there.
[15:29] 298 tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168 with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).
[15:30] 299 tn Heb “And the priest shall make the one a sin offering and the one a burnt offering.”
[15:30] 300 tn Heb “And the priest.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[15:31] 301 tn Heb “And you shall.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV).
[15:31] 302 tn Heb “and they.” Here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) indicates a negative purpose (“lest,” so NAB, NASB).
[15:32] 303 tn Heb “and who a lying of seed goes out from him.”
[15:32] 304 tn Heb “to become unclean in it.”
[15:33] 305 tn Heb “and the one with a discharge, his discharge to the male and the female.”
[15:33] 306 tn Heb “and for a man.”
[16:1] 307 tn Heb “in their drawing near to the faces of the
[16:2] 308 tn Heb “into the holy place from house to the veil-canopy.” In this instance, the Hebrew term “the holy place” refers to “the most holy place” (lit. “holy of holies”), since it is the area “inside the veil-canopy” (cf. Exod 26:33-34). The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” or “curtain,” but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place, and thus formed more of a canopy than simply a curtain (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).
[16:2] 309 tn Heb “to the faces of the atonement plate.” The exact meaning of the Hebrew term כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet) here rendered “atonement plate” is much debated. The traditional “mercy seat” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) does not suit the cognate relationship between this term and the Piel verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to make atonement, to make expiation”). The translation of the word should also reflect the fact that the most important atonement procedures on the Day of Atonement were performed in relation to it. Since the
[16:3] 310 tn Heb “with a bull, a son of the herd.”
[16:3] 311 sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”
[16:3] 312 sn For the “burnt offering” see the note on Lev 1:3.
[16:4] 313 sn The term “tunic” refers to a shirt-like garment worn next to the skin and, therefore, put on first (cf. Exod 28:4, 39-40; 29:5, 8; 39:27). It covered the upper body only. For detailed remarks on the terminology for the priestly clothing in this verse (except the “linen leggings”) see the notes on Lev 8:7-9 and the literature cited there.
[16:4] 314 tn Heb “shall be on his flesh.” As in many instances in Lev 15, the term “flesh” or “body” here is euphemistic for the male genitals (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1017, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 222; cf. the note on Lev 15:2), which the priest must be careful not to expose during such ritual procedures (see Exod 20:26 with 28:42-43).
[16:4] 315 sn The sash fastened the tunic around the waist (Exod 28:4, 39; 29:9; 39:29).
[16:4] 316 tn Heb “and in a turban of linen he shall wrap.”
[16:4] sn The turban consisted of wound up linen (cf. Exod 28:4, 37, 39; 29:6; 39:31; Lev 16:4). It is usually thought to be a “turban,” but it might be only a “turban-like headband” wound around the forehead area (HALOT 624 s.v. מִצְנֶפֶת).
[16:4] 317 tn Heb “and he shall bathe….”
[16:5] 318 tn Heb “And he shall take.”
[16:5] 319 tn Heb “he-goats of goats”; CEV “two goats, both of them males.”
[16:7] 320 tn Heb “the two he-goats,” referred to as “two he-goats of goats” in v. 5.
[16:8] 321 tn Heb “and Aaron shall give lots on the two he-goats.” See the note on Lev 8:8 for the priestly casting of lots in Israel and the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 102, on Lev 16:8-9. J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:1019-20, suggests, however, that the expression here signifies that, the lots having been cast, the priest was to literally “place” (Heb “give”) the one marked “for the
[16:8] 322 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲזָאזֵל (’aza’zel, four times in the OT, all of them in this chapter; vv. 8, 10 [2 times], and 26) is much debated. There are three or perhaps four major views (see the summaries and literature cited in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1020-21; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 102; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 237-38; D. P. Wright, The Disposal of Impurity [SBLDS], 21-25; M. V. Van Pelt and W. C. Kaiser, NIDOTTE 3:362-63; and M. S. Moore, NIDOTTE 4:421-22). (1) Some derive the term from a combination of the Hebrew word עֵז (’ez, “goat”; i.e., the word for “goats” in v. 5) and אָזַל (’azal, “to go away”), meaning “the goat that departs” or “scapegoat” (cf., e.g., the LXX and KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). This meaning suits the ritual practice of sending the so-called “scapegoat” away into the wilderness (vv. 10, 21-22, 26). Similarly, some derive the term from Arabic ’azala (“to banish, remove”), meaning “entire removal” as an abstract concept (see BDB 736 s.v. עֲזָאזֵל). (2) Some see the term as a description of the wilderness area to which the goat was dispatched, deriving it somehow from Arabic ’azazu (“rough ground”) or perhaps עָזָז, (’azaz, “to be strong, fierce”). (3) The most common view among scholars today is that it is the proper name of a particular demon (perhaps even the Devil himself) associated with the wilderness desert regions. Levine has proposed that it may perhaps derive from a reduplication of the ז (zayin) in עֵז combined with אֵל (’el, “mighty”), meaning “mighty goat.” The final consonantal form of עֲזָאזֵל would have resulted from the inversion of the א (aleph) with the second ז. He makes the point that the close association between עֵז and שְׂעִירִים (shÿ’irim), which seems to refer to “goat-demons” of the desert in Lev 17:7 (cf. Isa 13:21, etc.), should not be ignored in the derivation of Azazel, although the term ultimately became the name of “the demonic ruler of the wilderness.” The latter view is supported by the parallel between the one goat “for (לְ, lamed preposition) the
[16:9] 323 tn Heb “which the lot has gone up on it for the
[16:10] 324 tn The LXX has “he shall stand it” (cf. v. 7).
[16:10] 325 tn Heb “to make atonement on it to send it away to Azazel toward the wilderness.”
[16:12] 326 tn Heb “and he shall take the fullness of the censer, coals of fire, from on the altar from to the faces of the
[16:12] 327 tn Heb “and the fullness of the hollow of his two hands, finely ground fragrant incense.”
[16:12] 328 tn Heb “and he shall bring from house to the veil-canopy.”
[16:13] 329 tn The text here has only “above the testimony,” but this is surely a shortened form of “above the ark of the testimony” (see Exod 25:22 etc.; cf. Lev 16:2). The term “testimony” in this expression refers to the ark as the container of the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them (see Exod 25:16 with Deut 10:1, 5, etc.).
[16:13] 330 tn Heb “and he will not die,” but it is clear that the purpose for the incense cloud was to protect the priest from death in the presence of the
[16:14] 331 tn Heb “on the faces of the atonement plate toward the east.” Some have taken this to mean that the ark was stationed just behind the veil-canopy on the eastern side of the most holy place. Thus, the high priest would need to enter and walk toward the west end of the most holy place and then turn eastward in order to face the ark and sprinkle the blood in an eastward direction. The rendering here, however, requires that the ark was stationed on the western end, or perhaps in the middle of the area, so that as the priest entered he was already facing the ark and would sprinkle the blood on the eastern face of the atonement plate, in a westward direction (see, e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 239 versus J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1032).
[16:14] 332 sn Presumably in this case the blood was sprinkled seven times on the ground in front of the ark on which the atonement plate was mounted.
[16:15] 333 tn Heb “and he shall bring its blood into from house to the veil-canopy.”
[16:16] 334 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.
[16:16] 335 tn Heb “to all their sins.”
[16:17] 336 tn Heb “And all man shall not be in the tent of meeting.” The term for “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2) refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female.
[16:18] 337 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) indicates the sequence of events here.
[16:18] 338 tn Heb “And he shall take.”
[16:19] 339 tn Heb “and he shall purify it and he shall consecrate it.”
[16:20] 340 tn Heb “And he shall finish from atoning the holy place.” In this case, the “holy place” etc. are direct objects of the verb “to atone” (cf. v. 33a below). In this case, therefore, the basic meaning of the verb (i.e., “to purge” or “wipe clean”) comes to the forefront. When the prepositions עַל (’al) or בֲּעַד (ba’ad) occur with the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper) the purging is almost always being done “for” or “on behalf of” priests or people (see the note on Lev 1:4 as well as R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:698, the literature cited there, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 110, for more details).
[16:21] 341 tn Heb “transgressions to all their sins.”
[16:21] 342 tn Heb “and he shall give them.”
[16:21] 343 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term עִתִּי (’itti) is uncertain. It is apparently related to עֵת (’et, “time”), and could perhaps mean either that he has been properly “appointed” (i.e., designated) for the task (e.g., NIV and NRSV) or “ready” (e.g., NASB and NEB).
[16:22] 344 tn The Hebrew term rendered “inaccessible” derives from a root meaning “to cut off” (cf. NAB “an isolated region”). Another possible translation would be “infertile land” (see HALOT 187 s.v. *גָּזֵּר and cf. NRSV “a barren region”; NLT “a desolate land.”
[16:22] 345 tn Heb “and he [the man (standing) ready, v. 21] shall send the goat away.”
[16:23] 346 tn Heb “And Aaron shall enter.”
[16:24] 347 tn Heb “And he shall make atonement.”
[16:24] 348 tn Heb “on behalf of himself and on behalf of the people.” After “on behalf of himself” the LXX adds the expected “and on behalf of his household” (cf. vv. 6, 11, and 17).
[16:25] 349 tn Heb “And the fat of the sin offering he is to offer up.”
[16:26] 350 tn For “Azazel” see the note on v. 8 above.
[16:27] 351 tn Heb “he shall bring into from outside to the camp.”
[16:27] 352 tn Heb “they shall burn with fire”; KJV “burn in the fire.” Because “to burn with fire” is redundant in contemporary English the present translation simply has “must be burned up.”
[16:29] 353 tn Heb “And it [feminine] shall be for you a perpetual statute.” Verse 34 begins with the same clause except for the missing demonstrative pronoun “this” here in v. 29. The LXX has “this” in both places and it suits the sense of the passage, although both the verb and the pronoun are sometimes missing in this clause elsewhere in the book (see, e.g., Lev 3:17).
[16:29] 354 tn Heb “you shall humble your souls.” The verb “to humble” here refers to various forms of self-denial, including but not limited to fasting (cf. Ps 35:13 and Isa 58:3, 10). The Mishnah (m. Yoma 8:1) lists abstentions from food and drink, bathing, using oil as an unguent to moisten the skin, wearing leather sandals, and sexual intercourse (cf. 2 Sam 12:16-17, 20; see the remarks in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1054; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 109; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 242).
[16:29] 355 tn Heb “and all work you shall not do.”
[16:29] 356 tn Heb “the native and the sojourner who sojourns.”
[16:30] 357 tn The phrase “from all your sins” could go with the previous clause as the verse is rendered here (see, e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 109, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1011), or it could go with the following clause (i.e., “you shall be clean from all your sins before the
[16:31] 358 tn See the note on v. 29 above.
[16:31] 359 tn Compare v. 29a above.
[16:32] 360 tn Heb “And the priest whom he shall anointed him and whom he shall fill his hand to act as priest under his father.” Imperfect active verbs are often used as passives (see, e.g., v. 27 above and the note on Lev 14:4).
[16:33] 361 tn Heb “to atone” (also later in this verse); see the note on “purifying the holy place” in 16:20.
[16:33] 362 tn Heb “the sanctuary of the holy place.” Although this is the only place this expression occurs in the OT, it clearly refers to the innermost shrine behind the veil-canopy, where the ark of the covenant was located.
