(This DRAFT study has been done fairly quickly, without the further guide of commentaries. I hope to improve on it later.)
God has been instructing Moses on the duties of the priests.
Leviticus 22:1-3, Treat the offerings with respect
The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the LORD.
"Say to them: `For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from my presence. I am the LORD.
The sacred offerings are always to be kept clean. Ritual uncleanliness can be spread from unclean object to unclean object and so the offerings must be treated carefully.
Leviticus 22:4-8, Skin, semen, dead bodies...
"`If a descendant of Aaron has an infectious skin disease or a bodily discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse or by anyone who has an emission of semen, or if he touches any crawling thing that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. The one who touches any such thing will be unclean till evening.
He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water. When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food. He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the LORD.
As mentioned previously, anything associated with human mortality and reproduction is treated as unclean. This includes "crawling things."
Leviticus 22:9-13, Family
"`The priests are to keep my requirements so that they do not become guilty and die for treating them with contempt. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.
"`No one outside a priest's family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it. But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food. If a priest's daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. But if a priest's daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father's house as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat any of it.
The right to eat food killed on the altar is reserved for priests, and their families. The associations that count as "family" are herein described.
Leviticus 22:14-16, Mistakes
"`If anyone eats a sacred offering by mistake, he must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value to it. The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the LORD by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt requiring payment. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.'"
If the sacred meat is accidentally eaten by one who has no right to it, they must make restitution with a 20% penalty. The priests must take care that this does not happen; they should not be guilty of encouraging this payment.
Leviticus 22:17-22, Without defect
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: `If any of you--either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel--presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering yo the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as an offering made to the LORD by fire.
Gifts presented as an offering must be perfect, without defect. One is not to pass off a defective animal as an offering.
Leviticus 22:23-25, An exception
You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. You must not offer to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.'"
There are some exceptions to the earlier requirements -- in some cases a deformed animal can be offered as a freewill offering, that is, as some type of thankful donation to the priests. Even here, one must be careful about how deeply is the deformation. These restrictions include offerings made by a foreigner.
Leviticus 22:26-28, Keep the newborn animal with its mother
The LORD said to Moses, "When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made to the LORD by fire. Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.
Leviticus 22:29-33, Be serious!
"When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the LORD.
"Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD. Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD."
The people are to treat these sacrifices seriously. Their sacrifices actually bring them into the presence of YHWH and they must act with holiness as they make the sacrifices.
First published August 25, 2025; updated August 25, 2025
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