Leviticus 24 Study Notes
General
Who were the parents of the man who blasphemed in 24:10-11?
Answer: An Israelite mother, Shelomith from Dan's tribe, with a father from Egypt
The man's mother was an Israelite woman named Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, from Dan's tribe, and his father was an Egyptian (24:10-11). Dibri was his grandfather, not his father. Exodus notes that a mixed crowd of people who were not Israelites had left Egypt along with Israel (Exodus 12:38). During a fight with an Israelite, he cursed and blasphemed the Name, a reverent way of referring to the LORD's own name. To blaspheme means to speak of God with contempt. The law had already forbidden this (Exodus 22:28), and the third commandment warned that God would not leave unpunished anyone who misused His name (Exodus 20:7).
- Leviticus 24:10-11 (BSB)“Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse. So they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)”Introduces the man, his mixed parentage, the fight, and his blasphemy.
- Exodus 12:38 (BSB)“And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.”A mixed multitude of non-Israelites went up from Egypt with Israel.
- Exodus 22:28 (BSB)“You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.”The covenant law had already forbidden blaspheming God.
- Exodus 20:7 (BSB)“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.”The third commandment forbids misusing the LORD's name and warns that He will not leave the offender unpunished.
Theological
How does 24:10-11 identify the parentage of the blasphemer?
Answer: His mother was Shelomith, an Israelite from Dan's tribe, and his father was an Egyptian
The narrative carefully records that his mother was an Israelite, Shelomith, Dibri's daughter, from Dan's tribe, and his father an Egyptian (24:10-11); Dibri is his maternal grandfather. Exodus records that a mixed multitude of non-Israelites went up from Egypt with Israel (Exodus 12:38). In a quarrel with an Israelite he cursed and blasphemed the Name, the Name serving as a reverential circumlocution for the LORD's covenant name. The Book of the Covenant had already prohibited blaspheming God (Exodus 22:28), and the third commandment warns that the one who misuses His name will not go unpunished (Exodus 20:7).
- Leviticus 24:10-11 (BSB)“Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse. So they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)”Introduces the man, his mixed parentage, the fight, and his blasphemy.
- Exodus 12:38 (BSB)“And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.”A mixed multitude of non-Israelites went up from Egypt with Israel.
- Exodus 22:28 (BSB)“You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.”The covenant law had already forbidden blaspheming God.
- Exodus 20:7 (BSB)“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.”The third commandment forbids misusing the LORD's name and warns that He will not leave the offender unpunished.
General
True or False: The bread on the golden table was to be arranged fresh each Sabbath, for Israel's sake, as an enduring covenant.
Answer: True
This is true. Every Sabbath the bread was set out in God's presence for Israel, as an enduring covenant (24:8). Fresh loaves replaced the old ones each week, so the table was never empty. Later history shows this practice continuing: Levites from the clan of Kohath prepared the rows of bread every Sabbath (1 Chronicles 9:32), and when the priest gave David the holy bread, it had just been removed and fresh warm bread put in its place (1 Samuel 21:6). Even while Israel traveled, the regular bread remained on the table (Numbers 4:7). The bread was a constant sign of the covenant bond between God and His people.
- Leviticus 24:8 (BSB)“Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant.”The bread is set out every Sabbath on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant.
- 1 Chronicles 9:32 (BSB)“Some of their Kohathite relatives were responsible for preparing the rows of the showbread every Sabbath.”Kohathite Levites were later responsible for preparing the rows of bread every Sabbath.
- 1 Samuel 21:6 (BSB)“So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.”The old bread was removed and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
- Numbers 4:7 (BSB)“Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and place the plates and cups on it, along with the bowls and pitchers for the drink offering. The regular bread offering is to remain on it.”Even when the tabernacle was moved, the regular bread offering was to remain on the table.
Theological
True or False: The bread on the golden table was to be arranged fresh each Sabbath, for Israel's sake, as an enduring covenant.
Answer: True
This is true. The bread is arranged every Sabbath in the LORD's presence for Israel as an enduring covenant (24:8), the old loaves being replaced so that the table is never bare. The practice is attested in the later cult: Kohathite Levites prepared the rows every Sabbath (1 Chronicles 9:32), and the bread given to David had just been swapped for warm loaves (1 Samuel 21:6). Even in transit the regular bread remained on the table (Numbers 4:7). The weekly renewal enacts the unbroken covenant relationship between the LORD and His people.
