Leviticus
Chapter 2
Grain Offerings
Raw Offerings
If anyone offers the Lord a grain offering, it must consist of fine flour onto which he should pour oil and add incense.
He shall bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests; he is to take a handful of the fine flour, oil, and all the incense, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as a memorial, a burnt offering whose pleasing aroma will be pleasing to the Lord.
The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; this part is most holy because it comes from the burnt offerings to the Lord.
Prepared Offerings
When you offer a grain offering of bread baked in the oven, the fine flour should be prepared as unleavened cakes mixed with oil or unleavened wafers spread with oil.
If your offering is a grain offering cooked on the griddle, the fine flour mixed with oil must be unleavened.
You should break it into pieces and pour oil over it. It is a grain offering.
If your offering is a grain offering prepared in a pan, the fine flour should be cooked in oil.
You must bring the grain offering prepared this way to the Lord, presenting it to the priest, who will then take it to the altar.
The priest will partake in this offering and burn it on the altar to remind the Lord of the person making the offering. Its sweet-smelling aroma will please the Lord.
The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; this is a most holy portion of the Lord’s burnt offering.
Special Offerings
None of the grain offerings you present to the Lord should be prepared with yeast; you must never burn yeast or honey as a burnt offering for the Lord.
You may present them to the Lord as an offering of firstfruits, but they must not ascend as a sweet-smelling aroma to please him.
You must include salt in every grain offering. Never neglect to add the salt of the Covenant with your God to your grain offering: every offering should include an offering of salt to the Lord your God.
First Fruits
If you offer the Lord a grain offering of firstfruits, it may come from either roasted corn or bread made from ground corn.
You should add oil and incense to it; it is a grain offering,
and the priest will burn part of the bread and oil (along with all the incense) as a burnt offering for the Lord.
Commentaries
Grain Offerings.
Another type of sacrifice that does not involve killing is the grain offering. Its main feature is that only part of it is burned on the altar; the rest is “for Aaron and his descendants” (3), meaning it is for the priests. It can be raw grain, made of fine flour mixed with incense (1-3), or grain that has been prepared and cooked in one of three ways: baked (4), fried (5), or grilled (7). In all three methods, yeast is not allowed, but oil and salt are used (13); honey is not permitted in offerings.
Regarding salt, it is explicitly described as “the salt of the Covenant” (13), which holds significant symbolic meaning for the Israelites (cf. Ez 43:24). This may symbolize fidelity, as salt ensures durability and prevents corruption. The reason for prohibiting honey in offerings is unclear; it could have been a way to avoid similarities with pagan cults, where honey was often used. Verses 14-16 regulate the offering of the first fruits or the first grains from the harvest.