1 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
2 Speake vnto the children of Israel, and say vnto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I giue vnto you,
3 And will make an offering by fire vnto the Lord, a burnt offering or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a free will offering, or in your solemne feasts, to make a sweet sauour vnto the Lord, of the herd or of the flocke:
4 Then shall he that offereth his offering vnto the Lord, bring a meat offring of a tenth deale of flowre, mingled with the fourth part of an Hyn of oyle.
5 And the fourth part of an Hyn of wine for a drinke offring shalt thou prepare, with the burnt offering or sacrifice for one lambe.
6 Or for a ramme, thou shalt prepare for a meate offering two tenth deales of flowre mingled with the third part of an Hyn of oyle.
7 And for a drinke offering, thou shalt offer the third part of an Hyn of wine, for a sweete sauour vnto the Lord.
8 And when thou preparest a bullocke for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice in performing a vow, or peace offerings vnto the Lord:
9 Then shall hee bring with a bullocke a meate offering of three tenth deales of flowre, mingled with halfe an Hyn of oyle.
10 And thou shalt bring for a drinke offering halfe an Hyn of wine, for an offering made by fire of a sweet sauour vnto the Lord.
11 Thus shall it be done for one bullocke, or for one ramme, or for a lambe, or a kidde.
12 According to the number that yee shall prepare, so shall yee doe to euery one, according to their number.
13 All that are borne of the countrey shall doe these things after this maner, in offering an offering made by fire of a sweet sauour, vnto the Lord.
14 And if a stranger soiourne with you, or whosoeuer bee among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire of a sweete sauour vnto the Lord: as ye doe, so hee shall doe.
15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the Congregation, and also for the stranger that soiourneth with you, an ordinance for euer in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger bee, before the Lord.
16 One law, and one maner shall be for you, and for the stranger that soiourneth with you.
17 ¶ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
18 Speake vnto the children of Israel, and say vnto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you,
19 Then it shall be that when ye eate of the bread of the land, yee shall offer vp an heaue offring vnto the Lord.
20 Ye shall offer vp a cake of the first of your dough, for an heaue offring: as ye doe the heaue offering of the threshing floore, so shall ye heaue it.
21 Of the first of your dough ye shal giue vnto the Lord, an heaue offering in your generations.
22 ¶ And if yee haue erred, and not obserued all these Commaundements which the Lord hath spoken vnto Moses,
23 Euen all that the Lord hath commanded you, by the hand of Moses from the day that the Lord commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations:
24 Then it shalbe, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the Congregation, that all the Congregation shall offer one yong bullocke for a burnt offering, for a sweet sauour vnto the Lord, with his meate offering, and his drinke offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sinne offering.
25 And the Priest shall make an atonement for all the Congregation of the children of Israel, and it shal be forgiuen them, for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offring, a sacrifice made by fire vnto the Lord, and their sinne offering before the Lord, for their ignorance.
26 And it shall bee forgiuen all the Congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that soiourneth among them, seeing all the people were in ignorance.
27 ¶ And if any soule sinne through ignorance, then hee shall bring a shee goat of the first yeere for a sinne offring.
28 And the Priest shall make an atonement for the soule that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him, & it shalbe forgiuen him.
29 You shall haue one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is borne amongst the children of Israel, and for the stranger that soiourneth among them.
30 ¶ But the soule that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be borne in the land, or a stranger, the same reprocheth the Lord: and that soule shall be cut off from among his people.
31 Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandement, that soule shall vtterly be cut off: his iniquitie shall be vpon him.
32 ¶ And while the children of Israel were in the wildernes, they found a man that gathered stickes vpon the Sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks, brought him vnto Moses and Aaron, and vnto all the Congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And the Lord said vnto Moses, The man shall bee surely put to death: all the Congregation shall stone him with stones without the campe.
36 And all the Cogregation brought him without the campe, and stoned him with stones, and he died, as the Lord commanded Moses.
37 ¶ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
38 Speake vnto the children of Israel, and bidde them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments, throughout their generations, and that they put vpon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blew.
