LEV 22

Leviticus 22:13

WEB

But 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 may eat of her father’s bread; but no stranger shall eat any of it.

BSB

But if a priest’s daughter with no children becomes widowed or divorced and returns to her father’s house, she may share her father’s food as in her youth. But no outsider may share it.

KJV

But if the priest’s daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father’s house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof.

Matthew Henry

Verses 10–16

Leviticus 22:10–16

The holy things were to be eaten by the priests and their families. Now,

I. Here is a law that no stranger should eat of them, that is, no person whatsoever but the priests only, and those that pertained to them, Lev 22:10. The priests are charged with this care, not to profane the holy things by permitting the strangers to eat of them (Lev 22:15) or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass (Lev 22:16); that is, suffer them to bring guilt upon themselves, by meddling with that which they have no right to. Thus it is commonly understood. Note, We must not only be careful that we do not bear iniquity ourselves, but we must do what we can to prevent others bearing it. We must not only not suffer sin to lie upon our brother, but, if we can help it, we must not suffer it to come upon him. But perhaps there is another meaning of those words: the priests' eating the sin-offerings is said to signify their bearing the iniquity of the congregation, to make an atonement for them, Lev 10:17. Let not a stranger therefore eat of that holy thing particularly, and so pretend to bear the iniquity of trespass; for it is daring presumption for any to do that, but such as are appointed to do it. Those that set up other mediators besides Christ our priest, to bear the iniquity of trespass, sacrilegiously rob Christ of his honour, and invade his rights. When we warn people not to trust to their own righteousness, nor dare to appear before God in it, but to rely on Christ's righteousness only for peace and pardon, it is because we dare not suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, for we know it is too heavy for them.

II. Here is an explanation of the law, showing who were to be looked upon as belonging to the priest's family, and who not. 1. Sojourners and hired servants abode not in the house for ever; they were in the family, but not of it; and therefore they might not eat of the holy things (Lev 22:10): but the servant that was born in the house or bought with money, being a heirloom to the family, though a servant, yet might eat of the holy things, Lev 22:11. Note, Those only are entitled to the comforts of God's house who make it their rest for ever, and resolve to dwell in it all the days of their life. As for those who for a time only believe, to serve a present turn. They are looked upon but as sojourners and mercenaries, and have no part nor lot in the matter. 2. As to the children of the family, concerning the sons there could be no dispute, they were themselves priests, but concerning the daughters there was a distinction. While they continued in their father's house they might eat of the holy things; but, if they married such as were not priests, they lost their right (Lev 22:12), for now they were cut off from the family of the priests. Yet if a priest's daughter became a widow, and had no children in whom she might preserve a distinct family, and returned to her father's house again, being neither wife nor mother, she should again be looked upon as a daughter, and might eat of the holy things. If those whom Providence has made sorrowful widows, and who are dislodged from the rest they had in the house of a husband, yet find it again in a father's house, they have reason to be thankful to the widows' God, who does not leave them comfortless. 3. Here is a demand of restitution to be made by him that had no right to the holy things, and yet should eat of them unwittingly, Lev 22:14. If he did it presumptuously, and in contempt of the divine institution, he was liable to be cut off by the hand of God, and to be beaten by the magistrate; but, if he did it through weakness in inconsideration, he was to restore the value, adding a fifth part to it, besides which he was to bring an offering to atone for the trespass; see Lev 5:15, Lev 5:16.

III. This law might be dispensed with in a case of necessity, as it was when David and his men ate of the show-bread, Sa1 21:6. And our Saviour justifies them, and gives a reason for it, which furnishes us with a lasting rule in all such cases, that God will have mercy and not sacrifice, Mat 12:3, Mat 12:4, Mat 12:7. Rituals must give way to morals.

IV. It is an instruction to gospel ministers, who are stewards of the mysteries of God, not to admit all, without distinction, to eat of the holy things, but to take out the precious from the vile. Those that are scandalously ignorant or profane are strangers and aliens to the family of the Lord's priests; and it is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to such. Holy things are for holy persons, for those who are holy, at least, in profession, Mat 7:6.

Cross-references: Lev 22:10 · Lev 22:15 · Lev 22:16 · Lev 10:17 · Lev 22:11 · Lev 22:12 · Lev 22:14 · Lev 5:15 · Lev 5:16 · 1Sam 21:6 · Matt 12:3 · Matt 12:4 · Matt 12:7 · Matt 7:6

Hebrew interlinear

לָהּ֒lahprep + suffix · pronominal · 3rd · fem · sing
בּֽוֹboprep + suffix · pronominal · 3rd · masc · sing

H1323

בַּתbath/bath/

n-f — daughter

Derivation: from 1129 (as feminine of 1121);

a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)

KJV: apple (of the eye), branch, company, daughter, × first, × old, owl, town, village.

בַּת

n.f — daughter

בַּת 587 n.f. daughter

1. daughter, female child

2. young women, women

3. with name of city, land, or people, poet. personif. of that city or inhabitants

4. pl. = villages, after name of city

5. in phrases denoting character, quality, etc.