[16:33] 363 tn Heb “and the tent of meeting and the alter he shall atone.” The repetition of the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to atone”) at the beginning and end of the sequence appears to be strange, but the MT accents suggest that only “the Most Holy Place” goes with the verb at the beginning of the verse. Of course, the purging of “the Most Holy Place” has been the main emphasis of this chapter from the start (see vv. 2-3 and 11-17).
[16:33] 364 tn At this point in the verse the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to make atonement”) takes its object with the preposition עַל (’al, “for”; literally, “upon”; contrast the first part of the verse and cf. the notes on Lev 1:4 and 16:20 above).
[16:34] 365 tn Heb “And this shall be for you to a statute of eternity” (cf. v. 29a above). cf. NASB “a permanent statute”; NIV “a lasting ordinance.”
[16:34] 366 tn Heb “from”; see note on 4:26.
[16:34] 367 tn Heb “one [feminine] in the year.”
[16:34] 368 tn The MT of Lev 16:34b reads literally, “and he did just as the
[17:3] 369 tn The complex wording of vv. 3-4 requires stating “blood guilt” at the beginning of v. 3 even though it is not mentioned until the middle of v. 4. The Hebrew text has simply “blood,” but in this case it refers to the illegitimate shedding of animal blood, similar to the shedding of the blood of an innocent human being (Deut 19:10, etc.). In order for it to be legitimate the animal must be slaughtered at the tabernacle and its blood handled by the priests in the prescribed way (see, e.g., Lev 1:5; 3:2, 17; 4:5-7; 7:26-27, etc.; cf. vv. 10-16 below for more details).
[17:3] 370 tn Heb “Man man.” The reduplication is way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 15:2; 22:18, etc.). See the note on Lev 15:2.
[17:3] 371 tn The original LXX adds “or the sojourners who sojourn in your midst” (cf. Lev 16:29, etc., and note esp. 17:8, 10, and 13 below).
[17:3] 372 tn Heb “or who slaughters from outside to the camp.”
[17:4] 373 tn Smr and LXX add after “tent of meeting” the following: “to make it a burnt offering or a peace offering to the
[17:4] 374 tc Smr includes the suffix “it,” which is needed in any case in the translation to conform to English style.
[17:4] 375 sn The exact meaning of this penalty clause is not certain. It could mean (1) that he will be executed, whether by God or by man, (2) that he will be excommunicated from sanctuary worship and/or community benefits, or (3) that his line will be terminated by God (i.e., extirpation). See also the note on Lev 7:20.
[17:5] 376 tn Heb “So that which.”
[17:5] 377 tn Heb “on the faces of the field.”
[17:6] 378 tn For the translation “splash” see the note on Lev 1:5.
[17:6] 379 tn The LXX adds “all around” (i.e., Hebrew סָבִיב [saviv, “all around”]), which is normal for this overall construction (see, e.g., Lev 1:5; 3:8, etc.).
[17:7] 380 tn Heb “sacrifice.” This has been translated as “offer” for stylistic reasons to avoid the redundancy of “sacrifice their sacrifices.”
[17:7] 381 tn On “goat demons” of the desert regions see the note on Lev 16:8.
[17:7] 382 tn Heb “which they are committing harlotry after them.”
[17:7] 383 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[17:8] 384 tn Heb “Man, man.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any [or “every”] man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2).
[17:8] 385 tn Heb “and.” Here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has an alternative sense (“or”).
[17:8] 386 tn Heb “from the sojourner who sojourns.”
[17:8] 387 tc The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have “your” (plural) rather than “their.”
[17:8] 388 tn Heb “causes to go up.”
[17:9] 389 tn Heb “to make it,” meaning “to make the sacrifice.”
[17:9] 390 tn For remarks on the “cut off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above.
[17:10] 391 tn Heb “And man, man.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any (or every) man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2).
[17:10] 392 tn Heb “from the sojourner who sojourns.”
[17:10] 393 tc The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have “your” (plural) rather than “their.”
[17:10] 394 tn Heb “I will give my faces against [literally “in”] the soul/person/life [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh, feminine] who eats the blood and I will cut it [i.e., that נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] off from the midst of its people.” The uses of נֶפֶשׁ in this and the following verse are most significant for the use of animal blood in Israel’s sacrificial system. Unfortunately, it is a most difficult word to translate accurately and consistently, and this presents a major problem for the rendering of these verses (see, e.g., G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 244-45). No matter which translation of נֶפֶשׁ one uses here, it is important to see that both man and animal have נֶפֶשׁ and that this נֶפֶשׁ is identified with the blood. See the further remarks on v. 11 below. On the “cutting off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above. In this instance, God takes it on himself to “cut off” the person (i.e., extirpation).
[17:11] 395 tn Heb “the life of the flesh.” Here “flesh” stands for “every living thing,” that is, all creatures (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT “every creature”; CEV “every living creature.”
[17:11] 396 tn Heb “for the soul/life (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) of the flesh, it is in the blood” (cf. the note of v. 10 above and v. 14 below). Although most modern English versions begin a new sentence in v. 11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (see, e.g., NJPS, NASB, NIV, NRSV), the כִּי (ki, “for, because”) at the beginning of the verse suggests continuation from v. 10, as the rendering here indicates (see, e.g., NEB, NLT; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 261; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 239).
[17:11] sn This verse is a well-known crux interpretum for blood atonement in the Bible. The close association between the blood and “the soul/life [נֶפֶשׁ] of the flesh [בָּשָׂר, basar]” (v. 11a) begins in Gen 9:2-5 (if not Gen 4:10-11), where the
[17:11] 397 tn Heb “And I myself have given it to you.”
[17:11] 398 tn Heb “for the blood, it by (בְּ, bet preposition, “in”] the life makes atonement.” The interpretation of the preposition is pivotal here. Some scholars have argued that it is a bet of exchange; that is, “the blood makes atonement in exchange for the life [of the slaughtered animal]” (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:694-95, 697 for analysis and criticism of this view). It is more likely that, as in the previous clause (“your lives”), “life/soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) here refers to the person who makes the offering, not the animal offered. The blood of the animal makes atonement for the person who offers it either “by means of” (instrumental bet) the “life/soul” of the animal, which it symbolizes or embodies (the meaning of the translation given here); or perhaps the blood of the animal functions as “the price” (bet of price) for ransoming the “life/soul” of the person.
[17:12] 399 tn Heb “all/any person from you shall not eat blood.”
[17:12] 400 tn Heb “and the sojourner, the one sojourning in your midst, shall not eat blood.”
[17:13] 401 tc A few medieval Hebrew
[17:13] 402 tn Heb “from the sojourner who sojourns.”
[17:13] 403 tc The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain
[17:13] 404 tn Heb “[wild] game of animal.”
[17:13] 405 tn That is, it must be a clean animal, not an unclean animal (cf. Lev 11).
[17:14] 406 tn Heb “for the life/soul (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) of all flesh, its blood in its life/soul (נֶפֶשׁ) it is.” The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate leave out “in its life/soul,” which would naturally yield “for the life of all flesh, its blood it is” (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 261, 263). The present translation is something of an oversimplification, but the meaning is basically the same in any case. Cf. NRSV “For the life of every creature – its blood is its life.”
[17:14] 407 tn Heb “of all flesh” (also later in this verse). See the note on “every living thing” in v. 11.
[17:14] 408 tn For remarks on the “cut off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above.
[17:15] 409 tn Heb “And any soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh).
[17:15] 410 tn Heb “carcass,” referring to the carcass of an animal that has died on its own, not the carcass of an animal slaughtered for sacrifice or killed by wild beasts. This has been clarified in the translation by supplying the phrase “of natural causes”; cf. NAB “that died of itself”; TEV “that has died a natural death.”
[17:15] 411 tn Heb “in the native or in the sojourner.”
[17:16] 412 tn The words “his clothes” are not in the Hebrew text, but are repeated in the translation for clarity.
[17:16] 413 tn Heb “and he shall bear his iniquity.” The rendering “bear the punishment for the iniquity” reflects the use of the word “iniquity” to refer to the punishment for iniquity. This is sometimes referred to as the consequential use of the term (cf. Lev 5:17; 7:18; 10:17; etc.).
[17:16] sn For the interpretation of this verse reflected in the present translation, see the remarks on Lev 5:1 in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:292-97.
[18:3] 414 tn Heb “As the work [or “deed”] of the land of Egypt, which you were dwelling in it, you must not do.”
[18:3] 415 tn Heb “and as the work [or “deed”] of the land of Canaan which I am bringing you to there, you must not do.” The participle “I am bringing” is inceptive; the
[18:3] 416 tn Heb “and you shall not walk.”
[18:4] 417 tn Heb “My regulations you shall do”; KJV, NASB “my judgments”; NRSV “My ordinances”; NIV, TEV “my laws.”
[18:4] sn The Hebrew term translated “regulation” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) refers to the set of regulations about to be set forth in the following chapters (cf. Lev 19:37; 20:22; 25:18; 26:46). Note especially the thematic and formulaic relationships between the introduction here in Lev 18:1-5 and the paraenesis in Lev 20:22-26, both of which refer explicitly to the corrupt nations and the need to separate from them by keeping the
[18:4] 418 tn Heb “and my statutes you shall keep [or “watch; guard”] to walk in them.”
[18:5] 419 tn Heb “And you shall keep.”
[18:5] 420 tn Heb “which the man shall do them and shall live in them.” The term for “a man, human being; mankind” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2) in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female. The expression וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living” so it is written וְחָיָה (vÿkhayah) in Smr, but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 25:35).
[18:6] 421 tn Heb “Man, man shall not draw near to any flesh (שְׁאֵר, shÿ’er) of his body/flesh (בָּשָׂר, basar).” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any (or “every”) man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2). The two words for “flesh” are combined to refer to emphasize the physical familial relatedness (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119).
[18:6] 422 tn Heb “to uncover [her] nakedness” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), which is clearly euphemistic for sexual intercourse (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119). This expression occurs a number of times in the following context and is generally translated “have sexual intercourse with [someone],” although in the case of the father mentioned in the following verse the expression may be connected to the shame or disgrace that would belong to the father whose wife’s sexuality is violated by his son. See the note on the word “mother” in v. 7.
[18:6] 423 sn The general statement prohibiting sexual intercourse between close relatives serves as an opening summary statement for the following section, which gives details concerning which degrees of relationship are specifically forbidden.
[18:7] 424 tn The verbal negative here is the same as that used in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:4-5, 7, 13-17). It suggests permanent prohibition rather than a simple negative command and could, therefore, be rendered “must not” here and throughout the following section as it is in vv. 3-4 above.
[18:7] 425 tn Heb “The nakedness of your father and [i.e., even] the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover.”
[18:7] sn Commentators suggest that the point of referring to the father’s nakedness is that the mother’s sexuality belongs to the father and is forbidden to the son on that account (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 120, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 294). The expression may, however, derive from the shame of nakedness when exposed. If one exposes his mother’s nakedness to himself it is like openly exposing the father’s nakedness (cf. Gen 9:22-23 with the background of Gen 2:25 and 3:7, 21). The same essential construction is used in v. 10 where the latter explanation makes more sense than the former.
[18:8] 426 tn Heb “the nakedness of your father she is.” See the note on v. 7 above. This law refers to another wife of the man’s father, who is not that man’s mother. The laws in the Pentateuch sometimes assume the possibility that a man may have more than one wife (cf., e.g., Deut 21:15-17).
[18:9] 427 tn Heb “the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother.”
