Leviticus 22 · WEB
Holy Things: Priestly Eligibility and Acceptable Offerings
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2"Tell Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they make holy to me, and that they not profane my holy name. I am Yahweh.
3"Tell them, 'If any man of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things, which the children of Israel make holy to Yahweh, while his uncleanness is on him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence. I am Yahweh.
4"'Whatever man of the offspring of Aaron has a skin disease or a discharge, he shall not eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean because of the dead, or a man who has had an emission of semen,
5or whoever touches any creeping thing by which he may be made unclean, or a man from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has—
6the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until the evening, and shall not eat of the holy things unless he bathes his body in water.
7When the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall eat of the holy things; for it is his food.
8He shall not eat that which dies of itself, or is torn by animals, defiling himself by it. I am Yahweh.
9"'They shall therefore keep my command, lest they bear sin and die thereby, if they profane it. I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.
10"'No stranger shall eat of the holy thing. A sojourner of the priest's, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.
11But if a priest buys a slave, purchased by his money, he shall eat of it; and those who are born in his house shall eat of his food.
12If a priest's daughter is married to an outsider, she shall not eat of the offering of the holy things.
13But if a priest's daughter is a widow, or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's food. No outsider shall eat of it.
14"'If a man eats of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part of it to it, and shall give it to the priest with the holy thing.
15The priests shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer to Yahweh;
16and so cause them to bear the iniquity that brings guilt, when they eat their holy things; for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.'"
17Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
18"Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, 'Whoever is of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, who offers his offering, whether it is any of their vows, or any of their freewill offerings, which they offer to Yahweh for a burnt offering—
19you shall offer a male without defect of the cattle, of the sheep, or of the goats, for your acceptance.
20"'Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer; for it will not be acceptable for you.
21Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh, to accomplish a vow, or as a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted; no defect shall be in it.
22Blind, injured, maimed, having a wart, eczema, or scabs — you shall not offer these to Yahweh, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to Yahweh.
23Either a bull or a lamb that has any deformity or lacking in his parts, you may offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
24You must not offer to Yahweh that which has its testicles bruised, crushed, broken, or cut. You shall not do this in your land.
25Neither shall you offer the bread of your God from the hand of a foreigner; because their corruption is in them, there is a defect in them. They shall not be accepted for you.'"
26Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
27"When a bull, a sheep, or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother. From the eighth day and onward it shall be acceptable as an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
28Whether it is a cow or a ewe, you shall not kill it and its young both in one day.
29When you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Yahweh, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.
30On the same day it shall be eaten. You shall leave none of it until the morning. I am Yahweh.
31"Therefore you shall keep my commandments, and do them. I am Yahweh.
32You shall not profane my holy name, but I will be made holy among the children of Israel. I am Yahweh who makes you holy,
33who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am Yahweh."
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Summary
Chapter 22 covers two areas of priestly holiness: who among the priests may eat the holy food (not those in a state of uncleanness, and no outsiders except household slaves and unmarried daughters returned home), and the requirement that all animals offered to God must be without defect. The list of disqualifying defects for animals (blind, injured, maimed, diseased) parallels the list of disqualifying defects for priests in chapter 21. The chapter ends with three rules: animals must remain with their mother seven days before sacrifice, a mother and its offspring must not be killed on the same day, and thanksgiving offerings must be eaten the same day.
Themes
- Offerings to God must be the best, not the defective or rejected
- God's holiness is reflected in how his people worship him
- Giving God second-best is not giving at all — it is profaning his name
- God's motivation: "I am Yahweh who makes you holy" — sanctification is God's work
Key verses
- Lev 22:20 — “Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer; for it will not be acceptable for you.”
- Lev 22:31-33 — “You shall keep my commandments, and do them. I am Yahweh. You shall not profane my holy name, but I will be made holy among the children of Israel. I am Yahweh who makes you holy, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God.”
- Lev 22:32 — “I will be made holy among the children of Israel.”
Context & background
These laws were given at Sinai (modern Sinai Peninsula, Egypt) and carry a strong practical message: what you bring to God matters. The prophet Malachi would later rebuke Israel for bringing blind, lame, and sick animals to God — violating exactly this law (Mal 1:8, 13). The "without defect" requirement for animals mirrored the "without defect" requirement for priests (chapter 21) and ultimately points to Christ, "a lamb without blemish and without defect" (1 Pet 1:19). The prohibition against killing a mother and its offspring on the same day reflects a broader principle of humane treatment of animals and respect for natural bonds in creation.
Cross-references
- 1 Pet 1:19 — Christ was "a lamb without blemish and without defect," fulfilling this offering standard perfectly
- Deut 22:6-7 — Parallel law about not taking a mother bird with her young
- Heb 9:14 — Christ "offered himself without blemish to God" — the ultimate application of Lev 22:20
- Lev 21:17-23 — Parallel "without defect" requirement for priests who serve at the altar
- Mal 1:8, 13 — Malachi condemns Israel for offering blind and lame animals, citing Leviticus 22