- Leviticus 24:8 (BSB)“Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant.”The bread is set out every Sabbath on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant.
- 1 Chronicles 9:32 (BSB)“Some of their Kohathite relatives were responsible for preparing the rows of the showbread every Sabbath.”Kohathite Levites were later responsible for preparing the rows of bread every Sabbath.
- 1 Samuel 21:6 (BSB)“So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.”The old bread was removed and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
- Numbers 4:7 (BSB)“Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and place the plates and cups on it, along with the bowls and pitchers for the drink offering. The regular bread offering is to remain on it.”Even when the tabernacle was moved, the regular bread offering was to remain on the table.
General
True or False: Moses immediately decided the blasphemer's punishment on his own, without waiting for a word from the LORD.
Answer: False
This is false. The people brought the man to Moses, and he was kept under guard until the LORD's will was made plain to them (24:12). Moses did not invent a penalty; he waited for God to speak, and the LORD then gave the ruling (24:13-14). Moses acted the same way in other difficult cases: he told men with a question about Passover to wait until he learned what the LORD commanded (Numbers 9:8), and a man caught gathering wood on the Sabbath was held in custody because no ruling had yet been given (Numbers 15:33-34). Justice in Israel was to rest on God's word, not on human anger in the moment.
- Leviticus 24:12 (BSB)“They placed him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.”The man is held in custody until the LORD's will is made clear.
- Numbers 9:8 (BSB)““Wait here until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you,” Moses replied.”In another unclear case Moses likewise waited to learn what the LORD commanded.
- Numbers 15:33-34 (BSB)“Those who found the man gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation, and because it had not been declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody.”The Sabbath-breaker was also held in custody because it had not yet been declared what to do with him.
Theological
True or False: Moses immediately decided the blasphemer's punishment on his own, without waiting for a word from the LORD.
Answer: False
This is false. The man is held under guard until the LORD's will is made plain (24:12), and the verdict comes by direct divine ruling (24:13-14). Moses functions not as an autonomous lawgiver but as the mediator of the LORD's word, a pattern repeated when he defers the Passover question in Numbers 9:8 and when the Sabbath-breaker is held because no ruling had yet been declared (Numbers 15:33-34). The judicial sentence rests on revelation, not on the passion of the moment.
- Leviticus 24:12 (BSB)“They placed him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.”The man is held in custody until the LORD's will is made clear.
- Numbers 9:8 (BSB)““Wait here until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you,” Moses replied.”In another unclear case Moses likewise waited to learn what the LORD commanded.
- Numbers 15:33-34 (BSB)“Those who found the man gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation, and because it had not been declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody.”The Sabbath-breaker was also held in custody because it had not yet been declared what to do with him.
General
What principle governs the penalty for injuring a neighbor in 24:19-20?
Answer: The penalty must match the harm done, no more and no less
Whoever injured a neighbor was to receive the same kind of injury he caused, whether a broken bone, a lost eye, or a lost tooth (24:19-20). This is the principle of proportional justice, often called by its Latin name, lex talionis, the law of equal return. It demanded real punishment, but it also set a limit: the penalty could not exceed the harm. The same principle appears in Exodus 21:23-25, and Deuteronomy shows it was applied by judges after careful investigation, not by private revenge (Deuteronomy 19:18-21). Jesus later taught His followers not to take personal revenge when wronged (Matthew 5:38-39), addressing the heart of the individual rather than overturning the justice God had given Israel's courts.
- Leviticus 24:19-20 (BSB)“If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he injured the other person, the same must be inflicted on him.”The penalty for injuring a neighbor must match the injury done.
- Exodus 21:23-25 (BSB)“But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life— eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.”The earlier covenant law states the same principle of matching penalty to harm.
- Deuteronomy 19:18-21 (BSB)“The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you. Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.”The principle was applied by judges after careful investigation, not by private revenge.
- Matthew 5:38-39 (BSB)“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;”Jesus quotes the eye-for-eye saying and tells His hearers not to resist an evil person but to turn the other cheek.
