Leviticus 2:2 kjv
And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD:
Leviticus 2:2 nkjv
He shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 2:2 niv
and take it to Aaron's sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
Leviticus 2:2 esv
and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 2:2 nlt
and bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests. The priest will scoop out a handful of the flour moistened with oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn this representative portion on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 2 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 1:9 | ...the priest shall burn all on the altar, for a burnt offering, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the LORD. | Connects "sweet savour" to acceptance. |
| Lev 2:1 | When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. | Introduces the grain offering materials. |
| Lev 2:9 | ...the priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn it on the altar, a food offering of a pleasing aroma to the LORD. | Repetition of "memorial portion" & "sweet savour." |
| Lev 2:15 | You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. | Reinforces components of grain offering. |
| Lev 6:15 | And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and its oil and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering... | Reiterates "handful" and components. |
| Num 5:26 | And the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as its memorial portion... and burn it on the altar. | "Memorial portion" also used for jealousy offering. |
| Psa 20:3 | May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! | God "remembering" offerings favorably. |
| Acts 10:4 | And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." | Spiritual "memorial" acceptable to God. |
| Exod 29:18 | You shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. | "Sweet savour" common for acceptable offerings. |
| Gen 8:20-21 | Then Noah built an altar... and offered burnt offerings... And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma... | First instance of God accepting "sweet savour." |
| Isa 43:23 | You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices... You have not bought me sweet cane with money... | Contrasts acceptable offerings with false worship. |
| Jer 6:20 | What use to me is frankincense from Sheba... Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices are not pleasing to me. | Outward rituals without inward sincerity are rejected. |
| Amos 5:21 | I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. | Rituals rejected if hearts are far from God. |
| Psa 51:17 | The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. | Internal disposition vital for acceptable offerings. |
| Rom 12:1 | I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. | New Testament application of "acceptable offering." |
| Eph 5:2 | ...and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. | Christ as the ultimate "fragrant" sacrifice. |
| Phil 4:18 | I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. | Believer's sacrificial giving as "sweet savour." |
| Heb 9:11-14 | But when Christ appeared as a high priest... through his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. | Christ's singular, perfect sacrifice transcends animal offerings. |
| Heb 10:11-14 | Every priest stands daily... but when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice... he sat down... | Christ's completed work makes daily animal sacrifices obsolete. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | ...you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. | Believers as priests offering spiritual sacrifices. |
| Heb 13:15-16 | Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God... Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. | Christian "sacrifices" as praise and good deeds. |
Leviticus 2 verses
Leviticus 2 2 Meaning
Leviticus 2:2 details the procedure for presenting a grain offering (minchah). It describes the worshiper bringing the offering of fine flour mixed with oil and frankincense to the Aaronic priests. The priest then takes a "handful" of this mixture, including all the frankincense, and burns it on the altar. This portion, known as its "memorial part" (azkarah), ascends to the Lord as an "offering made by fire" and is pleasing to Him, characterized as a "sweet savour." The remaining portion of the offering belongs to the priests.
Leviticus 2 2 Context
Leviticus 2 describes the grain offering (Hebrew: minchah), one of the five primary offerings in the Tabernacle worship system. Unlike burnt offerings, the minchah was typically a bloodless sacrifice, acknowledging God as the provider of daily sustenance and representing a worshiper's devotion, gratitude, and commitment. It frequently accompanied burnt and peace offerings. This specific verse (Lev 2:2) details the critical role of the priest in preparing and presenting the minchah, separating the sacred portion to be offered to the Lord. Historically, the elaborate and precise rituals of the Tabernacle taught the ancient Israelites about God's holiness, His desire for proper approach, and the necessity of mediation, distinguishing their worship from the crude, chaotic, or even depraved rituals of surrounding pagan cultures which often involved human sacrifice or fertility rites. The strict purity and quality requirements for the offerings implicitly countered pagan practices by emphasizing order, reverence, and the purity of God.
Leviticus 2 2 Word analysis
- And he shall bring it: Refers to the worshiper. The initiation of the offering comes from the individual, demonstrating their voluntary devotion and acknowledgment of God's provision.
- to Aaron's sons the priests: Indicates the designated intermediaries. In Hebrew, kohanim, this establishes the necessary role of the Levitical priesthood in facilitating access to God and processing the offering, maintaining order and holiness in worship. This structure reflects God's ordered plan for worship.