39 And it shall bee vnto you for a fringe, that ye may looke vpon it, and remember all the commandements of the Lord, and doe them: and that ye seeke not after your owne heart, and your owne eyes, after which ye vse to goe a whoring:
40 That ye may remember, and doe all my commandements, and be holy vnto your God.
41 I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to bee your God: I am the Lord your God.
The law of the meat-offering and the drink-offering The stranger under the same law. (1-21) The sacrifice for the sin of ignorance. (22-29) The punishment of presumption The sabbath-breaker stoned. (30-36) The law for fringes on garment. (37-41)1-21 Full instructions are given about the meat-offerings and drink-offerings. The beginning of this law is very encouraging, When ye come into the land of your habitation which I give unto you. This was a plain intimation that God would secure the promised land to their seed. It was requisite, since the sacrifices of acknowledgment were intended as the food of God's table, that there should be a constant supply of bread, oil, and wine, whatever the flesh-meat was. And the intent of this law is to direct the proportions of the meat-offering and drink-offering. Natives and strangers are placed on a level in this as in other like matters. It was a happy forewarning of the calling of the Gentiles, and of their admission into the church. If the law made so little difference between Jew and Gentile, much less would the gospel, which broke down the partition-wall, and reconciled both to God.
22-29 Though ignorance will in a degree excuse, it will not justify those who might have known their Lord's will, yet did it not. David prayed to be cleansed from his secret faults, those sins which he himself was not aware of. Sins committed ignorantly, shall be forgiven through Christ the great Sacrifice, who, when he offered up himself once for all upon the cross, seemed to explain one part of the intention of his offering, in that prayer, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. It looked favourably upon the Gentiles, that this law of atoning for sins of ignorance, is expressly made to extend to those who were strangers to Israel.
30-36 Those are to be reckoned presumptuous sinners, who sin designedly against God's will and glory. Sins thus committed are exceedingly sinful. He that thus breaks the commandment reproaches the Lord. He also despises the word of the Lord. Presumptuous sinners despise it, thinking themselves too great, too good, and too wise, to be ruled by it. A particular instance of presumption in the sin of sabbath-breaking is related. The offence was gathering sticks on the sabbath day, to make a fire, whereas the people were to bake and seethe what they had occasion for, the day before, #Ex 16:23|. This was done as an affront both to the law and to the Lawgiver. God is jealous for the honour of his sabbaths, and will not hold him guiltless who profanes them, whatever men may do. God intended this punishment for a warning to all, to make conscience of keeping holy the sabbath. And we may be assured that no command was ever given for the punishment of sin, which, at the judgment day, shall not prove to have come from perfect love and justice. The right of God to a day of devotion to himself, will be disputed and denied only by such as listen to the pride and unbelief of their hearts, rather than to the teaching of the Spirit of truth and life. Wherein consists the difference between him who was detected gathering sticks in the wilderness on the day of God, and the man who turns his back upon the blessings of sabbath appointments, and the promises of sabbath mercies, to use his time, his cares, and his soul, in heaping up riches; and waste his hours, his property, and his strength in sinful pleasure? Wealth may come by the unhallowed effort, but it will not come alone; it will have its awful reward. Sinful pursuits lead to ruin.
37-41 The people are ordered by the Lord to make fringes on the borders of their garments. The Jews were distinguished from their neighbours in their dress, as well as in their diet, and thus taught not to be conformed to the way of the heathen in other things. They proclaimed themselves Jews wherever they were, as not ashamed of God and his law. The fringes were not appointed for trimming and adorning their clothes, but to stir up their minds by way of remembrance, #2Pe 3:1|. If they were tempted to sin, the fringe would warn them not to break God's commandments. We should use every means of refreshing our memories with the truths and precepts of God's word, to strengthen and quicken our obedience, and arm our minds against temptation. Be holy unto your God; cleansed from sin, and sincerely devoted to his service; and that great reason for all the commandments is again and again repeated, "I am the Lord your God."
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.