Chapter six addresses the offerings from the priests' perspective rather than the offerer's. The guilt offering extends into interpersonal ethics: deception, theft, fraud, false oaths, and keeping found property all require the guilt offering with financial restitution to the wronged party. The regulations then shift to the priestly handling of each offering type. The burnt offering must remain on the altar through the night; the altar fire must never go out — a lasting ordinance. The grain offering's priestly portions are most holy and must be eaten in the sanctuary, without yeast. The priestly ordination grain offering is burned entirely rather than eaten by the priests — when priests offer their own grain offering, it cannot also become their food. The sin offering regulations establish that the officiating priest eats the sin offering whose blood stayed in the courtyard, while the sin offering whose blood entered the tent of meeting is burned outside the camp.
Leviticus 6:6
And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, a ram without defect from the flock, one of the proper value as a guilt offering. The guilt offering ram after the material restitution is the offering to the Lord — the atonement for the relational damage with God that the interpersonal sin caused. The description of the ram brought to the priest as being brought to the Lord communicates the mediating role of the priesthood: to bring to the priest is to bring to the Lord. The priest represents God in receiving the offering; the offerer who approaches the priest is approaching God.
Leviticus 6:7
The priest will make atonement for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of these things they did that made them guilty. The atonement and forgiveness formula closes the interpersonal guilt offering section. The guilt that arises from deception, theft, and false swearing between neighbors is forgiven through the guilt offering to the Lord, after restitution is made to the neighbor. The comprehensive forgiveness — for any of these things they did that made them guilty — communicates the scope of the guilt offering's coverage: every act of interpersonal deception and material wrongdoing that is confessed, restored, and offered for is fully forgiven.
Leviticus 6:1
The Lord said to Moses. A new divine speech opens the second major section of the offering regulations: where Leviticus 1–5 addressed the offerings from the perspective of the offerer (what to bring and why), Leviticus 6–7 addresses the offerings from the perspective of the priests (how to handle what is brought). The shift from the congregation's obligations to the priesthood's obligations communicates the two-sided nature of the covenant's worship system: the people must bring correctly; the priests must handle correctly. Both obligations are equally divine commands, equally essential to the integrity of the covenant worship.
Leviticus 6:2
If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor. The guilt offering extension into interpersonal ethics: not only the misappropriation of sacred things (Leviticus 5:15) but the deception and cheating of a neighbor also requires the guilt offering with restitution. The connection between the offense against the neighbor and the guilt offering to God communicates the covenant's integrated ethic: wronging a neighbor is wronging God, because the neighbor is made in God's image and stands in covenant relationship with the same God. 1 John 4:20 says whoever does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
Leviticus 6:3
Or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit. The list of interpersonal sins that require the guilt offering continues: finding lost property and lying about it, swearing falsely in denials. The common thread through all these cases is deception that damages another person materially. The covenant community's integrity requires not only the absence of outright theft but the presence of honesty in every kind of transaction and trust. Zechariah 8:16 says speak the truth to each other — the prohibition on deception in Leviticus 6:3 is the foundational law behind the prophetic calls for truth-speaking in the community.
Leviticus 6:4
When they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found. The guilt offering for interpersonal sins requires the return of what was wrongfully obtained: the stolen property, the extorted payment, the entrusted item, the found property that was kept. Restoration precedes the offering — the material wrong must be made right before the ritual addresses the relational damage. Zacchaeus in Luke 19:8 announces that he will restore fourfold what he stole — the principle of restitution before worship that Leviticus 6:4 establishes is what Zacchaeus embodies in his response to Jesus.
Leviticus 6:5
Or anything else about which they have sworn falsely. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering. The full restitution plus twenty percent must be paid to the wronged party on the same day as the guilt offering is brought to God. The simultaneity of the financial restitution to the neighbor and the offering to God communicates that both must happen together: the vertical dimension of the guilt offering (atonement with God) and the horizontal dimension (restitution to the neighbor) are inseparable. Matthew 5:23–24 says leave your gift before the altar and first go be reconciled to your brother — Jesus' instruction is the New Covenant application of Leviticus 6:5's principle.
Leviticus 6:8
The Lord said to Moses: give Aaron and his sons this command. A new divine speech addresses the priestly regulations for handling the offerings. The shift from the congregation's obligations (chapters 1–5) to the priestly obligations (chapters 6–7) is signaled by the specific address to Aaron and his sons rather than to the Israelites. The priests receive a separate and detailed set of instructions for how to handle what the congregation brings. The congregation's responsibility and the priesthood's responsibility are both divine commands — neither can substitute for the other. The people must bring correctly; the priests must handle correctly.
Leviticus 6:9
These are the regulations for the burnt offering: the burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. The burnt offering remains on the altar through the night — the fire that burns the whole night is the fire of the offering that was completely given. The burnt offering that is not eaten by anyone continues to burn through the darkness, a continuous offering before the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4). The fire that must not go out is the fire of continuous consecration: the altar that is never empty of a burnt offering is the altar of a community that is always approaching God.
