Leviticus 10–20

Footnotes

1. 1 Although it has been used elsewhere in this translation as an English variation from the ubiquitous use of vav in Hebrew, in this instance “then” as a rendering for vav is intended to show that the Nadab and Abihu catastrophe took place on the inauguration day described in Lev 9. The tragic incident in Lev 10 happened in close temporal connection to the Lord’s fire that consumed the offerings at the end of Lev 9. Thus, for example, the “sin offering” male goat referred to in Lev 10:16–19 is the very one referred to in Lev 9:15.
2. 2 The expression “strange fire” (אֵשׁ זָרָה, ’esh zarah) seems imprecise (cf. “profane fire”; “unauthorized fire”; “unholy fire”; “a different kind of fire”) and has been interpreted numerous ways (see the helpful summary in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], ). The infraction may have involved any of the following or a combination thereof: (1) using coals from someplace other than the burnt offering altar (i.e., “unauthorized coals” according to J. Milgrom, Leviticus [], 1:; cf. Lev 16:12 and cf. “unauthorized person” אִישׁ זָר (’ish zar) in Num 16:40 [17:5 ], “layman”), (2) using the wrong kind of incense (cf. the Exod 30:9 regulation against “strange incense” קְטֹרֶת זָרָה (qétoreh zarah) on the incense altar and the possible connection to Exod 30:34–38), (3) performing an incense offering at an unprescribed time (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [], ), or (4) entering the Holy of Holies at an inappropriate time (Lev 16:1–2).
3. 3 See the note on .
4. 4 The Niphal verb of the Hebrew root קָדַשׁ (qadash) can mean either “to be treated as holy” (so here, e.g., 873 קָּדַשׁ, , , and ) or “to show oneself holy” (so here, e.g., קדשׁ nif.1, , , ; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [], 1:, ; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], ). The latter rendering seems more likely here since, in the immediate context, the Lord himself had indeed shown himself to be holy by the way he responded to the illegitimate incense offering of Nadab and Abihu. They had not treated the Lord as holy, so the Lord acted on his own behalf to show that he was indeed holy.
5. 5 In this context the Niphal of the Hebrew root כָּבֵד (kaved) can mean “to be honored” (e.g., and here), “be glorified” (, and here), or “glorify oneself, show one’s glory” (cf. ; e.g., specifically in this verse כבד nif.3; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [], 1:, ; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], , ). Comparing this clause with the previous one (see the above), the point may be that when the Lord shows himself to be holy as he has done in 10:1–2, this results in him being honored (i.e., reverenced, feared, treated with respect) among the people. This suggests the passive rendering. It is possible, however, that one should use the reflexive rendering here as in the previous clause. If so, the passage means that the Lord showed both his holiness and his glory in one outbreak against Nadab and Abihu.
6. 6 has “you must not” (לֹא, lo’) rather than the ’s “do not” (אַל, ’al; cf. the following negative לֹא, lo’, in the ).
7. 7 Heb “do not let free your heads.” Some have taken this to mean, “do not take off your headgear” (cf. , ), but it probably also involves leaving one’s hair unkempt as a sign of mourning (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [], 1:; cf. , , , ).
8. 8 Heb “shall weep [for] the burning which the Lord has burned”; “may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire.”
9. 9 Heb “a perpetual statute for your generations”; “a perpetual ordinance”; “a statute forever”; “a permanent law.” The Hebrew grammar here suggests that the last portion of v. 9 functions as both a conclusion to v. 9 and an introduction to vv. 10–11. It is a pivot clause, as it were. Thus, it was a “perpetual statute” to not drink alcoholic beverages when ministering in the tabernacle, but it was also a “perpetual statue” to distinguish between holy and profane and unclean and clean (v. 10) as well as to teach the children of Israel all such statutes (v. 11).
10. 10 Heb “and,” but regarding the translation “as well as,” see the note at the end of v. .