6. ostrich

7. fig.

8. of vine = branch

9. as n. relat.

H3548

כֹּהֵןkôhên/ko-hane'/

n-m — officiating, priest, acting priest

Derivation: active participle of 3547;

literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman)

KJV: chief ruler, × own, priest, prince, principal officer.

כֹּהֵן

n.m — priest

כֹּהֵן 750 n.m. priest

H3588

כִּיkîy/kee/

conj — relative conjunction

Derivation: a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent;

(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed

KJV: and, (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), but, certainly, doubtless, else, even, except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, (al-) though, till, truly, until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.

כִּי

conj — that

כִּי conj. that, for, when

1. that

2.

a. Of time, when, of the past

b. elsewhere כִּי has a force approximating to if, though it usu. represents a case as more likely to occur than אִם

c. when or if, with a concessive force, i.e. though

3. Because, since

כִּי אם־

relative conjunction

כִּי אם־

1. each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause:

a. that if

b. for if

2. (About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause—

a. limiting the prec. clause, except

b. the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but

c. after an oath, surely

כִּי עַל כֵּן

forasmuch as

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

H1961

הָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/

v — exist, be, become, come to pass

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.

הָיָה

vb — fall out

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

I.

1.

a. Fall out, happen

b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

a.

(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

II. Come into being, become

1.

a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

b. sq. prep.

2. become

a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

b. sq. pred. adj.

c. become like

d. sq. pred. לְ pers.

e. sq. לְ pred.

f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

g. with עַל and לְ

h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

1. exist, be in existence

2. abide, remain, continue

3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.

5. periphrastic conjug.

Niph.

1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass

2. be done, finished, gone

H490

אַלְמָנָהʼalmânâh/al-maw-naw'/

n-f — widow, desolate place

Derivation: feminine of 488;

a widow; also a desolate place

KJV: desolate house (palace), widow.

אַלְמָנָה

n.f — widow

אַלְמָנָה 61 n.f. widow

H1644

גָּרַשׁgârash/gaw-rash'/

v — drive out, expatriate, divorce

Derivation: a primitive root;

to drive out from a possession; especially to expatriate or divorce

KJV: cast up (out), divorced (woman), drive away (forth, out), expel, × surely put away, trouble, thrust out.

גָּרַשׁ

vb — drive out

[גָּרַשׁ] vb. drive out, cast out

Qal cast out, thrust out

Niph. be driven away

Pi. drive out, away

Pu. subj. Israelites; subj. despised and miserable outcasts

H2233

זֶרַעzeraʻ/zeh'-rah/

n-m — seed, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity

Derivation: from 2232;

seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity

KJV: × carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing-time.

זֶ֫רַע

n.m — sowing

זֶ֫רַע n.m. sowing, seed, offspring

1. lit.:

a. a sowing

b. sowing as regularly recurring at its season

2. seed

3. seed = semen virile

4. seed = offspring

5. seed as marked by moral quality = persons (or community) of such a quality

H369

אַיִןʼayin/ah'-yin/

np — nonentity

Derivation: as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist;

a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle

KJV: else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare 370.

אַ֫יִן

subst — nothing

אַ֫יִן, אָ֑֫יִן cstr. אֵין subst. prop. nothing, nought

1. to nothing, as nothing

2. cstr. אֵין, very freq. as particle of negation, is not, are not, was not, were not

3. אֵין לְ׳, with subst., or pron., there is (was) not to … = … have, has, had, etc. not

4. in circumst. clauses

5. with inf. and ל׳, it is not to

6. with prefixes

H7725

שׁוּבshûwb/shoob/

v — turn, return, retreat, again

Derivation: a primitive root;

to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again

KJV: ((break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep)) × again, (cause to) answer ( again), × in any case (wise), × at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call (to mind), carry again (back), cease, × certainly, come again (back), × consider, continually, convert, deliver (again), deny, draw back, fetch home again, × fro, get (oneself) (back) again, × give (again), go again (back, home), (go) out, hinder, let, (see) more, × needs, be past, × pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, × surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.

שׁוּב

vb — turn back

שׁוּב 1056 vb. turn back, return

Qal 683;—turn back, return:

1. turn back

2. return, come or go back

3. esp. return unto

4.

a. of dying

b. of revival from death

5. fig. of human relations:

a. return to leader, king

b. = change so as to appoach (in purpose, desire)

c. turn, i.e. resort to

d. return to a physical condition

e. abs. = change course of action

6. fig., specif. of spiritual relations:

a. turn back from God = apostatize

b. of י׳, turn away

c. turn back to God (= seek penitently)

d. abs. repent

e. turn back from evil

f. of י׳

g. of י׳, return (to shew favour)

7. of inanimate things (sts. personified, or treated as things of life):

8. denoting repetition, etc.

9. trans.

Pō‛l.

