Leviticus 24:12

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

They put him in custody, until the will of Yahweh should be declared to them.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Highlights

1 first appearance in the Hebrew Bible

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Word by word

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לִפְרֹ֥שׁ

pârâsh

H6567

“to declare”

Preposition + Verb, Qal, Infinitive Construct

Appears 5× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears here

Full BDB Definition

Origin: a primitive root

TWOT: 1833 , 1834

to make distinct, declare, distinguish, separate - (Qal) to declare, clarify - (Pual) to be distinctly declared - (Hiphil) to pierce, sting - (Niphal) scatter

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

7: words
6: distinct lemmas
Pentateuch: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is לִפְרֹ֥שׁ to declare H6567 — appearing just 5 times in the whole Hebrew Bible.

First appearance in Scripture

This word makes its first canonical appearance in the Hebrew Bible here:

לִפְרֹ֥שׁ to declare H6567

Shared distinctive vocabulary

לִפְרֹ֥שׁ to declare H6567 occurs in 5 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

2 verbs
3 nouns
2 prepositions

Verb forms

וַיַּנִּיחֻ֖הוּ Hiphil · Sequential Imperfect
לִפְרֹ֥שׁ Qal · Infinitive Construct

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 15 words from the Hebrew and 15 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — the same length.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 7 Hebrew tokens and 10 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Leviticus 24:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Exodus 18:15–16 Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
Numbers 15:34 They put him in custody, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
Numbers 27:5 Moses brought their cause before Yahweh.
Numbers 36:5–6 Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of Yahweh, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks right.
Exodus 18:23 If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all of these people also will go to their place in peace."

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Leviticus 24:12 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

וַיַּנִּיחֻ֖הוּ בַּמִּשְׁמָ֑ר לִפְרֹ֥שׁ לָהֶ֖ם עַל פִּ֥י יְהוָֽה

They put him in custody, until the will of Yahweh should be declared to them.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Leviticus 24:12 Septuagint · lemma form

καί ἀποτίθημι αὐτός εἰς φυλακή διακρίνω αὐτός διά πρόσταγμα κύριος

And they put him in ward, to judge him by the command of the Lord.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Targum (Aramaic paraphrase)

The Targum is the ancient Jewish Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures — an interpretive translation, not the Hebrew text itself. Onkelos (literal) and Pseudo-Jonathan (expansive) render the Torah, and Jonathan the Prophets. Coverage is partial: where no permissively-licensed English translation exists for a verse, only the Aramaic is shown. This is verse-level text, not a word-by-word alignment to the Hebrew.

Targum Onkelos Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)

וְאַסְרוֹהִי בְּבֵית מַטְרָא עַד דְיִתְפָּרַשׁ לְהוֹן עַל גְזֵרַת מֵימְרָא דַיְיָ

(no public-domain English translation for this verse)

Targum Onkelos — Aramaic: “Onkelos Genesis” (public domain); “Onkelos Exodus” (public domain); “Onkelos Leviticus” (public domain); “Onkelos Numbers” (public domain); “Onkelos Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “J.W. Etheridge. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel on the Pentateuch. London: Longmans, Green, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)

דֵין הוּא חַד מִן אַרְבַּעְתֵּי דִינִין דִי עֲלוּ קֳדָם משֶׁה נְבִיָיא וְדָן יַתְהוֹן עַל פּוּם מֵימְרָא דִלְעֵיל מִנְהוֹן דִינָא מָמוֹנָא וּמִנְהוֹן דִינָא נַפְשָׁתָא בְּדִינֵי מָמוֹנָא הֲוָה משֶׁה זָרִיז וּבְדִינֵי נַפְשָׁתָא הֲוָה מָתוּן וּבְאִילֵין אָמַר משֶׁה לָא שְׁמָעִית מִן בִּגְלַל לְמֵילְפָא רֵישֵׁי סַנְהֶדְרַיְיתָא דְיִשְרָאֵל דַעֲתִידִין לְמֵיקוּם בַּתְרֵיהּ דֶיֶהֱווֹן זְרִיזִין בְּדִינֵי מָמוֹנָא וּמְתוּנִין בְּדִינֵי נַפְשָׁתָא וְלָא יְבַהֲתוּן לְמִישְׁאֲלָא דִינָא דְמִתְקַשֵׁי לְהוֹן אֲרוּם משֶׁה רַבְּהוֹן דְיִשְרָאֵל צָרִיךְ דְיֵימַר לָא שְׁמָעִית בְּגִין כֵּן אַצְנָעוּ יָתֵיהּ בְּבֵית מַטְרָא עַד זְמַן דְיִתְפָּרֵשׁ לְהוֹן עַל גְזֵירַת מֵימְרָא דַיְיָ

This is one of four judgments which were brought in before Mosheh the prophet, who decided them by the dictate of the Word, who is above. They were judgments about money and about life. In judgments on money Mosheh was prompt; but in the judgment on life he was deliberate (or slow by delay) each (party) Mosheh said, I have not heard: that he might teach the chiefs of the Sanhedrin of Israel, who were to arise after him, to be prompt in judgments respecting money, but slow in judgments that affected life; and not to be ashamed to inquire for counsel in cases that should be too hard for them, forasmuch as Mosheh, Rabban of Israel, had need to say, I have not heard. Therefore they shut him up in the house of confinement till the time that it should be explained to them by the decree of the Word of the Lord.