[18:9] 428 tn Heb “born of house or born of outside.” CEV interprets as “whether you grew up together or not” (cf. also TEV, NLT).
[18:9] 429 tc Several medieval Hebrew
[18:9] tn For a smooth English translation “either of” was added.
[18:10] 430 sn That is, to have sexual intercourse with one’s granddaughter would be like openly exposing one’s own shameful nakedness (see the note on v. 7 above).
[18:11] 431 tn Heb “The nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father, she is your sister; you must not uncover her nakedness.” That is, a half sister, the daughter of the man’s father by another wife, who is not the man’s mother, is to be considered a true sister. Therefore, the man must not have sexual intercourse with her.
[18:12] 432 tc A few medieval Hebrew
[18:14] 433 tn Heb “you must not draw near to his wife.” In the context this refers to approaching one’s aunt to have sexual intercourse with her, so this has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:14] 434 tn As in v. 12 (see the note there), some
[18:16] 435 sn Regarding the last clause, see the notes on vv. 7 and 10 above.
[18:17] 436 tn Heb “You must not uncover the nakedness of both a woman and her daughter; the daughter of her son and the daughter of her daughter you must not take to uncover her nakedness.” Translating “her” as “them” provides consistency in the English. In this kind of context, “take” means to “take in marriage” (cf. also v. 18). The LXX and Syriac have “their nakedness,” referring to the nakedness of the woman’s granddaughters, rather than the nakedness of the woman herself.
[18:17] 437 tc Heb “they are her flesh.” The LXX reads “your” here (followed by NRSV). If the LXX reading were followed by the present translation, the result would be “They are closely related to you.”
[18:17] 438 tn The term rendered “lewdness” almost always carries a connotation of cunning, evil device, and divisiveness (cf. HALOT 272 s.v. I זִמָּה 2, “infamy”), and is closely associated with sexual and religious infidelity (cf., e.g., Lev 19:29; 20:14; Job 31:11; Jer 13:27; Ezek 16:27; 22:9). Recent English versions differ on how they handle this: NAB “would be shameful”; CEV “would make you unclean”; NIV “wickedness”; NLT “horrible wickedness”; NRSV “depravity”; TEV “incest.”
[18:18] 439 tn Or “as a concubine”; Heb “And a woman to her sister you shall not take to be a second wife [or “to be a concubine”].” According to HALOT 1059 s.v. III צרר, the infinitive “to be a second wife” (לִצְרֹר, litsror) is a denominative verb from II צָרָה A (“concubine; second wife”), which, in turn, derives from II צר “to treat with hostility” (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122).
[18:18] 440 tn Heb “on her in her life.”
[18:19] 441 tn Heb “in the menstruation of her impurity”; NIV “during the uncleanness of her monthly period.”
[18:20] 442 tn Heb “And to the wife of your fellow citizen you shall not give your layer for seed.” The meaning of “your layer” (שְׁכָבְתְּךָ, shÿkhavtÿkha) is uncertain (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122, “you shall not place your layer of semen”; but cf. also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and the literature cited there for the rendering, “you shall not give your penis for seed”).
[18:21] 443 tn Heb “And from your seed you shall not give to cause to pass over to Molech.” Smr (cf. also the LXX) has “to cause to serve” rather than “to cause to pass over.” For detailed remarks on Molech and Molech worship see N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCBC), 87-88; P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 259-60; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 333-37, and the literature cited there. It could refer to either human sacrifice or a devotion of children to some sort of service of Molech, perhaps of a sexual sort (cf. Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kgs 23:10, etc.). The inclusion of this prohibition against Molech worship here may be due to some sexual connection of this kind, or perhaps simply to the lexical link between זֶרַע (zera’) meaning “seed, semen” in v. 20 but “offspring” in v. 21.
[18:21] 444 tn Heb “and you shall not profane.” Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
[18:22] 445 tn Heb “And with a male you shall not lay [as the] lyings of a woman” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 123). The specific reference here is to homosexual intercourse between males.
[18:22] 446 tn The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, rendered “detestable act”) refers to the repugnant practices of foreigners, whether from the viewpoint of other peoples toward the Hebrews (e.g., Gen 43:32; 46:34; Exod 8:26) or of the
[18:23] 447 tn See the note on v. 20 above.
[18:23] 448 tn Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).
[18:23] 449 tn The Hebrew term תֶּבֶל (tevel, “perversion”) derives from the verb “to mix; to confuse” and therefore refers to illegitimate mixtures of species or violation of the natural order of things.
[18:24] 450 tn Heb “which I am sending away (Piel participle of שָׁלַח [shalakh, “to send”]) from your faces.” The rendering here takes the participle as anticipatory of the coming conquest events.
[18:25] 451 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.
[18:25] 452 tn Heb “and I have visited its [punishment for] iniquity on it.” See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
[18:26] 453 tn Heb “And you shall keep, you.” The latter emphatic personal pronoun “you” is left out of a few medieval Hebrew
[18:26] 454 tn Heb “the native and the sojourner”; NIV “The native-born and the aliens”; NAB “whether natives or resident aliens.”
[18:27] 455 tn Heb “for all these abominations the men of the land who were before you have done.”
[18:28] 456 tn Heb “And the land will not vomit you out in your defiling it.”
[18:28] 457 tc The MT reads the singular “nation” and is followed by ASV, NASB, NRSV; the LXX, Syriac, and Targum have the plural “nations” (cf. v. 24).
[18:29] 458 sn Regarding the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.
[18:30] 459 tn Heb “to not do from the statutes of the detestable acts.”
[18:30] 460 tn Heb “and you will not.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[19:3] 461 tn Heb “A man his mother and his father you [plural] shall fear.” The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain Targum
[19:4] 462 sn Regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִים, ’elilim), see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 126; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 304; N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NBC), 89; and Judith M. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:411. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god; God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless; weak; powerless; nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”
[19:5] 463 tn Heb “for your acceptance”; cf. NIV, NLT “it will be accepted on your behalf.”
[19:6] 464 tn Heb “from the following day” (HALOT 572 s.v. מָחֳרָת 2.b).
[19:6] 465 tn Heb “shall be burned with fire”; KJV “shall be burnt in the fire.” Because “to burn with fire” is redundant in contemporary English the present translation simply has “must be burned up.”
[19:7] 466 tn Heb “And if being eaten [infinitive absolute] it is eaten [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
[19:7] 467 tn Or “desecrated,” or “defiled,” or “forbidden.” For this difficult term see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:422, on Lev 7:18.
[19:8] 468 tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
[19:8] 469 sn Regarding “profaned,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
[19:8] 470 tn Heb “the holiness of the
[19:8] 471 sn On the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.
[19:9] 472 tn Heb “And in your harvesting the harvest.”
[19:9] 473 tn Heb “you shall not complete the corner of your field to harvest.”
[19:10] 474 tn Heb “And you shall not deal severely with your vineyard.”
[19:11] 475 tn Heb “you shall not deal falsely a man with his fellow citizen.”
[19:12] 476 tn Heb “And you shall not swear to the falsehood.”
[19:12] 477 tn Heb “and you shall not profane”; NAB “thus profaning.”
[19:13] 478 tn Heb “You shall not oppress your neighbor and you shall not rob.”
[19:13] 479 tn Heb “hold back with you”; perhaps “hold back for yourself” (cf. NRSV “keep for yourself”).
[19:14] 480 tn Heb “You shall not curse a deaf [person] and before a blind [person] you shall not put a stumbling block.”
[19:14] 481 tn Heb “And you shall fear.” Many English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV) regard the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) as adversative in force here (“but”).
[19:15] 482 tc Smr has the singular rather than the plural “you” of the MT, which brings this verb form into line with the ones surrounding it.
[19:15] 483 tn Heb “You shall not do injustice in judgment” (NASB similar); cf. NIV “do not pervert justice.”
[19:15] 484 tn Heb “You shall not lift up faces of poor [people] and you shall not honor faces of great.”
[19:15] 485 tn Heb “In righteousness you shall judge your fellow citizen.”
[19:16] 486 tn The term רָכִיל (rakhil) is traditionally rendered “slanderer” here (so NASB, NIV, NRSV; see also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 304, 316), but the exact meaning is uncertain (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129). It is sometimes related to I רָכַל (“to go about as a trader [or “merchant”]”; BDB 940 s.v. רָכַל), and taken to refer to cutthroat business dealings, but there may be a II רָכַל, the meaning of which is dubious (HALOT 1237 s.v. II *רכל). Some would render it “to go about as a spy.”
[19:16] 487 tn Heb “You shall not stand on the blood of your neighbor.” This part of the verse is also difficult to interpret. The rendering here suggests that one will not allow a neighbor to be victimized, whether in court (cf. v. 15) or in any other situation (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129).
[19:17] 488 tn Heb “and you will not lift up on him sin.” The meaning of the line is somewhat obscure. It means either (1) that one should rebuke one’s neighbor when he sins lest one also becomes guilty, which is the way it is rendered here (see NIV, NRSV, NEB, JB; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129-30, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 303, and the discussion on pp. 316-17), or (2) one may rebuke one’s neighbor without incurring sin just as long as he does not hate him in his heart (see the first part of the verse; cf. NASB, NAB).
[19:18] 489 tn Heb “and you shall not retain [anger?].” This line seems to refer to the retaining or maintaining of some vengeful feelings toward someone. Compare the combination of the same terms for taking vengeance and maintaining wrath against enemies in Nahum 1:2 (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305).
[19:18] 490 sn Some scholars make a distinction between the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) with the direct object and the more unusual construction with the preposition לְ (lamed) as it is here and in Lev 19:34 and 2 Chr 19:2 only. If there is a distinction, the construction here probably calls for direct and helpful action toward one’s neighbor (see the discussion in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305, and esp. 317-18). Such love stands in contrast to taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against someone and, in NT terms, amounts to fulfilling the so-called “golden rule” (Matt 7:12).
[19:19] 491 tn Heb “Your animals, you shall not cross-breed two different kinds.”
[19:19] 492 tn Heb “you shall not cause to go up on you.”
[19:19] 493 sn Cf. Deut 22:11 where the Hebrew term translated “two different kinds” (כִּלְאַיִם, kil’ayim) refers to a mixture of linen and wool woven together in a garment.
[19:20] 494 tn Heb “And a man when he lies with a woman the lying of seed.”
[19:20] 495 sn That is, the woman had previously been assigned for marriage to another man but the marriage deal had not yet been consummated. In the meantime, the woman has lost her virginity and has, therefore, lost part of her value to the master in the sale to the man for whom she had been designated. Compensation was, therefore, required (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 130-31).
[19:21] 496 sn On the guilt offering see the note on Lev 5:15 above.
[19:22] 497 tn Heb “on his sin which he has sinned.”
[19:22] 498 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him.”
[19:22] 499 tn Heb “from his sin.”
[19:23] 500 tn Heb “tree of food”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “trees for food.”
[19:23] 501 tn Heb “you shall circumcise its fruit [as] its foreskin,” taking the fruit to be that which is to be removed and, therefore, forbidden. Since the fruit is uncircumcised it is forbidden (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 306, and esp. B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 131-32).
[19:23] 502 tn Heb “it shall be to you uncircumcised.”
