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Leviticus Chapter 24

Old Testament Law (Torah) 23 Verses

What is Leviticus 24 about?

Laws of sacrifice, ritual purity, and the priestly system — revealing how a holy God dwells among sinful people. The complete chapter text below provides the immediate literary context for study.

Text — American Standard Version (1901)

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. For original Hebrew/Greek interlinear text, open in BibleWord.ai.
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
3Without the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron keep it in order from evening to morning before Jehovah continually: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations.
4He shall keep in order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before Jehovah continually.
5And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth parts [of an ephah] shall be in one cake.
6And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before Jehovah.
7And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
8Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before Jehovah continually; it is on the behalf of the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant.
9And it shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire by a perpetual statute.
10And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp:
11and the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother`s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.
12And they put him in ward, that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of Jehovah.
13And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
14Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
15And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.
16And he that blasphemeth the name of Jehovah, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the sojourner, as the home-born, when he blasphemeth the name [of Jehovah], shall be put to death.
17And he that smiteth any man mortally shall surely be put to death.
18And he that smiteth a beast mortally shall make it good, life for life.
19And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him:
20breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be rendered unto him.
21And he that killeth a beast shall make it good: and he that killeth a man shall be put to death.
22Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the sojourner, as for the home-born: for I am Jehovah your God.
23And Moses spake to the children of Israel; and they brought forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. And the children of Israel did as Jehovah commanded Moses.
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What do historical commentaries say about this chapter?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · on verse 1
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, etc.] After he had delivered to him the laws concerning the purity of the priests, and the perfection of the sacrifices they were to offer, and concerning the feasts the people were to keep, he spoke to Moses of some other things which concerned both people and priests: saying; as follows.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“OIL FOR THE LAMPS. (Lev. 24:1-23) Command the children of Israel--This is the repetition of a law previously given (Exo 27:20-21). pure oil olive beaten--or cold-drawn, which is always of great purity.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“The oil for the lamps of the tabernacle and the meal for the showbread were to be offerings from the Congregation, like the meal for the Pentecostal loaves, Leviticus 23:17. It appears that the responsibility of keeping up the lights rested on the high priest, but the actual service might be performed, on ordinary occasions, by the common priests. Compare margin reference. Leviticus 24:5 Each cake or loaf of unleavened bread Leviticus 2:11 was to contain about six pounds and a quarter (see Exodus 29:40 note) of fine flour. The material was the same, both in quality and in quantity, with that of each one of the…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · on verse 2
“To cause the lamps to burn - Heb. the lamp: yet Lev 24:4, it is the lamps: The seven lamps made all one lamp. In allusion to which, the Blessed Spirit is represented, Rev 4:5, by seven lamps of fire before the throne. For there are diversities of gifts, but one spirit. Leviticus 24:3”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · on verse 5
“24:5 Traditionally called the “shewbread” (kjv), twelve flat loaves (see Exod 25:30) of this bread, the “Bread of the Presence,” were to be placed on the table in the Holy Place each Sabbath (Exod 25:23-30). This bread was considered part of the priest’s portion of the offerings. David and his men ate this bread while fleeing from Saul (1 Sam 21:1-6; see Matt 12:1-8).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · on verse 2
“that they: Exo 27:20, Exo 27:21, Exo 39:37, Exo 40:24; Num 8:2-4; Sa1 3:3, Sa1 3:4 the lamps: Ch2 13:11; Psa 119:105, Psa 119:130; Pro 6:23; Isa 8:20, Isa 11:2; Mat 4:16, Mat 5:16; Mat 25:1-8; Luk 1:79, Luk 12:35; Joh 1:4, Joh 1:9, Joh 5:35, Joh 8:12; Act 26:18; Co2 4:6; Eph 1:17, Eph 1:18, Eph 5:8-14; Phi 2:15, Phi 2:16 burn continually: Heb. ascend Leviticus 24:4”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · on verse 1
“The directions concerning the oil for the holy candlestick ( Lev 24:1-4) and the preparation of the shew-bread ( Lev 24:5-9) lose the appearance of an interpolation, when we consider and rightly understand on the one hand the manner in which the two are introduced in Lev 24:2, and on the other their significance in relation to the worship of God. The introductory formula, "Command the children of Israel that they fetch (bring)," shows that the command relates to an offering on the part of the congregation, a sacrificial gift, with which Israel was to serve the Lord continually. This service consisted in the fact,…”
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