As an offering of first fruits you shall offer them to Yahweh, but they shall not rise up as a pleasant aroma on the altar. 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. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
“ ‘If you offer a meal offering of first fruits to Yahweh, you shall offer for the meal offering of your first fruits fresh heads of grain parched with fire and crushed. You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it. It is a meal offering. The 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 Yahweh.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv12–14 That is, fruits, which were sweet as honey, ye…
That is, fruits, which were sweet as honey, ye may offer.
But reserved for the Priests.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv12–16 Lev 2:12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits,…
Lev 2:12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.
Ver. 12. Ye shall offer them,] i.e., With the firstfruits ye shall offer both leaven {Lev 23:17} and honey. {2Ch 31:5} Both which are sometimes taken in the better part. {Mat 13:33 Son 4:11}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv12–14 Or, the offering, or, for the offering of the…
Or, the offering, or, for the offering of the first-fruits you
shall or may offer them, or either of them, to wit, leaven or honey, which were offered and accepted in that case, Lev 23:17; 2Ch 31:5.
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They shall not be burnt; but reserved for the priests, Num 18:13; Deu 18:4.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv12–16 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall…
As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord,.... Or "in" or "with the oblation", as some render it; that is, along with the oblation of the firstfruits leaven and honey might be offered: the Arabic version is very express, "but for a sacrifice of firstfruits ye" shall offer both to God; as they might be, as before observed; so the Targum of Jonathan,"for the leavened bread of the firstfruits shall be offered, and dates in the time of the firstfruits; the fruits with their honey shall be offered, and the priest shall eat them:"
but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour; which they could not make, and besides were to be the portion of the priests.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv12, 13, 14, 16 Ye may offer them - Or either of them,…
Ye may offer them - Or either of them, leaven or honey. They shall not be burnt - But reserved for the priests.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv13–14 Verse 13. With all thine offerings thou shalt offer…
Verse 13. With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.] SALT was the opposite to leaven, for it preserved from putrefaction and corruption, and signified the purity and persevering fidelity that were necessary in the worship of God. Every thing was seasoned with it, to signify the purity and perfection that should be extended through every part of the Divine service, and through the hearts and lives of God's worshippers. It was called the salt of the covenant of God, because as salt is incorruptible, so was the covenant made with Abram, Isaac, Jacob, and the patriarchs, relative to the redemption of the world by the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ. Among the heathens salt was a common ingredient in all their sacrificial offerings; and as it was considered essential to the comfort and preservation of life, and an emblem of the most perfect corporeal and mental endowments, so it was supposed to be one of the most acceptable presents they could make unto their gods, from whose sacrifices it was never absent. That inimitable and invaluable writer, Pliny, has left a long chapter on this subject, the seventh of the thirty-first book of his Natural History, a few extracts from which will not displease the intelligent reader. Ergo, hercule, vita humanior sine Sale nequit degere: adeoque necessarium elementum est, ut transierit intellectus ad voluptates animi quoque. Nam ita SALES appellantur omnisque vitae lepos et summa hilaritas, laborumque requies non alio magis vocabulo constat. Honoribus etiam militiaeque inter ponitur, SALARIIS inde dictis--Maxime tamen in sacris intelligitur auctoritas, quando nulla conficiuntur sine mola salsa. "So essentially necessary is salt that without it human life cannot be preserved: and even the pleasures and endowments of the mind are expressed by it; the delights of life, repose, and the highest mental serenity, are expressed by no other term than sales among the Latins. It has also been applied to designate the honourable rewards given to soldiers, which are called salarii or salaries. But its importance may be farther understood by its use in sacred things, as no sacrifice was offered to the gods without the salt cake." So Virgil, Eclog. viii., ver. 82: Sparge molam.
"Crumble the sacred mole of salt and corn."
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And again, AEneid., lib. iv., ver. 517: -
Ipsa mola, manibitsque piis, altaria juxta.
"Now with the sacred cake, and lifted hands,,
All bent on death, before her altar stands."
PITT.
In like manner Homer: -
Πασσε δ' ἁλος θειοιο, κρατευταων επαειπας.
Iliad, lib. ix., ver. 214.
"And taking sacred salt from the hearth side,
Where it was treasured, pour'd it o'er the feast."
COWPER.
