Commentaria in Leviticum
6. AND ON THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF THIS MONTH (the first and paschal, namely Nisan) IS THE SOLEMNITY OF THE UNLEAVENED BREAD OF THE LORD.—Note: The days of azymes began with the pasch, namely on the 14th day of the first month at the second evening, that is, at the beginning of the 15th day; and they lasted for 7 days, which were therefore called paschal, on which they ate bread not leavened but unleavened. Hence these days ended on the twenty-first day of the first month at the second evening; for each feast day had a double evening, namely the first and the second, or the beginning and the ending, except the feast of the pasch: for this had only one evening, namely the second of the 14th day. Thus on the 14th day at evening the phase, or paschal lamb, was immolated, which at night they ate with unleavened bread: the next morning, which was the morning of the 15th day, was the solemnity of azymes, because on that day the eating of unleavened bread began; for the night preceding belonged to this 15th day, not to the 14th. On the same 15th day they immolated other paschal victims, which therefore also were called pasch, John 18:28: hence this day was solemn.
Note: Of these 7 days of azymes there were four observances. First, through all these seven days they ate unleavened bread. Secondly, they ceased from all servile work, but only on the first and seventh day; on the five intermediate days they might work and labour. Hence it follows from what was said at ver. 1 that only the first day and the last were properly feasts, not the five middle ones.
Thirdly, on each day sacrifices were offered, holocausts namely, as the Septuagint translate, which our Interpreter calls sacrifices by fire: for in Hebrew they are called ignitions, that is, sacrifices which are consumed by fire in honour of God. The daily victims, then, on these days were two calves, one ram, seven lambs of a year, and one buck goat for sin, as is plain from Numbers 28:19; to which add another lamb, which on the second day was immolated with the ears, as is plain from ver. 19. Fourthly, ears of barley then ripening were offered, and this was done only on the second day, not on the others. So Abulensis, Ribera and others.
7. THE FIRST DAY SHALL BE MOST SOLEMN UNTO YOU.—Of these 7 days of azymes, the first and the seventh were more solemn, and these two were equally solemn. For that our Interpreter calls the first day most solemn, but the seventh more solemn, comes to the same thing: as also that he calls the seventh more holy, but the first holy. For he means only to say that the first day and the seventh were solemn and exceedingly holy above the rest. Hence in the Hebrew there is in both places the same expression, namely miqra qodesh, that is, a holy convocation. So among the Latins the comparative sometimes has not the force of comparison, but is put for the positive or the superlative, as:
“Sadder, and with her shining eyes bathed in tears.”
10 and 11. WHEN YOU SHALL HAVE ENTERED INTO THE LAND WHICH I WILL GIVE YOU (Chanaan: hence it is plain that these ceremonial laws, and these feasts, did not bind the Jews, nor were they kept by them in the desert), AND SHALL REAP YOUR CORN, YOU SHALL BRING SHEAVES OF EARS, THE FIRSTFRUITS OF YOUR HARVEST, TO THE PRIEST: AND HE SHALL LIFT UP THE SHEAF BEFORE THE LORD.—“Of ears,” namely of barley, which at that time, namely in March or April, ripens in Palestine about the pasch.
Note: These firstfruits of ears were not universal, so that all were obliged to offer a sheaf of them, but as many offered as wished to offer of their own accord and from devotion. Of all these the priest took one, which he offered to God, and the offered sheaf he parched and dried, and the dried he threshed out, and the grains threshed out he ground small, and from the ground meal, with frankincense and oil put upon it, he took a handful, which he burnt and offered to the Lord; but the remaining sheaves of ears, and their grains and meal, fell to the right and use of the priests.
Tropologically, the sheaf of ears signifies the resurrection of Christ: whence also it is offered on the morrow of the sabbath, namely after the phase was immolated, because these were the two days of Christ, one of the passion, the other of the resurrection. Hence also Christ, who is a bundle of myrrh on account of the bitterness of the passion, the same is called also a cluster of cypress on account of the sweetness of the resurrection, says Rupert. While therefore we believe that Christ has risen, in our faith and hope we offer to the Lord as it were fresh ears. So Hesychius and Radulphus.
