Leviticus 2:1
in Leviticus 2“When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering must consist of fine flour. He is to pour olive oil on it, put frankincense on it,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when any one offereth an oblation of a meal-offering unto Jehovah, his oblation shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
KJV
And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
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This verse in Leviticus 2
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
A meat offering - Better translated in Lev 2:4 an oblation of a meat offering קרבן qorbân, see Lev 1:2 מנחה mı̂nchāh. signifies literally a “gift”; and it appears to have been applied especially to what was given by an inferior to a superior Gen 32:18-20; Gen 43:11; Jdg 3:15; 1Sa 10:27: but in the technical language of the Law, it regularly denoted the vegetable offerings as distinguished from the animal offerings. Our translators have rendered it “meat-offering”, applying the word “meat”, according to old usage, as a general term for food.
This site's exposition
his offering shall be of fine flour
on Leviticus 2:1-3
This is the one offering in the list with no death in it. What comes is grain, oil and frankincense off a man's own ground, and nothing is killed and no blood is applied anywhere in the chapter. The priest burns a handful and the remnant is Aaron's and his sons', called a thing most holy, which is the phrase Leviticus keeps for what only the priests may eat. Numbers 15:4 later attaches a meat offering to the burnt offering and to the sacrifice, so in practice the bloodless gift arrives beside a bloody one.
The record, by era
The Reformation1 voice
Moses afterwards commands, that whatever is consecrated to God should be delivered into the hand of the priest, as we have before seen that private persons were excluded from this honor so that Christ's peculiar dignity should remain to Him, i.e., that by Him alone access should be sought to God, and that all men might know that no worship pleases God except what He sanctifies.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
A meal-offering - (Not meat-offering, an ancient false print, which has run thro' many editions of our bible.) This was of two kinds, the one joined with other offerings, Num. xv, 4, 7, 10, which was prescribed, together with the measure or proportion of it: the other, of which this place speaks, was left to the offerer's good will both for the thing, and for the quantity.
), for the perfuming of the altar; in allusion to this, gospel ministers are said to be a sweet savour unto God, 2 Cor. ii. If it was prepared, this might be done in various ways; the offerer might bake it, or fry it, or mix the flour and oil upon a plate, for the doing of which conveniences were provided about the tabernacle.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
because these are things of greatest necessity and benefit to man, and therefore it is meet that God should be served with them, and owned and praised as the giver of them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
And when any man will offer a meat offering unto the Lord,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
when any will offer a meat offering--or gift--distinguishing a bloodless from a bloody sacrifice. The word "meat," however, is improper, as its meaning as now used is different from that attached at the date of our English translation. It was then applied not to "flesh," but "food," generally, and here it is applied to the flour of wheat.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
Meat-offering - מנחה minchah. For an explanation of this word see Clarke’s note on Gen 4:3, and Lev. vii. Calmet has remarked that there are five kinds of the minchah mentioned in this chapter. 1. סלת soleth, simple flour or meal, Lev 2:1. 2. Cakes and wafers, or whatever was baked in the oven, Lev 2:4. 3. Cakes baked in the pan, Lev 2:5. 4. Cakes baked on the frying-pan, or probably, a gridiron, Lev 2:7. 5. Green ears of corn parched, Lev 2:14. All these were offered without honey or leaven, but accompanied with wine, oil, and frankincense. It is very likely that the minchah, in some or all of the above forms, was the earliest oblation offered to the Supreme Being, and probably was in use before sin entered into the world, and consequently before bloody sacrifices, or piacular victims, had been ordained. The minchah of green ears of corn dried by the fire, etc., was properly the gratitude-offering for a good seed time, and the prospect of a plentiful harvest. This appears to have been the offering brought by Cain, Gen 4:3; see Clarke’s note Gen 4:3. The flour, whether of wheat, rice, barley, rye, or any other grain used for aliment, was in all likelihood equally proper; for in Num 5:15, we find the flour of barley, or barley meal, is called minchah. It is plain that in the institution of the minchah no animal was here included, though in other places it seems to include both kinds; but in general the minchah was not a bloody offering, nor used by way of atonement or expiation, but merely in a eucharistic way, expressing gratitude to God for the produce of the soil. It is such an offering as what is called natural religion might be reasonably expected to suggest: but alas! […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
AND HE SHALL POUR OIL UPON IT AND PUT FRANKINCENSE THEREON. AND HE SHALL BRING IT TO AARON’S SONS. “This teaches that the pouring of the oil and the mingling of it together with the flour [of the meal-offering] is valid if done by a non-priest.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנֶ֗פֶשׁ | venefesh | and anyone | H5315 → | 754 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| תַקְרִ֞יב | takriv | it will present | H7126 → | 280 times |
| קָרְבַּ֤ן | kareban | a present of | H7133 → | 82 times |
| מִנְחָה֙ | minchah | a grain offering | H4503 → | 211 times |
| לַֽיהוָ֔ה | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| סֹ֖לֶת | solet | fine flour | H5560 → | 53 times |
| יִהְיֶ֣ה | yihyeh | it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| קָרְבָּנ֑וֹ | karebano | present his | H7133 → | 82 times |
| וְיָצַ֤ק | veyatzak | and he will pour | H3332 → | 50 times |
| עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ | ʾaleiha | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שֶׁ֔מֶן | shemen | oil | H8081 → | 193 times |
| וְנָתַ֥ן | venatan | and he will put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| עָלֶ֖יהָ | ʾaleiha | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| לְבֹנָֽה׃ | levonah | frankincense | H3828 → | 21 times |
וְנֶ֗פֶשׁand anyone
venefeshH5315 →754 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
תַקְרִ֞יבit will present
takrivH7126 →280 times
קָרְבַּ֤ןa present of
karebanH7133 →82 times
מִנְחָה֙a grain offering
minchahH4503 →211 times
לַֽיהוָ֔הto Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
סֹ֖לֶתfine flour
soletH5560 →53 times
יִהְיֶ֣הit will be
yihyehH1961 →3559 times
קָרְבָּנ֑וֹpresent his
karebanoH7133 →82 times
וְיָצַ֤קand he will pour
veyatzakH3332 →50 times
עָלֶ֙יהָ֙on it
ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times
שֶׁ֔מֶןoil
shemenH8081 →193 times
וְנָתַ֥ןand he will put
venatanH5414 →2011 times
עָלֶ֖יהָon it
ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times
לְבֹנָֽה׃frankincense
levonahH3828 →21 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jude 1:20But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
it leads to
- Ephesians 6:18
Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
- Romans 8:26–27
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.
- 1 Corinthians 14:15
What then shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
- Colossians 2:7
rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.
- Ephesians 6:18
Through
Revelation 8:3Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before…
it leads to
- Revelation 5:8
When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which…
- Revelation 8:4
And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.
- Psalms 141:2
May my prayer be set before You like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering.
- Revelation 5:8
About Leviticus
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Andrew Bonar, A Commentary on Leviticus; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.