1. bring back

2.

a. fig. restore, refresh

b. restore, repair

3. lead away (enticingly)

4. shew turning = apostatize

Hiph. 353 cause to return, bring back

1.

a. bring back into bondage

b. put back

c. = draw back

d. = give back, restore

e. = relinguish

f. = give in payment, requital

g. bring one back (from dead)

2.

a. bring back heart

b. = refresh

3. bring back words of people

4.

a. bring back (in retribution) upon

b. pay as recompense

5. turn back, backward = repel, defeat

6.

a. turn away face

b. late, turn toward, acc. face

7. turn against

8. bring back to mind, take into consideration

9.

10. = shew a turning away from your idols (i.e. turn away)

11. reverse, revoke = repel, defeat

Hoph. my money has been returned

H413

אֵלʼêl/ale/

prep — near, with, among, to

Derivation: (but only used in the shortened constructive form אֶל ); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e.

near, with or among; often in general, to

KJV: about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).

אֶל

prep — motion to

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).

1. of motion to or unto a person or place

2. Where the limit is actually entered, into

3. Of direction towards anything

4. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

5. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

6. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

7. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

8. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

9. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

H1004

בַּיִתbayith/bah'-yith/

n-m — a house

Derivation: probably from 1129 abbreviated;

a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)

KJV: court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, × great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within(-out).

בֵּית

prep — between

בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between

בַּ֫יִת

n.m — house

בַּ֫יִת 2034 n.m. house

1. house

2. place

3. receptacle

4. of house as containing a family

5. household, family (592 t.)

6. house, including household affairs

7. lit. housewards, hence metaph. inwards

8. מִבַּיִת

a. adv. on the inside

b. prep. within

H1

אָבʼâb/awb/

n-m — father

Derivation: a primitive word;

father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application

KJV: chief, (fore-) father(-less), × patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'.

אָב

n.m — father

אָב 1101 n.m. father

1. father of individual

2. of God as father of his people

3. head of household, family or clan

4. ancestor

5. originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

6. fig. of producer, generator

7. fig. of benevolence & protection

8. term of respect & honor

9. specif., ruler, chief (late)

H5271

נָעוּרnâʻûwr/naw-oor'/

n-m n-f — youth, juvenility, young

Derivation: or נָעֻר; and (feminine) נְעֻרָה; properly, passive participle from 5288 as denominative;

(only in plural collective or emphatic form) youth, the state (juvenility) or the persons (young people)

KJV: childhood, youth.

נְעוּרוֹת

n.[f.]pl — youth

[נְעוּרוֹת] n.[f.]pl. id. [n.ei.ae];—only Je 32:30 (fig. of nation).

נְעוּרִים

n.[m.]pl — youth

נְעוּרִים n.[m.]pl. youth, early life

H3899

לֶחֶםlechem/lekh'-em/

n-m — food, bread, grain

Derivation: from 3898; See also 1036

food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it)

KJV: (shew-) bread, × eat, food, fruit, loaf, meat, victuals.

לֶ֫חֶם

n.m — bread

לֶ֫חֶם 296 n.m. and (rarely) f. bread, food

H398

אָכַלʼâkal/aw-kal'/

v — eat

Derivation: a primitive root;

to eat (literally or figuratively)

KJV: × at all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up), feed (with), food, × freely, × in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, × quite.

אָכַל

vb — eat

אָכַל 806 vb. eat

Qal

1. eat, human subject

2. of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour

3. fig. of fire, devour, consume

4. of sword, devour, slay

5. in genl., devour, consume, destroy

6. fig. of oppression, devour the poor

Niph.

1. be eaten by man

2. be devoured by fire, consumed

3. be wasted, destroyed, of flesh

Pu. be consumed

Hiph.

1. cause to eat, feed with

2. cause to devoure, obj. sword

H3605

כֹּלkôl/kole/

n-m — whole, all, any, every

Derivation: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from 3634;

properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)

KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).

כֹּל

n.m — the whole

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

1. with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

2. Absolutely:

a. without the art., all things, all

b. with the art. הַכֹּל

(a). where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

(b). in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

H2114

זוּרzûwr/zoor/

v — turn aside, be a foreigner, strange, profane, commit adultery

Derivation: a primitive root;

to turn aside (especially for lodging); hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active participle) to commit adultery

KJV: (come from) another (man, place), fanner, go away, (e-) strange(-r, thing, woman).

זוּר

vb — be a stranger

[זוּר] vb. be a stranger

Qal

1. Pf. become estranged

2. Pt. as adj. strange, or as noun stranger

Niph. Pf. be estranged

Hoph. Pt. estranged

זוּר

vb — be loathsome

[זוּר, זִיר] vb. be loathsome, only 3 fs. Jb 19:17

H3808

לֹאlôʼ/lo/

adv — not, no

Derivation: or לוֹא; or לֹה; (Deuteronomy 3:11), a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles

KJV: × before, or else, ere, except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (× as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, surely, as truly as, of a truth, verily, for want, whether, without.

לֹא

adv — not

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

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