11. ON THE MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH—as if to say: On the morrow, or second day of azymes, this sheaf of ears shall be offered; for sabbath here does not signify the sabbath properly so called, as Hesychius and Rupert thought: nor again does it signify all the days of azymes and the paschal feasts, as some have supposed; but signifies only the feast itself of the first day of azymes, because on it full rest was enjoined (for this is in Hebrew called sabbath) on account of the solemnity of the feast; this feast, therefore, because it was so solemn, is hence called sabbath: for the sabbath was the first and chief of feasts. Abulensis thinks that this sheaf of ears was offered not on the first, but on the second day, because on the first day, as being solemn, it was not lawful to reap them, not even for this sacred use of oblation: I should rather say that the first day was so hindered by its solemnity and the paschal sacrifices that there was no leisure, nor was it fitting, to parch these ears on it.
AND HE SHALL SANCTIFY IT—he shall consecrate the sheaf of ears to the Lord, with the rite which was prescribed and explained in chap. 2, the last verse but one.
12 and 13. AND ON THE SAME DAY THAT THE SHEAF IS CONSECRATED, A LAMB SHALL BE SLAIN, AND THE LIBATIONS (in Hebrew minchah, that is, the meal sacrifice) SHALL BE OFFERED.
13. LIBATIONS ALSO OF WINE, THE FOURTH PART OF A HIN—that is, three sextarii. For the hin contained two congii, or twelve sextarii, as I said chap. 14, ver. 10. What is said here of wine, understand equally of oil, namely that the fourth part of a hin of oil was added to this minchah. For that oil had to be added in every minchah is plain from chap. 2, ver. 4; whence also in Num. 15 the same measure of oil and wine is always joined to each sacrifice. Moreover, the libations, namely the wine itself, were poured out in honour of the Lord, as is here said; but the oil mixed with the flour was burnt by fire to God, which understand of the handful which was burnt to God from this oiled flour: for the rest of the flour or minchah fell to the priest, as was said chap. 2, and chap. 6, ver. 16. So Abulensis.
14. YOU SHALL NOT EAT BREAD, NOR PARCHED CORN, NOR FRUMENTY OF THE HARVEST, UNTIL THE DAY THAT YOU SHALL OFFER OF IT TO YOUR GOD—the sheaf of ears already spoken of; for this God claims for himself as the firstfruits of the crops.
Note: “Parched corn,” that is, toasted spelt or barley. So the Septuagint and the Hebrews. For frumenty the Hebrew is carmel, ears; but it is certain that ears neither pure nor raw are meant here: for these are not wont to be eaten; nor even toasted ears, or toasted or bruised spelt formed into bread, because bread has already been mentioned. Fitly therefore our Interpreter here took bruised ears, namely meal drawn out into pottage and cooked: for the question here is not of raw meal but of cooked; for this alone is wont to be eaten, and meal is cooked either into bread, or into parched corn, or into pottage.
15 and 16. YOU SHALL COUNT THEREFORE FROM THE MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH, WHEREIN YOU OFFERED THE SHEAF OF THE FIRSTFRUITS (of ears), SEVEN FULL WEEKS, EVEN UNTO THE MORROW AFTER THE SEVENTH WEEK BE EXPIRED, THAT IS TO SAY, FIFTY DAYS, AND SO YOU SHALL OFFER A NEW SACRIFICE TO THE LORD.—Here is described the third feast, namely Pentecost, which was celebrated on the fiftieth day from the pasch. From the morrow of the sabbath, therefore, not the sabbath properly so called, but the sabbath, that is, of the pasch and the solemnity of azymes, that is, from the second day of azymes (as I said a little before), on which they offered the sheaf of ears, the Hebrews counted seven weeks, that is 49 days, so that the following day, namely the fiftieth, was pentecost. That this is so is plain first from Josephus, who teaches it clearly, book 3 of the Antiquities, chap. 10, when he says: after this sacrifice, the seventh week having elapsed, which are forty-nine days, on the fiftieth day, they offer bread; which words of Josephus the Interpreter renders obscurely and confusedly thus: After the paschal sacrifice, seven weeks having elapsed, is pentecost; for clearly and distinctly they must be rendered thus: After this sacrifice (of the green ears and the lamb), the seventh week being elapsed (for the days of seven weeks are forty-nine), is pentecost, or the fiftieth day, on which they offer bread. Secondly, the same is plain from the practice of the Jews, and from the first pentecost, which the Hebrews celebrated on the sixth day of the third month, as I showed on Exodus 19:11. For from the second day of azymes, which was the second day from the going out of Egypt and was the sixteenth of the first month, to the sixth day of the third month, which was the day of the giving of the Law, are precisely fifty days. And so even to this day in the Calendars of the Jews pentecost is assigned to the sixth day of the third month. So Abulensis, Cajetan, Oleaster, Ribera, book 5 On the Temple, chap. 7, and Genebrard in the Calendar of the Hebrews, which he prefixed to the Psalms.