Theological
What judicial principle does 24:19-20 establish for injuries to a neighbor?
Answer: The penalty must match the harm done, no more and no less
The lex talionis of 24:19-20 requires that the penalty correspond in kind to the injury, whether a broken bone, an eye, or a tooth. It functions both to require justice and to limit it, forbidding any penalty beyond the harm inflicted. The same principle stands in Exodus 21:23-25, and Deuteronomy 19:18-21 shows it administered by judges after thorough inquiry rather than by private vengeance. When Jesus addresses the saying in Matthew 5:38-39, He forbids His disciples personal retaliation, speaking to individual conduct rather than abolishing the proportional justice God had given to Israel's courts.
- Leviticus 24:19-20 (BSB)“If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he injured the other person, the same must be inflicted on him.”The penalty for injuring a neighbor must match the injury done.
- Exodus 21:23-25 (BSB)“But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life— eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.”The earlier covenant law states the same principle of matching penalty to harm.
- Deuteronomy 19:18-21 (BSB)“The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you. Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.”The principle was applied by judges after careful investigation, not by private revenge.
- Matthew 5:38-39 (BSB)“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;”Jesus quotes the eye-for-eye saying and tells His hearers not to resist an evil person but to turn the other cheek.
General
What was placed beside each row of bread, according to 24:7?
Answer: Pure frankincense, serving as the bread's memorial portion for God
Pure frankincense was placed near each row of loaves as the bread's memorial portion, an offering to God (24:7). Frankincense is a fragrant resin. The term memorial portion is the same word used in chapter 2 for the part of a grain offering that was burned on the altar together with all its frankincense, while the rest went to the priests (2:2-3, 9). In the same way, the frankincense stood for the whole offering before God, and the loaves themselves were later eaten by the priests (24:9). Honey, by contrast, could never be burned as an offering (2:11).
- Leviticus 24:7 (BSB)“And you are to place pure frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread, a food offering to the LORD.”Pure frankincense is placed by each row as a memorial portion for the bread.
- Leviticus 2:2-3 (BSB)“and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. The remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings to the LORD.”In the grain offering, the frankincense was burned with a handful of flour as the memorial portion, and the rest belonged to the priests.
- Leviticus 2:9 (BSB)“The priest is to remove the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.”The memorial portion of a grain offering was the part burned on the altar for the LORD.
- Leviticus 2:11 (BSB)“No grain offering that you present to the LORD may be made with leaven, for you are not to burn any leaven or honey as a food offering to the LORD.”Honey could never be burned as an offering to the LORD.
Theological
What does 24:7 direct to be placed with each row of the bread, and in what capacity?
Answer: Pure frankincense, serving as the bread's memorial portion for God
Pure frankincense accompanies each row as the bread's memorial portion, presented as an offering to God (24:7). The term is the technical one used in the grain offering, where the memorial portion, including all the frankincense, is burned on the altar while the remainder belongs to the priests (2:2-3, 9). The frankincense thus functions as the token offered to God representing the whole, while the loaves themselves become priestly food (24:9). Honey, by contrast, was excluded from altar offerings (2:11).
- Leviticus 24:7 (BSB)“And you are to place pure frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread, a food offering to the LORD.”Pure frankincense is placed by each row as a memorial portion for the bread.
- Leviticus 2:2-3 (BSB)“and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. The remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings to the LORD.”In the grain offering, the frankincense was burned with a handful of flour as the memorial portion, and the rest belonged to the priests.
- Leviticus 2:9 (BSB)“The priest is to remove the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.”The memorial portion of a grain offering was the part burned on the altar for the LORD.
- Leviticus 2:11 (BSB)“No grain offering that you present to the LORD may be made with leaven, for you are not to burn any leaven or honey as a food offering to the LORD.”Honey could never be burned as an offering to the LORD.
General
How do 24:17-21 treat killing a person differently from killing an animal?
Answer: Killing a person brought death, while killing an animal required replacing it
The law draws a sharp line: whoever takes a human life must be executed, but whoever kills someone's animal must make it good, replacing its life (24:17-18, 21). A human being is not simply property. God had already said, after the flood, that whoever sheds human blood must answer with his own life, because God made humans in His image (Genesis 9:6). The earlier covenant law required the same penalty for murder (Exodus 21:12), while the loss of an animal was settled by paying its owner (Exodus 21:33-34). These penalties were what God required in Israel's covenant setting, and they show the unique worth He places on human life.