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan — Aramaic: “Targum Jonathan on Genesis” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Exodus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Leviticus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Numbers” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, trans. J. W. Etheridge, London, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.

Commentary

Notes on Leviticus 24:12 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

Lev 24:12 And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them.

Ver. 12. That the mind.] God had not yet made a particular law against blasphemy. Solon made no law against parricide, Lycurgus none against ingratitude; because they thought no such offence would be committed.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joseph Benson's Commentary

Lev 24:12. That the mind of the Lord might be showed — For God had only said in general, that he would not hold such guiltless, that is, he would punish them, but had not declared how he would have them punished by men.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(12) And they put him in ward.—That is, to keep him in safe custody till he had been tried. In the Mosaic legislation confinement in a prison for a certain period as a punishment for an offence is nowhere enacted.

That the mind of the Lord might be shewed them.—Better, that he might direct them according to the command of the Lord, as the Authorised Version renders this phrase in Exo_17:1, Num_4:37; Num_4:41; Num_4:49, &c. Though this was a transgression of the third commandment, and though it was ordained that he who cursed his earthly parent should be put to death (see Lev_20:9), yet no law existed as to the exact punishment which was to be inflicted upon him who cursed his heavenly Father (see Exo_22:28); nor was it known whether such an offender should be left to God Himself to execute the sentence. For this reason the criminal was detained till Moses had appealed to the Lord for instruction, in order that he might direct the people accordingly. Similar instances of Moses appealing direct to the Lord for guidance in matters of law and judgment we have in Num_15:34; Num_28:1-5.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

12. that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of the Lord] more exact than the A.V. ‘that the mind of the Lord might be shewn them.’

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

And they put him in ward,.... In some prison, a place known in the camp, as Aben Ezra observes:

that the mind of the Lord might be shewed them; for, though this was a breach of the third command, in which God declares he would not hold such an one guiltless, Exo 20:7; yet no particular punishment being expressed, it was not a clear case whether the Lord would punish for it himself, by an immediate stroke of his hand, or whether by the civil magistrate; and if by the latter, in what manner; for though it might be concluded, without any hesitation, that he was worthy of death, since cursing father or mother was death, Exo 21:17; and much more blaspheming God, yet what death to put him to they might be at a loss about; or if that was understood of stoning, they might think this deserved a sorer punishment, and therefore consulted God about it.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The offender may already have been pronounced guilty by the rulers (see Exo 18:21-22), and the case was referred to Moses in order that the punishment might be awarded by the divine decree. No law had as yet been enacted against blasphemy except by implication. See Exo 21:17; Exo 22:28.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations

For God had only said in general, that he would not hold such guiltless, i.e. he would punish them, but had not declared how he would have them punished by men.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

12. In ward — In prison, or under guard.

The mind of the Lord — Literally, as the R.V., “To declare distinctly unto them according to the mouth of the Lord.” It would seem that this was the first violation of the third commandment.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

And they put him in ward. The same course was followed in the case of the man found gathering sticks upon the sabbath day: "And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him". (Num_15:34) The same penalty was awarded in both cases.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

That the mind of the Lord might be shewed - For God had only said in general, that he would not hold such guiltless, that is, he would punish them, but had not declared how he would have them punished by men.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Rashi

Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)

ויניחהו AND THEY PLACED HIM [IN WARD] — him by himself — and they did not place the man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath day with him (Numbers 15:34), because both of whom happened to be (i. e. to commit an offense) at the same period, but they knew that the stick-gatherer was to be punished with the death-penalty, only it had not been explained to them by what kind of death he was to be punished — it is for this reason that it is stated in his case (Numbers 15:33) “[and they placed him in ward] because it was not explained what should be done to him”. In the case of the blasphemer, however, it states “[and they placed him in ward] that [the proper penalty] might be shown to them”; this was because they did not know whether he is at all liable to the death-penalty or not (Sifra, Emor, Section 14 5; Sanhedrin 78b).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Leviticus, in the Pentateuch, opens this verse with 7 words (6 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is pârâsh (“to declare”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

The word pârâsh carries the sense “to declare.” How does it shape the verse?
This is the first place “to declare” appears in Scripture (first appears here). What does its debut here establish?
How does Numbers 15:34, which shares the word «to declare», read alongside this verse?
These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
«וַיַּנִּיחֻ֖הוּ» is a Hiphil Sequential Imperfect verb. How does that grammatical form shape the action described?
Compare how Trapp's Complete Commentary and Joseph Benson's Commentary read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

1 word makes its first canonical appearance in Scripture here.
This verse counts 7 Hebrew ↔ 10 Greek words.
These translations choose different wording for 16 words in this verse.
6 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 7 words in this verse.