Quotations of this kind might be easily multiplied, but the above may be deemed sufficient.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv12, 13, 14, 16 Lev 2:12. Ye may offer them — Or either…
Lev 2:12. Ye may offer them — Or either of them, leaven or honey. They shall not be burnt — But reserved for the priests.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv13–14 With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt -…
With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt - Not only every מנחה mı̂nchāh, but every animal offering was to be accompanied by salt. It was the one symbol which was never absent from the altar of burnt-offering, showing the imperishablness of the love of Yahweh for His people. In its unalterable nature, it is the contrary of leaven (yeast). The Arabs are said to retain in common use the expression, “a covenant of salt;” and the respect they pay to bread and salt in their rites of hospitality is well known.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv12–14 First-fruits, &c., to be voluntarily given to the priest,…
First-fruits, &c., to be voluntarily given to the priest, in honour of God. The honey arising from the dates might also be offered. --- It was little inferior to that of bees. (Josephus, Jewish Wars v. 3.) See Numbers xv. 19.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv12–14 the oblation of the first-fruits--voluntary offerings made by individuals…
the oblation of the first-fruits--voluntary offerings made by individuals out of their increase, and leaven and honey might be used with these (Lev 23:17; Num 15:20). Though presented at the altar, they were not consumed, but assigned by God for the use of the priests.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv12–14 12. Firstfruits — This oblation was to be made…
12. Firstfruits — This oblation was to be made publicly by the nation at the three great annual festivals, but individuals could make it at any time. On the morrow after the passover sabbath a sheaf, usually of barley, was waved before the altar. Before this no harvesting could be begun. Fifty days afterwards, as the word pentecost implies, two loaves made from the new flour were to be waved in like manner. The feast of ingathering, or the feast of tabernacles, was itself an acknowledgment of the gift of fruitfulness. Individuals brought the first dough for a heave offering, and a basket of firstfruits, and set it down by the altar and repeated the story of Israel in Egypt. Though the law required the offering of the firstfruits of all the harvests, only seven kinds of produce in their natural state were by usage liable to oblation — wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. The minimum oblation fixed by custom was one sixtieth part, aside from the tithes, and the corners or borders of the field left for the poor. Seven sorts of firstfruits, prepared for uses, were not required to be taken to Jerusalem, but probably to designated depositories — wine, wool, bread, oil, date-honey, and preparations of onions and of cucumbers, from a fortieth to a sixtieth of the whole product. The offerings, not only those at the altar, but those laid up elsewhere, were perquisites of the priests. Jews in foreign lands sent their firstfruits to the Holy City.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv13–14 13. shalt thou season with salt] Salt, which is…
13. shalt thou season with salt] Salt, which is necessary for those who eat farinaceous food and a pleasant condiment with flesh meat, was freely used by the Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, and other nations of antiquity. They brought it as an accompaniment of sacrifice, in accordance with the primitive view of sacrifice as the food of the gods (cp. ch. Lev_21:22). It may have been an element in the Jewish ritual from the earliest times. The phrase ‘salt of the covenant of thy God’ indicates that a symbolical meaning was also attached to it. A covenant among ancient peoples was ratified by eating food together (Gen_31:54) with which salt was generally taken. ‘There is salt between us’ is in the mouth of the Arab a declaration of friendship and obligation; God’s covenants with Levi and David are ‘covenants of salt’ (Num_18:19; 2Ch_13:5); so here ‘the salt of the covenant’ implies that the Israelite, by reason of his covenant relation with God, was bound to bring with his sacrifice the offering of a willing heart (Psa_54:6; Psa_119:108). Salt with sacrifice is enjoined in Eze_43:24, and referred to Mar_9:49. For the remission of the tax on salt, cp. 1Ma_10:29; 1Ma_11:35, and Jos. Ant. xii. 3. 3. For the mola salsa of the Romans (Hor. Sat. ii. 3. 200) and other classical references to salt with sacrifice, see the Articles on Salt in HDB. and Enc. Bib.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv12–14 (12) As for the oblation.—Better, as an oblation of…
(12) As for the oblation.—Better, as an oblation of firstfruits ye may offer them. This verse mentions an exception to the rule laid down in the previous one. i.e., leaven and honey, which are excluded from the meat offerings, may be used with firstfruits. Hence they are mentioned with firstfruits (Lev_23:17; 2Ch_31:5).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv12–14 Chapter Pro_3:9 1Co_15:23 Jam_1:18. This arrangement about the firstfruits,…
Chapter Pro_3:9 1Co_15:23 Jam_1:18. This arrangement about the firstfruits, though appended to the meat offering, demands a special notice. The meat offering, we have seen, affirms the general principle that our life-work should be dedicated to God. But here in the firstfruits we have a special portion which is to be regarded as too sacred for any but Divine use. This leads us directly to affirm
I WHILE GOD HAS A RIGHT TO ALL, HE CLAIMS A SPECIAL RIGHT TO THE FIRSTFRUITS OF ALL OUR INCREASE. The danger is in losing sight of the special claim in asserting the general principle. For instance, we must not deny God a special claim upon the first day of the week, because we acquiesce in the general principle that he has a right to all our time. Again, we must not withhold our tithes, a certain proportion of our substance, through an easy-going statement that he has a right to all our substance. We must condescend to particulars.
