John Wesley
As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.
So is — In the matter following, for in other things they differed.
The priests shall have it — That part of it, which was by God allowed to the priest.
And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest's that offereth it.
All the meal-offering — Except the part reserved by God, Leviticus 2:2,9. Because these were ready drest and hot, and to be presently eaten; shall be the priests - The priest, who offered it, was in reason to expect, something more than his brethren who laboured not about it; and that he had only in this offering; for the others were equally distributed.
And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.
Dry — Without oil, or drink-offering, as those Leviticus 5:11, Numbers 5:15.
All the sons of Aaron — These were to be equally divided among all the priests. And there was manifest reason for this difference, because these were in greater quantity than the former; and being raw, might more easily be reserved for the several priests to dress it in that way which each of them liked.
Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.
Leavened bread — Because this was a sacrifice of another kind than those in which leaven was forbidden, this being a sacrifice of thanksgiving for God's blessings, among which leavened bread was one. Leaven indeed was universally forbidden, Leviticus 2:11. But that prohibition concerned only things offered and burnt upon the altar, which this bread was not.
And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings.
Of it — That is, of the offering, one of each part of the whole: it being most agreeable to the rules laid down before and afterward, that the priest should have a share in the unleavened cakes and wafers, as well as in the leavened bread.
But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten:
A vow — Offered in performance of a vow, the man having desired some special favour from God, and vowed the sacrifice to God if he would grant it.
On the morrow also — Which was not allowed for the thank-offering.
And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.
Neither shall it be imputed — For an acceptable service to God.
And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof.
And the flesh — Namely of the holy offering, of which he is here treating; and therefore the general word is to be so limited; for other flesh one might eat in this case.
That toucheth — After its oblation; which might easily happen, as it was conveyed from the altar to the place where it was eaten: for it was not eaten in the holy place, as appears, because it was eaten by the priests, together with the offerers, who might not come thither.
The flesh — That is, the other flesh; that which shall not be polluted by any unclean touch.
All that are clean — Whether priests or offerers, or guests invited to the feast.
But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
That eateth — Knowingly; for if it were done ignorantly, a sacrifice was accepted for it. Not being cleansed from his uncleanness according to the appointment, Leviticus 11:24, etc. This verse speaks of uncleanness from an internal cause, as by an issue, etc. for what was from an external cause is spoken of in the next verse.
Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
Of man — Or, of women, for the word signifies both.
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.
The general prohibition of eating fat, Leviticus 3:17, is here explained of those kind of creatures which were sacrificed. The fat of others they might eat.
And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.
He speaks still of the same kinds of beasts, and shews that this prohibition reaches not only to the fat of those beasts which were offered to God, but also of those that died, or were killed at home. And if this seems a superfluous prohibition, since the lean as well as the fat of such beasts were forbidden, Leviticus 22:8, it must be noted, that prohibition reached only to the priests, Leviticus 7:4.
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.
Shall bring — Not by another, but by himself, that is, those parts of the peace-offering, which are in a special manner offered to God.
His oblation unto the Lord — That is, to the tabernacle, where the Lord was present in a special manner. Though part of such offerings might be eaten in any clean place, Leviticus 10:14, yet not till they had been killed, and part of them offered to the Lord in the place appointed by him for that purpose.
His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.
His own hands — After the beast was killed, and the parts of it divided, the priest was to put the parts mentioned into the hands of the offerer.
Offerings made by fire — So called, not strictly, as burnt-offerings are, because some parts of these were left for the priest, but more largely, because even these peace-offerings were in part, tho' not wholly, burnt.
Waved — To and fro, by his hands, which were supported and directed by the hands of the priest.
And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'.
His sons — The portion of every succeeding high-priest and his family.
For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.
The wave-breast and heave-shoulder — The breast or heart is the seat of wisdom, and the shoulder of strength for action; and these two may denote that wisdom, and power, which were in Christ our high-priest, and which ought to be in every priest.
This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office;
Of the anointing of Aaron — That is, of the priesthood; the sign put for the thing signified; and the anointing by a like figure is put for the part of the sacrifices belonging to the priest by virtue of his anointing. This was their portion appointed them by God in that day, and therefore to be given to them in after ages.
This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;
Of the consecrations — That is, of the sacrifice offered at the consecration of the priests.