Leviticus 22:16
and so cause them to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights a priest's active responsibility to prevent the people from accidentally sinning by eating consecrated food. It's not just about the priests avoiding uncleanness themselves, but about them safeguarding the people from unknowingly incurring guilt by eating what belongs only to God's designated servants.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing who can eat from the sacred offerings and what constitutes impurity for priests. It follows instructions about priests avoiding holiness laws when impure and prohibitions against strangers or hired servants eating holy food. The verse emphasizes the priests' responsibility not to allow others to incur guilt by mishandling or improperly consuming these sacred provisions, as God Himself is the one who makes them holy.
Imagine food that's not just for your stomach, but also for your soul. What happens when that sacred food is treated carelessly?
This verse, Leviticus 22:16, speaks about the serious consequences of mishnutreating the 'holy things' – the offerings and sacrifices set apart for God. The text emphasizes that allowing people to eat these sacred portions improperly is like making them 'bear iniquity and guilt.' This wasn't just about physical food; it represented a connection to God's presence and holiness. To consume it wrongly was to defile that connection and incur God's displeasure. The Levitical priests had a specific role in ensuring these holy things were handled with utmost reverence.
Why does God bring up His identity right after detailing the consequences of mishandling holy things?
The verse concludes with a powerful declaration: 'for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.' This isn't just a sign-off; it's the theological foundation for everything preceding it. God Himself is the one who sets apart the offerings and the priests. Because He is the source of holiness, He has the ultimate authority to define what is holy and how it must be treated. His sanctifying power means these holy things aren't just objects; they are extensions of His own divine nature. Therefore, any disrespect shown to them is a direct affront to God Himself, and He will hold people accountable for their actions.
Understand the original words
avon · Hebrew Noun
A legal and moral condition of having committed an offense against God's law, requiring expiation or satisfaction. It carries the weight of responsibility for wrongdoing that separates a person from a holy God.
asham · Hebrew Noun
The state of being liable to punishment because of sin; it specifically refers to the debt or compensation owed due to a transgression. It emphasizes the need for restitution or atonement.
qodesh · Hebrew Noun
Things, people, or places set apart exclusively for God's use and service. Anything designated as holy is removed from common or profane use and belongs entirely to the Lord.
qadash · Hebrew Verb
This passage establishes the principle that priests must be consecrated and set apart for their sacred duties, just as Leviticus 22 emphasizes their need for purity when handling holy things.
1 Corinthians 11:27-29Paul echoes the concern for proper handling of sacred things by warning believers not to partake of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner, lest they incur guilt and judgment.
Hebrews 12:15This verse highlights the danger of 'falling short of the grace of God' or allowing a 'root of bitterness' to spring up, mirroring the spiritual contamination that eating unworthily of holy things represented.
Malachi 1:7The prophet Malachi condemns the priests for offering 'profane' sacrifices, directly paralleling the Leviticus passage's concern that holy things not be defiled and treated as common.
calvinLeviticus 22:1-16: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.
Loquere ad Aharon, et filios ejus ut separent sese a sanctificationibus filiorum Israel et ne polluant nomen sanctitatis mese in his quae ipsi sanctificant mihi: ego Jehova.
Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your se…
gillLeviticus 22:16: "Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the LORD do sanctify them."
Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass,.... The punishment of sin: either the strangers: when they eat their holy things; the holy things belonging to the priests, which they permitting them to do, suffer them to be liable to the punishment incurred thereby, or else the priests themselves; so the Septuagint version renders the word "themselves"; and in l…
This verse highlights a priest's active responsibility to prevent the people from accidentally sinning by eating consecrated food. It's not just about the priests avoiding uncleanness themselves, but about them safeguarding the people from unknowingly incurring guilt by eating what belongs only to God's designated servants.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing who can eat from the sacred offerings and what constitutes impurity for priests. It follows instructions about priests avoiding holiness laws when impure and prohibitions against strangers or hired servants eating holy food. The verse emphasizes the priests' responsibility not to allow others to incur guilt by mishandling or improperly consuming these sacred provisions, as God Himself is the one who makes them holy.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing who can eat from the sacred offerings and what constitutes impurity for priests. It follows instructions about priests avoiding holiness laws when impure and prohibitions against strangers or hired servants eating holy food. The verse emphasizes the priests' responsibility not to allow others to incur guilt by mishandling or improperly consuming these sacred provisions, as God Himself is the one who makes them holy.
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The process of making something or someone holy; setting them apart for God's purposes. It involves the removal of impurity and the consecration of the object or person to God.
"and so cause them to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”" — This verse highlights a priest's active responsibility to prevent the people from accidentally sinning by eating consecrated food. It's not just about the priests avoiding uncleanness themselves, but…