[19:24] 503 tn See B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 132, where the translation reads “set aside for jubilation”; a special celebration before the
[19:25] 504 tn Heb “to add to you its produce.” The rendering here assumes that the point of this clause is simply that finally being allowed to eat the fruit in the fifth year adds the fruit of the tree to their harvest. Some take the verb to be from אָסַף (’asaf, “to gather”) rather than יָסַף (yasaf, “to add; to increase”), rendering the verse, “to gather to you the produce” (E. S. Gerstenberger, Leviticus [OTL], 260, and see the versions referenced in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 306). Others take it to mean that by following the regulations given previously they will honor the
[19:26] 505 tn Heb “You shall not eat on the blood.” See the extensive remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 319-20, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 132-33. The LXX has “on the mountains,” suggesting that this is a prohibition against illegitimate places and occasions of worship, not the eating of blood.
[19:26] 506 tn Heb “You shall not practice divination and you shall not practice soothsaying”; cf. NRSV “practice augury or witchcraft.” For suggestions regarding the practices involved see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 133, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 320.
[19:27] 507 tc Heb “and you [singular] shall not ruin the corner of your [singular] beard.” Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have the plural pronouns (i.e., “you” and “your” plural) rather than the singular of the MT.
[19:28] 508 tn Heb “And slash for the soul you shall not give.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, person, life”) can sometimes refer to a “dead person” (cf. Lev 21:1, 5; 22:5). See J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 306, 320-21.
[19:28] 509 tn Heb “and a writing of incision you shall not give in you.”
[19:29] 510 tn Heb “to make her practice harlotry.” Some recent English versions regard this as religious or temple prostitution (cf. TEV, CEV).
[19:29] 511 tn Heb “and the land become full of lewdness.” Regarding the term “lewdness,” see the note on Lev 18:17 above.
[19:31] 512 sn The prohibition here concerns those who would seek special knowledge through the spirits of the dead, whether the dead in general or dead relatives in particular (i.e., familiar spirits; see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 321, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 134). Cf. Lev 20:6 below.
[19:33] 513 tn Heb “And when a sojourner sojourns.”
[19:34] 514 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[19:35] 515 tn That is, liquid capacity (HALOT 640 s.v. מְשׂוּרָה). Cf. ASV, NIV, NRSV, TEV “quantity”; NAB, NASB “capacity.”
[19:36] 516 tn Heb “balances of righteousness,” and so throughout this sentence.
[19:36] 517 sn An ephah is a dry measure which measures about four gallons, or perhaps one third of a bushel, while a hin is a liquid measure of about 3.6 liters (= approximately 1 quart).
[19:37] 518 tn Heb “And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31).
[20:2] 519 tn Heb “or from the sojourner who sojourns”; NAB “an alien residing in Israel.”
[20:2] 520 tn Heb “his seed” (so KJV, ASV); likewise in vv. 3-4.
[20:2] 521 tn Regarding Molech and Molech worship see the note on Lev 18:21.
[20:2] 522 tn This is not the most frequently-used Hebrew verb for stoning (see instead סָקַל, saqal), but a word that refers to the action of throwing, slinging, or pelting someone with stones (רָגָם, ragam; see HALOT 1187 s.v. רגם qal.a, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 136).
[20:3] 523 tn Heb “And I, I shall give my faces.”
[20:3] 524 sn On the “cut off” penalty see the notes on Lev 7:20 and 17:4.
[20:3] 525 tn Heb “for the sake of defiling my sanctuary and to profane my holy name.”
[20:4] 526 tn Heb “And if shutting [infinitive absolute] they shut [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
[20:4] 527 tn Heb “from that man” (so ASV); NASB “disregard that man.”
[20:5] 528 tn The adjective “spiritual” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that this is not a reference to literal prostitution, but figuratively compares idolatry to prostitution.
[20:5] 529 tn Heb “to commit harlotry after Molech.” The translation employs “worshiping” here for clarity (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). On the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.
[20:6] 530 sn For structure and coherence in Lev 20:6-27 see the note on v. 27 below.
[20:6] 531 tn See the note on the phrase “familiar spirits” in Lev 19:31 above.
[20:6] 532 tn Heb “I will give my faces.”
[20:8] 533 tn Heb “And you shall keep my statutes and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31, etc.).
[20:9] 534 sn Compare the regulations in Lev 18:6-23.
[20:9] 535 tn Heb “If a man a man who.”
[20:9] 536 tn Heb “makes light of his father and his mother.” Almost all English versions render this as some variation of “curses his father or mother.”
[20:9] 537 tn Heb “his blood [plural] is in him.” Cf. NAB “he has forfeited his life”; TEV “is responsible for his own death.”
[20:9] sn The rendering “blood guilt” refers to the fact that the shedding of blood brings guilt on those who shed it illegitimately (even the blood of animals shed illegitimately, Lev 17:4; cf. the background of Gen 4:10-11). If the community performs a legitimate execution, however, the blood guilt rests on the person who has been legitimately executed (see the remarks and literature cited in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 328).
[20:10] 538 tn Heb “And a man who.” The syntax here and at the beginning of the following verses elliptically mirrors that of v. 9, which justifies the rendering as a conditional clause.
[20:10] 539 tc The reading of the LXX minuscule
[20:11] 540 sn See the note on Lev 18:7 above.
[20:11] 541 tn See the note on v. 9 above.
[20:12] 542 tn The Hebrew term תֶּבֶל (tevel, “perversion”) derives from the verb “to mix; to confuse” (cf. KJV, ASV “they have wrought confusion”).
[20:13] 543 tn Heb “[as the] lyings of a woman.” The specific reference here is to homosexual intercourse between males.
[20:14] 544 tn Heb “And a man who takes a woman and her mother.” The Hebrew verb “to take” in this context means “to engage in sexual intercourse.”
[20:14] 545 tn Regarding “lewdness,” see the note on Lev 18:17 above.
[20:14] 546 tn Heb “in fire they shall burn him and them.” The active plural verb sometimes requires a passive translation (GKC 460 §144.f, g), esp. when no active plural subject has been expressed in the context. The present translation specifies “burned to death” because the traditional rendering “burnt with fire” (KJV, ASV; NASB “burned with fire”) could be understood to mean “branded” or otherwise burned, but not fatally.
[20:15] 547 tn See the note on Lev 18:20 above.
[20:16] 548 tn Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).
[20:17] 549 tn Heb “takes.” The verb “to take” in this context means “to engage in sexual intercourse,” though some English versions translate it as “marry” (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV).
[20:17] 550 tn Regarding the “cut off” penalty, see the note on Lev 7:20.
[20:17] 551 tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
[20:18] 552 tn Heb “and the two of them.”
[20:19] 553 tn Heb “his flesh.”
[20:19] 554 tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
[20:21] 555 tn Heb “takes.” The verb “to take” in this context means “to engage in sexual intercourse.”
[20:21] 556 sn See the note on Lev 18:7 above.
[20:22] 557 tn Heb “And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31, etc.).
[20:22] 558 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[20:23] 559 tc One medieval Hebrew
[20:24] 560 tc Here and with the same phrase in v. 26, the LXX adds “all,” resulting in the reading “all the peoples.”
[20:25] 561 tn Heb “And you shall distinguish.” The verb is the same as “set apart” at the end of the previous verse. The fact that God had “set them apart” from the other peoples roundabout them called for them to “distinguish between” the clean and the unclean, etc.
[20:25] 562 tn The word “creatures” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear that the following relative clause modifies the animal, bird, or creeping thing mentioned earlier, and not the ground itself.
[20:25] 563 tc The MT has “to defile,” but Smr, LXX, and Syriac have “to uncleanness.”
[20:27] 564 tc Smr, LXX, Syriac, and some Targum
[20:27] 565 tn See the note on the phrase “familiar spirit” in Lev 19:31 above.
[20:27] 566 tn This is not the most frequently-used Hebrew verb for stoning, but a word that refers to the action of throwing, slinging, or pelting someone with stones (see the note on v. 2 above). Smr and LXX have “you [plural] shall pelt them with stones.”
[20:27] sn At first glance Lev 20:27 appears to be out of place but, on closer examination, one could argue that it constitutes the back side of an envelope around the case laws in 20:9-21, with Lev 20:6 forming the front of the envelope (note also that execution of mediums and spiritists by stoning in v. 27 is not explicitly stated in v. 6). This creates a chiastic structure: prohibition against mediums and spiritists (vv. 6 and 27), variations of the holiness formula (vv. 7 and 25-26), and exhortations to obey the
[21:1] 567 tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, person, life”) can sometimes refer to a “dead person” (cf. Lev 19:28 above and the literature cited there).
[21:1] 568 tn Heb “no one,” but “priest” has been used in the translation to clarify that these restrictions are limited to the priests, not to the Israelites in general (note the introductory formula, “say to the priests, the sons of Aaron”).
[21:1] 569 tc The MT has “in his peoples,” but Smr, LXX, Syriac, Targum, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “in his people,” referring to the Israelites as a whole.
[21:2] 570 tn Heb “except for his flesh, the one near to him.”
[21:4] 572 tn Heb “He shall not defile himself a husband in his peoples, to profane himself.” The meaning of the line is disputed, but it appears to prohibit a priest from burying any relative by marriage (as opposed to the blood relatives of vv. 2-3), including his wife (compare B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 142-43 with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 343, 348).
[21:5] 573 tn Heb “they”; the referent (priests, see the beginning of v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:5] 574 tn Heb “and in their body they shall not [cut] slash[es]” (cf. Lev 19:28). The context connects these sorts of mutilations with mourning rites (cf. Lev 19:27-28 above).
[21:6] 575 sn Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
[21:6] 576 sn Regarding the Hebrew term for “gifts,” see the note on Lev 1:9 above (cf. also 3:11 and 16 in combination with the word for “food” that follows in the next phrase here).
[21:6] 577 tc Smr and all early versions have the plural adjective “holy” rather than the MT singular noun “holiness.”
[21:7] 578 tn Heb “A wife harlot and profaned they shall not take.” The structure of the verse (e.g., “wife” at the beginning of the two main clauses) suggests that “harlot and profaned” constitutes a hendiadys, meaning “a wife defiled by harlotry” (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 143, as opposed to that in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 343, 348; cf. v. 14 below). Cf. NASB “a woman who is profaned by harlotry.”
[21:7] 579 sn For a helpful discussion of divorce in general and as it relates to this passage see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 143-44.
[21:7] 580 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:7] 581 tn The pronoun “he” in this clause refers to the priest, not the former husband of the divorced woman.
[21:8] 582 tn The three previous second person references in this verse are all singular, but this reference is plural. By adding “all” this grammatical distinction is preserved in the translation.
[21:9] 583 tn See the note on “burned to death” in 20:14.
[21:10] 584 tn The adjective “high” has been supplied in the translation for clarity, as in many English versions.
[21:10] 585 tn Heb “and he has filled his hand.” For this expression see the note on Lev 8:33.
[21:10] 586 tn Regarding these signs of mourning see the note on Lev 10:6. His head had been anointed (v. 10a) so it must not be unkempt (v. 10b), and his garments were special priestly garments (v. 10a) so he must not tear them (v. 10b). In the translation “garments” has been employed rather than “clothes” to suggest that the special priestly garments are referred to here; cf. NRSV “nor tear his vestments.”
[21:11] 587 tc Although the MT has “persons” (plural), the LXX and Syriac have the singular “person” corresponding to the singular adjectival participle “dead” (cf. also Num 6:6).
[21:12] 588 sn Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
[21:13] 589 tn Heb “And he, a wife in her virginity he shall take.”
[21:14] 590 tn Heb “take.” In context this means “take as wife,” i.e., “marry.”
