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 laws of Leviticus 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. Law for offering (2:8–10) III. Laws 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 abruptly switching the person, number, and occasionally the gender of pronouns and verbal forms that refer to the person offering sacrifices. In Leviticus 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 switches 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 switches 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)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

This chapter introduces several key concepts that are relevant to proper translation, including the sacrifice of the grain offering, which includes 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 harvested grain, usually wheat or barley. The grain offering sometimes accompanied the burnt offering. (See [14:20.) 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, 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 were something baked in an oven, the prescribed offering would consist 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 offering. (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, 2:10, and 7:14–18.) See the Book Introduction for more information.

Flour

The term translated as “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 had 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 as “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.) It provided fuel for lanterns. (See Exod 35:8 and Exod 35:14–15.) It also retained symbolic importance as a way of anointing and dedicating sacred objects, priests, and kings. (For sacred objects, see Genesis 28:18, for priests, see Exodus 29:7 and Leviticus 8:12, Leviticus 8:28-30, and Leviticus 21:10, and for 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 and Somaliland. (See Jeremiah 6:20.) The burning of this substance was required with all grain offerings, regardless of the manner of their preparation. Because both grain offerings and animal offerings provided a pleasing aroma to Yahweh, the addition of incense with grain offerings 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 with the olive oil and the lump of incense in the priest’s hand as he took a large handful. (See 2:2.) These ingredients 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 to be burned completely on the altar as a sacrifice to Yahweh, as opposed to the portion that will remain as food for the priests to eat. If 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 placed 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 portion. As such, by being completely burned on the altar, this portion represented the entire offering.

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 in the form of wild, natural yeast as its raising agent. 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 familiar, 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 affect the rest of the larger batch of dough until the entire batch was considered to be 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 Leviticus 2:12 expresses, grain offerings that included either “leaven culture” or “honey” could be offered as first fruit offerings that were not burned on the altar. Eating or baking with “leaven” was forbidden 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 commandments. (See Exod 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.