- Leviticus 24:17-18 (BSB)“And if a man takes the life of anyone else, he must surely be put to death. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution—life for life.”Killing a person is punished by death; killing an animal requires restitution.
- Leviticus 24:21 (BSB)“Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death.”The contrast between restitution for an animal and death for a man is repeated.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”The death penalty for murder is grounded in humanity being made in God's image.
- Exodus 21:12 (BSB)“Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.”The earlier covenant law likewise required death for one who strikes and kills a man.
- Exodus 21:33-34 (BSB)“If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.”Loss of an animal was settled by paying its owner, not by taking a life.
Theological
What distinction do 24:17-21 draw between taking human life and killing an animal?
Answer: Taking human life brings death, whereas killing an animal requires restitution
The statute distinguishes categorically: the one who takes a human life is to be executed, while the one who kills an animal makes restitution by replacing it (24:17-18, 21). The asymmetry reflects the imago Dei ground laid in the Noahic covenant, where the shedding of human blood is answered with the murderer's life because God made mankind in His image (Genesis 9:6). The Book of the Covenant legislates the same capital sanction for homicide (Exodus 21:12) and monetary restitution for loss of livestock (Exodus 21:33-34). Within Israel's covenant polity these sanctions express the unique dignity of human life.
- Leviticus 24:17-18 (BSB)“And if a man takes the life of anyone else, he must surely be put to death. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution—life for life.”Killing a person is punished by death; killing an animal requires restitution.
- Leviticus 24:21 (BSB)“Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death.”The contrast between restitution for an animal and death for a man is repeated.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”The death penalty for murder is grounded in humanity being made in God's image.
- Exodus 21:12 (BSB)“Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.”The earlier covenant law likewise required death for one who strikes and kills a man.
- Exodus 21:33-34 (BSB)“If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.”Loss of an animal was settled by paying its owner, not by taking a life.
General
True or False: Aaron was to care for the lamps inside the Most Holy Place, behind the veil, next to the ark.
Answer: False
This is false. Aaron was to care for the lamps in the Holy Place, on the near side of the veil that hung before the ark of the Testimony, tending them on the lampstand of pure gold all night long (24:3-4). The veil was the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The lampstand stood in the first room, the Holy Place, opposite the table for the bread (Exodus 40:22-25; Hebrews 9:2). Aaron tended the lamps each morning and set them up at twilight, burning incense at both times (Exodus 30:7-8). The high priest went behind the veil on just one day each year (Hebrews 9:7).
- Leviticus 24:3-4 (BSB)“Outside the veil of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps continually before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come. He shall tend the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.”Aaron tends the lamps outside the veil, on the pure gold lampstand, from evening until morning.
- Hebrews 9:2 (BSB)“A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place.”The lampstand stood in the first room, called the Holy Place, not in the Most Holy Place.
- Exodus 40:22-25 (BSB)“Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. He arranged the bread on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him. He also placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle and set up the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.”Moses set the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table, outside the veil.
- Exodus 30:7-8 (BSB)“And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.”Aaron tended the lamps in the morning and set them up at twilight while burning incense.
- Hebrews 9:7 (BSB)“But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”Only the high priest entered the inner room behind the veil, and only once a year.
Theological
True or False: Aaron was to care for the lamps inside the Most Holy Place, behind the veil, next to the ark.
Answer: False
This is false. The lamps are tended in the Holy Place, on the near side of the veil before the Testimony, on the lampstand of pure gold, through the night (24:3-4). The lampstand belonged to the Holy Place, the outer room, facing the table (Exodus 40:22-25; Hebrews 9:2), and its care was part of Aaron's daily ministry alongside the burning of incense at morning and twilight (Exodus 30:7-8). The Most Holy Place behind the veil was entered only on the annual Day of Atonement.
- Leviticus 24:3-4 (BSB)“Outside the veil of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps continually before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come. He shall tend the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.”Aaron tends the lamps outside the veil, on the pure gold lampstand, from evening until morning.