[21:14] 591 tc The MT has literally, “from his peoples,” but Smr, LXX, Syriac, Targum, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “from his people,” referring to the Israelites as a whole.
[21:15] 592 tc The MT has literally, “in his peoples,” but Smr, LXX, Syriac, Targum, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “in his people,” referring to the Israelites as a whole.
[21:17] 593 tn Heb “to their generations.”
[21:17] 594 tn Heb “who in him is a flaw”; cf. KJV, ASV “any blemish”; NASB, NIV “a defect.” The rendering “physical flaw” is used to refer to any birth defect or physical injury of the kind described in the following verses (cf. the same Hebrew word also in Lev 24:19-20). The same term is used for “flawed” animals, which must not be offered to the
[21:18] 595 tn The particle כִּי (ki) in this context is asseverative, indicating absolutely certainty (GKC 498 §159.ee).
[21:18] 596 tn Lexically, the Hebrew term חָרֻם (kharum) seems to refer to a split nose or perhaps any number of other facial defects (HALOT 354 s.v. II חרם qal; cf. G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 292, n. 7); cf. KJV, ASV “a flat nose”; NASB “a disfigured face.” The NJPS translation is “a limb too short” as a balance to the following term which means “extended, raised,” and apparently refers to “a limb too long” (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 146).
[21:19] 597 tn Heb “who there is in him a broken leg or a broken arm,” or perhaps “broken foot or broken hand.” The Hebrew term רֶגֶל (regel) is commonly rendered “foot,” but it can also refer to the “leg,” and the Hebrew יָד (yad) is most often translated “hand,” but can also refer to the “[fore]arm” (as opposed to כַּף, kaf, “palm of the hand” or “hand”). See HALOT 386 s.v. יָד and 1184 s.v. רֶגֶל respectively (cf. the NJPS translation). In this context, these terms probably apply to any part of the limb that was broken, including hand and the foot. B. A. Levine (Leviticus [JPSTC], 146) points out that such injuries often did not heal properly in antiquity because they were not properly set and, therefore, remained a “physical flaw” permanently.
[21:20] 598 tn Heb “thin”; cf. NAB “weakly.” This could refer to either an exceptionally small (i.e., dwarfed) man (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 146) or perhaps one with a “withered limb” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 342, 344).
[21:20] 599 tn The term rendered “spot” derives from a root meaning “mixed” or “confused” (cf. NAB “walleyed”). It apparently refers to any kind of marked flaw in the eye that can be seen by others. Smr, Syriac, Tg. Onq., and Tg. Ps.-J. have plural “his eyes.”
[21:20] 600 tn The exact meaning and medical reference of the terms rendered “festering eruption” and “feverish rash” is unknown, but see the translations and remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 146; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 342, 344, 349-50; and R. K. Harrison, NIDOTTE 1:890 and 2:461.
[21:21] 601 tn Or “shall approach” (see HALOT 670 s.v. נגשׁ).
[21:23] 602 sn See the note on Lev 16:2 for the rendering “veil-canopy.”
[21:23] 603 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[21:24] 604 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) introduces a concluding statement for all the preceding material.
[21:24] 605 tn The words “these things” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 606 tn Heb “holy things,” which means the “holy offerings” in this context, as the following verses show. The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 607 tn Heb “from the holy things of the sons of Israel, and they shall not profane my holy name, which they are consecrating to me.” The latter (relative) clause applies to the “the holy things of the sons of Israel” (the first clause), not the
[22:3] 608 tn Heb “To your generations.”
[22:3] 609 tn The Piel (v. 2) and Hiphil (v. 3) forms of the verb קָדַשׁ (qadash) appear to be interchangeable in this context. Both mean “to consecrate” (Heb “make holy [or “sacred”]”).
[22:3] 610 tn Heb “and his impurity [is] on him”; NIV “is ceremonially unclean”; NAB, NRSV “while he is in a state of uncleanness.”
[22:3] 611 sn Regarding the “cut off” penalty, see the note on Lev 7:20. Cf. the interpretive translation of TEV “he can never again serve at the altar.”
[22:4] 612 tn Heb “Man man.” The reduplication is a way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 15:2; 17:3, etc.), but with a negative command it means “No man” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 147).
[22:4] 613 sn The diseases and discharges mentioned here are those described in Lev 13-15.
[22:4] 614 tn Heb “And the one.”
[22:4] 615 tn Heb “in all unclean of a person/soul”; for the Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) meaning “a [dead] person,” see the note on Lev 19:28.
[22:4] 616 tn Heb “or a man who goes out from him a lying of seed.”
[22:5] 617 tn Heb “which there shall be uncleanness to him.”
[22:5] 618 tn The Hebrew term for “person” here is אָדָם (adam, “human being”), which could either a male or a female person.
[22:5] 619 tn Heb “to all his impurity.” The phrase refers to the impurity of the person whom the man touches to become unclean (see the previous clause). To clarify this, the translation uses “that person’s” rather than “his.”
[22:6] 620 sn The phrase “any of these” refers back to the unclean things touched in vv. 4b-5.
[22:8] 621 tn Heb “a carcass,” referring to the carcass of an animal that has died on its own, not the carcass of an animal slaughtered for sacrifice or killed by wild beasts. This has been clarified in the translation by supplying the phrase “of natural causes”; cf. NAB “that has died of itself”; TEV “that has died a natural death.”
[22:9] 622 tn Heb “and they will not lift up on it sin.” The pronoun “it” (masculine) apparently refers to any item of food that belongs to the category of “holy offerings” (see above).
[22:9] 623 tn Heb “and die in it.”
[22:10] 624 tn Heb “No stranger” (so KJV, ASV), which refers here to anyone other than the Aaronic priests. Some English versions reverse the negation and state positively: NIV “No one outside a priest’s family”; NRSV “Only a member of a priestly family”; CEV “Only you priests and your families.”
[22:10] 625 tn Heb “A resident [תּוֹשָׁב (toshav) from יָשַׁב (yashav, “to dwell, to reside”)] of a priest.” The meaning of the term is uncertain. It could refer to a “guest” (NIV) or perhaps “bound servant” (NRSV; see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 149). In the translation “lodger” was used instead of “boarder” precisely because a boarder would be provided meals with his lodging, the very issue at stake here.
[22:11] 626 tn Heb “and a priest, if he buys a person, the property of his silver.”
[22:11] 627 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the person whom the priest has purchased) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:11] 628 tn Heb “eat it”; the referent (the holy offerings) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:11] 629 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:11] 630 tn Heb “and the [slave] born of his house, they shall eat in his food.” The LXX, Syriac, Tg. Onq., Tg. Ps.-J., and some
[22:12] 631 tn Heb “And a daughter of a priest, if she is to a man, a stranger” (cf. the note on v. 10 above).
[22:12] 632 tn Heb “she in the contribution of the holy offerings shall not eat.” For “contribution [offering]” see the note on Lev 7:14 and the literature cited there. Cf. NCV “the holy offerings”; TEV, NLT “the sacred offerings.”
[22:13] 633 tn Heb “to”; the words “live in” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[22:13] 634 tn Heb “and seed there is not to her and she returns to the house of her father as her youth.” The mention of having “no children” appears to imply that her children, if she had any, should support her; this is made explicit by NLT’s “and has no children to support her.”
[22:14] 635 tn Heb “And a man, if he eats a holy thing in error” (see the Lev 4:2 not on “straying,” which is the term rendered “by mistake” here).
[22:14] 636 sn When a person trespassed in regard to something sacred to the
[22:15] 637 tn Contextually, “They” could refer either to the people (v. 14a; cf. NRSV “No one”) or the priests (v. 14b; cf. NIV “The priests”), but the latter seems more likely (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 356, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 150). The priests were responsible to see that the portions of the offerings that were to be consumed by the priests as prebends did not become accessible to the people. Mistakes in this matter (cf. v. 14) would bring “guilt” on the people, requiring punishment (v. 16).
[22:15] 638 tn The Hebrew verb הֵרִים (herim, rendered “contribute” here) is commonly used for setting aside portions of an offering (see, e.g., Lev 4:8-10 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335-36).
[22:15] 639 tn Heb “the holy offerings of the sons of Israel which they contribute to the
[22:16] 640 tn Heb “iniquity of guilt”; NASB “cause them to bear punishment for guilt.” The Hebrew word עָוֹן (’avon, “iniquity”) can designate either acts of iniquity or the penalty (i.e., punishment) for such acts.
[22:16] 641 sn That is, when the lay people eat portions of offerings that should have been eaten only by priests and those who belonged to priestly households.
[22:18] 642 tn Heb “Man, man.” The reduplication is a way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 15:2; 17:3, etc.; see the distributive repetition of the noun in GKC 395-96 §123.c).
[22:18] 643 tn Heb “and from the foreigner [singular] in Israel.” Some medieval Hebrew
[22:19] 644 tn Heb “for your acceptance.” See Lev 1:3-4 above and the notes there.
[22:20] 645 tn Heb “all which in it [is] a flaw.” Note that the same term is used for physical flaws of people in Lev 21:17-24. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “blemish”; NASB, NIV, TEV “defect”; NLT “with physical defects.”
[22:20] 646 tn Heb “not for acceptance shall it be for you”; NIV “it will not be accepted on your behalf” (NRSV and NLT both similar).
[22:21] 647 tn The meaning of the expression לְפַלֵּא־נֶדֶר (lÿfalle’-neder) rendered here “for a special votive offering” is much debated. Some take it as an expression for fulfilling a vow, “to fulfill a vow” (e.g., HALOT 927-28 s.v. פלא piel and NASB; cf. NAB, NRSV “in fulfillment of a vow”) or, alternatively, “to make a vow” or “for making a vow” (HALOT 928 s.v. פלא piel [II פלא]). Perhaps it refers to the making a special vow, from the verb פָלַא (pala’, “to be wonderful, to be remarkable”); cf. J. Milgrom, Numbers (JPSTC), 44. B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 151 and 193, suggests that this is a special term for “setting aside a votive offering” (related to פָלָה [palah, “to set aside”]). In general, the point of the expression seems to be that this sacrifice arises as a special gift to God out of special circumstances in the life of the worshiper.
[22:21] 648 tn Heb “for acceptance”; NAB “if it is to find acceptance.”
[22:21] 649 tn Heb “all/any flaw shall not be in it.”
[22:22] 650 tn Or perhaps “a wart” (cf. NIV; HALOT 383 s.v. יַבֶּלֶת, but see the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 358).
[22:22] 651 sn See the note on Lev 21:20 above.
[22:22] 652 sn This term for offering “gift” is explained in the note on Lev 1:9.
[22:23] 653 tn Heb “And an ox.”
[22:23] 654 tn Heb “and stunted” (see HALOT 1102 s.v. I קלט).
[22:23] 655 sn The freewill offering was voluntary, so the regulations regarding it were more relaxed. Once a vow was made, the paying of it was not voluntary (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 151-52, for very helpful remarks on this verse).
[22:24] 656 sn Compare Lev 21:20b.
[22:25] 657 tn Heb “And from the hand of a son of a foreigner.”
