Leviticus 2

Introduction

Leviticus 2 presents the laws governing the grain offering, known in Hebrew as the מִנְחָה. Unlike the burnt offering of Leviticus 1, which involved the slaughter of an animal, the grain offering was a bloodless gift of fine flour, oil, and frankincense. It was the offering most accessible to the poor and represented the worshiper's daily labor — the work of planting, harvesting, grinding, and baking transformed into a gift for God. The chapter details five variations of the grain offering: raw flour with oil and frankincense, bread baked in an oven, cakes prepared on a griddle, food cooked in a deep pan, and the offering of firstfruits from the new harvest.

The chapter also introduces three permanent regulations: leaven and honey are prohibited from the altar, salt must accompany every offering, and a portion of each grain offering belongs to the priests. These are not arbitrary rules but carry deep symbolic and covenantal meaning. The prohibition of leaven connects to purity and the Passover tradition; the requirement of salt points to the enduring nature of God's covenant. Together, the instructions of Leviticus 2 teach that worship involves not only the dramatic sacrifice of life but also the quiet, daily offering of one's ordinary provision to the Lord.

The Basic Grain Offering (vv. 1-3)

Notes

• נֶפֶשׁ ("a person" — literally "a soul") — The Hebrew is strikingly personal. Where the burnt offering in Leviticus 1:2 uses אָדָם ("a man"), the grain offering uses נֶפֶשׁ, the word for "soul" or "living being." The Talmud (Menachot 104b) comments on this: "Who usually brings a grain offering? A poor person. God says: I regard it as if he has offered his very soul." The grain offering was the offering of the common person who could not afford an animal, and the language honors that gift.

• מִנְחָה ("grain offering") — Outside of Leviticus, this word simply means "gift" or "tribute" (see Genesis 32:13, where Jacob sends a מִנְחָה to Esau). In the sacrificial system, it became the technical term for a non-animal offering. It was typically brought alongside a burnt offering and a drink offering as a complete act of worship (Numbers 15:1-12).

• סֹלֶת ("fine flour") — This was not ordinary flour but the finest grade, sifted and ground smooth. The word implies careful preparation and quality — the worshiper was to bring the best of what the land produced, not the leftovers.

• אַזְכָּרָה ("memorial portion") — This is a key term in the grain offering. Derived from the root זָכַר ("to remember"), it refers to the representative portion burned on the altar. The burning of the handful does not mean God needs reminding; rather, it is a visible act that brings the worshiper and the offering into God's presence. The concept of a memorial before God also appears with the incense offering (Exodus 30:16) and the stones on the priestly ephod (Exodus 28:12).

• קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים ("most holy" — literally "holy of holies") — The remainder given to the priests carries the highest level of sanctity. It could only be eaten by male priests within the tabernacle precincts (Leviticus 6:16-18). This designation sets the grain offering apart from lesser holy things that could be shared more broadly.

Various Preparations of the Grain Offering (vv. 4-10)

Notes

• The chapter describes three methods of cooking: מַאֲפֵה תַנּוּר ("baked in an oven," v. 4), מַחֲבַת ("on a griddle," v. 5), and מַרְחֶשֶׁת ("in a deep pan," v. 7). The תַנּוּר was a clay oven, typically cylindrical, heated by a fire at the bottom — still used across the Middle East today. The מַחֲבַת was a flat plate or shallow pan, producing something like a flatbread. The מַרְחֶשֶׁת was a deeper cooking vessel, likely producing something closer to a fried cake. The precise distinction between the griddle and the deep pan is debated, but the point is clear: God accommodates different methods of preparation while maintaining the same standards of quality and holiness.

• חַלּוֹת מַצֹּת ("unleavened cakes") and רְקִיקֵי מַצּוֹת ("unleavened wafers") — The oven method produces two types: thick cakes mixed with oil and thin wafers spread or brushed with oil. The word חַלָּה (from which the modern braided Sabbath bread gets its name) simply means a perforated cake or loaf. Both must be מַצָּה ("unleavened"), a requirement that applies to all the cooking methods.

• פָּתוֹת אֹתָהּ פִּתִּים ("break it into pieces," v. 6) — The griddle offering is to be crumbled or broken apart and then oil poured over it. This breaking may be practical (making it easier to burn a representative portion) but also foreshadows the breaking of bread as an act of offering and sharing. The verb פָּתַת appears only in ritual contexts in the Torah.