- Hebrews 9:2 (BSB)“A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place.”The lampstand stood in the first room, called the Holy Place, not in the Most Holy Place.
- Exodus 40:22-25 (BSB)“Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. He arranged the bread on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him. He also placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle and set up the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.”Moses set the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table, outside the veil.
- Exodus 30:7-8 (BSB)“And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.”Aaron tended the lamps in the morning and set them up at twilight while burning incense.
- Hebrews 9:7 (BSB)“But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”Only the high priest entered the inner room behind the veil, and only once a year.
General
Who was allowed to eat the bread once it was taken from the table, and where (24:9)?
Answer: The priests of Aaron's line, within a sacred area
The bread belonged to Aaron's descendants the priests, who ate it in a sacred place, because it was a most holy portion of the offerings made to the LORD, their share forever (24:9). The same rule applied to other most holy food of the priests (6:16). This background explains a famous story: when David and his men were hungry, the priest at Nob gave him this consecrated bread because no ordinary bread was available (1 Samuel 21:4-6). Jesus pointed to that event and noted that the bread was lawful for priests alone (Matthew 12:3-4).
- Leviticus 24:9 (BSB)“It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the food offerings to the LORD—his portion forever.””The bread belongs to Aaron and his sons, to be eaten in a holy place as a most holy portion.
- Leviticus 6:16 (BSB)“Aaron and his sons are to eat the remainder. It must be eaten without leaven in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.”Other most holy food of the priests, the rest of the grain offering, also had to be eaten in a holy place.
- 1 Samuel 21:4-6 (BSB)““There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.” David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the bodies of the young men are holy even on common missions. How much more so today!” So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.”The priest at Nob gave David this consecrated bread when no other bread was on hand.
- Matthew 12:3-4 (BSB)“Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.”Jesus notes that only the priests were lawfully allowed to eat this bread.
Theological
According to 24:9, who may eat the removed bread, and where?
Answer: The priests of Aaron's line, within a sacred area
The bread is assigned to Aaron's priestly line as a most holy portion of the LORD's offerings, to be eaten in a sacred place as their perpetual due (24:9), the same restriction governing other most holy priestly food (6:16). This is the background to David receiving the consecrated bread at Nob (1 Samuel 21:4-6), an incident Jesus cites while noting that the bread was lawful for the priests alone (Matthew 12:3-4).
- Leviticus 24:9 (BSB)“It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the food offerings to the LORD—his portion forever.””The bread belongs to Aaron and his sons, to be eaten in a holy place as a most holy portion.
- Leviticus 6:16 (BSB)“Aaron and his sons are to eat the remainder. It must be eaten without leaven in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.”Other most holy food of the priests, the rest of the grain offering, also had to be eaten in a holy place.
- 1 Samuel 21:4-6 (BSB)““There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.” David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the bodies of the young men are holy even on common missions. How much more so today!” So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.”The priest at Nob gave David this consecrated bread when no other bread was on hand.
- Matthew 12:3-4 (BSB)“Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.”Jesus notes that only the priests were lawfully allowed to eat this bread.
General
What were the Israelites commanded to bring for the lampstand in 24:2?
Answer: Clear oil from crushed olives, so the lamps would never go out
The people were to bring pure oil from pressed olives so the lamps in the tabernacle could burn without ceasing (24:2). The whole community supplied the oil, and the priests tended the lamps. This repeats a command first given when the tabernacle was designed (Exodus 27:20-21), showing it was a lasting duty, not a one-time gift. The steady light inside God's dwelling marked that He lived among His people, and generations later, in Samuel's day, the sanctuary lamp was still alight while he lay down in the sanctuary at night (1 Samuel 3:3).
- Leviticus 24:2 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.”The LORD commands the people to supply pure pressed olive oil so the lamps can burn continually.
- Exodus 27:20-21 (BSB)“And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.”The same command was first given when the tabernacle was designed, showing this is a standing ordinance.
- 1 Samuel 3:3 (BSB)“Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located.”Generations later, the sanctuary lamp was still alight while Samuel lay down there at night.
Theological
What does 24:2 require the Israelites to supply for the sanctuary lamps?
