Charles Ellicott Commentary Leviticus 22

And the Lord spake unto Moses. —In this chapter the laws regulating the conduct of the priests in their holy ministrations are continued. As the last chapter concluded with the permission to disqualified priests to eat of the sacrifices, this chapter opens with conditions under which even the legally qualified priests must not partake of the offerings.

Separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel. — As parts of the sacrifices offered by the Israelites belonged to the priests, they are here warned that they are not to consider themselves absolutely entitled to them under all circumstances, and that there are times when they must abstain from them.

In those things which they hallow unto me. — That is, in their treatment of the sacrifices which the children of Israel have consecrated and offered to the Lord.

Whoever he is of all your seed, among your generations. —It is better translated, throughout your generations, every man. The Authorised Version correctly renders the expression translated here as “among your generations” in Leviticus 23:14; Leviticus 23:21. (Leviticus 21:17.)

Who goes to the holy things. —That is, who approaches the sacrifices to eat them, as is stated in Leviticus 22:4; Leviticus 22:6; Leviticus 22:12.

Having his uncleanness upon him. —Not having first submitted to the prescribed lustrations , the defilement that he contracted remains on him.

That soul shall be cut off from my presence. —This phrase, with the expression “from my presence,” does not occur again in the Pentateuch when the Lord threatens with the penalty of excision. In Leviticus, where, in addition to the passage before us, the penalty is enacted six times, the formula is always, “that soul shall be cut off from his people” (Leviticus 7:20–21; Leviticus 7:25; Leviticus 7:27; Leviticus 19:8; Leviticus 23:29).

Its exceptional form here may therefore refer to the particular circumstances. If the priest ventures to approach the altar presumptuously to partake of the holy sacrifices in a defiled state, God himself will banish him from His presence, just as He did to Nadab and Abihu.

Is a leper.—The different forms of uncleanness are now specified. (For the leper, see Leviticus 13:3.)

Or has a running issue.—See Leviticus 15:2.

Whoever touches anything that is unclean by the dead.—That is, if he touches any person or anything that had been defiled through contact with a corpse. (See Numbers 19:11-14.)

Whose seed goes from him.—This is the same case mentioned in Leviticus 15:16. The two passages ought therefore to be uniform in the translation.

Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing. — See Leviticus 11:24-44.

Or a man of whom he may take uncleanness. — Better, or a man who is unclean to him, that is, who is a leper , or has an issue (see Leviticus 15:5 and following), and who imparts defilement by contact.