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II THE DEDICATION OF THE FIRSTFRUITS EXTENDED TO ANIMALS AS WELL AS TO the VEGETABLE KINGDOM. The dedication of the firstborn of man and beast is manifestly part and parcel of the same principle. (Exo_13:1-16) This leads up to God"s right to the Firstborn of the human race, to him of whom the Father said, "I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth". (Psa_89:27) Jesus is the Firstborn of humanity, the flower and firstfruits of the race. Hence we find the expression used regarding the risen Saviour, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept". (1Co_15:23) He is also called "the firstborn from the dead". (Col_1:18) Of him, therefore, pre-eminently was the dedication of the firstfruits typical.
If God has a right to the firstfruits of the life-work of the human race, he receives in the perfectly holy life of Jesus Christ. So that, as we found the meat offering to this, so do we find this arrangement about the firstfruits.
III GOD HAS ALSO A RIGHT TO SERVICE, EVEN THOUGH IT MAY NOT BE PERFECT. This seems to be the principle underlying the "oblation of the firstfruits." This, as we from Lev_23:15-21, was presented at Pentecost, and consisted of two tenth-flour baked with leaven. Such an arrangement points to the possibility of imperfection in serving God, which was met by the sin offering accompanying it. If, then, the firstfruits at the Passover, presented with oil and frankincense, typified Christ the Firstfruits in all his perfection; the oblation at Pentecost typified believers, Gentiles and Jews, who are trying, though imperfectly, to realize a consecrated life-work. God does not reject the labours of his people, even though they are very far from perfect. He has provided a sin offering to meet the imperfections of the case and render all acceptable to him.
IV THE DEDICATION OF THE FIRSTFRUITS WAS THE EXPRESSION NOT ONLY OF THANKSGIVING BUT ALSO OF FAITH. God"s rights first, even before man"s need has been met. It was seeking God"s kingdom first, in the assurance that all the needful things shall be added. (Mat_6:33) It is most important that we should always act in this trustful spirit. This faith is, in fact, a kind of firstfruits of the spiritual life which the Lord expect s, and in rendering it to him we experience wondrous comfort and blessing. R.M.E.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v13 Season with salt.
Lev_2:13
Season with salt.
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Salt for sacrifice
If you will read the chapter through you will note that other things were needed in connection with the sacrifices of the Israelites. Their sacrifices were of course imperfect. Even on the low ground which they occupied as emblems they were not complete; for you read, in the first place, that they needed frankincense; God did not smell sweet savour in the bullock, or the ram, or the lamb, unless sweet spices were added. What does that teach us but that the best performances of our hands must not appear before His throne without the merit of Christ mingled therewith? Another thing that was enjoined constantly was that they should bring oil; and oil is ever the type of the blessed Spirit of God. What is the use of a sermon if there is no unction in it? What is prayer without the anointing that cometh of the Holy Spirit? What is praise unless the Spirit of God be in it to give it life, that it may rise to heaven? That which goes to God must first come from God. Then came a third requisite, namely, salt. If you read the preceding verses you will see that the Lord forbids them to present any honey. No meat-offering, which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire. As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour. Ripe fruits were full of honey, full of sweetness; and God does not ask for sweetness, He asks for salt.
I. It appears, then, that salt was the symbol of the covenant. When God made a covenant with David, it is written, The Lord gave the kingdom to David for ever by a covenant of salt--by which was meant that it was an unchangeable, incorruptible covenant, which would endure as salt makes a thing to endure, so that it is not liable to putrefy or corrupt. The salt of the covenant signifies that, whenever you and I are bringing any offering to the Lord, we must take care that we remember the covenant.
1. We want this salt of the covenant in all that we do, in the first place, to preserve us from falling into legality. He that serves God for wages forgets the word--The gift of God is eternal life. If you forget that you are under a covenant of pure grace, in which God gives to the unworthy, and saves those who have no claim to covenant blessing, you will get on legal ground; and, once on leg d ground, God cannot accept your sacrifice.
2. The covenant is to be remembered also that it may excite gratitude. Whenever I think of God entering into covenant that He will not depart from me, and that I shall never depart from Him, my love to Him overflows. Nothing constrains me to such activity and such zeal in the cause of God as a sense of covenant love. Standing on covenant ground we feel consecrated to the noblest ends.
3. This tends to arouse our devotion to God. When we remember that God has entered into covenant with us, then we do not do our work for Him in a cold, dead way; neither do we perform it after a nominal sort; for we say, I am one of Gods covenanted ones.
II. But, secondly, salt is the token of communion. In the East, especially, it is the token of fellowship. When an Oriental has once eaten a mans salt, he will do him no harm. Whenever you are attempting to serve God, take care that you do it in the spirit of fellowship with God.
