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Leviticus

Leviticus

Summary of the Book of Leviticus

By H. A. (Buster) Dobbs
  1. Introduction.
    1. The author is generally conceited to be Moses
    2. The book is regarded as a handbook for priests
    3. Leviticus contains laws regulating priests, purity, sacrifices, and holy days
  2. Sacrifices (1:1 to 7:38)
    1. Burnt offering (1:1-17)
      1. Offering of a bullock
        1. The animal’s body was consumed entirely in the fire
        2. It was a free will offering - surrender of life and will to God (1:2-3)
        3. It was the giving of something of value (1:3)
        4. It was an atonement (1:4)
        5. It was deliberate and meditative (1:4-5)
        6. The hide was given to the priest (1:6; 7:8)
      2. Offering of sheep and goats (1:10-13)
      3. Offering of fowls (1:14-17)
    2. Meat (meal) offering, bloodless and voluntary homage (2:1-16)
      1. The priest burned a portion and retained the balance (2:2-3)
      2. Offering of unleavened cakes (biscuits, or pancakes ( 2:4-10)
      3. Leaven and honey forbidden to be burned on the altar (2:11)
      4. Leaven and honey may be offered, but not burned (2:12)
      5. Offerings to be made with salt (2:13)
      6. Corn (grain) offered with frankincense and oil (2:14-16)
    3. Peace offering (3:1-17)
      1. Offering of the herd – male or female - bull, calf, cow, ox - (3:1-5)
      2. Offering of the flock – lamb (3:6-11)
      3. Offering of goat (3:12-16)
      4. Forbidden to eat fat or blood (3:17)
    4. Sin offering (4:1 to 5:13)
      1. If the sin is done through ignorance (4:2)
      2. If a high priest sin (4:3-12)
      3. If the whole congregation of Israel sin (4:13-21)
      4. If a ruler sin (4:22-26)
      5. If a common person sin (4:27-35)
      6. Three specific things requiring a sin offering (5:1-6)
      7. Concessions made to poverty (5:7-13)
    5. Trespass offering (5:14 to 6:7)
      1. If the trespass is done through ignorance (5:14)
      2. Failing to pay tithes and offering to Jehovah (5:15-19)
      3. Dealing falsely with a neighbor (6:1-7)
    6. Additional rules concerning sacrifices (6:8 to 7:38)
      1. Fire of the altar to never go out (6:8-13)
      2. Priestly portion of meat (meal) offering (6:14-18)
      3. Priestly offering of meal (cereal) (6:19-23)
      4. Priests portion and handling of sin offering (6:24-30)
      5. Further rules for trespass offerings (7:1-7)
      6. Skin of burnt offering belongs to priest (7:8)
      7. Instructions to priests for handling sacrifices (7:9-21)
      8. Not to eat the fat of a sacrifice nor any blood ever (7:22-27)
      9. Portion of peach offering belong to the priests (7:28-34)
      10. Conclusion of the section on sacrifices (7:35-38)
  3. Hereditary Priestly System (8:1 to 10:20)
    1. Consecration of Aaron and his sons (8:1-36)
      1. Anointing of Aaron and his sons (8:1-13)
      2. Sin offering for Aaron and his sons (8:14-17)
      3. Burnt offering for Aaron and his sons (8:18-21)
      4. Ram of consecration offered for Aaron and his sons (8:22-30)
    2. Aaron’s offerings for himself and the people (9:1-21)
    3. Priestly blessing of the people (9:22-23)
    4. Jehovah accepts the sacrifices by fire (9:24)
    5. Historical section (10:1-20)
      1. Sin and punishment of Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron (10:1-7)
      2. Law of wine and strong drink for the priests (10:8-9)
      3. Distinguish between holy and unholy (10:10)
      4. Priests to be teachers of the people (10:11)
      5. Law of priests eating holy things (10:12-20)
  4. Laws Concerning Purity
    1. Laws of purity for Israel (11:1 to 15:33)
      1. Ceremonial uncleanness (11:1 to 15)
        1. Unclean beasts that may not be eaten (11:2-47)
        2. Purification following childbirth (12:1-8)
        3. Laws concerning leprosy (13:1-59)
        4. Ceremonial cleansing for leprosy (14:1-57)
      2. Issues from human body (15:1-33)
    2. Day of atonement (16:1-34)
      1. Forbidden to enter holy place within the vail (16:2)
      2. Bathing and dressing (16:4)
      3. Sin offering for self (16:6)
      4. Sin offering for people (16:5)
      5. Cast lots for two goats – one sacrificed and one released (16:5-8)
      6. Sacrificed the bullock (16:11)
      7. Holy place within the vail with censer and incense (16:12-13)
      8. Return to Holy of Holies with bullock’s blood (16:14)
      9. Came out into court and killed the goat (16:15)
      10. Return to Holy of Holies with goat’s blood (16:15)
      11. Purified tabernacle (16:16-17)
      12. Blood placed on horns of the altar (16:18-19)
      13. Remaining goat released (16:20-22)
      14. Bathed again and changed his clothes (16:23)
      15. Sacrificed two rams (16:24-25)
      16. He that released the scapegoat shall wash (16:26)
      17. Remainder of sin offerings burned without the camp (16:27-28)
      18. Everlasting statute (16:29-34)
    3. Various laws concerning sacrifices (17:1-16)
      1. No sacrifices allowed away from the tabernacle (17:1-9)
      2. No eating of blood (17:10-14)
      3. Eating that which died of itself, or was torn (17:15-16)
  5. Preserving Holiness (18:1 to 27:34)
    1. Unlawful marriages and lusts (18:1-30)
      1. Incest forbidden (18:6)
      2. Homosexuality forbidden (18:22)
      3. Bestiality forbidden (18:23)
    2. Various laws governing moral uncleanness (19:1 to 20:27)
    3. Rules governing behavior of priests (21:1 to 22:16)
    4. Rules for sacrifices (22:17-33)
    5. Feasts and holy days (23:1-44)
      1. Seventh day sabbath (23:3)
      2. Passover (23:4-14)
      3. Pentecost, or first fruits (23:15-21)
      4. Feast of trumpets, New Year’s day of civil year (23:22-25)
      5. Day of atonement (23:26-32)
      6. Feast of tabernacles (lived in booths) (23:33-44)
    6. Sundry rules (24:1-23)
      1. Oil for the tabernacle lamps (24:1-8)
      2. Twelve cakes of fine flour - shewbread (24:5-9)
      3. Blaspheming God punished by death (24:10-16)
      4. Eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth (24:17-23)
    7. Sabbatical year – every seven years (25:1-7)
    8. Year of Jubilee – every fiftieth year (25:8-24)
      1. Treatment of the poor (25:25-28)
      2. Land sold and redeemed (25:29-34)
      3. No usury to be taken of a brother (25:35-38)
      4. Treatment of a brother Jew (25:39-46)
      5. Redeeming Jews sold to non-Jews (25:47-55)
    9. Promises and warnings (26:1-46)
      1. Blessing for obedience (26:1-13)
      2. A curse for disobedience (26:14-46)
    10. Vows and tithes (27:1-34)
Leviticus

