Leviticus 7:12

12. If the Peace-Offering be for thanksgiving, three kinds of cakes are to be brought with it; the difference between the first and third is not clearly indicated. On the consecration of Aaron and his sons (Exo_29:2; Exo_29:23; Lev_8:26) three kinds of cakes are ordered to be brought with the ram of consecration; the second and third of these are identical with the first and second of those here prescribed. This is shewn below in tabular form:

Lev_7:12Exo_29:2; Exo_29:23 and Lev_8:26.unleavened bread(1) [49] one unleavened cake,(a) unleavened cakesmingled with oil(2) one cake of oiled bread,(b) unleavened wafersanointed with oil(3) one wafer,(c) fine flour mixed [Into cakes mingled] with oil.of fine wheaten flour shalt thou make them.[49] Exo_29:23 has ‘one loaf of bread’ but as it is further described as ‘taken out of the basket of unleavened bread’ it is clear that the loaf is unleavened.

Now if the three kinds of cakes are the same on both occasions (which seems probable and is the traditional interpretation) then (c) will be equivalent to (1) of Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8. Cp. the offering of the Nazirite (Num_6:15; Num_6:19).

The Heb. word murbeketh (here, Lev_6:21 and 1Ch_23:29 only) is rendered ‘soaked’ (‘fried’ A.V.), but probably means that the flour is well stirred together, as is done in making bread or pastry. The words which are in brackets in (c) are not found in the LXX., and it may be that they have been accidentally repeated from (a). The description of (c) does not clearly distinguish it from (a) whether the words be retained in the text or not.

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.

Lev 7:12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.

Ver. 12. Unleavened cakes.] There must be sincerity in all our services; for else God will not once look at them.

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.

Lev 7:12. If he offer it for a thanksgiving — Hebrew, על תודה, gnal todah, for confession, it being accompanied with a public confession or acknowledgment of the mercies and deliverances which the offerer had received from God. And to this the apostle alludes, (Heb 13:15,) exhorting Christians to offer to God continually, through Christ, the sacrifice of praise; that is, says he, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks, ομολογουντων, confessing to his name.

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

7:12-15 The peace offering could be presented as an expression of thanks (as here), as payment of a vow (7:16), or as a voluntary offering (see 3:1-7). A worshiper made it an expression of thanksgiving by presenting a grain offering along with the peace offering (2:1-16). A grain offering consisted of unleavened cakes, wafers, or cakes of fine flour, all mixed or spread with olive oil. A representative portion was set aside to be burned (2:9). The grain offering was to be accompanied by loaves of yeast bread (7:13).

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

Peace offerings contain a confession and thanksgiving for a benefit received, and also a vow, and free offering to receive a benefit.

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

Verse 12. If he offer it for a thanksgiving] See the notes at the end of this chapter. See Clarke on Le 7:38.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(12) If he offer it for a thanksgiving.—That is, acknowledgment of special mercies received from God, such as deliverance in travels, by land or sea, redemption from captivity, restoration to health, &c., enumerated in Psalms 107. It is to this sacrifice that the apostle alludes when he says, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.”

Then he shall offer with the sacrifice.—That is, with the bullock or cow if it be from the herd, or a lamb or goat if it be from the flock (Lev_3:1).

Unleavened cakes mingled with oil.—From the fact that no mention is here made of the number of cakes or the quantity of oil, it is evident that this was left to the decision of the administrators of the laws and the spiritual guides of the people. The rule which obtained during the second Temple with regard to this offering was as follows :—The offerer brought twenty tenths or pottles of fine flour; ten of them he made leavened and ten he left unleavened. He made the leavened into ten cakes, and of the ten that were unleavened he made thirty cakes. These thirty unleavened cakes, which were made with half a log of oil, were divided into three tens, and each ten was prepared in a different manner; that is, ten with an eighth of the oil were baked in the oven, ten with another eighth of the oil were made into wafers, and ten with a fourth of the oil were hastily fried. Of the forty cakes the priest received four, one of each sort, thus obtaining a tenth part.

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

Besides the cakes,.... The unleavened cakes, and the unleavened wafers, and the fried cakes; or with these, as Aben Ezra and Abendana interpret it:

he shall offer for his offering leavened bread, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings; not that this was offered upon the altar, for all leaven was forbidden there, Lev 2:11 but it was given to the priest, that he might have change of bread, and such as was agreeable to him, to eat with the flesh of the peace offerings he had a share of, and to the owners also; and the whole of this consisted of ten cakes likewise, as will appear by what Maimonides (g) says; he (the offerer) takes twenty tenths of fine flour, and makes ten leavened, and ten unleavened; the ten leavened he makes into ten cakes, and the ten unleavened he makes of them eighty cakes alike, ten cakes of every sort, ten cakes baked in an oven, ten cakes wafers, and ten cakes slightly baked.

