R. K. Harrison - Leviticus

Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries

Volume 3

General Editor: Donald J. Wiseman

Leviticus

An Introduction and Commentary

R. K. Harrison

INTER-VARSITY PRESS

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INTERVARSITY PRESS

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R. K. Harrison, 1980

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Inter-Varsity Press.

First published 1980

Reprinted in this format 2008

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

UK ISBN: 978-1-84474-258-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

These data have been requested.

US ISBN: 978-0-8308-4203-2

CONTENTS

General preface

Authors preface

Chief abbreviations

Introduction

Title of the book

Nature of Leviticus

Authorship and date

Unity of Leviticus

Purpose of the book

Theology of Leviticus

Leviticus and the New Testament

The Hebrew text

Analysis

The sacrifices of Leviticus

Commentary

Probable plan of the tabernacle

The high priests breastpiece

The feasts of Leviticus 23 and other Old Testament calendars

Appendix A: Leviticus 13

Appendix B: Sex and its theology

GENERAL PREFACE

The aim of this series of Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, as it was in the companion volumes on the New Testament, is to provide the student of the Bible with a handy, up-to-date commentary on each book, with the primary emphasis on exegesis. Major critical questions are discussed in the introductions and additional notes, while undue technicalities have been avoided.

In this series individual authors are, of course, free to make their own distinct contributions and express their own point of view on all debated issues. Within the necessary limits of space they frequently draw attention to interpretations which they themselves do not hold but which represent the stated conclusions of sincere fellow Christians.

In the Old Testament in particular no single English translation is adequate to reflect the original text. The authors of these commentaries freely quote various versions, therefore, or give their own translation, in the endeavour to make the more difficult passages or words meaningful today. Where necessary, words from the Hebrew (and Aramaic) Text underlying their studies are transliterated. This will help the reader who may be unfamiliar with the Semitic languages to identify the word under discussion and thus to follow the argument. It is assumed throughout that the reader will have ready access to one, or more, reliable rendering of the Bible in English.

The book of Leviticus, much prized by our Jewish friends for its emphasis on a distinctive holiness to be displayed by Gods people, has too often been neglected by Christians, except for a few selected themes or incidents. Professor Harrison puts emphasis on the purpose and meaning of the various sacrifices and rituals, and on their relation to the New Testament which similarly challenges the reader to lead a holy life. He does much to make the book as a whole clear in its original setting and relevant for us today.

Interest in the meaning and message of the Old Testament continues undiminished and it is hoped that this series will thus further the systematic study of the revelation of God and his will and ways as seen in these records. It is the prayer of the editor and publisher, as of the authors, that these books will help many to understand, and to respond to, the Word of God today.

D. J. Wiseman

AUTHORS PREFACE

Leviticus is a book that is read all too infrequently by the Christian Bible student. Being a rather technical priestly work which deals to a large extent with the rituals and sacrifices of the old covenant, it is commonly imagined to have little relevance for those living in the age of grace.

A closer study of Leviticus, however, provides the reader with remarkable insights into the character and will of God, particularly in the matter of holiness. Amongst the pagan Near Eastern nations, holiness was a state of consecration to the service of a deity, and often involved the practice of immoral rites. For the Hebrews, to be holy as God is holy required a close relationship of obedience and faith, and a manifestation in daily life of the high moral and spiritual qualities characteristic of Gods nature as revealed in the Law. This same kind of holiness is demanded also of every believer in Jesus Christ.

Leviticus is thus a work of towering spirituality, which through the various sacrificial rituals points the reader unerringly to the atoning death of Jesus, our great High Priest. An eminent nineteenth-century writer once described Leviticus quite correctly as the seedbed of New Testament theology, for in this book is to be found the basis of Christian faith and doctrine. The Epistle to the Hebrews expounds Leviticus in this connection, and therefore merits careful study in its own right, since in the view of the present writer it is pre-eminent as a commentary on Leviticus.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all who have assisted me in the production of this book, and especially to Professor D. J. Wiseman for his general oversight and unfailing courtesy.

R. K. Harrison

Wycliffe College

University of Toronto

CHIEF ABBREVIATIONS

av The King James (Authorized) Version, 1611.

Heb. Hebrew.

HIOT R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, 1969.

IDB Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, 4 volumes, 1962.

jb The Jerusalem Bible, 1966.

lxx The Septuagint (Greek) Version of the Old Testament.

mg. margin.

mt Massoretic Text.

NBDThe New Bible Dictionary, 1962.

neb The New English Bible.

niv The New International Version.

rv The Revised Version, 1881.

VTVetus Testamentum.

ZPEBThe Zondervan Pictorial Encylopedia of the Bible, 5 volumes, 1975.

INTRODUCTION

Title of the book

In the Hebrew Bible the book of Leviticus is the third of the five books of the Law, or Torah, the authorship of which was attributed by ancient Hebrew tradition to Moses. The opening word of the book, wayyiqr , and he called, was used as a title by the Jews, who also described Leviticus by such designations as the law of the priests, the book of the priests, and the law of the offerings. These latter characterized the general contents of the book, recognizing it as a work intended principally for the Hebrew priesthood.

The Septuagint Greek version of the Old Testament entitled the book Leuitikon or Leueitikon , i.e. relating to the Levites. The Vulgate, which was a revision of the Old Latin version, rendered the Greek heading by the phrase Liber Leviticus , from which the title in the English Bible was derived. Although the book is much more concerned with the duties of priests than of Levites, the English title is not entirely inappropriate, since the Hebrew priesthood was essentially levitical in character (cf. Heb. 7:11).

Nature of Leviticus

Since Leviticus is basically a manual of priestly regulations and procedures, it is only natural that the purely historical element should be subordinated to ritual and legal considerations. Nevertheless, historical narratives are interwoven with sections of law and instructions concerning sacrificial procedures in such a way as to make it clear that Leviticus is closely connected historically with Exodus and Numbers. On purely stylistic grounds alone Leviticus is linked with Exodus 2040, and the association is demonstrated in the Hebrew text by means of the opening word of Leviticus, the very first consonant of which is a waw consecutive, indicating a direct connection with what has just preceded it, i.e. Exodus 40:38.