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Leviticus 2

Leviticus 2 orders the grain offering around YHWH’s holiness, the priests’ allotted share, and the salt of God’s covenant.

YHWH sets out how Israelites are to bring grain offerings and how Aaron’s sons are to handle them. Fine flour or prepared grain is offered with oil, with instructions for uncooked and cooked forms. The priest burns a memorial portion on the altar; the rest belongs to the priests as most holy food. Yeast and honey are excluded from altar offerings, salt is required, and the closing instructions address offerings of first fruits.

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1“‘When anyone offers an offering of a meal offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.
2He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. He shall take his handful of its fine flour, and of its oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest shall burn its memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.
3That which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is a most holy part of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
4“‘When you offer an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
5If your offering is a meal offering made on a griddle, it shall be of unleavened fine flour, mixed with oil.
6You shall cut it in pieces, and pour oil on it. It is a meal offering.
7If your offering is a meal offering of the pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
9The priest shall take from the meal offering its memorial, and shall burn it on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.
10That which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is a most holy part of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
11“‘No meal offering which you shall offer to the LORD shall be made with yeast; for you shall burn no yeast, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
12As an offering of first fruits you shall offer them to the LORD, but they shall not rise up as a pleasant aroma on the altar.
13Every offering of your meal offering you shall season with salt. You shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your meal offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
14“‘If you offer a meal offering of first fruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the meal offering of your first fruits fresh heads of grain parched with fire and crushed.
15You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it. It is a meal offering.
16The priest shall burn as its memorial part of its crushed grain and part of its oil, along with all its frankincense. It is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
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Key verses
Leviticus 2:13The command to include salt ties the offering to God’s covenant and extends beyond grain to all offerings.
Leviticus 2:1Fine flour, oil, and frankincense establish the ingredients for the first form of grain offering described.
Leviticus 2:2The priest burns a memorial portion with all the frankincense, marking the offering as pleasing to YHWH.
Where this chapter reaches

Exodus and Numbers share instructions for grain offerings of fine flour and oil, while Ezekiel also describes grain offerings and salt used in sacrifice. Numbers shares the link between salt and covenant, connecting the priests’ allotted portions with an enduring covenant before YHWH.

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After reading the whole chapter

What do the altar’s portion and the priests’ portion show you about how this offering functions?

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What stands out to you about God’s covenant being named among instructions for food and salt?

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Questions people ask about Leviticus 2

What is a meal offering in Leviticus 2?

A meal offering is an offering of grain, presented as fine flour, cooked cakes or wafers, or parched heads of grain. Oil accompanies it, and some forms include frankincense. A priest burns a memorial portion on the altar, while the remaining portion belongs to Aaron and his sons.

What does the salt of the covenant mean in Leviticus 2:13?

Verse 13 calls the required salt “the salt of the covenant of your God,” linking this ingredient with Israel’s covenant relationship to God. The verse extends the requirement to all offerings. It does not explain the symbolism further; salt’s preserving qualities may help explain the association with an enduring covenant.

Why were yeast and honey forbidden in Leviticus 2?

The chapter prohibits burning yeast or honey as an offering made by fire, while allowing them as offerings of first fruits. It gives no reason for this distinction. Claims that yeast and honey each represent a particular sin go beyond what these verses say about the ingredients.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).