11. 11 The two pairs of categories in this verse refer to: (1) the status of a person, place, thing, or time—“holy” (קֹדֶשׁ, qodesh) versus “common” (חֹל, khol); as opposed to (2) the condition of a person, place, or thing—“unclean” (טָמֵא, tame’) versus “clean” (טָהוֹר, tahor). Someone or something could gain “holy” status by being “consecrated” (i.e., made holy; e.g., the Hebrew Piel קִדֵּשׁ (qiddesh) in Lev 8:15, 30), and to treat someone or something that was holy as if it were “common” would be to “profane” that person or thing (the Hebrew Piel הִלֵּל [hillel], e.g., in Lev 19:29 and 22:15). Similarly, on another level, someone or something could be in a “clean” condition, but one could “defile” (the Hebrew Piel טִמֵּא [timme’], e.g., in Gen 34:5 and Num 6:9) that person or thing and thereby make it “unclean.” To “purify” (the Hebrew Piel טִהֵר [tiher], e.g., in Lev 16:19 and Num 8:6, 15) that unclean person or thing would be to make it “clean” once again. With regard to the animals (Lev 11), some were by nature “unclean,” so they could never be eaten, but others were by nature “clean” and, therefore, edible (Lev 11:2, 46–47). The meat of clean animals could become inedible by too long of a delay in eating it, in which case the Hebrew term פִּגּוּל (pigul) “foul, spoiled” is used to describe it (Lev 7:18; 19:7; cf. also Ezek 4:14 and Isa 65:4), not the term for “unclean” (טָהוֹר, tahor). Strictly speaking, therefore, unclean meat never becomes clean, and clean meat never becomes unclean.
12. 12 Heb “by the hand of” (so ).
13. 13 Heb “statute” (cf. 10:9, 11); cf. , , , “due”; “share”; “regular share.”
14. 14 For the rendering of the Hebrew אִשֶׁה (’isheh) as “gift” rather than “offering [made] by fire,” see the note on .
15. 15 Cf. Lev 2:3 and 6:14–18 [6:7–11 ] for these regulations.
16. 16 The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the cleanness of the place specified is ritual or ceremonial in nature.
17. 17 Cf. Lev 7:14, 28–34 for these regulations.
18. 18 This is the very same male goat offered in Lev 9:15 (cf. the note on above).
19. 19 Heb “but behold, it had been burnt” ( and both similar).
20. 20 This translation is quite literal. On the surface it appears to mean that the priests would “bear the iniquity” of the congregation by the act of eating the sin offering (so J. Milgrom, Leviticus [], 1:, ). Such a notion is, however, found nowhere else in the Levitical regulations and seems unlikely (so J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], ). A more likely interpretation is reflected in this interpretive rendering: “he gave it to you [as payment] for [your work of] bearing the iniquity of the congregation.” The previous section of the chapter deals with the prebends that the priests received for performing the ministry of the tabernacle (Lev 10:12–15). Lev 10:16–18, therefore, seems to continue the very same topic in the light of the most immediate situation (see R. E. Averbeck, 2:).
21. 21 Or “Behold!” (so , , ).
22. 22 The term here rendered “within” refers to the bringing of the blood inside the holy place for application to the altar of incense rather than to the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard of the tabernacle (cf. Lev 4:7, 16–18; 6:30 23[]).
23. 23 Or “Behold!” (so , , ); “See.”
24. 24 Heb “today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and like these things have happened to me, and (if) I had eaten sin offering today would it be good in the eyes of the Lord?” The idiom “would it be good in the eyes of [the Lord]” has been translated “would [the Lord] have been pleased.” Cf. “would it have been agreeable to the Lord?”; , “Would the Lord have approved?”
25. 25 Heb “it was good in his eyes” (an idiom). Cf. “he was content”; “he approved.”
26. 1 Heb “the animal,” but as a collective plural, and so throughout this chapter.
27. 2 Heb “every divider of hoof and cleaver of the cleft of hooves”; , “parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted.”
28. 3 Heb “bringer up of the cud” (a few of the ancient versions include the conjunction “and,” but it does not appear in the ). The following verses make it clear that both dividing the hoof and chewing the cud were required; one of these conditions would not be enough to make the animal suitable for eating without the other.
29. 4 Heb “this,” but as a collective plural (see the following context).
30. 5 Regarding “clean” versus “unclean,” see the note on .
31. 6 Heb “because a chewer of the cud it is” (see also vv. 5 and 6).
32. 7 Heb “and hoof there is not dividing” (see also vv. 5 and 6).
33. 8 A small animal generally understood to be Hyrax syriacus; , , “coney”; “rock hyrax.”
34. 9 See the note on .