Answer: Clear oil from crushed olives, so the lamps would never go out
The congregation is to supply pure pressed-olive oil so that the lamps burn continually (24:2), restating the ordinance of Exodus 27:20-21. The provision is corporate: the people furnish the oil, the priesthood maintains the light. The perpetual light in the Holy Place signified the ongoing presence and service of God among His covenant people, and the practice is still attested in Samuel's day, when the sanctuary lamp was still alight as Samuel lay in the sanctuary (1 Samuel 3:3).
- Leviticus 24:2 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.”The LORD commands the people to supply pure pressed olive oil so the lamps can burn continually.
- Exodus 27:20-21 (BSB)“And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.”The same command was first given when the tabernacle was designed, showing this is a standing ordinance.
- 1 Samuel 3:3 (BSB)“Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located.”Generations later, the sanctuary lamp was still alight while Samuel lay down there at night.
General
True or False: The laws given in 24:15-22 applied only to native-born Israelites, while resident foreigners were judged by a lighter standard.
Answer: False
This is false. The LORD states that the penalty for blasphemy applies to resident foreigners and native Israelites alike (24:16), and He closes the section by requiring one legal standard for both (24:22). This matters in the story, because the offender himself had an Egyptian father. Israel's justice was not to favor insiders or punish outsiders more harshly. The same principle appears in the Passover law (Exodus 12:49) and in the laws about offerings (Numbers 15:16). The reason given is simply that the LORD is Israel's God; His justice is the same toward everyone.
- Leviticus 24:16 (BSB)“Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.”The penalty for blasphemy applies to the foreign resident and the native alike.
- Leviticus 24:22 (BSB)“You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am the LORD your God.’””One standard of law is to govern both the foreign resident and the native.
- Exodus 12:49 (BSB)“The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.””The Passover law already declared one law for the native and the foreigner.
- Numbers 15:16 (BSB)“The same law and the same ordinance will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing with you.””The same law and ordinance apply to Israelites and resident foreigners alike.
Theological
True or False: The laws given in 24:15-22 applied only to native-born Israelites, while resident foreigners were judged by a lighter standard.
Answer: False
This is false. The blasphemy statute is expressly applied to resident foreigners and native Israelites alike (24:16), and the section closes with a single legal standard for both (24:22), significant given the offender's Egyptian paternity. Israel's judicial order admits no partiality between insider and outsider, a principle also laid down in Exodus 12:49 and Numbers 15:16. The ground is theological: the equal standard flows from the character of the LORD who is Israel's God.
- Leviticus 24:16 (BSB)“Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.”The penalty for blasphemy applies to the foreign resident and the native alike.
- Leviticus 24:22 (BSB)“You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am the LORD your God.’””One standard of law is to govern both the foreign resident and the native.
- Exodus 12:49 (BSB)“The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.””The Passover law already declared one law for the native and the foreigner.
- Numbers 15:16 (BSB)“The same law and the same ordinance will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing with you.””The same law and ordinance apply to Israelites and resident foreigners alike.
General
What did the LORD command concerning the blasphemer (24:13-14)?
Answer: His hearers were to lay hands on him, and the community was to stone him outside the camp
The LORD ordered that the man be taken outside the camp, that all who had heard him rest their hands on the man's head, and that the whole community then stone him (24:14). Laying on hands is commonly understood to mark the hearers as witnesses and to place the guilt on the offender; elsewhere the law says the witnesses' hands must be first in carrying out a death sentence (Deuteronomy 17:6-7). The LORD adds that anyone who curses God will bear the guilt of his sin (24:15). Israel did exactly as commanded (24:23). This was the penalty God set for Israel under its covenant for this grave sin against His holy name. The Gospels record that Jesus Himself was condemned on a false charge of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65), and He suffered beyond the city gate, making His people holy through His own blood (Hebrews 13:12).
- Leviticus 24:14 (BSB)““Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.”The LORD commands that the blasphemer be taken outside the camp, that the hearers lay hands on him, and that the assembly stone him.
- Leviticus 24:15 (BSB)“And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If anyone curses his God, he shall bear the consequences of his sin.”Whoever curses God will bear the consequences of his sin.
- Leviticus 24:23 (BSB)“Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses.”Israel carries out the sentence exactly as the LORD commanded.
