UTN uW Translation Notes:

Leviticus 2 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

This chapter gives instructions about how to make a grain offering. The and of 2:1 indicates that the instructions of Lev 1 are continuing. Yahweh continues telling Moses how the people should offer sacrifices. In outline form, the structure of the chapter can be displayed as follows: - 1) The Grain Offering (2:1–16) - I. Offerings of Raw Flour (2:1–3) - II. Offerings that are Baked, Pan-fried, or Deep-fried (2:4–10) - i. Baked (2:4) - ii. Pan-fried on the Griddle (2:5–6) - iii. Deep-fried in a Pan (2:7) - iv. Instruction for Offering (2:8–10) - III. Instructions regarding Leaven, Honey, and Salt (2:11–13) - i. Prohibition against burning leaven or honey (2:11–12) - ii. Prescription for including salt (2:13) - IV. Offerings of Grains (2:14–16)

Translation Issues in this Chapter

The number and person of pronouns

In the address to the Israelites, the author of Leviticus is known for abuptly switching the person, number, and occassionaly gender, of pronouns and verbal forms that refer to the person offering sacrifices. In chapter 1, it was suggested that any third-person singular pronouns that refer to the worshiper (and not to the priest) could be changed to second-person plural pronouns, based on the nature of the direct address and the presence of a second-person plural pronoun in 1:2 and several times in the current chapter.The pronouns referring to the worshiper switch person, gender, and number frequently. Verses 1–3 address the worshiper with a third-person singular pronoun. This swiches to the second-person, singular pronoun in 2:4–8. The worshiper is addressed in the third-person in verse 8, but verse 11 marks a shift to the second-person, this time in the plural. The plural pronouns continue throughout verses 11 and 12, but the author of Leviticus swtiches back to the second-person singular from verse 13 to the end of the chapter.1. Third-Person (2:1–3)- "...when a person third-person, feminine singular] presents..." (2:1)- "...his [third-person, masculine singular] offering..." (2:1)- "...and he [third-person, masculine singular] shall pour ..." (2:1)- "...and he [third-person, masculine singular] shall put..." (2:1)- "...and he [third-person, masculine singular] shall bring..." (2:2)2. Second-Person (2:4–8)- "And if you [second-person, masculine singular] present..." (2:4)- "And if your [second-person, masculine singular] offering..." (2:5)- "Piece [second-person, singular imperative] it..." (2:6)- "...and you [second-person, masculine singular] shall pour..." (2:6)- "And if your [second-person, masculine singular] offering..." (2:7)- "And you [second-person, masculine singular] shall bring..." (2:8)3. Third-Person (2:8–10)- "And he [third-person, masculine singular] shall present..." (2:8)4. Second-Person (2:11–15)- "Any grain offering that you [second-person, masculine plural] present..." (2:11)- "...you [second-person, masculine plural] shall not cause to become smoke..." (2:11)- "You [second-person, masculine plural] shall present..." (2:12)- "...your [second-person, masculine singular] grain offerings..." (2:13)- "...you [second-person, masculine singular] shall salt..." (2:13)- "...you [second-person, masculine singular] shall not omit..." (2:13)- "...the covenant of your [second-person, masculine singular] God..." (2:13)- "...your [second-person, masculine singular] offerings..." (2:13)- "...you [second-person, masculine singular] shall present..." (2:13)- "And if you [second-person, masculine singular] present..." (2:14)- "...you [second-person, masculine singular] shall present..." (2:14)- "...your [second-person, masculine singular] first ripe grains..." (2:14)- "And you [second-person, masculine singular] shall put..." (2:15)- "...and you [second-person, masculine singular] shall place..." (2:15)

Special Concepts in this Chapter

This chapter introduces several key concepts that are relevant to proper translation, including the sacrifice of the grain offering, including the offering of flour, oil, and incense, the concept of the memorial portion, and the identification of yeast and leaven.

Grain offering

The grain offering was a specialized sacrifice consisting of an offering of harvest grain, usually wheat or barley. The grain offering sometimes accompanied the burnt offering (see [14:20), but it is unclear whether the grain offering provided atonement by itself, or whether it could only accomplish atonement when presented with the burnt offering or as a substitute for the purification offering for those who could not afford the animals required for that sacrifice (see 5:11–13). In any case, the grain offering could be offered ”dry“ (that is, not mixed with olive oil, see 7:10) or mixed with olive oil, or it could be baked in an oven or prepared in a griddle or pan. If the offering of grain was something baked in an oven, the prescribed offering consisted of a loaf of unleavened bread that had been made by kneading the flour with olive oil or a wafer that had been copiously covered in olive oil (see 2:4). Alternatively, grain offerings could be prepared by pan-frying the flour and olive oil on a griddle (2:5) or deep-frying the flour and olive oil in a pan (2:7). Furthermore, crushed portions of fresh grain that had been roasted with fire constituted an acceptable grain offer (see 2:14–16). A portion of the offering was crumbled and completely burned on the altar, resulting in pleasant-smelling smoke that rose to Yahweh in heaven. The remainder of the grain offering, however, belonged to the priests and the male descendants of Aaron for food (see 2:3, 10 and 7:14–18).