Moses, Hebrew prophet and lawgiver, founder of the Jewish people. The story of his life is set forth principally in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. According to this account, Moses was born in ancient Egypt, where the Hebrews lived at the time. When the pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler, ordered the death of all Hebrew male infants, Moses's mother set him afloat on the Nile River in a basket. He was rescued by the pharaoh's daughter, who brought the infant up as her own child. As an adult, Moses killed an Egyptian and fled from Egypt, living as a shepherd until he was 80 years of age. At this time Yahweh, the god of the Hebrews, commanded Moses to lead his people out of bondage in Egypt.

After convincing the pharaoh to release the Hebrews, Moses led them toward Canaan. A miracle allowed the Hebrews to cross the Red Sea and destroyed an Egyptian army that came upon them. When the Hebrews reached Mount Sinai, Moses ascended the mountain, where Yahweh gave him the Ten Commandments. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Hebrews came at last to Canaan, but Moses died without entering the promised land. Moses was reputedly the author of the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament) as well as other parts of the Old Testament.

Leviticus, book of the Old Testament, third of the five biblical books called the Pentateuch. Leviticus concerns the Levitical priests and their functions. It contains the sacrificial and ritual laws, moral teachings, and social regulations that the "Lord said to Moses" (a phrase repeated in the first verse of many chapters) after the raising of the tabernacle.

Ten chapters of Leviticus (chapters 17-26) are designated by some scholars as the Law of Holiness, or Holiness Code, mainly because of their repeated references to the ritual holiness of objects and persons, and the frequent appearance of God in the first person (20:7-8, for example). Scholars maintain that the ethical admonitions, ceremonial laws, and social regulations preserved in Leviticus were compiled in the 5th century BC by priests of the Temple in Jerusalem, who incorporated materials and customs from earlier periods.

Leviticus was written by Moses shortly after 1446 B.C. Indications in Leviticus itself give indication that Moses recorded the events in the Sinai.