Lev 6 | TNotes

6:2 ^a sins against your associate ... unfaithful to the Lord: For believers, there really is no such thing as a “secular” sin. All sin involves God, even sin directed against another person or group. In the sins requiring a guilt offering, God’s forgiveness was needed, but restitution to the injured individual had to be made first (6:5-7 ^b; cp. Matt 5:23-24 ^c). Unlike offenses against sacred property (Lev 5:14-16 ^d), both accidental and intentional offenses against secular property could be forgiven.
6:5 ^e The instructions for the guilt offering assumed that a person’s conscience would induce voluntary reparation; when restitution was voluntary, the surcharge for loss of use to the owner was always 20 percent. Penalties were more severe in other cases (cp. Exod 22:1-15 ^f). There is a clear difference between voluntary confession and simply admitting sin after being caught.
6:7 ^g will purify you before the Lord, making you right with him: God graciously gave his people a way to atone for their sins. See also study notes on 1:4; 4:20.
Summary for Lev 6:8-13: 6:8–7:38 ^h The regulations in 1:2–6:7 ⁱ include instructions for both priest and layperson. This section adds detail regarding the rights and obligations of the officiating priest. Because the tribe of Levi had been allotted no land for farming (Deut 18:1 ^j; Josh 13:14 ^k, 33 ^l), priests depended on the offering system for their income. The concern was that priests be adequately provided for. Like many human institutions, this system was eventually abused (1 Sam 2:12-25 ^m; Hos 4:8 ⁿ).
6:10 ^o The priest was required to wear official linen clothing, the attire of his office, when officiating at the Tabernacle. This allowed everyone to know that he was there to carry out his official duties (Exod 28:40-43 ^p). The priest was to dress appropriately for service to the divine King. He was not to wear his official garb outside the Tabernacle (Lev 6:11 ^q; Ezek 44:19 ^r).

• undergarments: See Exod 20:26 ^s.
6:11 ^t Most natural environments qualified as a place that is ceremonially clean.
Summary for Lev 6:12-13: 6:12-13 ^u This passage cautions that the fire on the bronze altar must be constantly tended and never allowed to go out, perhaps anticipating the tragedy of the “wrong kind of fire” offered by Nadab and Abihu (10:1-2 ^v).
6:16 ^w In this context sacred place does not refer to the Holy Place at the heart of the Tabernacle but to any location within the Tabernacle complex, all of which were ceremonially clean and holy.
6:17 ^x yeast: See study note on 2:11.

• The priests’ share of the grain offering had the practical value of providing their staple food—bread (7:9 ^y)—in addition to its theological significance as being most holy. See study note on 2:3.
6:18 ^z The priestly share did not belong exclusively to the priest conducting the sacrifice; it was to be shared with all of Aaron’s male descendants. The text does not indicate why these offerings could be eaten only by the males while other offerings were available to all members of the priests’ families (see study note on 10:13-15; see also Num 18:20-24 ^aa).

• will become holy: Or must be holy; also in Lev 6:27 ^ab. Though uncleanness could be spread by touch (ch 15 ^ac), Haggai implied that holiness could not (Hag 2:12 ^ad). If an unclean person encountered that which was holy, disaster could result (Lev 10:1-3 ^ae; 1 Sam 6:19-20 ^af; 2 Sam 6:6-8 ^ag).
Summary for Lev 6:19-23: 6:19-23 ^ah These instructions applied only to the grain portion of the ordination offering (see 2:1-16 ^ai; for the rest of the ordination offering, see 8:22-32 ^aj).
6:22 ^ak Only the high priest could represent the priesthood as an institution, with all its constituent priests.
6:23 ^al Normally, the bulk of a grain offering would go to the officiating priest (2:9-10 ^am). However, the grain offering described in 6:19-23 ^an was for a special occasion—the ordination of the priests—and therefore was to be burned up entirely and not eaten.
6:28 ^ao A clay pot was porous and could not be cleansed as thoroughly as a metal one—some of the holy food might stick to it or soak in. Reuse would cause an act of sacrilege. However, a bronze pot could be thoroughly scoured to prevent this problem (see also 11:33 ^ap; 15:12 ^aq).
6:30 ^ar Some sin offerings for the anointed priest and for the entire congregation were not to be eaten. The blood of these offerings was carried into the Holy Place and sprinkled before the curtain (see 4:1-21 ^as). The sacrifices that could be eaten were those for the lay leader and for the common people. The blood of these animals was poured on and around the base of the altar in the courtyard of the Tabernacle (see 4:22-35 ^at).