Leviticus 6:20

This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(20) This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons.—This offering, which is called the oblation of initiation, was, according to the practice which obtained during the second Temple, the mincha “of Aaron and his sons,” as the text before us declares; that is, of the high priest and of every common priest. The ordinary priest, however, only offered it once on the day of his consecration, whilst the high priest was bound to offer it every day after the regular holocaust, with its meat offering and before the drink offering (Ecclesiasticus 45:14, with Josephus, Antiq. III. 10 § 7). It is to this practice that the apostle refers when he says, “For such a high priest became us . . . who needeth not daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins, &c.” (Hebrews 7:27).

In the day when he is anointed.—That is, when he is anointed (comp. Genesis 2:4) or when his anointing ceremony is completed, and he entered upon the duties of his office, which was on the eighth day. (See Leviticus 8:35; Leviticus 9:1.)

A meat offering perpetual.—That is, in the case of the high priest this oblation is to be offered every day as long as he lived or held the pontifical office. This perpetual meat offering is to consist of a tenth part of an ephah, which is an omer, half of which he is to offer in the morning and half in the evening.

In a pan it shall be made.—Better, upon a flat plate. (See Leviticus 2:5.)

And when it is baken thou shalt bring it in.—Better, thou shalt bring it well soaked. That is, thoroughly saturated with oil.

And the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer.—That is, a meat offering consisted of small roasted cakes. After the flour was put into the pan, and was soaked in oil, it was divided into and baked in small pieces, apparently to represent the limbs into which the victim of the burnt offering was divided before it was burnt. (See Leviticus 1:8.) During the second Temple the following practice obtained. The high priest brought the whole tenth part of flour every morning. After sanctifying the whole, he divided it into halves with the measure kept in the sanctuary. He likewise brought three logs of oil, which he mingled with the flour, and kneaded six cakes of each half. After baking the cakes a little, he fried them upon the pan with some of the oil, taking care not to bake them too much, but that they should be between baked and raw, in accordance with the expression, tuphinei, which the authorities of those days explained in this manner but which is rendered here in the Authorised Version by baked, and by us roasted cakes. Hereupon the high priest divided the six cakes into twelve cakes being the same number as those of the shewbread, and offered six subdivided in two in the morning and six in the evening.

Benson Commentary

Leviticus 6:20-21. When he is anointed — To be high-priest; for he only of all the priests was to be anointed in future ages. This law of his consecration was delivered before, and is here repeated because of some additions made to it. Perpetual — Whensoever any of them shall be so anointed. At night — Or, in the evening; the one to be annexed to the morning sacrifice, the other to the evening sacrifice, over and besides that offering of things inanimate, which every day was to be added to the daily morning and evening sacrifice. Thou shalt bring it in — Who art so anointed and consecrated.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:14-23 The law of the burnt-offerings put upon the priests a great deal of care and work; the flesh was wholly burnt, and the priests had nothing but the skin. But most of the meat-offering was their own. It is God's will that his ministers should be provided with what is needful.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See Leviticus 4:3. Aaron's sons here spoken of (as in Leviticus 6:22) must be the succession of high priests who succeeded him. The day of this offering was probably the eighth day of the ceremony of consecration Leviticus 8:35; Leviticus 9:1, when the high priest appears to have entered upon the duties of his office.

A meat offering perpetual - Jewish tradition is in favor of these words implying that this מנחה mı̂nchāh was offered by the high priest as a daily rite from the time of his consecration.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

20. This is the offering of Aaron, and of his sons—the daily meat offering of the high priest; for though his sons are mentioned along with him, it was probably only those of his descendants who succeeded him in that high office that are meant. It was to be offered, one half of it in the morning and the other half in the evening—being daily laid by the ministering priest on the altar of burnt offering, where, being dedicated to God, it was wholly consumed. This was designed to keep him and the other attendant priests in constant remembrance, that though they were typically expiating the sins of the people, their own persons and services could meet with acceptance only through faith, which required to be daily nourished and strengthened from above.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

When he is anointed; when any of them are anointed for high priest; for he only of all the priests was to be anointed in future ages. This law of his consecration was delivered before, Exodus 29:2,24,25, and is here repeated because of some additions made to it. A meat-offering perpetual, to wit, whensoever any of them shall be so anointed. At night, or, in the evening; the one to be annexed to the morning sacrifice, the other to the evening sacrifice, over and besides that meat-offering which every day was to be added to the daily morning and evening sacrifices, Exodus 29:40.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

This is the offering of Aaron and his sons,.... That is, of such of them as succeeded him in the high priesthood, as appears from Leviticus 6:22 so Aben Ezra, of him, or of one of his sons in his room; though some think the common priests offered the following oblation at the time of their initiation into their office, though they were not anointed as the high priest was, nor obliged as he to continue the offering daily:

which they shall offer unto the Lord in the day when he is anointed; when he, or any of his sons in his stead, were anointed, for as yet he himself was not; see Leviticus 8:2 some, as Aben Ezra observes, think that "in", is instead of "from", and that the sense is, that Aaron, or his successor, and every of them, were to offer the following offering perpetually from the time of their being anointed, and put into the office of the high priest, and which certainly was the case, as appears by what follows:

the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual; which was an omer, and as much as a man could eat in one day; and this the high priest offered every day, as long as he lived, or was in his office, and that at his own expense, as Josephus says (p), not altogether, but in the following manner:

half of it in the morning, and half of it at night; so that this constantly returned as the morning and evening sacrifices did, and followed them. Jarchi says of this, that it was the common meat offering at the consecration of a priest, but the high priest offered it every day; and it appears from the Misnic writers (q) that this meat offering consisted of twelve cakes, the same number as those of the shewbread; the same phrase, a "perpetual statute", being used of one as the other; and six of these were offered in the morning, and six at evening; and this as the daily sacrifice had the same mystical meaning, and respected the continual efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ.

