Leviticus 22:16

_AND THEY SHALL NOT PROFANE THE HOLY THINGS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, WHICH THEY OFFER UNTO THE LORD;_ They shall not profane. There is some difficulty felt in determining to whom "they" refers. The subject of the preceding context being occupied about the priests, it is supposed by some that this relates to them also; and the meaning is, that the whole people would incur guilt through the fault of the priests, if they should defile the sacred offerings, which they would have done, had they presented them while under any defilement (Calvin). According to others, "the children of Israel" is the nominative in the sentence; which thus signifies-The children of Israel shall not profane or defile their offerings, by touching them or reserving any part of them, lest they incur the guilt of eating what is divinely appointed to the priests alone (Calmet)....

These verses are rather difficult. Their meaning appears to be: “The holy things of the children of Israel which are heaved before Yahweh” (see Leviticus 7:30) “shall not be profaned; and they shall incur a sin of trespass who eat of their holy things (so as to profane them).”...

EXPOSITION This chapter, which is a continuation of Leviticus 21:1, (1) commands that the ceremonially defiled priest shall not officiate or partake of the sacrificial offerings; (2) declares who may and who may not partake of the priests' portions of the sacrifices; (3) orders that every sacrificial victim be unblemished. LEVITICUS 22:1 In the previous chapter, the priests have been commanded to avoid occasions of ceremonial defilement, but there are times in which they must be unclean. At these times they are here instructed that they must abstain from their priestly functions, and not even eat of the priests' portions until they have been cleansed. The command to Aaron and to

OR SUFFER THEM TO BEAR THE INIQUITY OF TRESPASS,.... The punishment of sin: either the strangers, WHEN THEY EAT THEIR HOLY THINGS; the holy things belonging to the priests, which they permitting them to do, suffer them to be liable to the punishment incurred thereby, or else the priests themselves; so the Septuagint version renders the word "themselves"; and in like manner Jarchi interprets it; and then the sense may be, according to the Targums of Jonathan and Onkelos, that the priests shall bear the punishment of their sins, "when they shall eat the holy things in uncleanness,'' which is what is forbidden them in the former part of the chapter; but this seems to be too remote; rather the former sense is best: FOR I THE LORD DO SANCTIFY THEM; both the priests, to whom the holy things belong, and the holy things for their use, and the use of their families, and them only....

CHAPTER 22 _ 1. Care to be exercised in holy things (Leviticus 22:1)_ 2. Care in the enforcement of the law of offerings (Leviticus 22:17) Uncleanness such as mentioned in the first part of the chapter prohibited the partaking of holy things. Strangers who did not belong to the priestly house and even the married daughter of the priest, not living in the priestly household, were not permitted to eat of the offering of the holy things. Holy things have to be used in a reverent and holy way. The same principle holds good in the New Testament. We may well think here of the Lord's table. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23. Coming to the Lord's table to remember Him requires self-judg

RULES FOR PRIESTS-' FAMILIES, ETC. A priest's slave is a member of his family, and may eat of the dues; a hired servant or a guest is not. Nor is a married daughter, unless she returns, a childless widow, to her father's house. Infringement by a layman of the rules for holy things means a guilt offering (Leviticus 5:15), _i.e._ restoration of an equally valuable object plus one-fifth....

INIQUITY. penalty. Put by Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Cause). App-6. Hebrew. _'avon._ App-44. TRESPASS. Hebrew. _'aSamaritan Pentateuch_ App-44. I THE LORD DO SANCTIFY.. Jehovah title. See note on Leviticus 21:8, and App-4....

_to bear the iniquity that bringeth guilt_ The expression is unique....

THE RIGHTS OF THE PRIEST'S FAMILY TO THE HOLY THINGS 22:11-16 TEXT 22:11-16 11 But if a priest buy any soul, the purchase of his money, he shall eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they shall eat of his bread. 12 And if a priest's daughter be married unto a stranger, she shall not eat of the heave-offering of the holy things. 13 But if a priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and be returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's bread: but there shall no stranger eat thereof. 14 And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give unto the priest the holy thing. 15 And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto Jehovah, 16 and s_o_ cause them to bear the iniquity that bringeth guilt, when they eat their holy...

LAWS RELATING TO THE PRIESTHOOD AND SACRIFICE (CONTINUED) 1-6. The holy things may not be eaten by priests otherwise qualified, but ceremonially unclean, nor by any persons outside the priestly family....