Commentaria in Leviticum
Chapter Twenty-four
Oil is prescribed to burn in the lamps of the candlestick: likewise the loaves of proposition, what they ought to be, and of what kind, ver. 5; secondly, ver. 10, the blasphemer is stoned by command of God.
1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2. Command the children of Israel, that they bring thee the purest oil of the olives, and clear, to feed the lamps continually, 3. Without the veil of the testimony in the tabernacle of the covenant. And Aaron shall set them from evening until morning before the Lord, by a worship and rite perpetual in your generations. 4. Upon the most clean candlestick shall they be always set in the sight of the Lord. 5. Thou shalt take also fine flour, and shalt bake of it twelve loaves, each loaf shall have two tenths: 6. And thou shalt set them six and six one against another upon the most clean table before the Lord. 7. And thou shalt put upon them most clear frankincense, that the bread may be for a memorial of the oblation of the Lord. 8. Every sabbath they shall be changed before the Lord, being received of the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant: 9. And they shall be Aaron’s and his sons’, that they may eat them in the holy place: because it is most holy of the sacrifices of the Lord by a perpetual right. 10. And behold there went out the son of a woman of Israel, whom she bore to an Egyptian, among the children of Israel, and fell at words in the camp with a man of Israel. 11. And when he had blasphemed the name and had cursed it, he was brought to Moses. (And his mother was called Salumith, the daughter of Dabri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12. And they put him into prison, till they might know what the Lord would command. 13. Who spoke to Moses, 14. Saying: Bring forth the blasphemer without the camp, and let them that heard him put their hands upon his head, and let all the people stone him. 15. And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel: The man that curseth his God, shall bear his sin: 16. And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, dying let him die: all the multitude shall stone him, whether he be a native or a stranger. He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, dying let him die. 17. He that striketh and killeth a man, dying let him die. 18. He that killeth a beast, shall make it good, that is to say, life for life. 19. He that giveth a blemish to any of his neighbours: as he hath done, so shall it be done to him: 20. Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, shall he restore. What blemish he gave, the same shall he be compelled to suffer. 21. He that striketh a beast, shall render another. He that striketh a man, shall be punished. 22. Let there be equal judgment among you, whether he be a stranger or a citizen that offendeth: because I am the Lord your God. 23. And Moses spoke to the children of Israel: and they brought forth him that had blasphemed, out of the camp, and stoned him. And the children of Israel did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
2. COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT THEY BRING THEE OIL.—Note: There were four functions of the priests in the tabernacle: the first and most excellent, of which has hitherto been treated, was the immolation of sacrifices; the second, the burning of incense on the altar appointed for it within the Holy Place, of which function it was said Exodus 30:7; the third, the setting out of the loaves of proposition; the fourth, the lighting of the lamps on the candlestick: of these last two this chapter treats. Moreover the children of Israel, that is, the whole people, had to furnish the expenses necessary for these four functions, because the priests discharged them in the name of the whole people.
And therefore, first, in the census of the people each paid half a shekel for this use, Exod. 30:13; secondly, at the three feasts of the year each offered something for the same use, as much, namely, as he wished out of devotion. For it was commanded (thrice in the year): “You shall not appear in my sight empty”; thirdly, there was the treasury, into which each cast what he would for the expenses of the temple, of which Luke 21:1; fourthly, as at the public expense the people had to bring certain victims for sin, so likewise they had to bring oil for the lamps and fine flour for baking the loaves of proposition, as is here prescribed; not that this was commanded to each individually, but to the whole people: whence the princes and magistrates paid these out of the common treasury. For firstfruits, tithes and other oblations went to the right and sustenance of the priests: for they had received no other portion or inheritance from God among their countrymen. It happened nevertheless not seldom that some, from time to time more religious, especially princes, whether Hebrews or Gentiles, bore these expenses either wholly or for the greater part, as did King Ezechias, 2 Paralipomenon 31:3, and Seleucus king of Asia, 2 Machabees 3:3, and Artaxerxes king of the Persians, 1 Esdras 7:23.
THE PUREST OIL OF THE OLIVES AND CLEAR.—In Hebrew, pure oil beaten for the light (as the Septuagint render), that is, oil flowing from the pressing, liquid and clear; the dregs remaining, and becoming food.
TO FEED THE LAMPS (that is, to light the lamps: so the Septuagint, Chaldee and Hebrew) CONTINUALLY (that is, every night, as is explained in the next verse; for the lamps burned from evening until morning; in the morning they were put out: see what was said Exodus 26:20) WITHOUT THE VEIL OF THE TESTIMONY,—ver. 3.
which, namely, is spread before the testimony, that is, the ark: which contains the testimony, that is, the law or the tables of the law, which testify what God wishes to be done by us. It is a metonymy, as if to say: Let these lamps burn in the Holy Place before the Holy of Holies.
Tropologically, the lamps are the Apostles and Doctors, to whom Christ says: “You are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world.” Hear St. Paulinus, epist. 31, addressing St. Augustine, doctor of the Church: “O lamp worthy to be set upon the candlestick of the Church, who, pouring far and wide in the Catholic cities, from a sevenfold wick, a light fed with the oil of gladness, dost scatter the thick darkness of heretics, and with the splendour of thy clear speech clearest away the cloud of confused shadows from the light of truth! Thy mouth I would rightly call a pipe of living water and a vein of an eternal fountain: because Christ has become the fountain of water springing up unto life everlasting. For desire of whom my soul has thirsted in thee, and in the dry land has longed for the abundance of thy stream.”
5–9. THOU SHALT TAKE ALSO FINE FLOUR, AND SHALT BAKE OF IT TWELVE LOAVES.—Note: These are the loaves of proposition, that is, set before the Lord, for which the people gave the fine flour; of which not laymen but the Levites themselves, namely the Caathites, made and baked these loaves, as is plain 1 Paral. 9:32, and chap. 23:29. In like manner the Levites had charge of the spices, from which the priests themselves, as is plain 1 Paral. 9:30, made the sacred ointments prescribed Exodus 30:23 and following. Moreover these loaves were made of the purest fine flour, into which, for kneading, instead of water was poured the fourth part of a hin of the purest oil, that is, three pounds of oil, namely 36 ounces. Then with the loaves they set out the fourth part of a hin of wine (which, as I shall presently say, they afterwards poured out to God), that is, three pounds of wine, with 4 ounces. For wine is heavier than oil. Note secondly: These loaves were twelve, that is, that each tribe might as it were offer its own loaf to God: for by these twelve loaves the twelve tribes professed themselves continually fed by God; and in turn God, as if enticed by this gratitude of their oblation, showed that he remembered them, and always had their memory and memorial before him, to continue to feed and care for them. Hence thirdly, they laid frankincense upon these loaves, to signify that they owed all things to God, and referred all things received to God through the loaves of proposition, which they always set with frankincense before the Lord: for the frankincense signified that the loaves were offered to the Lord, as being the Lord’s and due to him. Moreover this frankincense, when the week had elapsed, when the loaves were taken away and new ones substituted, was burnt to God with the sacrifices, as commanded Levit. 2, last verse. Fourthly, the Septuagint, Chaldee and Philo add that salt was laid upon these loaves: for this was as it were the table of God; and salt is wont to be put on every table to season the food and make it more savoury; for Levit. 2:13 it is thus commanded: “In all thy oblation thou shalt offer salt.” Fifthly, every sabbath new loaves, fresh and hot, were set on the table, as is plain from ver. 8; but the old were taken away, and the priests ate them: for to these alone was it lawful to eat of these loaves.