- and he shall take therefrom his handful: Hebrew: qomets. This specific action is performed by the priest. It means taking a measured but non-quantified portion, precisely what could be held in the hollow of the priest's hand. It represents a small, yet complete and personal portion, emphasizing God's delight in a partial dedication that stands for the whole, rather than the entire amount being consumed.
- of the fine flour thereof: Hebrew: soleth. This refers to the highest quality, most finely ground wheat flour, sifted multiple times to remove all impurities. This signifies purity and the best of one's produce offered to God. Symbolically, fine flour points to Christ's sinless perfection and blamelessness.
- and of the oil thereof: Hebrew: shemen. Oil, typically olive oil, in biblical contexts symbolizes anointing, sanctification, prosperity, and the Holy Spirit (as seen in prophetic anointing, or lamp oil for the Tabernacle menorah). Its mixture with the flour suggests the anointing or spiritual presence associated with the offering.
- with all the frankincense thereof: Hebrew: levonah. Frankincense is a costly, aromatic resin from a tree. It produced a pleasant fragrance when burned and was a key component of the holy incense for the Tabernacle (Exod 30:34-36). Its inclusion, specifically "all" of it on the "handful," emphasizes its preciousness and its unique role as a component burned directly to God, often symbolizing prayer or divine presence, never for consumption. It burns completely away, leaving nothing behind for human use.
- and the priest shall burn: Hebrew: hiqtir, meaning to cause to smoke, to burn incense or an offering for aroma. This is distinct from saraph (to utterly consume by fire). It emphasizes the rising smoke as a symbolic ascent of the offering to God.
- the memorial of it: Hebrew: azkarah. From the root zakar (to remember). This is a portion offered to God for a memorial or remembrance before Him. It doesn't mean God literally forgets, but rather that the offering serves as a token to bring the worshiper or their act of worship to God's attention, eliciting His favorable remembrance and acceptance. This points to the idea that acts of piety and devotion are recorded and noticed by God.
- upon the altar: Specifically, the brazen altar of burnt offering, located at the entrance to the Tabernacle. This was the primary place for consuming sacrificial elements by fire, signifying the sacred boundary between humanity and a holy God.
- to be an offering made by fire: Hebrew: isheh. A generic term for any offering consumed by fire on the altar. It signifies divine acceptance and consumption of the sacrifice.
- of a sweet savour unto the Lord: Hebrew: reach nichoach, literally "a soothing aroma." This anthropomorphism indicates God's pleasure and acceptance of the offering, implying it aligns with His will and brings Him delight. It points to a relational aspect: God finds pleasure in the obedient acts of His people.
Leviticus 2 2 Bonus section
The specific components of the grain offering (fine flour, oil, frankincense) lack leaven or honey (Lev 2:11), each carrying symbolic weight related to corruption or fleeting earthly pleasure respectively. While not explicitly in verse 2, this rule clarifies the purity required. The grain offering typically was consumed partially by fire and partially by the priests and their families (Lev 6:16-18), showing the sustenance provided by priestly duties. This communal aspect of the sacrifice points to fellowship, both with God (the burnt portion) and within the community of believers (the consumed portion).
Leviticus 2 2 Commentary
Leviticus 2:2 precisely illustrates God's demand for reverence, order, and the highest quality in worship. The grain offering, though bloodless, underscores God's proprietorship over all creation and His people's total dependence on His provision. The "handful" from the priest and the explicit burning of "all the frankincense" highlight that not all of the offering was for human consumption; a dedicated, symbolic portion was presented directly to God. The phrase "memorial of it" signifies an offering designed to bring the worshiper to God's remembrance, not due to God's forgetfulness, but as a token of covenant loyalty and devotion that elicits His favor. The "sweet savour" speaks to God's complete acceptance and delight in the obedient act of giving from the worshiper's best. This careful ritual anticipates the perfection of Christ's offering of Himself, which truly ascended as the ultimate "sweet savour" to God, providing complete redemption and perpetual access for all who believe (Eph 5:2; Heb 10:11-14). The verse also prefigures believers today presenting their lives as living, spiritual sacrifices, which are pleasing to God (Rom 12:1).