¹tn Heb “and let them take.” The simple vav on the imperfect/jussive form of the verb jql (“to take”) following the imperative (“Command”) indicates a purpose clause (“to bring…”).
²tn Heb “to cause to ascend a lamp continually.”
³tn The Hebrew term tk#r)P* is usually translated “veil” or “curtain,” but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place (see NIDOTTE 3:687-89).
⁴tc Several medieval Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and the LXX add “and his sons.”
⁵tn Heb “for your generations.”
⁶tn Alternatively, “pure [gold] lampstand,” based on Exod 25:31, etc., where the term for “gold” actually appears (see NASB, NIV, NRSV, and the remarks in Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395, etc.). However, in Lev 24:4 the adjective “pure” is feminine, corresponding to “lampstand,” not an assumed noun “gold” (contrast Exod 25:31), and the “table” in v. 6 was overlaid with gold, but was not made of pure gold. Therefore, it is probably better to translate “[ceremonially] pure lampstand” (v. 4) and “[ceremonially] pure table” (v. 6); see NEB, Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 164-165, and Wenham, Leviticus, NICOT, 307.
⁷sn See the note on Lev 2:1.
⁸tn Heb “and bake it twelve loaves.”
⁹tn The words “of flour” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
sn See the note on Lev 5:11.
¹⁰tn Heb “six of the row.”
¹¹sn This is not just any “incense” (tr#f)q=; NIDOTTE 3:913-16), but specifically “frankincense” (hn`b)l=; NIDOTTE 2:756-57).
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “on [lu^] the row,” probably used distributively, “on each row” (Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395-396). Perhaps the frankincense was placed “with” or “along side of” each row, not actually on the bread itself, and was actually burned as incense to the Lord (see, e.g., NIV, NRSV, Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 165). This particular preposition can have such a meaning.
<sup>13</sup>sn The “memorial portion” (hr`k*z+a^) was normally the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (see Lev 2:2 and the notes there), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (Lev 2:3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23 [6:7-16 HT]).
¹⁴sn See the note on Lev 1:9 regarding the term “gift.”
¹⁵tn Heb “In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath.” The repetition is distributive. A few medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Syriac delete the second occurrence of the expression.
¹⁶tn Heb “he”; the referent (Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
¹⁷tn Or “a perpetual regulation.”
¹⁸tn Heb “And.”
¹⁹tn Heb “the Israelite man,” but the Samaritan Pentateuch has no article, and the point is that there was a conflict between the man of mixed background and a man of full Israelite descent.
²⁰tn The verb rendered “misused” means literally “to bore through; to pierce” (HALOT 719; it is from bqn, not bbq, see the participial form in v. 16a). Its exact meaning here is uncertain. The two verbs together may form a hendiadys, “he pronounced by cursing blasphemously” (Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 166), the idea being one of the following: (1) he pronounced the name “Yahweh” in a way or with words that amounted to “some sort of verbal aggression against Yahweh himself” (Gerstenberger, Leviticus [OTL], 362), (2) he pronounced a curse against the man using the name “Yahweh” (Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers, NCB, 110; Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 311), or (3) he pronounced the name “Yahweh” and thereby blasphemed, since the “Name” was never to be pronounced (a standard Jewish explanation). In one way or another, the offense surely violated Exod 20:7, one of the ten commandments, and the same verb for cursing is used explicitly in Exod 22:28 [27 HT] prohibition against “cursing” God. For a full discussion of these and related options for interpreting this verse see Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 335-336; Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 408-409; and Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 166.
²¹tn The words “until they were able” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
²²tn The Hebrew here is awkward. A literal reading would be something like the following: “And they placed him in custody to give a clear decision [HALOT 976] for themselves on the mouth of the Lord.” In any case, they were apparently waiting for a direct word from the Lord regarding this matter (see vv. 13ff).
²³tn Heb “And.”
²⁴sn See the note on v. 11 above and esp. Exod 22:28 [27 HT].
²⁵sn See the note on v. 11 above.
²⁶tn Heb “And if a man strikes any soul [vp#n\] of mankind.” The idiom seems to derive from the idea of striking a fatal blow to the very “life” (literally, “soul”) of a human being, not just landing a blow on their body (HALOT 698). On the difficult of the meaning and significance of the term vp#n\ see the notes on Lev 17:10-11.
²⁷tn Heb “And one who strikes a soul of an animal.”
²⁸tn Heb “soul under soul.”
²⁹tn Heb “gives a flaw in.”
³⁰tn Or “neighbor” (so NIV).
³¹tn Heb “in the man [<d`a*].”
³²tn Heb “just as he inflicts an injury…it must be inflicted on him.” The referent (“that same injury”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
³³sn See the note on v. 18 above.
³⁴tn Heb “and,” but here it is adversative, contrasting the consequences of beating an animal to death with those of beating a person to death.
³⁵tn Heb “a regulation of one.”