• Verses 8-10 provide a summary procedure for all cooked grain offerings: the worshiper brings the finished product to the priest, who presents it at the altar, removes the memorial portion, burns it, and retains the rest. The pattern is identical to vv. 1-3 — whether the offering is raw flour or a baked product, the same priestly procedure applies, and the same holiness attaches to the remainder.

Prohibitions: No Leaven or Honey (vv. 11-13)

Notes

• חָמֵץ ("leaven") and שְׂאֹר ("yeast/leavening agent") — Two different words are used to cover both the process (fermentation) and the product (leavened dough). Leaven transforms dough through a process of fermentation and decay, which may explain its exclusion from the altar: offerings to God were to be free of any process associated with decomposition or corruption. The prohibition on leaven echoes the Passover regulations (Exodus 12:15), and Paul later draws on this symbolism, calling leaven a picture of sin and malice that works through the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).

• דְּבַשׁ ("honey") — This may refer to bee honey or, more likely, to the sweet syrup produced from dates and other fruits (date honey was common in the ancient Near East). Like leaven, honey ferments, and this natural process of fermentation may be the basis for its exclusion from the altar fire. Verse 12 clarifies that leaven and honey may be brought as firstfruits offerings — they are not inherently impure, but they are unsuitable for burning on the altar.

• מֶלַח בְּרִית אֱלֹהֶיךָ ("the salt of the covenant of your God") — This is one of the most striking phrases in the chapter. Salt preserves and prevents decay — the very opposite of leaven. A "covenant of salt" is an enduring, unbreakable covenant (Numbers 18:19, 2 Chronicles 13:5). In the ancient Near East, sharing salt was a sign of binding friendship and alliance. By requiring salt on every offering, God ties the daily act of worship to the permanence and faithfulness of his covenant. Jesus may allude to this tradition when he tells his disciples to "have salt in yourselves" (Mark 9:49-50).

• לֹא תַשְׁבִּית ("you shall not allow to be absent" — literally "you shall not cause to cease") — The verb is the Hiphil of שָׁבַת, the same root as "Sabbath." The ironic force is that while Israel must cease from work on the Sabbath, they must never allow the salt of the covenant to cease from their offerings. The salt is as permanent as the covenant itself.

Interpretations

The prohibition of leaven has been interpreted differently across traditions. Many Reformation and evangelical commentators read leaven as a consistent biblical symbol for sin and corruption, based on Paul's use in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Jesus' warning about the "leaven of the Pharisees" (Matthew 16:6). Others caution against over-reading the symbolism, noting that leaven is not inherently negative in Scripture — Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to leaven in Matthew 13:33. The ritual prohibition may be primarily practical and cultic (fermented substances were unsuitable for altar burning) rather than moral.

The Grain Offering of Firstfruits (vv. 14-16)

Notes

• מִנְחַת בִּכּוּרִים ("grain offering of firstfruits") — The בִּכּוּרִים are the first ripe produce of the harvest season. Offering the firstfruits was an act of trust: before the full harvest was gathered, the worshiper gave the first portion to God, acknowledging that the harvest comes from him. The firstfruits offering is prescribed more fully in Leviticus 23:10-14 as part of the festival calendar. Paul uses the image of firstfruits christologically: Christ is the בִּכּוּרִים, the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20).

• אָבִיב קָלוּי בָּאֵשׁ ("fresh ears roasted by fire") — אָבִיב refers to young, still-green grain in the ear, the earliest stage of ripeness. This is the same word that gives the month of Aviv (later called Nisan) its name — the month of spring barley (Exodus 13:4). The grain is roasted directly on the fire while still fresh, then crushed. The word גֶּרֶשׂ ("crushed kernels") appears only here and in Leviticus 2:16, referring to coarsely ground grain. כַּרְמֶל ("new growth" or "fresh grain") adds further emphasis on the newness and tenderness of the offering.

• Like the basic grain offering of vv. 1-3, this firstfruits offering includes oil and frankincense, and the priest burns a memorial portion. The chapter thus comes full circle: whether the offering is fine flour, baked bread, or freshly roasted grain from the new harvest, the same theology governs the act. A portion ascends to God as a pleasing aroma; the rest sustains the priests who serve at the altar. The ordinary produce of the land — grain, oil, salt — becomes the medium of worship.