Leviticus Chapter 2 — The Laws of the Grain Offering
Leviticus Chapter 2 outlines the regulations for grain or meal offerings brought to the Lord, detailing the ingredients allowed and the portions reserved for the priests.
1“ ‘When anyone offers an offering of a meal offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.
2He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. He shall take his handful of its fine flour, and of its oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest shall burn its memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.
3That which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is a most holy part of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
4“ ‘When you offer an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
5If your offering is a meal offering made on a griddle, it shall be of unleavened fine flour, mixed with oil.
6You shall cut it in pieces, and pour oil on it. It is a meal offering.
7If your offering is a meal offering of the pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
8You shall bring the meal offering that is made of these things to the LORD. It shall be presented to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar.
9The priest shall take from the meal offering its memorial, and shall burn it on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.
10That which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is a most holy part of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
11“ ‘No meal offering which you shall offer to the LORD shall be made with yeast; for you shall burn no yeast, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
12As an offering of first fruits you shall offer them to the LORD, but they shall not rise up as a pleasant aroma on the altar.
13Every offering of your meal offering you shall season with salt. You shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God*The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim). to be lacking from your meal offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
14“ ‘If you offer a meal offering of first fruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the meal offering of your first fruits fresh heads of grain parched with fire and crushed.
15You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it. It is a meal offering.
16The priest shall burn as its memorial part of its crushed grain and part of its oil, along with all its frankincense. It is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Leviticus 2:1
“When anyone offers an offering of a meal offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.”
This verse establishes the basic ingredients and the standard procedure for the voluntary grain offering.
Leviticus 2:11
“No meal offering which you shall offer to the LORD shall be made with yeast; for you shall burn no yeast, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire to the LORD.”
This identifies specific substances that were prohibited from being burned on the altar.
Leviticus 2:13
“Every offering of your meal offering you shall season with salt. You shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your meal offering.”
It emphasizes the mandatory use of salt as a symbol of the enduring nature of God's covenant.
Chapter Summary
Leviticus 2 provides specific instructions for grain offerings, also known as meal offerings, presented to the Lord. These offerings typically consisted of fine flour mixed with oil and frankincense. The chapter describes three main methods of preparation: baked in an oven, cooked on a griddle, or prepared in a pan. A portion of the offering, called the memorial, was burned on the altar as a pleasant aroma, while the remainder was given to Aaron and his sons as a most holy portion. The text explicitly prohibits the use of yeast or honey in offerings made by fire but mandates that every meal offering be seasoned with salt, referred to as the salt of the covenant. Specific instructions are also provided for offerings of first fruits, which were to be made of crushed, parched heads of grain and seasoned with oil and frankincense.
Frequently Asked Questions
A meal offering was primarily made of fine flour, oil, and frankincense. It could be presented raw or prepared by baking in an oven, cooking on a griddle, or frying in a pan.
While yeast and honey could be offered as first fruits, they were strictly forbidden from being burned on the altar as an offering made by fire. The text does not provide a specific reason, but emphasizes this as a requirement for a pleasant aroma.
The 'salt of the covenant' refers to the mandatory seasoning of all grain offerings with salt. Salt was a symbol of permanence and incorruptibility, signifying the lasting agreement between God and His people.
The portion of the meal offering not burned as a memorial on the altar was given to Aaron and his sons. It was considered 'most holy' and served as a means of support for the priesthood.
Study Note
The Hebrew word for the meal offering is 'minchah,' which generally refers to a gift or tribute given by an inferior to a superior.
Related Chapters
Leviticus Chapter 1
Chapter 1 introduces burnt offerings, which are the first of the major sacrificial laws continued in Chapter 2.
Leviticus Chapter 6
This chapter provides further administrative details for the priests regarding how to handle the grain offerings.
Numbers Chapter 18
This chapter explains the expanded rights and duties of the priests concerning the holy offerings of Israel.
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