Leviticus 24:1-9
New English Translation
Regulations for the Lampstand and the Table of Bread
24 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Command the Israelites to bring[a] to you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.[b] 3 Outside the special curtain[c] of the congregation in the Meeting Tent, Aaron[d] must arrange it from evening until morning before the Lord continually. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations.[e] 4 On the ceremonially pure lampstand[f] he must arrange the lamps before the Lord continually.
5 “You must take choice wheat flour[g] and bake twelve loaves;[h] there must be two-tenths of an ephah of flour in[i] each loaf, 6 and you must set them in two rows, six in a row,[j] on the ceremonially pure table before the Lord. 7 You must put pure frankincense[k] on each row,[l] and it will become a memorial portion[m] for the bread, a gift[n] to the Lord. 8 Each Sabbath day[o] Aaron[p] must arrange it before the Lord continually; this portion[q] is from the Israelites as a perpetual covenant. 9 It will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they must eat it in a holy place because it is most holy to him, a perpetually-allotted portion[r] from the gifts of the Lord.”
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- Leviticus 24:2 tn Heb “and let them take.” The simple vav (ו) on the imperfect/jussive form of the verb לָקַח (laqakh, “to take”) following the imperative (“Command”) indicates a purpose clause (“to bring…”).
- Leviticus 24:2 tn Heb “to cause to ascend a lamp continually.”
- Leviticus 24:3 tn The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” or “curtain.” It seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place thus forming a canopy (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).
- Leviticus 24:3 tc Several medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, and the LXX add “and his sons.”
- Leviticus 24:3 tn Heb “for your generations.”
- Leviticus 24:4 tn Alternatively, “pure [gold] lampstand,” based on Exod 25:31, etc., where the term for “gold” actually appears (see NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, and the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395, etc.). However, in Lev 24:4 the adjective “pure” is feminine, corresponding to “lampstand,” not an assumed noun “gold” (contrast Exod 25:31), and the “table” in v. 6 was overlaid with gold, but was not made of pure gold. Therefore, it is probably better to translate “[ceremonially] pure lampstand” (v. 4) and “[ceremonially] pure table” (v. 6); see NEB; cf. KJV, ASV; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 164-65; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 307.
- Leviticus 24:5 sn See the note on Lev 2:1.
- Leviticus 24:5 tn Heb “and bake it twelve loaves”; KJV, NAB, NASB “cakes.”
- Leviticus 24:5 tn The words “of flour” are supplied in the translation for clarity.sn See the note on Lev 5:11.
- Leviticus 24:6 tn Heb “six of the row.”
- Leviticus 24:7 tn This is not just any “incense” (קְטֹרֶת, qetoret; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:913-16), but specifically “frankincense” (לְבֹנָה, levonah; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:756-57).
- Leviticus 24:7 tn Heb “on [עַל, ʿal] the row,” probably used distributively, “on each row” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395-96). Perhaps the frankincense was placed “with” or “along side of” each row, not actually on the bread itself, and was actually burned as incense to the Lord (cf. NIV “Along [Alongside CEV] each row”; NRSV “with each row”; NLT “near each row”; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 165). This particular preposition can have such a meaning.
- Leviticus 24:7 sn The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָרָה, ʾazkharah) was normally the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (see Lev 2:2 and the notes there), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (Lev 2:3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23 [6:7-16 HT]).
- Leviticus 24:7 sn See the note on Lev 1:9 regarding the term “gift.”
- Leviticus 24:8 tn Heb “In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath.” The repetition is distributive. A few medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Syriac delete the second occurrence of the expression.
- Leviticus 24:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Leviticus 24:8 tn The word “portion” is supplied in the translation here for clarity, to specify what “this” refers to.
- Leviticus 24:9 tn Or “a perpetual regulation”; NRSV “a perpetual due.”
Leviticus 24:1-9
Common English Bible
The sanctuary’s lamp and bread
24 The Lord said to Moses: 2 Command the Israelites to bring pure, pressed olive oil to you for the lamp, to keep a light burning constantly. 3 Aaron will tend the lamp, which will be inside the meeting tent but outside the inner curtain of the covenant document, from evening until morning before the Lord. This is a permanent rule throughout your future generations. 4 Aaron must continually tend the lights on the pure lampstand[a] before the Lord.
5 You will take choice flour and bake twelve loaves of flatbread, two-tenths of an ephah[b] for each loaf. 6 You must place them in two stacks, six in a stack, on the pure table[c] before the Lord. 7 Put pure frankincense on each stack, as a token portion for the bread; it is a food gift for the Lord. 8 Aaron will always set it out before the Lord, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of[d] the Israelites, as a permanent covenant. 9 It will belong to Aaron and his sons. They must eat it in a holy place because it is the most holy part of their share of the Lord’s food gifts, a permanent portion.
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- Leviticus 24:4 Perhaps pure gold lampstand
- Leviticus 24:5 Approximately four quarts dry
- Leviticus 24:6 Perhaps pure gold table
- Leviticus 24:8 Or from or as a gift of; Heb uncertain
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