John Calvin Commentary Leviticus 6:16

"And that which is left thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it." — Leviticus 6:16 (ASV)

And the remainder thereof. He repeats what we have seen just before: that the remainder of those offerings, in which there was special holiness, should belong to the priests, but on the condition that they should be eaten only in the sanctuary. A special command is also given concerning the minha (meat-offering): that it should not be made into leavened bread. For in this way the meal, which had already been dedicated to God, would be changed into common food, which could not be done without profanation.

Since, then, God admits the priests, as it were, to His own table, the dignity of their office is considerably heightened by this privilege. However, this is in such a way that by their liberty the reverence due to God’s service may not be impaired. Later, Moses confirms in general terms the right previously assigned to them: they should take what remained of the burnt offerings, on the condition that it should be eaten by males only and in the sacred place. This was so that God’s presence might not only act as a restraint on their luxury and intemperance but also instruct them in the sobriety required of His servants and, in a word, accustom them to great purity, while they reflect that they are separated from all others.

At the end of verse 18, some translate it in the neuter gender: every thing that shall have touched them shall be holy. But in this passage, Moses seems to me to prescribe that only the priests should touch the minha. It was said elsewhere of the altar and its vessels that by virtue of their anointing they sanctified whatever was placed upon them. But we now see that ordinary men are prohibited from touching sacred things, so that their sanctity may be inviolate. For we know that the sons of Aaron were anointed for this purpose: that they alone might be allowed to touch whatever was consecrated to God. Therefore, the verb in the future tense is used for the imperative.

So also it is soon after said of the victims, in verse 27: Whosoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy.²¹² This is because Moses enacts this special law for the priests, that they alone should handle the sacrifices. Nor does what immediately follows contradict this: when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof on any garment, etc. For he does not intend to say that the garments or any vessels would be consecrated by the mere touch. Instead, it is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If it were not lawful to take a garment sprinkled with the blood, or the pots in which the flesh was cooked, out of the tabernacle unless the garment were washed, or the pots broken or rinsed, much more should they be careful that none of the ordinary people meddle with it.

For how shall a mortal man dare to lay a hand on that holy thing (sanctitati) which could not even cling to the garment of a priest without atonement? In summary, a thing so holy should not be mixed with unhallowed things.

²¹² A. V., “Whatsoever,” following the following the V. and not . and not LXX.