Bible Commentaries

Leviticus 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be [of] fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

Ver. 1. Of fine flour.] No quantity is here prescribed, because it was a freewill offering: only it must be fine, no bran in it: to show the purity of Christ’s sacrifice, [Hebrews 7:26] and of our services through him, [Malachi 3:11] by means of the oil of his Spirit and incense of his intercession.

Leviticus 2:2 And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, [to be] an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:

Ver. 2. Shall burn the memorial of it.] Whereby God was reminded, as it were, of the party offering, and acknowledging all his store to be from God.

Leviticus 2:3 And the remnant of the meat offering [shall be] Aaron’s and his sons’: [it is] a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

Ver. 3. Shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.] As meat for them. Hence it was called a meat offering; and sent them to Christ, the meat that endureth unto life everlasting. [John 6:27]

Leviticus 2:4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, [it shall be] unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.

Ver. 4. Unleavened cake of fine flour mingled with oil.] Sincerity is the mother of serenity; truth, of tranquillity.

Leviticus 2:5 And if thy oblation [be] a meat offering [baken] in a pan, it shall be [of] fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.

Ver. 5. Baken in a pan.] Afterwards parted in pieces, and oil poured upon it: signifying the graces of God’s Spirit wherewith Christ was fully anointed within and without, [Psalms 45:8] and wherewith we should be tempered and anointed. [1 John 2:27 2 Corinthians 1:21]

Leviticus 2:6 Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it [is] a meat offering.

Ver. 6. And pour oil thereon.] Jacob was the first we read of that consecrated his offerings with oil. [Genesis 28:18] Probably he had it from his predecessors.

Leviticus 2:7 And if thy oblation [be] a meat offering [baken] in the fryingpan, it shall be made [of] fine flour with oil.

Ver. 7. Baken in the frying pan.] So, My heart is frying of a good matter, saith David. [Psalms 45:1]

Leviticus 2:8 And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar.

Ver. 8. He shall bring it unto the altar.] God would have all their offerings brought to one altar; both to figure out the one only all sufficient sacririce of Christ, and to teach all the faithful to consent in one and the same truth of the gospel.

Leviticus 2:9 And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn [it] upon the altar: [it is] an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Ver. 9. A memorial thereof.] Signifying the perpetual benefit of Christ’s death to all believers.

Leviticus 2:10 And that which is left of the meat offering [shall be] Aaron’s and his sons’: [it is] a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

Ver. 10. Shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.] Ministers’ maintenance.

Leviticus 2:11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

Ver. 11. Nor any honey.] Which hath a leavening virtue in it. Sweet sins are to be abandoned there will be bitterness in the end. [Proverbs 26:26-27]

Leviticus 2:12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.

Ver. 12. Ye shall offer them,] i.e., With the firstfruits ye shall offer both leaven [Leviticus 23:17] and honey. [2 Chronicles 31:5] Both which are sometimes taken in the better part. [Matthew 13:33 Song of Solomon 4:11]

Leviticus 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

Ver. 13. Shalt thou season with salt.] Called here the salt of God’s covenant; as signifying the covenant of God made with us in Christ, who seasoneth us, and makes all our services savoury. See the note on Mark 9:49-50.

Leviticus 2:14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, [even] corn beaten out of full ears.

Ver. 14. Green ears of corn.] To signify that God should be served with the firstfruits of our age, the primrose of our childhood.

Leviticus 2:15 And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it [is] a meat offering.

Ver. 15. And thou shalt put oil upon it.] Signifying the graces of God in Christ and his members, and the sweet odour of his oblation for us.

Leviticus 2:16 And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, [part] of the beaten corn thereof, and [part] of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: [it is] an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Ver. 16. The memorial of it,] i.e., The thing offered for a memorial.