Charles Ellicott Commentary Leviticus 2

A meat offering. —Better, an oblation of a meat offering, as the same two words are rendered in Leviticus 2:4; Leviticus 2:13. The meat offerings which come next in the legal enumeration, and which occupy the whole of the present chapter, consisted of three kinds. The first is fine flour with oil and frankincense (Leviticus 2:1–3). The flour was of wheat (Exodus 29:2); it was double the value of the ordinary barley flour (2 Kings 7:1; 2 Kings 7:16; 2 Kings 7:18); and because of its use at the sacrifices, it formed part of the Temple stores (1 Chronicles 9:29; 1 Chronicles 23:29).

Shall pour oil upon it. —Oil being to the food of the Israelites what butter is to ours, the offerer is here commanded to put some of it into this preparation in order to make it more palatable to the priests who were to eat part of it . The frankincense was designed to counteract the offensive smell arising from the quantity of the flesh burnt there, as is evident from the following verse, where it is stated that it is wholly to be burnt.

And he shall take. —Better, And the priest shall take from it a handful of its flour and of its oil with all its frankincense, and this shall he burn as its memorial upon the altar, etc.

Memorial. —So called because it was designed to bring the worshipper into the grateful remembrance of God, and to remind him, as it were, of His promise to accept the service of His people rendered to Him in accordance with his command. Hence the declaration of the Psalmist, the Lord remember all thine offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice (Psalms 20:4), and of the angel to Cornelius, thy prayers and thy alms are come up for a memorial before God (Acts 10:4).

And the remnant. —With the exception of the memorial or the handful of flour and oil, and of all the frankincense, this meat offering belonged to the priests, who divided it among them, and who alone were to consume it in the court of the sanctuary.

A thing most holy. —The offerings consisted of two classes, less holy and most holy. The thank offerings (Leviticus 23:20; Numbers 6:20), the firstborn of clean sacrificed animals (Numbers 18:17), the firstlings of oil, wine, and corn, and the paschal sacrifices, belonged to the less holy, and might be eaten entirely or partially in any clean place within the holy city by the officiating priests and their families (Leviticus 10:12–14). The incense offering, the shew-bread (Exodus 30:26; Leviticus 24:9), the sin and trespass offerings (Leviticus 6:25–28; Leviticus 7:1; Leviticus 7:6; Leviticus 14:13, and others), and the meat offerings here described, belonged to the most holy class. They could only be eaten in the court of the sanctuary by the priests alone.

A meat offering baked in the oven—this was the second kind of meat offering and consisted of preparations baked with oil in the oven, in a pan, or cooked in a pot (Leviticus 2:4–10). The oven described is probably the portable pot, open at the top, about three feet high, and liable to be broken (Leviticus 11:35), which is still used in the East for making bread and cakes.

After the vessel is thoroughly heated, the dough—made into large, thin, oval cakes resembling pancakes or Scottish oatcakes—is dexterously thrown against its sides. The opening above is then covered, and the bread is completely baked in a few minutes. Although the bread is soft when first taken out and can be rolled up like paper, it hardens and becomes crisp when kept.

Baked in a pan. —Better, a flat plate. This is probably the iron fire-plate (Ezekiel 5:3), with a convex surface, which is placed horizontally upon stones about nine inches from the ground, and underneath which the fire is kindled, used by the Arabs to this day.

The large thin cakes, and the thin wafer bread, are laid upon the convex surface, where they are baked in comparatively few minutes. These baking operations took place in the court of the sanctuary, where the vessels of ministration were kept (Ezekiel 46:20; 1 Chronicles 23:28–29).