III. But salt is the emblem of sincerity. With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. There must be an intense sincerity about all we do towards God.
IV. Lastly, salt is the type of purifying power; and with all our sacrifices we have need to bring a great deal of this salt. The salt eats into the meat; it drives away corruption; it preserves it. If we come before God with holy things while we are living in sin we need not deceive ourselves, we shall not be accepted. If there be any man, of whom it can be said that he is a saint abroad and a devil at home, God will estimate him at what he is at home, and not at what he is abroad. He may lay the sacrifice upon the altar, but if it is brought there with foul hands and an unholy heart, God will bare nothing to do with it. Without holiness no man can see the Lord, and, certainly, without holiness can no man serve the Lord. We have our imperfections; but known and wilful sin Gods people will not indulge. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Salt of the covenant
Eating salt together is in the East a pledge of amity and friendship. Hence the covenant of salt was an indissoluble pact; and salted with the salt of the palace (Ezr_4:14) meant not maintenance, but the sign of faithfulness to the king. Salt was used in the sacrifices and offerings of the Israelites, probably with the same idea of honour and fidelity. (G. Deane.)
Salt to be included in all offerings
This salt indicates corruption removed and prevented; and in the case of the meat-offering, it is as if to say, Thy body and thy substance are become healthy now; they shall not rot. They are not like those of the ungodly in Jam_5:2, Your riches are corrupted. There is a blessing on thy body and thy estate. And next it intimates the friendship (of which salt was a well-known emblem) now existing between God and the man. God can sup with man, and man with God (Rev_3:18). There is a covenant between him and God, even in regard to the beasts of the field (Job_5:23), and fowls of heaven (Hos_2:18). The friendship of God extends to His peoples property; and to assure us of this He appoints the salt in the meat-offering, the offering that especially typified their substance. How comforting to labouring men! how cheering to careworn merchants if they dedicate themselves to God; He is interested in their property as much as they themselves are! Who is a God like unto Thee! But more; with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt, declared that the sweet savour of these sacrifices was not momentary and passing, but enduring and eternal. By this declaration He sprinkles every sacrifice with the salt of His unchanging satisfaction. And the covenant by sacrifice (Psa_50:5) is thus confirmed on the part of God; He declares that He on His part will be faithful. (A. A. Bonar.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v13 Cf. Num 18:19; Mar 9:49; Mar 9:50; Col 4:6
salt
Cf. Num 18:19; Mar 9:49; Mar 9:50; Col 4:6
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v12 The Meat-offering of the First-Fruits. —
The Meat-offering of the First-Fruits. —
v. 12. As for the oblation of the first-fruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord, bring them as gifts in order to establish or to confirm the fellowship with the Lord; but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet savor. In such offerings, therefore, even leaven and honey might be included.
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v. 13. And every oblation of thy meat-offering shalt thou season with salt, this being both a purifier and a preservative; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat-offering; with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. Cf Mar 9:49; Col 4:6. This rule applied not only to meat-offerings, but to all offerings commanded by God.
v. 14. And if thou offer a meat-offering of thy first-fruits unto the Lord, of the first grain that was ready to harvested in the early summer,thou shalt offer for the meat-offering of thy first-fruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears. The stalks of the grain were cut with the maturing ears, and the grain roasted at the fire while in the ear, such dried or roasted kernels, in the form of groats, being a favorite dish in the Orient to this day.
v. 15. And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay fankincense thereon, as in the case of the fine flour; it is a meat-offering.
v. 16. And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord. It is undoubtedly well-pleasing to the Lord if we, in addition to the regular sacrifices in good works, are found willing to offer to Him in extraordinary quantities, if He has blessed us in unusual measure.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v14 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues telling Moses what the people must do so their offerings will be acceptable to him.
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that is roasted with fire and then crushed
This can be stated in active form. AT: "that you have cooked over a fire and then crushed" (See: Active or Passive)
a representative offering
The handful of the grain offering represents the whole grain offering. This means the whole offering belongs to Yahweh. See how you translated this in Leviticus 2:2.
This is an offering made by fire to Yahweh
This can be stated in active form. AT: "This is a burnt offering to Yahweh" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
grain offering
firstfruits
Yahweh
oil
incense
priest
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv12–13 2:12 offering of the first crops: This offering (called…
2:12 offering of the first crops: This offering (called “firstfruits” in many translations) was brought from the first part of the harvest (23:15-21; Num 28:26-31). Like the representative portion of the grain offering, this offering acknowledged that the entire harvest belonged to God (Lev 23:10-11; Exod 22:29; 23:19; 34:26; Num 15:18-20; Deut 18:4-5; 26:1-2). It further recognized that the land itself, not just its products, belonged to God; Israel was merely the tenant (see Lev 25:23).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.