Note: Words are shown in their original Hebrew order, which differs from English translations. This reflects the emphasis and structure of Scripture as originally written. Click any word to see its full lexicon entry.
2“If someone sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in regard to a deposit or security entrusted to him or stolen, or if he extorts his neighbor
4once he has sinned and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,
5or anything else about which he has sworn falsely. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value, and pay it to the owner on the day he acknowledges his guilt.
9“Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.
10And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed and place them beside it.
12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.
15The priest is to remove a handful of fine flour and olive oil, together with all the frankincense from the grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
16Aaron and his sons are to eat the remainder. It must be eaten without leaven in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.
17It must not be baked with leaven; I have assigned it as their portion of My offerings made by fire. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
18Any male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. This is a permanent portion from the offerings made by fire to the LORD for the generations to come. Anything that touches them will become holy.”
20“This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the LORD on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.
21It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle; you are to bring it well-kneaded and present it as a grain offering broken in pieces, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
22The priest, who is one of Aaron’s sons and will be anointed to take his place, is to prepare it. As a permanent portion for the LORD, it must be burned completely.
24And the LORD said to Moses,25“Tell Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered before the LORD; it is most holy.26The priest who offers it shall eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.27Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place.28The clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the pot must be scoured and rinsed with water.29Any male among the priests may eat it; it is most holy.30But no sin offering may be eaten if its blood has been brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it must be burned.
Study Notes — Leviticus 6
6 sections
Leviticus 6 addresses two critical dimensions of Israel's worship and community life: restitution for sin and the detailed regulations governing the sacrificial system. The opening passage (verses 1–7) establishes that genuine repentance includes material restoration—when a believer wrongs another through theft, fraud, or broken trust, confession and forgiveness require making full restitution plus a penalty. The remainder of the chapter provides the priesthood with precise instructions for maintaining the altar fire, managing the grain offering, and properly handling the sin offering. This chapter emphasizes that worship without integrity is hollow, and that approaching God demands both personal honesty and careful reverence in how we handle sacred things.
The LORD outlines specific cases where a believer has sinned against another person while simultaneously sinning against the LORD: lying about something entrusted to one's care, deceiving a neighbour, denying involvement in a violent act, or swearing falsely about found property. The common thread is broken trust in community relationships. When guilt is established, the offender must restore the full amount plus one-fifth (20 percent) as compensation for the loss and harm caused. This demonstrates that biblical ethics are deeply relational—sin against our neighbour is ultimately sin against God, and forgiveness begins with concrete restitution, not mere words.
After making restitution, the guilty party brings a ram without blemish to the priest. This trespass offering (or guilt offering) is the mechanism by which the priestly system mediates reconciliation with God. Verse 7 contains the promise: the priest's intercession before the LORD results in forgiveness "for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein." This reveals a profound principle—we cannot simply forgive ourselves or earn God's favour through human effort alone. We need a mediator, a sacrifice, and priestly intercession. New Testament believers see in this a beautiful foreshadowing of Christ's mediatorial work.
The burnt offering required constant attention: the fire on the altar must never go out (verse 13). Each morning, the priest, dressed in holy linen garments, would collect the ashes and carry them outside the camp to a clean place, then kindle fresh wood and lay new offerings upon the still-burning coals. This unceasing flame symbolized Israel's continual dedication to the LORD and the perpetual nature of acceptable worship. The meticulous care required demonstrates that worship is not casual; it demands priestly vigilance and faithful stewardship.
The grain (or meal) offering—made of fine flour, oil, and frankincense—had a special character: a memorial portion was burned on the altar, while the remainder became food for Aaron and his sons, eaten as unleavened bread in the holy place (verses 14–18). When a priest was newly anointed, he offered a perpetual daily grain offering, half in the morning and half at evening (verses 20–21), which was wholly consumed by fire rather than eaten. This underscored that the priestly office itself existed in a state of constant dedication.
