Leviticus 24:7

Lev 24:7 And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon [each] row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, [even] an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Ver. 7. On the bread.] Or, Instead of the bread.

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.

24:7 Since a portion of this bread was to be burned as a representative offering (see 2:2), it would have been made without yeast (that is, unleavened; see 2:11).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

For it was burnt every Sabbath, when the bread was taken away.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(7) Shalt put pure frankincense upon each row.—Better, shalt place pure frankincense by each pile. As the two piles of six cakes each measured together ten handbreadths in width, and as the length of the table was twelve handbreadths, there was a vacant space of two handbreadths left on the table for the two bowls with frankincense. The vacant place in question may, therefore, (1) have been divided between the two ends of the table, and a bowl with incense been put at each end on either side of the two piles; or (2) the disposable vacant space may have been left at one end of the table only, and the bowls put together on this end by one side of the two piles; or (3) each of the two piles of the cakes may have been put more or less closely to the other end of the table, thus leaving a vacant space between the two piles, into which the two bowls with the frankincense were placed. The last was the practice during the second Temple.

That it may be on the bread for a memorial.—Better, that it may be for the bread as a memorial, that is, that the frankincense may be offered up upon the altar, as God’s portion, instead of the bread which was given to the priests. By this means the prayers of the children of Israel will be brought into grateful remembrance before the Lord. (See Lev_2:2.)

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

7. frankincense] The LXX. add ‘and salt,’ apparently in view of the rule in Lev_2:13. According to a tradition preserved by Josephus (Ant. iii. 10. 7) the frankincense was not poured on the bread, but placed beside it in two golden bowls.

an offering made by fire] The frankincense was burnt on the altar of Burnt-Offering. See Jos. Ant. l.c.

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.

And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row,.... Two cups of frankincense, in each of which was an handful of it, and which were set by each row of the cakes, as Jarchi observes:

that it may be on the bread for a memorial; or "for the bread", instead of it, for a memorial of it; that being to be eaten by the priests, and this to be burned on the altar to the Lord, as follows:

even an offering made by fire unto the Lord; not the bread that was after a time taken away, and eaten by the priests, but the frankincense.

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

Pure frankincense, unmixed and uncorrupted, or of the best sort.

That it may be on the bread, or to the bread, or for the bread, to wit, to be burnt before the Lord instead of the bread, which could not conveniently be offered to God in that manner. And this was done every time that the bread was changed.

For a memorial; for that part which properly belonged to God, whereas the rest belonged to the priest. See Poole "Lev 2:2".

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

7. Frankincense — See Lev_2:1, note. The frankincense used by the Jews in the temple service must not be confounded with the common frankincense of commerce, which is a product of the Abies excelsa. The true frankincense is a product of the Boswellia thurifera. It is the symbol of intercession, (Rev_8:3,) and it doubtless was to be burnt on the appointed altar.

A memorial — See Lev_2:2, note.

Made by fire — The incense was properly a fire-made offering, but the show-bread was improperly so called, since it was only fire-baked.

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

Pure frankincense - Unmixed and uncorrupted, or of the best sort, to be burnt before the Lord. On the bread - And this was done every time that the bread was changed. For a memorial - For that part which properly belonged to God, whereas the rest belonged to the priests.

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

Connecting Statement:

God continues giving Moses instructions about the things in the tent of meeting.

You must put pure incense along each row of loaves

The incense was probably next to the loaves, rather than directly on the loaves. AT: "You must put pure incense next to the loaves in each row" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

as a representative offering

What the incense would represent can be stated clearly. AT: "to represent the loaves as an offering" or "to be an offering that represents the loaves" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

This incense will be burnt for Yahweh

This can be stated in active form. AT: "You will burn the incense for Yahweh" (See: Active or Passive)

This offering

"This bread that is offered"

for it is a portion from the offerings

"for they took it from the offerings"

the offerings to Yahweh made by fire

"the burnt offerings to Yahweh" or "the offerings that you burn to Yahweh"

translationWords

incense

Sabbath

bread

sign

eternity

covenant

sacrifice

holy

burnt offering

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ונתת על המערכת AND THOU SHALT PUT UPON THE ROW — i. e. upon each of the two rows [PURE FRANKINCENSE]; there were two bowls for this frankincense, each filled with a handful of it.

והיתה THAT IT — this frankincense — MAY BE

ללחם לאזכרה ON THE BREAD FOR A MEMORIAL — because of the bread itself nothing was offered to the Lord, but the frankincense was burnt when the former was removed from the golden table every Sabbath. It (the frankincense) thus served as a memorial for the bread, because through it, it (the bread) was recalled to memory Above (the bread itself was not offered) just as the “handful” of flour and of oil (Leviticus 2:2) was “the memorial portion” of the meal offering being the only part offered, while the remainder was eaten by the priests just as this bread was.

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.

The frankincense that was with the bread was a fire offering to Hashem, and the bread was for the kohein. It could be that it mentions this parshah [in this place] because Israel has an obligation to give the festival burnt-offerings, oil, and the constant bread.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.