[22:25] 658 tn Heb “for their being ruined [is] in them, flaw is in them”; NRSV “are mutilated, with a blemish in them”; NIV “are deformed and have defects.” The MT term מָשְׁחָתָם (moshkhatam, “their being ruined”) is a Muqtal form (= Hophal participle) from שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to ruin”). Smr has plural בהם משׁחתים (“deformities in them”; cf. the LXX translation). The Qumran Leviticus scroll (11QpaleoLev) has תימ הם[…], in which case the restored participle would appear to be the same as Smr, but there is no בְּ (bet) preposition before the pronoun, yielding “they are deformed” (see D. N. Freedman and K. A. Mathews, The Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll, 41 and the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 358).
[22:27] 659 tn The words “the care of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied. Although many modern English versions render “with its mother” (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), the literal phrase “under its mother” refers to the young animal nursing from its mother. Cf. KJV, ASV “it shall be seven days under the dam,” which would probably be misunderstood.
[22:27] 660 tn Heb “for an offering of a gift.”
[22:28] 661 tn Heb “And an ox or a sheep, it and its son, you shall not slaughter.”
[22:28] 662 tn Heb “in one day.”
[22:29] 663 tn Heb “for your acceptance” (see the notes on Lev 1:3-4 and 22:19 above).
[22:30] 664 tn Heb “On that day”; NIV, NCV “that same day.”
[22:31] 666 tn Heb “And you shall keep my commandments and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 20:8, etc.).
[22:33] 667 tn Heb “to be to you for God.”
[23:2] 668 tn Heb “these are them, my appointed times.”
[23:2] sn The term מוֹעֵד (mo’ed, rendered “appointed time” here) can refer to either a time or place of meeting. See the note on “tent of meeting” (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ohel mo’ed) in Lev 1:1.
[23:3] 669 tn This is a superlative expression, emphasizing the full and all inclusive rest of the Sabbath and certain festival times throughout the chapter (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 155). Cf. ASV “a sabbath of solemn rest.”
[23:5] 670 tn Heb “between the two evenings,” perhaps designating the time between the setting of the sun and the true darkness of night. Cf. KJV, ASV “at even”; NAB “at the evening twilight.”
[23:5] sn See B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 156, for a full discussion of the issues raised in this verse. The rabbinic tradition places the slaughter of Passover offerings between approximately 3:00
[23:6] 671 tn Heb “to this month.”
[23:7] 672 tn Heb “work of service”; KJV “servile work”; NASB “laborious work”; TEV “daily work.”
[23:10] 673 tn Heb “and you harvest its harvest.”
[23:10] 674 tn Heb “the sheaf of the first of your harvest.”
[23:11] 675 tn Heb “for your acceptance.”
[23:11] 676 sn See Lev 7:30 for a note on the “waving” of a “wave offering.”
[23:12] 677 tn Heb “And you shall make in the day of your waving the sheaf.”
[23:12] 678 tn Heb “a flawless lamb, a son of its year”; KJV “of the first year”; NLT “a year-old male lamb.”
[23:13] 679 sn See the note on Lev 5:11.
[23:13] 680 sn See the note on Lev 2:1.
[23:13] 681 sn See the note on Lev 1:9.
[23:13] 682 tn Heb “wine, one fourth of the hin.” A pre-exilic hin is about 3.6 liters (= ca. 1 quart), so one fourth of a hin would be about one cup.
[23:14] 683 tn Heb “until the bone of this day.”
[23:14] 684 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[23:15] 685 tn Heb “seven Sabbaths, they shall be complete.” The disjunctive accent under “Sabbaths” precludes the translation “seven complete Sabbaths” (as NASB, NIV; cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT). The text is somewhat awkward, which may explain why the LXX tradition is confused here, either adding “you shall count” again at the end of the verse, or leaving out “they shall be,” or keeping “they shall be” and adding “to you.”
[23:16] 686 tn Heb “and.” In the translation “then” is supplied to clarify the sequence.
[23:17] 687 tc Smr, LXX, Syriac, Tg. Onq., and Tg. Ps.-J. insert the word חַלּוֹת (khallot, “loaves”; cf. Lev 2:4 and the note there). Even though “loaves” is not explicit in the MT, the number “two” suggests that these are discrete units, not just a measure of flour, so “loaves” should be assumed even in the MT.
[23:17] 688 tn Heb “with leaven.” The noun “leaven” is traditional in English versions (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), but “yeast” is more commonly used today.
[23:18] 689 tn Heb “And you shall present on the bread.”
[23:18] 690 tn Heb “seven flawless lambs, sons of a year.”
[23:18] 691 tn Heb “and one bull, a son of a herd.”
[23:18] 692 tc Smr and LXX add “flawless.”
[23:18] 693 tn Heb “and their grain offering.”
[23:18] 694 sn See the note on Lev 1:9.
[23:19] 695 tn Heb “And you shall make.”
[23:19] 696 tn Heb “a he-goat of goats.”
[23:20] 697 tn Smr and LXX have the Hebrew article on “lambs.” The syntax of this verse is difficult. The object of the verb (two lambs) is far removed from the verb itself (shall wave) in the MT, and the preposition עַל (’al, “upon”), rendered “along with” in this verse, is also added to the far removed subject (literally, “upon [the] two lambs”; see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 159). It is clear, however, that the two lambs and the loaves (along with their associated grain and drink offerings) constituted the “wave offering,” which served as the prebend “for the priest.” Burnt and sin offerings (vv. 18-19a) were not included in this (see Lev 7:11-14, 28-36).
[23:21] 698 tn Heb “And you shall proclaim [an assembly] in the bone of this day; a holy assembly it shall be to you” (see the remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 160, and the remarks on the LXX rendering in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 367).
[23:21] 699 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[23:22] 700 tn Heb “And when you harvest the harvest.”
[23:22] 701 tn Heb “you shall not complete the corner of your field in your harvest.”
[23:22] 702 sn Compare Lev 19:9-10.
[23:24] 703 tn Heb “a memorial of loud blasts.” Although the term for “horn” does not occur here, allowing for the possibility that vocal “shouts” of acclamation are envisioned (see P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 325), the “blast” of the shofar (a trumpet made from a ram’s “horn”) is most likely what is intended. On this occasion, the loud blasts on the horn announced the coming of the new year on the first day of the seventh month (see the explanations in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 387, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 160).
[23:25] 704 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have adversative force here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV).
[23:27] 705 tn Heb “Surely the tenth day” or perhaps “Precisely the tenth day.” The Hebrew adverbial particle אַךְ (’akh) is left untranslated by most recent English versions; cf. however NASB “On exactly the tenth day.”
[23:27] 706 sn See the description of this day and its regulations in Lev 16 and the notes there.
[23:27] 707 tn Heb “you shall humble your souls.” See the note on Lev 16:29 above.
[23:28] 708 tn Heb “in the bone of this day.”
[23:28] 709 tn Heb “on you [plural]”; cf. NASB, NRSV “on your behalf.”
[23:29] 710 tn The particular כִּי (ki) is taken in an asseverative sense here (“Indeed,” see the NJPS translation).
[23:29] 711 tn Heb “it [i.e., that person; literally “soul,” feminine] shall be cut off from its peoples [plural]”; NLT “from the community.”
[23:30] 712 tn Heb “And any person.”
[23:30] 713 tn See HALOT 3 s.v. I אבד hif. Cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “destroy”; CEV “wipe out.”
[23:30] 714 tn Heb “its people” (“its” is feminine to agree with “person,” literally “soul,” which is feminine in Hebrew; cf. v. 29).
[23:31] 715 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[23:32] 716 tn Heb “you shall rest your Sabbath.”
[23:34] 717 tn The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut, booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast (see the following verses) as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.
[23:35] 718 tn Heb “work of service”; KJV “servile work”; NASB “laborious work”; TEV “daily work.”
[23:36] 719 tn The Hebrew term עֲצֶרֶת (’atseret) “solemn assembly [day]” derives from a root associated with restraint or closure. It could refer either to the last day as “closing assembly” day of the festival (e.g., NIV) or a special day of restraint expressed in a “solemn assembly” (e.g., NRSV); cf. NLT “a solemn closing assembly.”
[23:37] 720 tn The LXX has “[their] burnt offerings, and their sacrifices, and their drink offerings.”
[23:37] 721 tn Heb “a matter of a day in its day”; NAB “as prescribed for each day”; NRSV, NLT “each on its proper day.”
[23:38] 722 tn Heb “from to separation.” See BDB 94 s.v. בַּד 1.e for an explanation of this phrase. This phrase is repeated in front of each of the four items in this verse in the Hebrew text, but these have not been translated into English for stylistic reasons. Cf. KJV, NASB “besides”; NRSV “apart from.”
[23:39] 723 tn Heb “Surely on the fifteenth day.” The Hebrew adverbial particle אַךְ (’akh) is left untranslated by most recent English versions; however, cf. NASB “On exactly the fifteenth day.”
[23:40] 724 tn Heb “fruit of majestic trees,” but the following terms and verses define what is meant by this expression. For extensive remarks on the celebration of this festival in history and tradition see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 163; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 389-90; and P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 328-29.
[23:41] 725 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[23:42] 726 tn Heb “in the huts” (again at the end of this verse and in v. 43), perhaps referring to temporary shelters (i.e., huts) made of the foliage referred to in v. 40 (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 389).
[23:44] 727 sn E. S. Gerstenberger (Leviticus [OTL], 352) takes v. 44 to be an introduction to another set of festival regulations, perhaps something like those found in Exod 23:14-17. For others this verse reemphasizes the Mosaic authority of the preceding festival regulations (e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 390).
[24:2] 728 tn Heb “and let them take.” The simple vav (ו) on the imperfect/jussive form of the verb לָקַח (laqakh, “to take”) following the imperative (“Command”) indicates a purpose clause (“to bring…”).
[24:2] 729 tn Heb “to cause to ascend a lamp continually.”
[24:3] 730 tn The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” or “curtain,” but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).
[24:3] 731 tc Several medieval Hebrew
[24:3] 732 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[24:4] 733 tn Alternatively, “pure [gold] lampstand,” based on Exod 25:31, etc., where the term for “gold” actually appears (see NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, and the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395, etc.). However, in Lev 24:4 the adjective “pure” is feminine, corresponding to “lampstand,” not an assumed noun “gold” (contrast Exod 25:31), and the “table” in v. 6 was overlaid with gold, but was not made of pure gold. Therefore, it is probably better to translate “[ceremonially] pure lampstand” (v. 4) and “[ceremonially] pure table” (v. 6); see NEB; cf. KJV, ASV; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 164-65; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 307.
[24:5] 734 sn See the note on Lev 2:1.
[24:5] 735 tn Heb “and bake it twelve loaves”; KJV, NAB, NASB “cakes.”
[24:5] 736 tn The words “of flour” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:5] sn See the note on Lev 5:11.
[24:6] 737 tn Heb “six of the row.”
[24:7] 738 tn This is not just any “incense” (קְטֹרֶת, qÿtoret; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:913-16), but specifically “frankincense” (לְבֹנָה, lÿvonah; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:756-57).
[24:7] 739 tn Heb “on [עַל, ’al] the row,” probably used distributively, “on each row” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395-96). Perhaps the frankincense was placed “with” or “along side of” each row, not actually on the bread itself, and was actually burned as incense to the
[24:7] 740 sn The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָרָה, ’azkharah) was normally the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (see Lev 2:2 and the notes there), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (Lev 2:3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23 [6:7-16 HT]).
[24:7] 741 sn See the note on Lev 1:9 regarding the term “gift.”
[24:8] 742 tn Heb “In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath.” The repetition is distributive. A few medieval Hebrew
[24:8] 743 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:8] 744 tn The word “portion” is supplied in the translation here for clarity, to specify what “this” refers to.
