Leviticus 2
Big idea: The meal offering is the one sacrifice with no death in it: fine flour, oil and frankincense, or bread baked in an oven, on a griddle, or in a pan. A handful is burned as a memorial and the rest feeds the priests. Two rules govern it, and both are about what the offering says. No yeast and no honey — nothing that ferments, nothing that sweetens for its own sake — and always salt, called here the salt of the covenant of your God. This is the offering of a farmer rather than a herdsman, and its inclusion means the produce of ordinary work is as welcome on the altar as livestock.
Chapters 1 and 2 cover what the offerer gives up entirely. Chapter 3 introduces the one sacrifice he gets to sit down and eat.
2:1–3 — Fine flour, oil, and frankincense
The basic form of the meal offering: fine flour with oil poured on it and frankincense laid on top. The offerer brings it to the priests, who take a handful of the flour and oil with all the frankincense and burn it as its memorial — a pleasant aroma. What is left belongs to Aaron and his sons, and is called a most holy part of the offerings made by fire.
1 “‘When anyone offers an offering of a meal offering to Yahweh, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it. 2 He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. He shall take his handful of its fine flour, and of its oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest shall burn its memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. 3 That which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is a most holy part of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire.
2:4–10 — Baked, griddled, or fried
Three prepared forms are permitted: unleavened cakes or wafers baked in the oven, a griddle offering broken in pieces with oil poured over, and a pan offering of flour with oil. Whatever the method, the same procedure follows — brought to the priest, carried to the altar, the memorial burned, the remainder to Aaron and his sons as a most holy part.
4 “‘When you offer an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. 5 If your offering is a meal offering made on a griddle, it shall be of unleavened fine flour, mixed with oil. 6 You shall cut it in pieces, and pour oil on it. It is a meal offering. 7 If your offering is a meal offering of the pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 8 You shall bring the meal offering that is made of these things to Yahweh. It shall be presented to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar. 9 The priest shall take from the meal offering its memorial, and shall burn it on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. 10 That which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is a most holy part of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire.
2:11–13 — No yeast, no honey — always salt
Two things are banned from the altar and one is required. No meal offering is made with yeast, and no honey is burned; both may be brought as an offering of first fruits, but they do not go up as a pleasant aroma. Every meal offering, by contrast, must be seasoned with salt — and the command is given a name: you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking.
11 “‘No meal offering which you shall offer to Yahweh shall be made with yeast; for you shall burn no yeast, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 12 As an offering of first fruits you shall offer them to Yahweh, but they shall not rise up as a pleasant aroma on the altar. 13 Every offering of your meal offering you shall season with salt. You shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your meal offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
2:14–16 — First fruits, parched and crushed
A meal offering of first fruits is made from fresh heads of grain parched with fire and crushed, with oil put on it and frankincense laid on it. The priest burns part of the crushed grain and part of the oil with all the frankincense as its memorial — an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
14 “‘If you offer a meal offering of first fruits to Yahweh, you shall offer for the meal offering of your first fruits fresh heads of grain parched with fire and crushed. 15 You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it. It is a meal offering. 16 The priest shall burn as its memorial part of its crushed grain and part of its oil, along with all its frankincense. It is an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).