- Deuteronomy 17:6-7 (BSB)“On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness. The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.”The witnesses' hands were to be first in carrying out a death sentence, followed by the people.
- Matthew 26:65 (BSB)“At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.”Jesus Himself was condemned by the high priest on a charge of blasphemy.
- Hebrews 13:12 (BSB)“And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.”Jesus suffered outside the city gate to sanctify His people by His own blood.
Theological
What sentence does the LORD prescribe for the blasphemer in 24:13-14?
Answer: Every hearer lays hands on him, and the whole community stones him outside the camp
The LORD rules that the blasphemer be brought outside the camp, that every hearer rest their hands on the man's head, and that the entire congregation stone him (24:14). The imposition of hands is commonly taken to identify the hearers as witnesses and to fix the guilt on the offender, consonant with the rule that the witnesses' hands are first in an execution (Deuteronomy 17:6-7); the one who curses God bears his own sin (24:15). The sentence is carried out as commanded (24:23). This was the penalty appointed within Israel's covenant polity for an assault on the divine name. The New Testament records that Jesus was condemned on a false charge of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65) and suffered outside the gate to sanctify His people through His own blood (Hebrews 13:12).
- Leviticus 24:14 (BSB)““Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.”The LORD commands that the blasphemer be taken outside the camp, that the hearers lay hands on him, and that the assembly stone him.
- Leviticus 24:15 (BSB)“And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If anyone curses his God, he shall bear the consequences of his sin.”Whoever curses God will bear the consequences of his sin.
- Leviticus 24:23 (BSB)“Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses.”Israel carries out the sentence exactly as the LORD commanded.
- Deuteronomy 17:6-7 (BSB)“On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness. The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.”The witnesses' hands were to be first in carrying out a death sentence, followed by the people.
- Matthew 26:65 (BSB)“At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.”Jesus Himself was condemned by the high priest on a charge of blasphemy.
- Hebrews 13:12 (BSB)“And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.”Jesus suffered outside the city gate to sanctify His people by His own blood.
General
How was the bread on the golden table to be arranged (24:5-6)?
Answer: Twelve loaves set out as two lines of six
Twelve loaves were baked from fine flour, each from a two-tenths ephah measure, and set out on the golden table in two rows of six before the LORD (24:5-6). This is the bread God had commanded to be kept before Him on the table at all times (Exodus 25:30; 40:22-23). The text says the bread was set out for the Israelites (24:8), and the number twelve is commonly linked to the twelve tribes, just as the high priest's twelve stones carried the tribes' names (Exodus 28:21). The whole nation was represented continually before God.
- Leviticus 24:5-6 (BSB)“You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf, and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD.”Twelve loaves are baked and set in two rows of six on the golden table.
- Exodus 25:30 (BSB)“And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.”God commanded that the Bread of the Presence always be on the table before Him.
- Exodus 40:22-23 (BSB)“Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. He arranged the bread on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.”Moses arranged the bread on the table in the Tent of Meeting as the LORD commanded.
- Exodus 28:21 (BSB)“The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.”The high priest's twelve stones bore the names of the twelve tribes, the same number as the loaves.
Theological
What arrangement does 24:5-6 prescribe for the bread on the golden table?
Answer: Twelve loaves set out as two lines of six
Twelve loaves, each from a two-tenths ephah measure of fine flour, are set in two rows of six on the golden table before the LORD (24:5-6), the bread commanded to remain before Him continually (Exodus 25:30; 40:22-23). Since the bread is set out for the Israelites (24:8), the number twelve naturally corresponds to the tribes, as with the twelve engraved stones of the high priest's breastpiece (Exodus 28:21): the whole covenant people stands represented in God's presence.
- Leviticus 24:5-6 (BSB)“You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf, and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD.”Twelve loaves are baked and set in two rows of six on the golden table.
- Exodus 25:30 (BSB)“And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.”God commanded that the Bread of the Presence always be on the table before Him.
- Exodus 40:22-23 (BSB)“Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. He arranged the bread on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.”Moses arranged the bread on the table in the Tent of Meeting as the LORD commanded.
- Exodus 28:21 (BSB)“The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.”The high priest's twelve stones bore the names of the twelve tribes, the same number as the loaves.