[24:9] 745 tn Or “a perpetual regulation”; NRSV “a perpetual due.”
[24:10] 747 tn Heb “the Israelite man,” but Smr has no article, and the point is that there was a conflict between the man of mixed background and a man of full Israelite descent.
[24:11] 748 tn The verb rendered “misused” means literally “to bore through, to pierce” (HALOT 719 s.v. נקב qal); it is from נָקַב (naqav), not קָבַב (qavav; see the participial form in v. 16a). Its exact meaning here is uncertain. The two verbs together may form a hendiadys, “he pronounced by cursing blasphemously” (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 166), the idea being one of the following: (1) he pronounced the name “Yahweh” in a way or with words that amounted to “some sort of verbal aggression against Yahweh himself” (E. S. Gerstenberger, Leviticus [OTL], 362), (2) he pronounced a curse against the man using the name “Yahweh” (N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers [NCBC], 110; G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 311), or (3) he pronounced the name “Yahweh” and thereby blasphemed, since the “Name” was never to be pronounced (a standard Jewish explanation). In one way or another, the offense surely violated Exod 20:7, one of the ten commandments, and the same verb for cursing is used explicitly in Exod 22:28 (27 HT) prohibition against “cursing” God. For a full discussion of these and related options for interpreting this verse see P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 335-36; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 408-9; and Levine, 166.
[24:12] 749 tn The words “until they were able” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:12] 750 tn The Hebrew here is awkward. A literal reading would be something like the following: “And they placed him in custody to give a clear decision [HALOT 976 s.v. פרשׁ qal] for themselves on the mouth of the
[24:14] 751 tn The words “to death” are supplied in the translation as a clarification; they are clearly implied from v. 16.
[24:15] 753 sn See the note on v. 11 above and esp. Exod 22:28 [27 HT].
[24:16] 754 sn See the note on v. 11 above.
[24:17] 755 tn Heb “And if a man strikes any soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] of mankind.” The idiom seems to derive from the idea of striking a fatal blow to the very “life” (literally, “soul”) of a human being, not just landing a blow on their body (HALOT 698 s.v. נכה hif.2). On the difficult of the meaning and significance of the term נֶפֶשׁ see the notes on Lev 17:10-11.
[24:18] 756 tn Heb “And one who strikes a soul of an animal.”
[24:18] 757 tn Heb “soul under soul.” Cf. KJV “beast for beast”; NCV “must give…another animal to take its place.”
[24:19] 758 tn Heb “gives a flaw in”; KJV, ASV “cause a blemish in.”
[24:19] 759 tn Or “neighbor” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); TEV, NLT “another person.”
[24:20] 760 tn Heb “in the man [אָדָם, ’adam].”
[24:20] 761 tn Heb “just as he inflicts an injury…it must be inflicted on him.” The referent (“that same injury”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:21] 762 sn See the note on v. 18 above.
[24:21] 763 tn Heb “and,” but here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) is adversative, contrasting the consequences of beating an animal to death with those of beating a person to death.
[24:22] 764 tn Heb “a regulation of one”; KJV, ASV “one manner of law”; NASB “one standard.”
[25:2] 765 tn Heb “the land shall rest a Sabbath.”
[25:3] 766 tn Heb “its produce,” but the feminine pronoun “its” probably refers to the “land” (a feminine noun in Hebrew; cf. v. 2), not the “field” or the “vineyard,” both of which are normally masculine nouns (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170).
[25:4] 767 tn Heb “and in the seventh year a Sabbath of complete rest shall be to the land.” The expression “a Sabbath of complete rest” is superlative, emphasizing the full and all inclusive rest of the seventh year of the sabbatical cycle. Cf. ASV “a sabbath of solemn rest”; NAB “a complete rest.”
[25:4] 768 tn Heb “and.” Here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has an alternative sense (“or”).
[25:5] 769 tn Heb “consecrated, devoted, forbidden” (נָזִיר, nazir). The same term is used for the “consecration” of the “Nazirite” (and his hair, Num 6:2, 18, etc.), a designation which, in turn, derives from the very same root.
[25:6] 770 tn The word “produce” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied; cf. NASB “the sabbath products.”
[25:6] 771 tn A “resident who stays” would be a foreign person who was probably residing as another kind of laborer in the household of a landowner (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170-71). See v. 35 below.
[25:7] 772 tn The words “for you” are implied.
[25:8] 773 tn Heb “And you shall count off for yourself.”
[25:8] 774 tn Heb “seven years seven times.”
[25:8] 775 tn Heb “and they shall be for you, the days of the seven Sabbaths of years, forty-nine years.”
[25:9] 776 sn On the “loud horn blasts” see the note on Lev 23:24, but unlike the language there, the Hebrew term for “horn” (שׁוֹפָר, shofar) actually appears here in this verse (twice).
[25:10] 777 tn Heb “the year of the fifty years,” or perhaps “the year, fifty years” (GKC 435 §134.o, note 2).
[25:10] 778 tn Cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “liberty”; TEV, CEV “freedom.” The characteristics of this “release” are detailed in the following verses. For substantial summaries and bibliography on the biblical and ancient Near Eastern material regarding such a “release” see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 427-34, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 270-74.
[25:10] 779 tn Heb “A jubilee that shall be to you.” Although there has been some significant debate about the original meaning of the Hebrew word translated “jubilee” (יוֹבֵל, yovel; see the summary in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 434), the term most likely means “ram” and can refer also to a “ram’s horn.” The fiftieth year would, therefore, be called the “jubilee” because of the associated sounding of the “ram’s horn” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 172, and the literature cited there).
[25:10] 780 tn Heb “you [plural] shall return, a man.”
[25:11] 781 tn Heb “you shall not sow and you shall not…and you shall not….”
[25:11] sn See v. 5 above and the notes there.
[25:12] 782 tn That is, the produce of the land (fem.; cf. v. 7 above).
[25:13] 783 tn Heb “you [plural] shall return, a man.”
[25:14] 784 tn Heb “sell a sale.”
[25:14] 785 tn Or “to one of your countrymen” (NIV); NASB “to your friend.”
[25:14] 786 tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute קָנֹה (qanoh, “buying”) substitutes for the finite verb here in sequence with the previous finite verb “sell” at the beginning of the verse (see GKC 345 §113.z).
[25:14] 787 tn Heb “do not oppress a man his brother.” Here “brother” does not refer only to a sibling, but to a fellow Israelite.
[25:15] 788 tn Heb “in the number of years after.”
[25:15] 789 tn The words “that are left” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[25:15] sn The purchaser is actually buying only the crops that the land will produce until the next jubilee, since the land will revert to the original owner at that time. The purchaser, therefore, is not actually buying the land itself.
[25:16] 790 tn Heb “To the mouth of the many years.”
[25:16] 791 tn Heb “to the mouth of the few years.”
[25:16] 792 tn Heb “a number of produce”; the words “years of” are implied. As an alternative this could be translated “a number of harvests” (cf. NRSV, NLT).
[25:17] 793 tn Heb “And you shall not oppress a man his fellow citizen.”
[25:18] 794 tn Heb “And you shall keep and do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 20:8, etc.).
[25:18] 795 tn Heb “and you shall dwell on the land to security.”
[25:19] 796 tn Heb “eat to satisfaction”; KJV, ASV “ye shall eat your fill.”
[25:21] 797 tn Heb “and it [i.e., the land] shall make the produce.” The Hebrew term וְעָשָׂת (vÿ’asat, “and it shall make”) is probably an older third feminine singular form of the verb (GKC 210 §75.m). Smr has the normal form.
[25:21] 798 tn Smr and LXX have “its produce” (cf. 25:3, 7, etc.) rather than “the produce.”
[25:22] 799 tn Heb “the produce,” referring to “the produce” of the sixth year of v. 21. The words “sixth year” are supplied for clarity.
[25:22] 800 tn Heb “until the ninth year, until bringing [in] its produce.”
[25:23] 801 tn The term rendered “without reclaim” means that the land has been bought for the full price and is, therefore, not subject to reclaim under any circumstances. This was not to be done with land in ancient Israel (contrast the final full sale of houses in v. 30; see the evidence cited in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 174).
[25:23] 802 tn That is, the Israelites were strangers and residents who were attached to the
[25:24] 803 tn Heb “And in all the land of your property.”
[25:24] 804 tn Heb “right of redemption you shall give to the land”; NAB “you must permit the land to be redeemed.”
[25:25] 805 tn Heb “the sale of his brother.”
[25:26] 806 tn Heb “and his hand reaches.”
[25:26] 807 tn Heb “and he finds as sufficiency of its redemption.”
[25:27] 808 tn Heb “and he shall calculate its years of sale.”
[25:27] 809 tn Heb “and return the excess.”
[25:28] 810 tn Heb “And if his hand has not found sufficiency of returning.” Although some versions take this to mean that he has not made enough to regain the land (e.g., NASB, NRSV; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 176), the combination of terms in Hebrew corresponds to the portion of v. 27 that refers specifically to refunding the money (cf. v. 27; see NIV and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 315).
[25:28] 811 tn Heb “his sale.”
[25:28] 812 tn Heb “will be in the hand of.” This refers to the temporary control of the one who purchased its produce until the next year of jubilee, at which time it would revert to the original owner.
[25:28] 813 tn Heb “it shall go out” (so KJV, ASV; see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 176).
[25:28] 814 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the original owner of the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:29] 815 tn Heb “a house of a residence of a walled city.”
[25:29] 816 tn Heb “shall be.”
[25:29] 817 tn Heb “of its sale.”
[25:29] 818 tn Heb “days its right of redemption shall be” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 176).
[25:30] 819 tn Heb “until fulfilling to it a complete year.’
[25:30] 820 tn Heb “the house which [is] in the city which to it [is] a wall.” The Kethib has לֹא (lo’, “no, not”) rather than לוֹ (lo, “to it”) which is the Qere.
[25:30] 821 tn See the note on v. 23 above.
[25:31] 822 tn Heb “And the houses of the villages.”
[25:31] 823 tn Heb “which there is not to them a wall.”
[25:31] 824 tn Heb “on the field.”
[25:32] 826 tn Heb “the houses of the cities of their property.”
[25:33] 827 tn Heb “And which he shall redeem from the Levites shall go out, sale of house and city, his property in the jubilee.” Although the end of this verse is clear, the first part is notoriously difficult. There are five main views. (1) The first clause of the verse actually attaches to the previous verse, and refers to the fact that their houses retain a perpetual right of redemption (v. 32b), “which any of the Levites may exercise” (v. 33a; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 418, 421). (2) It refers to property that one Levite sells to another Levite, which is then redeemed by still another Levite (v. 33a). In such cases, the property reverts to the original Levite owner in the jubilee year (v. 33b; G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 321). (3) It refers to houses in a city that had come to be declared as a Levitical city but had original non-Levitical owners. Once the city was declared to belong to the Levites, however, an owner could only sell his house to a Levite, and he could only redeem it back from a Levite up until the time of the first jubilee after the city was declared to be a Levitical city. In this case the first part of the verse would be translated, “Such property as may be redeemed from the Levites” (NRSV, NJPS). At the first jubilee, however, all such houses became the property of the Levites (v. 33b; P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 353). (4) It refers to property “which is appropriated from the Levites” (not “redeemed from the Levites,” v. 33a) by those who have bought it or taken it as security for debts owed to them by Levites who had fallen on bad times. Again, such property reverts back to the original Levite owners at the jubilee (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 177). (5) It simply refers to the fact that a Levite has the option of redeeming his house (i.e., the prefix form of the verb is taken to be subjunctive, “may or might redeem”), which he had to sell because he had fallen into debt or perhaps even become destitute. Even if he never gained the resources to do so, however, it would still revert to him in the jubilee year. The present translation is intended to reflect this latter view.