Leviticus 6:10
The priest is to put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and he shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. The morning ash removal is a priestly act that requires the full priestly vestment: the linen tunic and the linen undergarments. The priest who performs the most ordinary maintenance task of the altar's service — removing the previous day's ashes — does so in the full dignity of the priestly office. The ashes are placed beside the altar, not carelessly discarded. The reverence shown to the ashes of the burnt offering communicates the reverence owed to what was consecrated to God: even what has been consumed retains its sacred character.
Leviticus 6:11
Then the priest is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. The priest changes into different clothes to carry the ashes outside the camp — the sacred vestments worn at the altar are not worn for the task of waste disposal. The change of clothes communicates the distinction between the holiness of the altar's service and the necessary but less sacred task of disposal. The ashes are carried to a ceremonially clean place outside the camp: even the disposal of what the altar has consumed must be done in a way that honors the boundary between the sacred precinct and ordinary space.
Leviticus 6:12
The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire on the altar must never go out — this is the most fundamental requirement of the altar's maintenance. Every morning the priest adds wood and arranges the daily burnt offering. The perpetual fire is the perpetual presence of the covenant community's offering before God: the altar that is never cold is the altar of a people who are never without the God who dwells in their midst. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says pray continually — the perpetual altar fire is the Old Testament institutional form of the New Testament call to unceasing prayer.
Leviticus 6:13
The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. The requirement is stated twice in two verses — must not go out appears in verse 12 and again here. The repetition communicates the absolute nature of the requirement: the fire on the altar is not optional, not seasonal, not dependent on whether there are many offerings or few. Through the wilderness period, through the settlement in the land, through the monarchy and the temple — the fire on the altar must burn continuously. The fire that must never go out is the symbol of the covenant relationship that must never be abandoned: God's presence among His people is continuous; their response of worship must be equally continuous.
Leviticus 6:14
These are the regulations for the grain offering: Aaron's sons are to bring it before the Lord, in front of the altar. The priestly regulations for the grain offering follow the same pattern as the priestly regulations for the burnt offering: addressed to Aaron's sons specifically, detailing how to handle what the congregation brings. The grain offering is brought before the Lord, in front of the altar — the sacred space of presentation before the God who receives it. The handling of the grain offering is as much a priestly act as the handling of the blood offering, though no blood is involved.
Leviticus 6:15
The priest is to take a handful of the finest flour and olive oil, together with all the incense on the grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. The memorial portion — the representative handful of flour and oil with all the incense — is burned on the altar by the priest. The all the incense is entirely burned in the memorial portion, while only a handful of flour and oil is taken. The fragrant prayer represented by the incense is entirely given to God; the grain that sustains life is partially given to God and partially given to the priests. The proportionality communicates the different character of prayer and sustenance in the covenant's economy.
Leviticus 6:16
Aaron and his sons shall eat the rest of it, but it is to be eaten without yeast in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. The remainder of the grain offering after the memorial portion is eaten by Aaron and his sons in the courtyard of the tent of meeting — within the sacred precinct, not outside. The eating of the priestly portions within the sacred precinct communicates that the priestly meal is a sacred act, not merely a practical provision. The priests eat in the presence of the God who received the memorial portion. The courtyard that is the priests' dining room is the courtyard where the burnt offerings are made and where the worshippers bring their animals. The priestly life is lived within the sacred space.
Leviticus 6:17
It shall not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share of the food offerings presented to me. Like the sin offering and the guilt offering, it is most holy. The grain offering eaten by the priests is most holy — the same designation as the sin offering and the guilt offering of Leviticus 2:3 and 5:13. What the priests eat in the courtyard is most holy food, and what they eat most holy food must be eaten in a most holy place. The designation communicates the sacredness of the priestly food provision: God has given the grain offering portions to the priests as their share, and what God gives bears His character — most holy.
Leviticus 6:18
Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it. For the generations to come it is his perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord. Anyone who touches them will become holy. The grain offering portions belong to every male descendant of Aaron — not only the officiating priest but every member of the priestly family. The perpetual share communicates the permanent nature of the priestly provision: the grain offerings that Israel brings throughout the generations will provide for the priestly community throughout the generations. Anyone who touches them will become holy — contact holiness applies to the priestly portions as it applies to the most holy altar.
Leviticus 6:19
The Lord also said to Moses. A new divine speech introduces the special grain offering for Aaron and his sons on the day of their ordination and thereafter. The ordination offering — first introduced in Leviticus 8 — is anticipated here in the regulations for how it is to be handled. The grain offering associated with the priestly ordination carries forward the principle established in the tabernacle construction: the installation of the priests into their office is accompanied by the full range of offerings that they will subsequently administer.
