The big picture
Leviticus 2 opens in verse 1 with “And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD , his offering shall be of fine…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 8 with “And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD : and…”, and closes in verse 16 with “And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part…” Repeated or prominent terms include offering, meat, LORD, fire, flour. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Leviticus · King James Version · 16Leviticus 2:1-8
1–8: When any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD , his offering shall…
Leviticus 2:1–8 opens with “And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD , his offering shall be of fine flour; and…” and reaches “And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD : and when it…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Leviticus 2 develops its own movement around offering, meat, LORD, fire, flour, with particular weight carried by offering, meat, flour.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD , his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Leviticus 2:1-8
King James Version1And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD , his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
2And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD :
3And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
4And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
5And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
6Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering.
7And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
8And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD : and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar.
Leviticus 2:9-16
9–16: The priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and…
Leviticus 2:9–16 opens with “And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the…” and reaches “And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Leviticus 2 develops its own movement around offering, meat, LORD, fire, flour, with particular weight carried by offering, meat, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD , shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Leviticus 2:9-16
King James Version9And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD .
10And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
11No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD , shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.
12As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD : but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.
13And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
14And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD , thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.
15And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering.
16And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD .
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Leviticus 2:1 begins with “And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD , his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:”
Where the chapter turns
Leviticus 2:8 forms a natural hinge: “And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD : and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the…”
The final note
Leviticus 2:16 leaves the reader with “And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words offering, meat, LORD, fire, flour, oblation help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Which gifts come before the prohibition?
Life, the garden, food and meaningful work. The command occurs inside generosity.
How does chapter 2 deepen chapter 1?
It concentrates on dependence, partnership and responsibility within the shared human calling.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.