Chapter 2
Grain Offerings.[a] 1 “When anyone brings a grain offering as a sacrifice to the Lord, it is to be an offering of fine flour. He shall pour oil upon it and put incense on it 2 and bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests. He shall take a handful of the flour and the oil and all of the incense. The priest shall burn it on the altar as a memorial portion, a burnt offering, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.[b] 3 The rest of the grain offering will be for Aaron and his sons, the most holy part[c] of the burnt offering to the Lord.
4 “When someone brings a cereal offering that has been baked in the oven, it is to be unleavened cakes made of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers sprinkled with oil. 5 If your cereal offering was prepared on the griddle, it is to be made of fine flour that has been mixed with oil. 6 You shall break it into pieces and pour oil on it. It is a cereal offering. 7 If the cereal offering was prepared in a pan, it is to be made of fine flour with oil. 8 You shall bring your cereal offering made of these things to the priest who will bring it to the altar. 9 Then the priest shall take the memorial portion from the cereal offering and burn it on the altar. It will be a burnt offering, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. 10 The rest of the cereal offering will be for Aaron and his sons. It is the most holy part of the burnt offering to the Lord.
11 “None of the cereal offerings that you offer to the Lord will be leavened, for you are not to make burnt offerings of leaven or honey[d] to the Lord. 12 As to the offering of firstfruits, you may bring them to the Lord, but you are not to bring them to the altar as a pleasing fragrance. 13 You are to season all of your cereal offerings with salt. You shall not permit your cereal offerings to be offered without the salt of your covenant.[e] You shall bring salt with all of your offerings.
14 “If you offer a cereal offering of firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer the cereal offering of firstfruits in the form of crushed grain from newly ripened heads of grain that have been parched with fire. 15 You shall pour oil on it, and place incense upon it. It is a cereal offering. 16 Then the priest shall burn a part of the grain and of the oil and all of the incense as the memorial portion of the offering. It is a burnt offering to the Lord.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 2:1 This chapter deals with the offering no longer of animals but of food; in addition, one section is addressed to priests. No yeast was allowed because it would corrupt the food.
- Leviticus 2:2 The memorial portion was the part more suited to emitting a pleasing fragrance as it was burned; the ascent of the aroma was meant to make God mindful of the offerer.
- Leviticus 2:3 Most holy part: this was the part of the people’s offering reserved for the priests who were not to share it with family members and only eat it in the sanctuary.
- Leviticus 2:11 Honey: not to be used in sacrifice, as was anything leavened, because it fermented quickly and was used in cultic practice.
- Leviticus 2:13 Salt of your covenant: salt was required to be sprinkled by the priests on the offerings of the people, and was also used in making the incense for the sanctuary. Giving salt or consuming salt with others is a symbol of friendship, hence, the association with a covenant.