[25:34] 829 sn This refers to the region of fields just outside and surrounding the city where cattle were kept and garden crops were grown (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 177).
[25:35] 830 tn It is not clear to whom this refers. It is probably broader than “sibling” (cf. NRSV “any of your kin”; NLT “any of your Israelite relatives”) but some English versions take it to mean “fellow Israelite” (so TEV; cf. NAB, NIV “countrymen”) and others are ambiguous (cf. CEV “any of your people”).
[25:35] 831 tn Heb “and his hand slips with you.”
[25:35] 832 tn Heb “strengthen”; NASB “sustain.”
[25:35] 833 tn The form וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living,” but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal, and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 18:5).
[25:35] 834 tn Heb “a foreigner and resident,” which is probably to be combined (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170-71).
[25:36] 835 tn The meaning of the terms rendered “interest” and “profit” is much debated (see the summaries in P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 354-55 and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 178). Verse 37, however, suggests that the first refers to a percentage of money and the second percentage of produce (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 421).
[25:36] 836 tn In form the Hebrew term וְחֵי (vÿkhey, “shall live”) is the construct plural noun (i.e., “the life of”), but here it is used as the finite verb (cf. v. 35 and GKC 218 §76.i).
[25:37] 837 tn Heb “your money” and “your food.” With regard to “interest” and “profit” see the note on v. 36 above.
[25:38] 838 tn Heb “to be to you for a God.”
[25:39] 839 tn Heb “you shall not serve against him service of a slave.” A distinction is being made here between the status of slave and indentured servant.
[25:40] 840 tn See the note on Lev 25:6 above.
[25:41] 841 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have adversative force here.
[25:41] 842 tn Heb “may go out from you.”
[25:42] 844 tn Or perhaps reflexive Niphal rather than passive, “they shall not sell themselves [as in] a slave sale.”
[25:43] 845 tn Heb “You shall not rule in him in violence”; cf. NASB “with severity”; NIV “ruthlessly.”
[25:44] 846 tn Heb “And your male slave and your female slave.” Smr has these as plural terms, “slaves,” not singular.
[25:44] 847 tn Heb “ from the nations which surround you, from them you shall buy male slave and female slave.”
[25:45] 848 tn The word “slaves” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied here.
[25:45] 849 tn Heb “family which is” (i.e., singular rather than plural).
[25:46] 850 tn Heb “and your brothers, the sons of Israel, a man in his brother you shall not rule in him in violence.”
[25:47] 851 tn Heb “And if the hand of a foreigner and resident with you reaches” (cf. v. 26 for this idiom).
[25:47] 852 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[25:47] 853 tn Heb “offshoot, descendant.”
[25:48] 854 tn Heb “right of redemption shall be to him.”
[25:49] 855 tn Heb “the son of his uncle.”
[25:49] 856 tn Heb “or from the remainder of his flesh from his family.”
[25:49] 857 tc The LXX, followed by the Syriac, actually has “if,” which is not in the MT.
[25:50] 858 tn Heb “the years.”
[25:50] 859 tn Heb “as days of a hired worker he shall be with him.” For this and the following verses see the explanation in P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 358-59.
[25:51] 860 tn Heb “to the mouth of them.”
[25:52] 861 tn Heb “but if a little remains in the years.”
[25:53] 862 tn Heb “be with him”; the referent (the one who bought him) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:53] 863 tn Heb “As a hired worker year in year.”
[25:53] 864 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the one who bought him) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:55] 867 tn Heb “because to me the sons of Israel are servants.”
[26:1] 868 sn For the literature regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִם, ’elilim), see the literature cited in the note on Lev 19:4. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god, God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless, weak, powerless, nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”
[26:1] 869 tn Heb “on.” The “sculpted stone” appears to be some sort of stone with images carved into (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 181, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 449).
[26:2] 870 tn Heb “and my sanctuary you shall fear.” Cf. NCV “respect”; CEV “honor.”
[26:3] 871 tn Heb “and my commandments you shall keep and do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 20:8; 25:18, etc.).
[26:4] 872 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[26:4] 873 tn Heb “the tree of the field will give its fruit.” As a collective singular this has been translated as plural.
[26:5] 874 tn Heb “will reach for you the vintage season.”
[26:5] 875 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[26:5] 876 tn Heb “to satisfaction”; KJV, ASV, NASB “to the full.”
[26:6] 877 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[26:6] 878 tn Heb “and there will be no one who terrifies.” The words “to sleep” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[26:6] 879 tn Heb “harmful animal,” singular, but taken here as a collective plural (so almost all English versions).
[26:6] 880 tn Heb “no sword”; the words “of war” are supplied in the translation to indicate what the metaphor of the sword represents.
[26:7] 881 tn Heb “to the sword.”
[26:9] 882 tn Heb “cause to arise,” but probably used here for the
[26:10] 883 tn Heb “old [produce] growing old.”
[26:10] 884 tn Heb “and old from the presence of new you will bring out.”
[26:11] 885 tn LXX codexes Vaticanus and Alexandrinus have “my covenant” rather than “my tabernacle.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV “my dwelling.”
[26:11] 886 tn Heb “and my soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] will not abhor you.”
[26:13] 887 tn Heb “from being to them slaves.”
[26:13] 888 tn In other words, to walk as free people and not as slaves. Cf. NIV “with (+ your CEV, NLT) heads held high”; NCV “proudly.”
[26:14] 890 tn Heb “and do not do.”
[26:15] 891 tn Heb “to not do.”
[26:16] 892 tn Or “I also” (see HALOT 76 s.v. אַף 6.b).
[26:16] 893 tn Heb “soul.” These expressions may refer either to the physical effects of consumption and fever as the rendering in the text suggests (e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 452, 454, “diminishing eyesight and loss of appetite”), or perhaps the more psychological effects, “which exhausts the eyes” because of anxious hope “and causes depression” (Heb “causes soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] to pine away”), e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 185.
[26:16] 894 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have causal force here.
[26:16] 895 tn That is, “your enemies will eat” the produce that grows from the sown seed.
[26:18] 896 tn Heb “And if until these.”
[26:18] 897 tn Heb “I will add to discipline you seven [times] on your sins.”
[26:20] 898 tn Heb “the tree of the land will not give its fruit.” The collective singular has been translated as a plural. Tg. Onq., some medieval Hebrew
[26:21] 899 tn Heb “hostile with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in v. 24 and 27.
[26:21] 900 tn Heb “your blow, stroke”; cf. TEV “punishment”; NLT “I will inflict you with seven more disasters.”
[26:22] 901 tn Heb “the animal of the field.” This collective singular has been translated as a plural. The expression “animal of the field” refers to a wild (i.e., nondomesticated) animal.
[26:22] 902 tn The words “of your children” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[26:22] 903 tn Heb “and diminish you.”
[26:23] 904 tn Heb “And if in these.”
[26:23] 905 tn Heb “with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in vv. 24 and 27.
[26:24] 906 tn Heb “and I myself will also strike you.”
[26:25] 907 tn Heb “vengeance of covenant”; cf. NAB “the avenger of my covenant.”
[26:25] 908 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has a concessive force in this context.
[26:25] 909 tn Heb “in hand of enemy,” but Tg. Ps.-J. and Tg. Neof. have “in the hands of your enemies” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 454).
[26:26] 910 tn Heb “When I break to you staff of bread” (KJV, ASV, and NASB all similar).
[26:26] 911 tn Heb “they will return your bread in weight.”
[26:27] 912 tn Heb “And if in this.”
[26:28] 914 tn Heb “in rage of hostility with you”; NASB “with wrathful hostility”; NRSV “I will continue hostile to you in fury”; CEV “I’ll get really furious.”
[26:29] 915 tn Heb “and the flesh of your daughters you will eat.” The phrase “you will eat” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:30] 916 sn Regarding these cultic installations, see the remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 188, and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:903. The term rendered “incense altars” might better be rendered “sanctuaries [of foreign deities]” or “stelae.”
[26:30] 917 tn The translation reflects the Hebrew wordplay “your corpses…the corpses of your idols.” Since idols, being lifeless, do not really have “corpses,” the translation uses “dead bodies” for people and “lifeless bodies” for the idols.
[26:30] 918 tn Heb “and my soul will abhor you.”
[26:31] 919 tn Heb “And I will give your cities a waste”; NLT “make your cities desolate.”
[26:33] 920 tn Heb “and I will empty sword” (see HALOT 1228 s.v. ריק 3).
[26:34] 921 tn There are two Hebrew roots רָצָה (ratsah), one meaning “to be pleased with; to take pleasure” (HALOT 1280-81 s.v. רצה; cf. “enjoy” in NASB, NIV, NRSV, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 452), and the other meaning “to restore” (HALOT 1281-82 s.v. II רצה; cf. NAB “retrieve” and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 189).
[26:35] 922 tn Heb “it shall rest which it did not rest.”
[26:37] 924 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) is used in a concessive sense here.
[26:37] 925 tn The term rendered “to stand up” is a noun, not an infinitive. It occurs only here and appears to designate someone who would take a powerful stand for them against their enemies.
[26:39] 926 tn Heb “in” (so KJV, ASV; also later in this verse).
[26:39] 927 tn Heb “fathers’” (also in the following verse).
[26:40] 928 tn Heb “And.” Many English versions take this to be a conditional clause (“if…”) though there is no conditional particle (see, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV; but see the very different rendering in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 190). The temporal translation offered here (“when”) takes into account the particle אָז (’az, “then”), which occurs twice in v. 41. The obvious contextual contrast between vv. 39 and 40 is expressed by “however” in the translation.
[26:40] 929 tn Heb “in their trespassing which they trespassed in me.” See the note on Lev 5:15, although the term is used in a more technical sense there in relation to the “guilt offering.”
[26:40] 930 tn Heb “and also which they walked.”
[26:41] 932 tn Heb “or then,” although the LXX has “then” and the Syriac “and then.”
[26:41] 933 tn Heb “and then they make up for.” On the verb “make up for” see the note on v. 34 above.
[26:42] 934 tn Heb “my covenant with Abraham I will remember.” The phrase “I will remember” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:43] 935 tn Heb “from them.” The preposition “from” refers here to the agent of the action (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 455).
[26:43] 936 tn The jussive form of the verb with the simple vav (ו) here calls for a translation that expresses purpose.
[26:43] 937 tn The verb is the Hophal infinitive construct with the third feminine singular suffix (GKC 182 §67.y; cf. v. 34).
[26:43] 938 tn Heb “from them.”
[26:43] 939 tn Heb “because and in because,” a double expression, which is used only here and in Ezek 13:10 (without the vav) for emphasis (GKC 492 §158.b).
[26:43] 940 tn Heb “and their soul has abhorred.”
[26:45] 941 tn Heb “covenant of former ones.”
[26:45] sn For similar expressions referring back to the ancestors who refused to follow the stipulations of the Mosaic covenant see, for example, Deut 19:14, Jer 11:10, and Ps 79:8 (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 192, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 471).