(p) Antiqu. l. 3. c. 10. sect. 7. (q) Misn. Menachot, c. 6. sect. 5. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Geneva Study Bible

This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering {h} perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.

(h) So oft as the high priest shall be elected and anointed.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

20. the oblation of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer] Heb. bring near as in Leviticus 1:2; not a priestly action, for that is assigned to Moses in the next verse.

in the day when he is anointed] See above, and in the additional note on Leviticus 6:19-23.

the tenth part of an ephah] See Leviticus 5:11. An ephah was about a bushel.

fine flour] See introd. note on ch. 2.

perpetually] Heb. tâmîd, a term applied to the daily Burnt-Offering (Exodus 29:38-42 where it is translated continually in Exodus 29:38, continual in Exodus 29:42) and to the lamp (Leviticus 24:2-3 continually), though how the epithet is suitable for an offering brought on one occasion is not made clear. Accordingly Dillm. suggests that either ‘in the day when he is anointed’ or ‘perpetually’ is a later addition. Cp. add. note, p. 31.

Leviticus 6:20

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The Meat-Offering of the Priests is introduced, as a new law, with a special formula, and is inserted here in its proper place in the sacrificial instructions given for the priests, as it would have been altogether out of place among the general laws for the laity. In "the day of his anointing" (המּשׁח, construed as a passive with the accusative as in Genesis 4:18), Aaron and his sons were to offer a corban as "a perpetual meat-offering" (minchah, in the absolute instead of the construct state: cf. Exodus 29:42; Numbers 28:6; see Ges. 116, 6, Note b); and this was to be done in all future time by "the priest who was anointed of his sons in his stead," that is to say, by every high priest at the time of his consecration. "In the day of his anointing:" when the anointing was finished, the seven were designated as "the day," like the seven days of creation in Genesis 2:4. This minchah was not offered during the seven days of the anointing itself, but after the consecration was finished, i.e., in all probability, as the Jewish tradition assumes, at the beginning of the eighth day, when the high priest entered upon his office, viz., along with the daily morning sacrifices (Exodus 29:38-39), and before the offering described in Leviticus 9. It then continued to be offered, as "a perpetual minchah," every morning and evening during the whole term of his office, according to the testimony of the book of Wis. (45:14, where we cannot suppose the daily burnt-offering to be intended) and also of Josephus (Ant. 3:10, 7).

(Note: Vid., Lundius, jd. Heiligthmer, B. 3, c 9, 17 and 19; Thalhofer ut supra, p. 139; and Delitzsch on the Epistle to the Hebrews. The text evidently enjoins the offering of this minchah upon Aaron alone; for though Aaron and his sons are mentioned in Leviticus 6:13, as they were consecrated together, in Leviticus 6:15 the priest anointed of his sons in Aaron's stead, i.e., the successor of Aaron in the high-priesthood, is commanded to offer it. Consequently the view maintained by Maimonides, Abarbanel, and others, which did not become general even among the Rabbins, viz., that every ordinary priest was required to offer this meat-offering when entering upon his office, has no solid foundation in the law (see Selden de success. in pontif. ii. c. 9; L' Empereur ad Middoth 1, 4, Not. 8; and Thalhofer, p. 150).)

It was to consist of the tenth of an ephah of fine flour, one half of which was to be presented in the morning, the other in the evening; - not as flour, however, but made in a pan with oil, "roasted" and פּתּים מנחת ני תּפי ("broken pieces of a minchah of crumbs"), i.e., in broken pieces, like a minchah composed of crumbs. מרבּכת (Leviticus 6:14 and 1 Chronicles 23:29) is no doubt synonymous with מרבּכת סלת, and to be understood as denoting fine flour sufficiently burned or roasted in oil; the meaning mixed or mingled does not harmonise with Leviticus 7:12, where the mixing or kneading with oil is expressed by בּשּׁמן בּלוּלת. The hapax legomenon תּפיני signifies either broken or baked, according as we suppose the word to be derived from the Arabic 'afana diminuit, or, as Gesenius and the Rabbins do, from אפה to bake, a point which can hardly be decided with certainty. This minchah, which was also instituted as a perpetual ordinance, was to be burnt entirely upon the altar, like every meat-offering presented by a priest, because it belonged to the category of the burnt-offerings, and of these meat-offerings the offerer himself had no share (Leviticus 2:3, Leviticus 2:10). Origen observes in his homil. iv. in Levit.: In caeteris quidem praeceptis pontifex in offerendis sacrificiis populo praebet officium, in hoc vero mandato quae propria sunt curat et quod ad se spectat exequitur. It is also to be observed that the high priest was to offer only a bloodless minchah for himself, and not a bleeding sacrifice, which would have pointed to expiation. As the sanctified of the Lord, he was to draw near to the Lord every day with a sacrificial gift, which shadowed forth the fruits of sanctification.