(g) Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 9. sect. 17, 18, 21.

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

For a thanksgiving - i. e., a thank-offering for mercies received.

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

Oil. Any of these sorts of bread would suffice. Jacob and Jethro had formerly offered sacrifices of praise, and the Greeks had some which they termed Soteria. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

For a thanksgiving; for mercies received. See Lev 22:29; 2Ch 29:31; 33:16.

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

אם על תודה יקריבנו IF HE OFFER IT FOR A THANKSGIVING — i.e., if he brings it on account of (על) a matter that requires thanksgiving (תודה): on account of a miraculous deliverance that was wrought for him, as being, for instance, one of those who have made a sea-voyage. or travelled in the wilderness, or had been kept in prison, or if he had been sick and was now healed, all of whom are bound to offer thanks-giving, since it is written with reference to them, (Psalms 107:8, 15, 21, 31) “Let them offer thanksgiving to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (cf. Rashi on those vv. and on vv. 4, 10, 17 and 23 of that chapter; see also Berakhot 54b) — if it is on account of one of these things that he vowed those peace offerings, they are “peace offerings for acknowledgement” and require the offering of bread that is mentioned in the section, and may not be eaten beyond a period of one day and one night as it is here set forth (v. 15) [whilst other שלמים may be eaten at any time during two days and the intervening night].

והקריב על זבח התודה [IF HE OFFER IT FOR AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT] THEN HE SHALL OFFER WITH THE SACRIFICE OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT four sorts of bread: cakes, wafers and cakes of flour saturated with oil — these being three kinds of unleavened bread; it further states (v. 13), “together with cakes of leavened bread [he shall offer his offering etc.]”, thus making four. Each kind consisted of ten cakes; thus is it explained in Treatise Menachoth 77a. And their total measure was five Seahs according to the Jerusalem standard, these being equal to six Seahs of the “wilderness” standard (i.e. in force at the period when the Israelites were in the wilderness) comprising 20 tenths of an ephah) (Menachot 76b).

מרבכת — bread scalded with oil, as much as is needed to saturate it.

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.

THEN HE SHALL OFFER ‘AL’ THE OFFERING OF THANKSGIVING. The commentators have explained the word al as meaning “with” — with the offering of thanksgiving. Similarly, ‘al’ the cakes of leavened bread means “with them.” The correct interpretation appears to me that the word al is here to be understood in its ordinary sense [i.e., “upon”], meaning that he should add bread “upon” the offering. Similarly, ‘al’ the cakes of leavened bread he shall present his offering, means that he is to bring cakes of leavened bread, and adding “upon” them he is to bring his offering, which is the unleavened bread mentioned [in Verse 12 before us] — all these breads [thirty unleavened cakes and ten leavened ones] he is to bring upon the offering [of thanksgiving]. Scripture thus made the leavened bread the chief part of the offering, “adding” upon it the rest of the bread [i.e., the unleavened bread, by stating “upon the cakes of leavened bread he shall present his offering,” which means “his unleavened bread”], because the unleavened breads are more than all the other kinds. Scripture changed the expression, stating, [he shall present his offering] of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving [while here in Verse 12 it merely says, the offering of thanksgiving], in order to allude to the Rabbis’ interpretation regarding it, namely that the bread does not become holy in itself [in the sense that it cannot be redeemed, or that it becomes invalid if carried outside the wall of the city, etc.] until the offering is slaughtered, and [also] that it should be slaughtered “upon” it [the bread], that is to say, with the intention that the bread should become holy with it [the offering].Now Rashi wrote: “Then he shall bring with the offering of thanksgiving four sorts of bread: cakes, wafers, and cakes mingled with oil — these three kinds being of unleavened bread. And it further states, with cakes of leavened bread, [thus making four kinds], and each kind consisted of ten cakes. Thus it is explained in Tractate Menachoth. And their total measure was five Jerusalem seahs, which are six measures according to the Wilderness measure, or twenty tenths [of the ephah].” Now the Rabbi [Rashi] did not mention in connection with these twenty tenths [of flour] that ten of them were for the leavened cakes, a tenth for each one, and the other ten tenths for the unleavened ones, thus making three unleavened cakes to each tenth of flour. The Rabbis interpreted that this is so on the basis of the verse, ‘al’ cakes of leavened bread, [which they explained as meaning]: “‘Corresponding to’ [the amount of flour used in the preparation of the ten] leavened cakes, use the same amount to bring therefrom [the thirty] unleavened cakes. Thus there were twenty tenths [of an ephah of flour], ten for the leavened cakes and ten for the unleavened. Ten tenths were used for the leavened ones, thus making one tenth of flour for each of [the ten] leavened cakes, and ten tenths for the unleavened ones, thus making three cakes to one tenth of flour. Thus there were forty cakes altogether.”

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.