35. 10 The meaning and basic rendering of this clause is quite certain, but the verb for “chewing” the cud here is not the same as the preceding verses, where the expression is “to bring up the cud” (see the note on v. above). It appears to be a cognate verb for the noun “cud” (גֵּרָה, gerah) and could mean either “to drag up” (i.e., from the Hebrew Qal of גָרָר [garar] meaning “to drag,” referring to the dragging the cud up and down between the stomach and mouth of the ruminant animal; so J. Milgrom, Leviticus [], 1:, ) or “to chew” (i.e., from the Hebrew Niphal [or Qal B] of גָרָר used in a reciprocal sense; so J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], , and compare 176 גָרַר, “to chew,” with גרר qal.B, “to ruminate”).
36. 11 The regulations against touching the carcasses of dead unclean animals (contrast the restriction against eating their flesh) is treated in more detail in Lev 11:24–28 (cf. also vv. 29–40). For the time being, this chapter continues to develop the issue of what can and cannot be eaten.
37. 12 Heb “all which have fin and scale” (see also vv. 10 and 12).
38. 13 Heb “in the water, in the seas and in the streams” (see also vv. 10 and 12).
39. 14 For zoological remarks on the following list of birds see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (), 1:; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (), .
40. 15 Heb “and the buzzard to its kind” (see also vv. 16 and 19 for the same expression “of any kind”).
41. 16 Heb “every crow to its kind.” Many English versions (e.g., , , , , ) render this as “raven.”
42. 17 Literally, “the daughter of the wasteland.” Various proposals for the species of bird referred to here include “owl” (), “horned owl” (, ), and “ostrich” (, , , , ).
43. 18 Heb “the one walking on four” (cf. vv. 21–23 and 27–28).
44. 19 Heb “which to it are lower legs from above to its feet” (reading the Qere “to it” rather than the Kethib “not”).
45. 20 For entomological remarks on the following list of insects see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (), 1:; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (), .
46. 21 Heb “and to these.”
47. 22 Heb “to all” (cf. the note on v. ). This and the following verses develop more fully the categories of uncleanness set forth in principle in vv. 24–25.
48. 23 Heb “divides hoof and cleft it does not cleave”; “divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted”; “divided but unsplit hooves.”
49. 24 See the note on .
50. 25 Compare the regulations in Lev 11:2–8.
51. 26 Heb “the one walking on four.” Compare Lev 11:20–23.
52. 27 For zoological analyses of the list of creatures in vv. 29–30, see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (), 1:; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (), .
53. 28 Heb “And all which it shall fall on it from them.”
54. 29 Heb “in water it shall be brought.”
55. 30 Heb “And any earthenware vessel which shall fall from them into its midst.”
56. 31 Heb “all which is in its midst.”
57. 32 Heb “which water comes on it.”
58. 33 Heb “any drink which may be drunk”; “any liquid which may be drunk”; “any beverage that is in such an unclean container.”
59. 34 This half of the verse assumes that the unclean carcass has fallen into the food or drink (cf. v. 33 and also vv. 35–38).
60. 35 Heb “be unclean.”
61. 36 Heb “a spring and a cistern collection of water”; , “for collecting water.”
62. 37 Heb “And if there falls from their carcass on any seed of sowing which shall be sown.”
63. 38 This word for “animal” refers to land animal quadrupeds, not just any beast that dwells on the land (cf. 11:2).
64. 39 Heb “which is food for you” or “which is for you to eat.”
65. 40 Heb “goes” (, “goeth”); “moves about”; “slither along.” The same Hebrew term is translated “walks” in the following clause.
66. 41 Heb “until all multiplying of legs.”
67. 42 Heb “by any of the swarming things that swarm.”
68. 43 Heb “to be to you for a God.”
69. 44 The Hebrew term translated “law” (תוֹרָה, torah) introduces here a summary or colophon for all of Lev 11. Similar summaries are found in Lev 7:37–38; 13:59; 14:54–57; and 15:32–33.
70. 45 Heb “for all the creatures.”
71. 1 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, 4:144; cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [], ; and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [], 1:). and have Niphal “be impregnated” (see, e.g., Num 5:28); note “If a woman have conceived seed” (cf. , , ; also , “becomes pregnant”).
72. 2 The regulations for the “male child” in vv. 2–4 contrast with those for the “female child” in v. 5 (see the there).