Leviticus 6:20
This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the Lord on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. The special grain offering of the priests themselves is a tenth of an ephah of finest flour — the same amount as the poverty-level sin offering of Leviticus 5:11. The priests who live from the offerings of the congregation also bring their own offering: the amount is modest but it is the finest flour, offered in two portions, morning and evening, mirroring the daily burnt offering's morning-and-evening rhythm. The priests who oversee Israel's worship are themselves worshippers who bring their own offerings.
Leviticus 6:21
It must be prepared with oil on a griddle; bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. The priestly grain offering is prepared on a griddle with oil — one of the three preparation methods of Leviticus 2 — and broken into pieces before being offered. The breaking of the offering into pieces before burning maximizes the surface exposed to the fire, ensuring the complete consumption that this offering requires. The well-mixed preparation communicates thoroughness: the oil is worked through the flour completely before cooking. The pleasing aroma that the priestly offering produces is the same as the congregation's offerings — the priests' worship is not a different category from the people's.
Leviticus 6:22
The anointed priest who succeeds him is to prepare it. It is the Lord's perpetual share and is to be burned completely. The perpetual nature of the priestly ordination grain offering extends beyond the first high priest to every anointed priest who succeeds him. The high priestly ordination offering is not a one-time inaugural act but a continuing obligation: every generation of high priests brings the same ordination grain offering. The burned completely requirement distinguishes the priestly ordination grain offering from the congregation's grain offerings, which are partially eaten by the priests. When the priest is offering his own grain offering, he cannot also eat it: the one who benefits from the congregation's offering cannot benefit from his own.
Leviticus 6:23
Every grain offering of a priest shall be burned completely; it must not be eaten. The principle stated in the previous verse is made explicit as a rule: every grain offering of a priest is entirely burned. The priest who eats the congregation's grain offerings cannot eat his own grain offering. The consistent principle of the offering system is that the one who benefits cannot be the same one who makes the offering: the offerer's grain goes to the priests; the priest's grain goes entirely to God. The self-denying character of the priestly offering communicates the priestly vocation: the priest serves others' approach to God; his own approach to God requires complete self-gift.
Leviticus 6:24
The Lord said to Moses. A new divine speech introduces the priestly regulations for handling the sin offering. The regulations for the sin offering from the priest's perspective address both how the blood is applied and what happens to the meat — the portions that don't go on the altar.
Leviticus 6:25
Say to Aaron and his sons: these are the regulations for the sin offering: the sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. The sin offering is slaughtered in the same place as the burnt offering — at the north side of the altar — but its handling thereafter differs significantly. The most holy designation of the sin offering communicates the elevated standard required for its handling: the offering that addresses sin is itself most holy, and what is most holy requires the most careful handling by the most prepared personnel.
Leviticus 6:26
The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. The sin offering that is not burned entirely outside the camp (as in Leviticus 4:11–12 for the high priest's and community's sin offerings) is eaten by the offering priest in the courtyard. The portions of the sin offering eaten by the priest are not waste — they are the priestly portion of the sin offering. The priest who performs the atonement participates in the consumption of what was offered. Hebrews 13:10 says we have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat — the priestly eating of the sin offering portions is the basis for the author of Hebrews' argument.
Leviticus 6:27
Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area. The contact-holiness of the sin offering flesh and the requirement to wash blood-spattered garments in the sanctuary area establish the protocols for handling the most holy offering. The sin offering blood that is the most sacred substance in the Levitical system cannot be treated casually: garments that receive it must be washed, and the washing must happen within the sacred precinct. The care required for the handling of sin offering blood communicates the value of what the blood represents — the life given for atonement.
Leviticus 6:28
The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water. The clay pot that absorbs the sin offering's sanctity must be broken because the porous clay cannot be fully cleansed once it has absorbed the most holy food. The bronze pot can be scoured and rinsed because its non-porous surface can be fully cleansed. The distinction in treatment between clay and bronze communicates the practical application of the holiness principle: what absorbs holiness into its structure requires destruction; what can be surface-cleansed requires thorough cleansing. The regulation protects against the casual carryover of most holy status into non-sacred contexts.
Leviticus 6:29
Any male in a priest's family may eat it; it is most holy. The sin offering portions eaten by the priests are restricted to males in a priest's family — a narrower restriction than the grain offering, which any male descendant of Aaron may eat. The most holy designation of the sin offering portions requires the most restricted handling: only those who are most holy by virtue of priestly ordination and male status within the priestly line may eat it. The graduated access to the most holy food mirrors the graduated access to the most holy space: not everyone may enter everywhere, and not everyone may eat everything.
Leviticus 6:30
But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place must not be eaten; it must be burned up. The sin offerings whose blood enters the tent of meeting — the high priest's and community's sin offerings of Leviticus 4 — are burned completely outside the camp and not eaten at all. The sin offerings whose blood stays in the courtyard — the individual's and leader's sin offerings — are eaten by the priests in the courtyard. The distinction in disposal corresponds to the distinction in blood application: the further into the sacred precinct the blood goes, the further from the sacred precinct the flesh goes. The most intensive atonement requires the most complete removal of the offering from the community.