Leviticus 6:28 kjv
But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brazen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.
Leviticus 6:28 nkjv
But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. And if it is boiled in a bronze pot, it shall be both scoured and rinsed in water.
Leviticus 6:28 niv
The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water.
Leviticus 6:28 esv
And the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. But if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water.
Leviticus 6:28 nlt
If a clay pot is used to boil the sacrificial meat, it must then be broken. If a bronze pot is used, it must be scoured and thoroughly rinsed with water.
Leviticus 6 28 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 6:27 | "Whatever touches its flesh will become holy..." | Immediate context: sanctity transfers to contacting object. |
| Lev 7:6 | "Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy." | Confirms the supreme sanctity of the sin offering. |
| Num 18:9 | "...every offering of theirs, by fire, is most holy for you and your sons." | Defines "most holy" as a distinct category of offerings. |
| Lev 10:10 | "...distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean..." | Priestly duty to discern different states of purity. |
| Exo 29:37 | "Whatever touches the altar shall be holy." | General principle of sanctity transfer by contact. |
| Exo 30:29 | "...whatever touches them will be holy." | Sanctity transfer to anointed objects. |
| Lev 11:33 | "And if any of them falls into an earthen vessel, all in it shall be unclean..." | Parallel with uncleanness: porous earthen vessels broken. |
| Lev 15:12 | "And if an earthen vessel that he who has the discharge touches is broken..." | Another example of breaking defiled earthen vessels. |
| Heb 9:11-14 | "...Christ... through the eternal Spirit offered himself... purify our conscience..." | Christ's sacrifice brings ultimate, perfect cleansing. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | "but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct..." | NT call to personal holiness, reflecting God's nature. |
| Heb 12:14 | "Strive for peace... and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." | Emphasizes holiness as essential for knowing God. |
| 2 Tim 2:20-21 | "Now in a great house there are not only vessels... of wood and earth..." | Believers are vessels; purity needed for God's use. |
| 1 Cor 3:16-17 | "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" | Our bodies/community are sacred dwellings for God. |
| John 15:3 | "Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you." | Cleansing by Christ's teaching and presence. |
| John 13:10 | "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet..." | Spiritual cleansing by Christ; daily need for purification. |
| 1 Cor 6:11 | "...but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus..." | New Covenant: believers are spiritually cleansed. |
| Tit 2:14 | "who gave himself... to purify for himself a people for his own possession..." | Christ's purpose includes purifying His people. |
| Eze 43:12 | "This is the law of the temple: the whole territory... shall be most holy." | Principle of extreme holiness around God's dwelling. |
| Rev 21:27 | "But nothing unclean will ever enter it..." | Final state of absolute purity in God's presence. |
| Matt 23:25-26 | "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees... you clean the outside of the cup..." | Critique of outward ritual purity without inner cleansing. |
| Isa 6:5 | "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips..." | Acknowledging personal unholiness before God. |
| Ps 24:3-4 | "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? ...He who has clean hands and a pure heart..." | Requirement of inward purity for approaching God. |
| Zec 13:1 | "...a fountain opened... to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness." | Prophecy of future spiritual cleansing from sin. |
| Mal 3:2-3 | "...He will sit as a refiner and purifer of silver..." | God's role in purifying His people. |
Leviticus 6 verses
Leviticus 6 28 Meaning
Leviticus 6:28 prescribes the treatment of cooking vessels used for the flesh of the sin offering. Because the sin offering was "most holy" (Lev 6:25, 7:6), any vessel that came into contact with it was deemed sacred or carried its remnants. An earthen vessel, being porous, would absorb some of the meat's juices and could not be adequately purified by ancient methods; therefore, it had to be broken to prevent any further use that would defile its sacred association or contaminate common items. A bronze pot, being non-porous, could be thoroughly cleansed by scouring and rinsing with water, thereby removing all traces and allowing it to be reused for common purposes without risking improper handling of holiness.
Leviticus 6 28 Context
Leviticus 6:28 is part of the extensive instructions given to Moses regarding the sin offering (chatta't). This particular verse, along with verses 24-30, specifically addresses the laws for priests regarding the handling, consumption, and associated materials of the sin offering's flesh, which is declared "most holy." The primary context is the meticulous care required for anything associated with offerings presented directly to the Holy God, underscoring the distinction between sacred and common, and the necessity of purity in all aspects of worship. The precise instructions prevented desecration of the sacred and protected the priests from casual treatment of divine holiness.