The sin offering occupied a distinct category in Israel's sacrificial system. Priests who offered it ate the flesh in the holy place (verses 26–29), but when the high priest or the whole congregation made a sin offering, that blood was brought into the tabernacle for atonement in the holy place—and in such cases, the flesh was not eaten but burned completely (verse 30). This distinction reinforced that proximity to the holy brings greater responsibility and stricter separation from ordinary use.
Application for Today
Leviticus 6 challenges modern believers: our worship and prayer are only as genuine as our willingness to make things right with those we have wronged. We cannot hide relational sin behind religious ritual. Further, we are called to approach God through Christ, our perfect High Priest and Sacrifice, who mediates for us continually. Finally, the constancy of the altar fire invites us to examine whether our own devotion to Christ burns with steady, faithful intensity—not flickering with the circumstances of life.
Study Notes — Leviticus 6
6 sectionsLeviticus 6 addresses two critical dimensions of Israel's worship and community life: restitution for sin and the detailed regulations governing the sacrificial system. The opening passage (verses 1–7) establishes that genuine repentance includes material restoration—when a believer wrongs another through theft, fraud, or broken trust, confession and forgiveness require making full restitution plus a penalty. The remainder of the chapter provides the priesthood with precise instructions for maintaining the altar fire, managing the grain offering, and properly handling the sin offering. This chapter emphasizes that worship without integrity is hollow, and that approaching God demands both personal honesty and careful reverence in how we handle sacred things.
The LORD outlines specific cases where a believer has sinned against another person while simultaneously sinning against the LORD: lying about something entrusted to one's care, deceiving a neighbour, denying involvement in a violent act, or swearing falsely about found property. The common thread is broken trust in community relationships. When guilt is established, the offender must restore the full amount plus one-fifth (20 percent) as compensation for the loss and harm caused. This demonstrates that biblical ethics are deeply relational—sin against our neighbour is ultimately sin against God, and forgiveness begins with concrete restitution, not mere words.
After making restitution, the guilty party brings a ram without blemish to the priest. This trespass offering (or guilt offering) is the mechanism by which the priestly system mediates reconciliation with God. Verse 7 contains the promise: the priest's intercession before the LORD results in forgiveness "for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein." This reveals a profound principle—we cannot simply forgive ourselves or earn God's favour through human effort alone. We need a mediator, a sacrifice, and priestly intercession. New Testament believers see in this a beautiful foreshadowing of Christ's mediatorial work.
The burnt offering required constant attention: the fire on the altar must never go out (verse 13). Each morning, the priest, dressed in holy linen garments, would collect the ashes and carry them outside the camp to a clean place, then kindle fresh wood and lay new offerings upon the still-burning coals. This unceasing flame symbolized Israel's continual dedication to the LORD and the perpetual nature of acceptable worship. The meticulous care required demonstrates that worship is not casual; it demands priestly vigilance and faithful stewardship.
The grain (or meal) offering—made of fine flour, oil, and frankincense—had a special character: a memorial portion was burned on the altar, while the remainder became food for Aaron and his sons, eaten as unleavened bread in the holy place (verses 14–18). When a priest was newly anointed, he offered a perpetual daily grain offering, half in the morning and half at evening (verses 20–21), which was wholly consumed by fire rather than eaten. This underscored that the priestly office itself existed in a state of constant dedication.
The sin offering occupied a distinct category in Israel's sacrificial system. Priests who offered it ate the flesh in the holy place (verses 26–29), but when the high priest or the whole congregation made a sin offering, that blood was brought into the tabernacle for atonement in the holy place—and in such cases, the flesh was not eaten but burned completely (verse 30). This distinction reinforced that proximity to the holy brings greater responsibility and stricter separation from ordinary use.
Leviticus 6 challenges modern believers: our worship and prayer are only as genuine as our willingness to make things right with those we have wronged. We cannot hide relational sin behind religious ritual. Further, we are called to approach God through Christ, our perfect High Priest and Sacrifice, who mediates for us continually. Finally, the constancy of the altar fire invites us to examine whether our own devotion to Christ burns with steady, faithful intensity—not flickering with the circumstances of life.