This volume in the popular Interpretation series presents the book of Leviticus. It focuses on the history of Israel during this time when Israel's life was marked by the various ritual sacrifices and observances commanded by God for the ordering of the nation's life.Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

Samuel E. Balentine is Russell T. Cherry Professor of Old Testament Studies at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.

Introduction	p. 1
Reading and Appropriating Ritual Texts	p. 3
"Speak to the People of Israel"	p. 5
Leviticus and the Torah's Vision of Worship	p. 10
Commentary
The Gift of Sacrifice Leviticus 1-7	p. 19
1:1-17 Burnt Offerings	p. 19
Introduction (1:1-2)	p. 20
"If the Offering Is a Burnt Offering from the Herd" (1:3-9)	p. 21
"If Your Gift ... Is from the Flock" (1:10-13)	p. 26
"If Your Offering Is ... a Burnt Offering of Birds" (1:14-17)	p. 26
Theological Reflections	p. 27
2:1-16 Cereal Offerings	p. 29
Uncooked Wheat (2:1-3)	p. 30
Cooked Wheat (2:4-10)	p. 31
Special Instructions (2:11-13)	p. 31
Natural Barley (2:14-16)	p. 32
3:1-17 Well-Being Offerings	p. 33
"If You Offer an Animal from the Herd" (3:1-5)	p. 33
"If Your Offering ... Is from the Flock" (3:6-16a)	p. 35
"All Fat Is the Lord's" (3:16b-17)	p. 35
Further Reflections on Voluntary Offerings	p. 36
4:1-5:13 The Purification Offering	p. 40
Introduction (4:1-2)	p. 41
"If It Is the Anointed Priest Who Sins" (4:3-12)	p. 41
"If the Whole Congregation of Israel Errs Unintentionally" (4:13-21)	p. 43
"When a Ruler" or "Anyone of the Ordinary People" Sins (4:22-35)	p. 44
Specific Cases and Special Concessions (5:1-13)	p. 45
5:14-6:7 The Reparation Offering (MT: 5:14-26)	p. 46
Violation of the "Holy Things of the Lord" (5:14-19)	p. 47
Violation of Other Human Beings (6:1-7) (MT: 5:20-26)	p. 48
The Burden of Sin, the Hope of Forgiveness, and the Gift of Ritual	p. 50
6:8-7:38 Further Instructions concerning Sacrifices (MT: 6:1-7:38)	p. 60
Ordination, Holy Worship, and Unholy Behavior Leviticus 8-10	p. 69
8:1-36 The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons	p. 70
Assembling the Materials and the Persons (8:1-5)	p. 71
The Ordination Ceremony (8:6-30)	p. 73
Final Instructions (8:31-36)	p. 78
9:1-24 The Eighth Day: Holy Worship	p. 80
10:1-20 The Eighth Day: Unholy Behavior	p. 82
Priestly Misconduct (10:1-7)	p. 84
Instructions for the Priests (10:8-11)	p. 85
Priestly Misconduct and a Resolution (10:12-20)	p. 87
Instructions on Purity and Impurity Leviticus 11-15	p. 91
11:1-47 Clean and Unclean Animals	p. 93
The Categorization of Clean and Unclean Animals (11:2-23, 41-45)	p. 95
Ritual Procedures for Purification (11:24-40)	p. 98
The Purpose of the Instructions (11:46-47)	p. 99
12:1-8 The Uncleanness of Childbirth	p. 100
13-14 The Uncleanness of Skin Disease	p. 104
The First Speech: Skin Diseases and Related Matters (13:1-59)	p. 106
The Second Speech: The Purification Ritual for a Person Recovered from a Skin Disease (14:1-32)	p. 109
The Third Speech: Purification Rituals for an Unclean House (14:33-53)	p. 112
For Further Reflection: "Have You Considered My Servant Job?"	p. 113
15:1-33 The Uncleanness of Genital Discharges	p. 118
Male Discharges (15:1-17)	p. 120
Sexual Intercourse (15:18)	p. 121
Female Discharges (15:19-30)	p. 122
Concluding Statement (15:31-33)	p. 124
The Day of Purification Leviticus 16:1-34	p. 125
Precautions and Preparations (16:1-2, 3-10)	p. 126
The Ritual Proper (16:11-28)	p. 127
Instructions for Regularizing the Ritual (16:29-34a)	p. 133
An "Everlasting Statute" ... for Jews and Christians?	p. 135
The Holiness Code Leviticus 17-27	p. 141
17:1-16 The Slaughter and Consumption of Meat	p. 143
The First Three Prohibitions (17:1-9)	p. 144
The Central Prohibition: "No Person among You Shall Eat Blood" (17:10-12)	p. 146
Two Positive Commands (17:13-16)	p. 148
18:1-20:27 "You Shall Be Holy, for I the Lord Your God Am Holy"	p. 149
Framing Exhortations (18:1-5, 24-30; 20:7-8, 22-26)	p. 151
Framing Prohibitions (18:6-23; 20:2-21, 27)	p. 155
The Central Summons to Holiness (19:1-36)	p. 160
21:1-22:33 You Shall Be Holy ... because I YHWH Am Making You Holy	p. 167
Instructions to Priests concerning Mourning and Marriage (21:1-9 and 21:10-16)	p. 168
Instructions concerning Disqualifying Blemishes (21:16-24)	p. 169
Instructions concerning Eating Sacred Food (22:1-9 and 22:10-16)	p. 170
Instructions concerning Blemished Sacrificial Animals (22:17-33)	p. 170
23:1-44 The Holy Calendar	p. 172
Introduction: The Sabbath (23:1-3)	p. 173
The Spring Festivals (23:4-22)	p. 175
The Fall Festivals (23:23-43)	p. 178
Further Reflections on Sacred Time	p. 180
24:1-23 Oil, Bread, and Blasphemy	p. 186
The Oil and the Bread (24:1-9)	p. 187
A Case of Blasphemy (24:10-23)	p. 188
25:1-26:46 Sabbatical Year, Jubilee, and Blessings and Curses	p. 193
Sabbatical Cycles and Provision for the "Redemption of the Land" (25:1-24)	p. 194
The Jubilee's Guarantee of Redemption (25:25-55)	p. 195
"Keep My Sabbaths" (26:1-2)	p. 197
Blessings and Curses (26:3-39)	p. 198
"But if They Confess Their Iniquity" (26:40-46)	p. 201
The Sabbatical Vision of Liberty and Justice for All	p. 203
27:1-34 Vows, Consecrations, and Other "Gifts" to God	p. 207
Vows of Persons and Animals (27:1-13)	p. 207
Consecrations of Houses and Fields (27:14-25)	p. 209
Restrictions on Vows and Consecrations (27:26-34)	p. 210
Final Words	p. 212
Bibliography	p. 215
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