Leviticus 6 28 Word analysis
- earthen vessel (כְּלִי חֶרֶשׂ, keli cheres): This refers to a pot made of clay. In ancient times, such pottery was often unglazed and porous, meaning that liquids and substances could seep into its material. This porous nature is critical here: it implied that any blood or residue from the sacred offering's flesh would penetrate and impregnate the clay, rendering it permanently holy in a way that could not be cleansed by ritual washing.
- broken (יִשָּׁבֵר, yishashaver): The verb implies total and irreversible destruction. This command ensures that the earthen vessel, having absorbed the "most holy" substance, would never again be used for common purposes, thus preventing any potential profanation or mixing of sacred and mundane. It signifies an absolute separation to preserve sanctity.
- sodden (בֻשַּׁל, bushal): This verb means "boiled" or "cooked." It refers to the preparation of the sin offering's flesh, parts of which were to be eaten by the priests (Lev 6:26). The act of boiling meant direct and prolonged contact between the flesh and the cooking pot.
- brazen pot (סִיר נְחֹשֶׁת, sir n'choshet): A vessel made of bronze or copper. Unlike earthenware, metal pots are non-porous. This difference in material properties is fundamental to the divergent instruction given. Being non-porous, no part of the sacred offering could be absorbed into the material itself.
- scoured (יְמָרֵק, yemareq): To clean thoroughly by rubbing, to polish or scour away residue. This suggests a rigorous physical cleansing of the pot's surface.
- rinsed (שֻׁטָּף, shutaf): To wash or rinse with water, implying a flowing of water over the surface. This signifies a final, complete washing to remove any remaining particles.
Words-group analysis
- "earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken": This phrase highlights an irremediable state. The porous nature of clay meant that contact with the "most holy" substance caused an indissoluble spiritual absorption. Therefore, breakage was necessary. This illustrates that some forms of defilement (or extreme sanctity in this case) cannot be remedied by superficial cleansing, demanding an absolute separation or destruction to maintain the purity boundaries established by God.
- "if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water": This contrasts sharply with the earthen vessel. The non-porous nature of metal allows for effective purification. This demonstrates that not all contact with holiness (or uncleanness in other contexts) results in permanent, irremediable impurity. Prescribed actions of scouring and rinsing could render the metal vessel suitable for common use again, showing God's provision for practical use while maintaining high standards of ritual purity.
Leviticus 6 28 Bonus section
- Levels of Holiness: The instructions implicitly distinguish between items that become "holy" (requiring special handling) and those that are "most holy" (qodesh qodeshim), for which extremely strict rules apply, as is the case for the sin offering.
- Hygiene and Practicality: Beyond theological implications, these rules also had practical benefits for public health in an ancient, warm climate. Handling meat, particularly sacrificial meat that might be consumed, required strict hygiene to prevent spoilage and disease. The immediate destruction of porous containers and thorough cleaning of non-porous ones served as effective preventative measures against contamination, even without understanding the microbiology of it.
- Divine Revelation vs. Human Tradition: These detailed instructions underscore that the laws of ritual purity were divinely revealed and not merely human traditions. Their specificity and distinction based on material properties speak to a precise understanding far beyond contemporary human scientific knowledge.
Leviticus 6 28 Commentary
Leviticus 6:28 unveils a profound truth about God's holiness and the precision He requires in worship. The specific instructions for earthen versus metal vessels illustrate the careful distinction God maintains between the holy and the common. Because the sin offering was "most holy," anything it touched bore a special status. Earthenware, due to its porous nature, would absorb the "holy" juices, making it impossible to effectively "un-hallow" it through ordinary means. Breaking it ensured that something touched by such profound holiness could not be profaned by later common use, safeguarding the sanctity of God's prescribed rituals. Bronze, however, being non-porous, could be completely cleansed of all traces of the sacred flesh through vigorous scrubbing and rinsing. This highlights the practical and theological wisdom in these laws: they were not arbitrary, but demonstrated God's desire for an undefiled approach while providing clear, achievable standards for maintaining ritual purity within a functional system of worship. This system, while physical, shadowed deeper spiritual realities of perfect purification available through Christ's non-absorbent sacrifice.