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BOOK 3 OF 66 · LAW · KING JAMES BIBLE

Leviticus 22

Leviticus book home•Chapter 22 of 27•33 verses
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REVIEWED OVERVIEW

Leviticus 22 Overview

Leviticus 22 continues priestly and sacrificial holiness. Priests who are ceremonially unclean must not eat holy things until cleansed, and unauthorized persons may not eat priestly food. The chapter then turns to offerings: sacrificial animals must be free from specified blemishes, animals must be at least eight days old, and a mother and her young may not be killed on the same day. Israel must keep God’s commandments and not profane his holy name.

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22Chapter
33Verses
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Before you read Leviticus 22

Coming from

Leviticus 21 set special holiness requirements for priests and altar service.

In this chapter

The chapter regulates priestly access to holy food and the quality and treatment of sacrificial animals.

Leads into

Leviticus 23 lays out the LORD’s appointed feasts and holy convocations through Israel’s yearly calendar.

Key understanding

Leviticus 22 continues priestly and sacrificial holiness. Priests who are ceremonially unclean must not eat holy things until cleansed, and unauthorized persons may not eat priestly food. The chapter then turns to offerings: sacrificial animals must be free from specified blemishes, animals must be at least eight days old, and a mother and her young may not be killed on the same day. Israel must keep God’s commandments and not profane his holy name.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Truth 1

Holy food is not ordinary food; priestly uncleanness affects who may eat it.

Truth 2

Priestly privilege does not cancel purity requirements.

Truth 3

Sacrificial animals must meet God’s standards rather than being convenient rejects.

Truth 4

God rejects blemished offerings as unacceptable for the altar.

Truth 5

The chapter closes by grounding obedience in God’s holy name and his act of bringing Israel out of Egypt.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Connection 1

Malachi 1 later condemns priests for offering blind, lame, and sick animals contrary to this standard.

Connection 2

Leviticus 21 addressed priestly qualifications; chapter 22 addresses priestly food and acceptable offerings.

Connection 3

1 Peter 1 describes Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Connection 4

Hebrews 9 presents Christ’s self-offering as morally perfect and superior to animal sacrifice.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Keep this clear 1

Animal blemish standards do not imply that disabled human beings are less valuable.

Keep this clear 2

These rules regulate Israel’s sacrificial system and are not instructions for Christian animal offerings.

Keep this clear 3

Priestly food restrictions should not be treated as general dietary law for all Israelites.

Keep this clear 4

The requirement of unblemished sacrifices helps biblical typology but should first be understood as the explicit Levitical rule itself.

Read Leviticus 22 watching for…

Who may and may not eat holy food.

Temporary uncleanness among priests.

Specified sacrificial blemishes.

The eight-day minimum age.

The repeated concern that God’s holy name not be profaned.

TWBC REVIEW STANDARD

Plain language. Scripture first. Fact distinguished from inference. No filler. No fake certainty. Designed to help you read the Bible itself.

Chapter outline5 sections
1-9Priests must be clean to eat holy things10-16Who may eat the holy food17-25Sacrifices must be without blemish26-30Rules for the timing of acceptable offerings31-33Israel must keep God's commands and honor his holy name
1

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2

Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.

3

Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD.

4

What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;

5

Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath;

6

The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water.

7

And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.

8

That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the LORD.

9

They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them.

10

There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.

11

But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat.

12

If the priest's daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things.

13

But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof.

14

And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing.

15

And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the LORD;

16

Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

17

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

18

Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;

19

Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.

20

But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.

21

And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.

22

Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.

23

Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.

24

Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.

25

Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you.

26

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

27

When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

28

And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

29

And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.

30

On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I am the LORD.

31

Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD.

32

Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you,

33

That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD.

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Leviticus 22:18

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