24:2 Command the Israelites This stipulation is also given in Exod 27:20–21.

24:3 Aaron shall arrange for it outside the curtain of The lamp is to be placed directly outside the curtain that was to close off the holy of holies (or most holy place; Exod 26:31–35).

a lasting statute The Hebrew phrase used here, chuqqath olam, is a common refrain in biblical law used to emphasize the enduring nature of a decree and underscore the importance of continued observance (see note on Lev 16:34).

24:5 twelve ring-shaped bread cakes Refers to the bread of the Presence (see Exod 25:30 and note).

24:6 pure gold table Refers to the table for the bread of the presence in the holy place (compare Exod 25:23–30; 1 Kgs 7:48; 2 Chr 13:11; Heb 9:2).

24:7 pure frankincense A fragrant resin used as a perfume and as a spice (see note on Lev 2:1). Levitical worship included a daily incense offering (Exod 30:7–10, 34–35). The tabernacle was to be scented with aromatic spices (Exod 30:24–28). Frankincense was an ingredient in grain offerings (Lev 2:1), so it is unclear whether the frankincense here is poured over the loaves or burned as incense beside them.

24:8 On every Sabbath The command to arrange 12 loaves every Sabbath likely means that fresh loaves were brought on the Sabbath and the loaves from the previous week were consumed. Since regular loaves would have been hardened and spoiled after a week, unleavened bread was probably used for this purpose. Josephus explicitly says the loaves were unleavened bread (Ant. 3.142–43).

24:9 they shall eat it in a holy place As seen in 6:16; 8:31; 21:22, certain components of the sacrifices functioned as sustenance for the priesthood.

24:10 an Israelite woman’s son, and he was an Egyptian man’s The man guilty of blasphemy is only half Israelite, so his status in the community was ambiguous. He was part native Israelite (ezrach) and part resident alien (ger). The legal decision in v. 16 makes clear the law is the same for both groups.

24:11 blasphemed The crime of blasphemy is characterized by slander and contempt toward the sacred. Here the name of God was used in a cursing fashion, reflecting extreme disrespect for Yahweh. Blasphemy was specifically prohibited in Exod 22:28. The penalty was death.

the name In ot theology, the “name” (shem) of God was a way to refer to the person of God himself (e.g., Psa 75:1; Prov 18:10; Isa 24:15; 30:27). God takes personal offense at any affiliation or association with Him that denigrates His character or reputation. The Hebrew term for “The Name” (ha-shem) is still used as a substitution for God’s personal name (Yahweh; compare Exod 3:14) and, in effect, God himself.

The Name Theology of the Old Testament

the tribe of Dan The reference to Dan may have been a later addition, serving to cast that tribe in a bad light. Dan later became home to the illegitimate (and blasphemous) religious center started by Jeroboam after the kingdom divided following the death of Solomon (see 1 Kgs 12:25; 13:33–34).

24:12 in custody Incarceration was rare in Israel. Penalties for crimes were either capital or required restitution, not imprisonment.

24:14 Bring the curser outside the camp Capital punishment was undertaken outside Israel’s normal living space—in part due to the uncleanness of corpses.

24:16 alien A resident alien (ger) was subject to the same penalty for blasphemy as a natural-born member of the community (ezrach). This decision is applied to blasphemy specifically, but Lev 24:22 makes clear that the principle applies broadly with the same law for all.

24:21 shall be put to death Human life and animal life are differentiated in ot law. There was no death penalty for killing an animal, even intentionally; rather, restitution was the punishment.

24:22 one norm Everyone is under the same law and subject to the same penalty. The law makes no distinction for ethnic origin.

24:23 they stoned him with stones The account of the blasphemer ends with his death at the hands of the community.