Imamat 1:1

Introduction to the Sacrificial Regulations

1:1 Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him ¹  from the Meeting Tent: ² 

Imamat 3:12

3:12 “‘If his offering is a goat he must present it before the Lord,

Imamat 5:19

5:19 It is a guilt offering; he was surely guilty before the Lord.”

Imamat 7:11

The Peace Offering

7:11 “‘This is the law of the peace offering sacrifice which he ³  is to present to the Lord.

Imamat 8:36

8:36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things the Lord had commanded through ⁴  Moses.

Imamat 10:8

Perpetual Statutes the Lord Spoke to Aaron

10:8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron,

Imamat 11:1

Clean and Unclean Land Creatures

11:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,

Imamat 15:1

Male Bodily Discharges

15:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron:

Imamat 20:1

Prohibitions against Illegitimate Family Worship

20:1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Imamat 22:1

Regulations for the Eating of Priestly Stipends

22:1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Imamat 22:17

Regulations for Offering Votive and Freewill Offerings

22:17 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Imamat 22:31

22:31 “You must be sure to do my commandments. ⁵  I am the Lord.

Imamat 23:1

Regulations for Israel’s Appointed Times

23:1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Imamat 23:33

The Festival of Booths

23:33 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Imamat 24:1

Regulations for the Lampstand and Table of Bread

24:1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Imamat 24:13

24:13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

[1:1]  ¹ tn Heb “And he (the Lord) called (וַיִּקְרָא, vayyiqra’) to Moses and the Lord spoke (וַיְדַבֵּר, vayÿdabber) to him from the tent of meeting.” The MT assumes “Lord” in the first clause but places it in the second clause (after “spoke”). This is somewhat awkward, especially in terms of English style; most English versions reverse this and place “Lord” in the first clause (right after “called”). The Syriac version does the same.

[1:1]  sn The best explanation for the MT of Lev 1:1 arises from its function as a transition from Exod 40 to Lev 1. The first clause, “And he (the Lord) called to Moses,” links v. 1 back to Exod 40:35, “But Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it and the glory of the Lord had filled the tabernacle” (cf. J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:134). Exod 40:36-38 is a parenthetical explanation of the ongoing function of the cloud in leading the people through the wilderness. Since Moses could not enter the tent of meeting, the Lord “called” to him “from” the tent of meeting.

[1:1]  ² sn The second clause of v. 1, “and the Lord spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,” introduces the following discourse. This is a standard introductory formula (see, e.g., Exod 20:1; 25:1; 31:1; etc.). The combination of the first and second clauses is, therefore, “bulky” because of the way they happen to be juxtaposed in this transitional verse (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 8). The first clause of v. 1 connects the book back to the end of the Book of Exodus while the second looks forward the ritual legislation that follows in Lev 1:2ff. There are two “Tents of Meeting”: the one that stood outside the camp (see, e.g., Exod 33:7) and the one that stood in the midst of the camp (Exod 40:2; Num 2:2ff) and served as the Lord’s residence until the construction of the temple in the days of Solomon (Exod 27:21; 29:4; 1 Kgs 8:4; 2 Chr 5:5, etc.; cf. 2 Sam 7:6). Exod 40:35 uses both “tabernacle” and “tent of meeting” to refer to the same tent: “Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” It is clear that “tent of meeting” in Lev 1:1 refers to the “tabernacle.” The latter term refers to the tent as a “residence,” while the former refers to it as a divinely appointed place of “meeting” between God and man (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:873-77 and 2:1130-34). This corresponds to the change in terms in Exod 40:35, where “tent of meeting” is used when referring to Moses’ inability to enter the tent, but “tabernacle” when referring to the Lord taking up residence there in the form of the glory cloud. The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 1:2 through 3:17, and encompasses the burnt, grain, and peace offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 4:1; 5:14; and 6:1 [5:20 HT] below.

[7:11]  ³ tn This “he” pronoun refers to the offerer. Smr and LXX have plural “they.”

[8:36]  ⁴ tn Heb “by the hand of” (so KJV).

[22:31]  ⁵ 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.).