Naravist

The Torah · Old Testament

Leviticus 24

The sanctuary's lamp and bread, and a blasphemy case

General context

Israel must supply pure olive oil, and Aaron tends the sanctuary lamps from evening to morning. Twelve loaves are arranged before the Lord with frankincense and renewed each sabbath; Aaron and his sons eat them in the holy place. The account then turns to a fight in the camp. The unnamed son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man blasphemes and curses. He is brought to Moses and held while the Lord's direction is sought. The Lord commands the hearers to lay hands on his head and the congregation to stone him outside the camp. Laws concerning blasphemy, killing and bodily injury follow, distinguishing restoration for an animal from the death penalty for killing a person. The address requires the same law for resident foreigner and native. The closing verse reports that Israel carries out the command concerning the man.

Cited passages: Leviticus 24:1, Leviticus 24:2, Leviticus 24:3, Leviticus 24:4, Leviticus 24:5, Leviticus 24:6, Leviticus 24:7, Leviticus 24:8, Leviticus 24:9, Leviticus 24:10, Leviticus 24:11, Leviticus 24:12, Leviticus 24:13, Leviticus 24:14, Leviticus 24:15, Leviticus 24:16, Leviticus 24:17, Leviticus 24:18, Leviticus 24:19, Leviticus 24:20, Leviticus 24:21, Leviticus 24:22, Leviticus 24:23

Leviticus 24 (KJV)

1And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.

3Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the Lord continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.

4He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the Lord continually.

5And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.

6And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord.

7And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

8Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

9And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord 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 this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp;

11And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the Lord, 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 the mind of the Lord might be shewed them.

13And the Lord 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 the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.

17And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.

18And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.

19And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; 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 done to him again.

21And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.

22Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God.

23And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The lamps stand outside the veil, and the bread belongs to the ongoing sanctuary service. The accused man's mother is named Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, of Dan; neither the man nor his Egyptian father is named. The text gives neither the words of the curse nor a motive for the fight. The injury formula appears within the Lord's legal address to the community. Unlike a list of hypothetical penalties alone, this chapter also narrates custody, a command and its execution.

Cited passages: Leviticus 24:2, Leviticus 24:3, Leviticus 24:4, Leviticus 24:5, Leviticus 24:6, Leviticus 24:7, Leviticus 24:8, Leviticus 24:9, Leviticus 24:10, Leviticus 24:11, Leviticus 24:12, Leviticus 24:14, Leviticus 24:15, Leviticus 24:16, Leviticus 24:17, Leviticus 24:18, Leviticus 24:19, Leviticus 24:20, Leviticus 24:21, Leviticus 24:22, Leviticus 24:23

Literary context

The chapter shifts from recurring sanctuary provision to a particular incident and then to general law. The case pauses while the Lord's judgment is sought, and the closing verse returns to that case after the laws have been stated. The command for one law across native and foreign status is part of this legal address; the passage does not explore every other social distinction.

Cited passages: Leviticus 24:2, Leviticus 24:3, Leviticus 24:4, Leviticus 24:5, Leviticus 24:6, Leviticus 24:7, Leviticus 24:8, Leviticus 24:9, Leviticus 24:10, Leviticus 24:11, Leviticus 24:12, Leviticus 24:14, Leviticus 24:15, Leviticus 24:16, Leviticus 24:17, Leviticus 24:18, Leviticus 24:19, Leviticus 24:20, Leviticus 24:21, Leviticus 24:22, Leviticus 24:23

Key moments

  1. Bread set out each sabbath (Leviticus 24:8). The bread is arranged before the Lord as part of an enduring covenant provision.
  2. Waiting for direction (Leviticus 24:12). The accused man is held while the Lord's direction is sought.
  3. One manner of law (Leviticus 24:22). The address requires the same law for the foreign resident and the native.

For reflection

What is the effect of placing a general statement of law inside the account of this particular case?

People in this chapter

Also indexed here:

  • Dibri
  • Shelomith