Charles Ellicott Commentary Leviticus 1

And the Lord called ... and spoke. —Rather, And he called unto Moses, and the Lord spoke, etc. .

At the end of the previous book we are told that when the tent of meeting was completed, the Lord showed His approval of it by covering the outside of the edifice with a heaven-sent cloud, and by filling the inside with His glory (Exodus 40:34–38). He therefore, who had filled the sanctuary with His glory now “called unto Moses,” thus indicating by “And he called,” which are one word in the original, the intimate connection between the two books. The ancient Jewish synagogue already pointed out the fact that this unusual phrase, “And he called unto Moses,” is used as an introductory formula on the three different occasions when the Lord made a special communication to this great lawgiver.

Thus when the Lord first communicated to Moses that He was about to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, “He called unto him” from the burning bush (Exodus 3:4). When the Lord was about to give to Moses the Ten Commandments for the people of Israel, “He called unto him” from the top of Sinai (Exodus 19:3; Exodus 19:20); and now when the Lord is about to give to His chosen people, through His servant Moses, the laws by which their Divine worship is to be regulated, “He called unto him” from the tent of meeting (Leviticus 1:1).

Speak unto the children of Israel. —The directions for the different sacrifices specified in Leviticus 1:2; Leviticus 3:17, are not in the first instance communicated to the priests who should teach them to the people, but are directly addressed to the people themselves.

Ye shall bring your offering ... — Or, from the cattle ye shall bring your offering, from the oxen and from the flock, that is, if the offering is of quadrupeds in contradistinction to the “fowl” mentioned in Leviticus 1:14, they are to be of oxen and small cattle (tzön), i.e., sheep and goats.

If his offering is a burnt sacrifice. —Having stated what is meant by animals, the directions now address the different kinds of the offerings themselves. First in order comes the burnt offering, which is divided into burnt offering from the cattle (Leviticus 1:3–9), and burnt offering from the flock (Leviticus 1:10–13). The ox takes precedence because it is the more costly and more important sacrifice. It had to be without disease or blemish of any kind.

To offer a defective sacrifice was an insult and a deception. Hence the exclamation of the prophet, cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing (i.e., an animal with a blemish), Malachi 1:14. The offerer is to bring the animal to the entrance of the tent of meeting, as it should be rendered, that is, to the front of the Tabernacle where the brazen altar stood (Exodus 40:6).

Of his own voluntary will. —The whole passage is better rendered, at the entrance of the tent of meeting he shall offer it, that he may be accepted before the Lord. (Leviticus 19:5; Leviticus 22:19–20; Leviticus 22:29; Leviticus 23:11.) This meaning is unmistakably presented in Leviticus 22:19-21, where it is explicitly declared, ye shall offer for your acceptance a male without blemish of the beeves, of the sheep or of the goats, but whatsoever hath a blemish that ye shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable for you. It should be noted that the phrase “for your acceptance,” or “acceptable for you,” is only used in connection with burnt offerings and peace offerings, but never with sin offerings.

And he shall put his hand. —Or, lay his hand, as the same phrase is rendered in Leviticus 3:2-3; Leviticus 3:17, and following. The laying on of hands by the offerer on the victim was enjoined not only in the case of burnt offerings, but also in peace offerings (Leviticus 3:2; Leviticus 3:7; Leviticus 3:13; Leviticus 8:22, and following) and in sin offerings (Leviticus 4:4; Leviticus 4:15; Leviticus 4:24; Leviticus 4:29; Leviticus 4:33; Leviticus 8:14, and following). The offerer indicated by this both the surrender of his ownership of the victim and the transfer to it of the feelings that influenced him in performing this act of dedication to the Lord.

From the practice that was customary during the Second Temple, we know that the offerer himself laid both his hands between the two horns of the animal while alive, and that no proxy could do it. If several offered one sacrifice, each one laid his hand separately on the victim, confessing his sins and saying, “I have sinned, I have committed iniquity, I have transgressed and I have done this and this, but I repent before You, and this is my atonement.”

Accepted for him. —That is, his offer will be acceptable before the Lord when the offerer thus complies with the prescribed sacrificial regulations. (Compare Leviticus 1:3.)

To make atonement for him. —As the imposition of hands, confession, repentance, and prayer accompanied this sacrifice, and moreover, as these acts secure acceptance with God for the offerer, expiatory virtue is therefore here and elsewhere ascribed to this burnt offering (Leviticus 14:20; Leviticus 16:24; Micah 6:6; Job 1:5; Job 42:8). This virtue belongs more especially to sin and trespass offerings (Leviticus 4:20; Leviticus 4:26; Leviticus 4:31; Leviticus 4:35; Leviticus 5:16; Leviticus 5:18; Leviticus 7:7, and following).

And he shall kill the bullock. — The sacrificer himself slaughtered the victim on the north side of the altar by cutting its throat, while a priest or an assistant held a bowl under the neck to receive the blood.

Before the Lord. — That is, before the door of the tent of meeting . The two phrases constantly interchange in the directions about the sacrifices (Leviticus 3:8; Leviticus 3:12; Leviticus 4:4; Leviticus 4:15; Leviticus 4:24; Leviticus 6:18, and other similar verses).

The priests, Aaron’s sons. — Better, the sons of Aaron, the priests, as the Authorized Version renders this phrase in Numbers 10:8. Besides the passage in Joshua 21:19, this phrase occurs only six times: once in Numbers, where it is properly rendered, and five times in this book, where it is translated three times as “the priests Aaron’s sons” (Leviticus 1:5; Leviticus 1:8; Leviticus 1:11), and twice as “Aaron’s sons the priests” (Leviticus 2:2; Leviticus 3:2). (See Leviticus 21:1.)

And sprinkle. — Better, throw the blood. The priestly functions, which began with catching the blood in the bowl, were now to continue in this instance as well. The priest threw the blood upon the walls of the altar in two portions. He first stepped to the north-eastern corner, and from that corner, diffused the blood on the northern and eastern walls; he then placed himself at the south-western corner, from where he diffused the second portion of the blood on the southern and western walls. The rest of the blood he poured out at the Southern side of the altar, which was furnished with two holes; these holes communicated with a drain which conducted the blood into the Kedron.

By the door of the tabernacle. — Better, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. (See Leviticus 1:3.)