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The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 9:8-21
The priest at the altar. Aaron now enters on the great and high work to which he is appointed—that of God's chosen high priest. He "went unto the altar." As we follow him in that first official act (Leviticus 9:8) and s…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 9:15-21
The people's sin offering, burnt off, ring, meat offering, and peace offerings follow. The meat offering is said to have been burnt upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning. It is probable that, on this…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 9:22
Holy invocation. This was an imposing act of piety, one which our imagination easily presents to our minds, and which affects us as profoundly interesting. The high priest, after solemnly and with holy awe offering the…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 9:22
And Aaron lifted up his hand or (according to the more probable reading) hands. This was the first priestly benediction by Aaron, given from the elevated standing-place which he occupied by the side of the altar.
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 9:23
Moses (for the last time) and Aaron (for the first time) went into the tabernacle in the character of priest. During this visit Moses committed to Aaron the care of the things within the tabernacle, as he had already gi…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 9:24
And there came a fire out from before the Lord. The sacrifices were already smouldering on the altar, a ram, a calf, and a lamb, besides the internal fat of a young bull, a kid, a bullock, and a ram, and a handful of fl…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 9:24
Miraculous confirmation of the new polity is given by a fire issuing from the presence of God. I. INSTANCES OF A LIKE KIND OF DIVINE AGENCY BY FIRE. 1. The case of Gideon. "And the angel of God said unto him, Take the f…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:1
The Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron. Aaron, having now been consecrated high priest, is joined with Moses as the recipient of the laws on cleanness and uncleanness in Le Leviticus 11:1; Leviticus 13:1; Leviticus 14:3…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:1-47
PART III UNCLEANNESS, CEREMONIAL AND MORAL: ITS REMOVAL OR ITS PUNISHMENT SECTION I EXPOSITION THE two preceding parts having made manifest the way of approach to God by means of sacrifice and the appointed priesthood o…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:2
These are the beasts that ye shall eat. In order that the Israelites might know how to avoid the uncleanness arising from the consumption of unclean flesh, plain rules are given them by which they may distinguish what f…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:5
The coney, Hebrew, shaphan; the Hyrax Syriacus, or wabr, still called in Southern Arabia tsofun, a little animal similar to but not identical with the rabbit. "They live in the natural caves and clefts of the rocks (Psa…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:6
The hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof, There is little doubt that the same animal as our hare is meant. Neither the hare, however, nor the hyrax chews the cud in the strict sense of the words.…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:7
The swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted. Here, again, the description is not according to anatomical analysis, but to ordinary appearance. The pig appears to be cloven-footed, and it would be misleadin…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:8
Of their carcass shall ye not touch. This prohibition is founded upon the same feeling of disgust as the prohibition of eating their flesh. Whatever is foal must be avoided.
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:9-12
Whatsoever hath fins and scales. The absence of fins and scales, or their apparent absence—for phenomenal language is used, as before—gives to fish a repulsive look, on which is grounded the prohibition to eat them. Eel…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:13-19
The unclean birds are those which are gross feeders, devourers of flesh or offal, and therefore offensive to the taste, beginning with the eagle and vulture tribe. It is probable that the words translated owl (Leviticus…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:20-23
All fowls that creep should rather be rendered all winged creeping things, that is, all flying insects. None are allowed except the Saltatoria, or locust family. The word translated beetle signifies a sort of locust, li…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:24-28
These verses contain an expansion of the warning contained in Leviticus 11:8, to the effect that the touch of the dead bodies of the forbidden animals was defiling, as well as the consumption of their flesh. A further m…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:31-38
As the little animals just mentioned—weasels, mice, and lizards—are more likely than those of a larger size to be found dead in domestic utensils and clothes, a further warning as to their defiling character is added, w…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:41-43
The last class is that of vermin, which constitute a part of the un-winged creeping class already spoken of (Leviticus 11:29, Leviticus 11:30). Whatsoever goeth upon the belly indicates snakes, worms, maggots: whatsoeve…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 11:44-47
These concluding verses give a religious sanction to the previous regulations, and make them matters of sacred, not merely sanitary or political, obligation. They were to sanctify themselves, that is, to avoid uncleanne…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 12:1-8
EXPOSITION UNCLEANNESS DERIVED FROM CHILDBIRTH. As there is a natural disgust felt for some kinds of food, which serves as a foundation for the precepts of the last chapter, so there is an instinct which regards some of…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 12:1-8
The purification of the Church. At the commencement of his treatise on this Book of Leviticus, Cyril of Alexandria truly says, that as the Word of God came into the world arrayed in flesh, in which bodily appearance he…
The Pulpit Commentary on Leviticus 12:1-8
Born in sin. cf. Genesis 3:16; Psalms 51:5; Luke 2:21; 1 Timothy 2:15. From the division of the animals into clean and unclean, and the sanctity thereby inculcated, we are invited to proceed to those personal liabilitie…