Flour

The term translated flour in the ULT and wheat flour in the UST is the agricultural product made from the production of wheat grains (see Exodus 29:2, and 2 Kings 7:16, where is it contrasted with barley). However, according to some rabbinic sources, the precise commodity referred to in this chapter and elsewhere in Leviticus is the large chunks of crushed grains that remain in the sieve after the grains have been dried, winnowed, and crushed. Since “flour” would connote the fine powder that falls through the sieve, what remains is more accurately called “grits” or “semolina” (see 1 Kings 5:2, where “grits” or “semolina” is contrasted with “flour”). However, since this culinary term is not present in many cultures, the term “flour” has been retained. We suggest that you use in your translation whatever word your language has to describe the large chunks of crushed grains that remain in the sieve after the grains have been dried, winnowed, and crushed.

Oil

The term translated oil in the ULT and olive oil in the UST refers to the agricultural product made from crushing large quantities of olives into a fine, smooth oil. This oil was used for cooking and baking (see 2:4–7) and for providing fuel for lanterns (see Exod 35:8, 14–15), but also retained symbolic importance as a way of anointing and dedicating sacred object (see Genesis 28:18), priests (see Exodus 29:7 and Leviticus 8:12, 30 and Leviticus 21:10), and kings (see 1 Samuel 10:1 and 1 Sam 16:13). In this chapter, in addition to being present in most of the grain offerings, olive oil was presented with the grain offering in whatever form it took.

Incense

Scholarly sources suggest that the substance that was burned in ritual spaces for its fragrance was an expensive fragrant gum-resin tapped from three species of the Boswellia tree native only to southern Arabia (see Jer 6:20) and Somaliland. The burning of this substance was required with all grain offering, regardless of the manner of their preparation. Apparently, because both grain offerings and animal offerings provided a pleasing aroma to Yahweh, the addition of incense with the grain offering was to distinguish them from the animal sacrifices or burnt offerings (see chapter 1. Whereas the olive oil was to be poured all over the grain offerings, the incense was to be “placed” on top of it, apparently in a large lump. Then the raw flour (or other kind of grain offering) would be mixed together with the olive oil and the lump of incense in the priest’s hand as he took a large handful (2:2). These ingredient would then be completely burned on the altar and converted into pleasant-smelling smoke, which, when it went up to Yahweh, would “please” Yahweh and so mark the completion of an acceptable sacrifice.

The memorial portion

The memorial portion of the grain offering refers to the portion that the priest designates will be burned completely on the altar as a sacrifice to Yahweh, as opposed to the portion which will remain over as food for the priests to eat. In the offering was raw flour, the priest would lift out a handful of the flour, mixed with olive oil, and all the incense that was place on it. If the offering was baked, pan-fried, or deep-fried, the priest would take a portion and crumble it on the altar. These portions that were designated to be burned on the altar constituted the memorial protion As such, this portion represented the entire offering by being completely burned on the altar.

Yeast and leaven

In Leviticus 2, the word leaven refers to a lump of dough made from flour and other common ingredients, usually salt and oil, that contains a live leaven culture as its raising agent in the form of wild, natural yeast. The term yeast refers to the microscopic organism consisting of single oval cells that reproduce by budding and are capable of converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. In the ancient world, yeast was a common household raising agent used in the baking of bread. However, because store-bought, commercial yeast in the form of a dried, deactivated culture that is routinely added to individual batches of dough is a modern invention, the ULT has chosen the less anachronistic term leaven culture. This term reflects the slow process of growing wild, naturally occurring yeast from a single, small batch of dough, forming a leaven that would be added to other larger batches of dough. The wild yeast in the leaven would multiply and fill the rest of the larger batch of dough until the entire batch was considered ”leavened.”In Leviticus, grain offerings, whether baked or fried, that were made using leaven or included leaven culture were expressly forbidden to be burned on the altar, along with grain offerings made with honey. Instead, as Lev 2:12 expresses, grain offerings that included either leaven culture or honey could be offered as firstfruit offerings that were not burned on the altar. Eating or baking with leaven is proscribed during the events of the first Passover in Egypt before the Exodus and, specifically, during the annual festival of Unleavened Bread (See: passover). Yahweh informs Moses that the practice of excluding leaven and leaven culture from one's diet should serve as a ”sign” and ”memorial” to the people of Israel that reminds them of God's mighty acts of salvation in the Exodus and encourages them to obey his commandements. (See Exodus 13:5-10). It should be noted that it was not always unlawful to eat food products made with leaven or leaven culture, but that the proscription only applied during special feasts and holidays associated with the Exodus.