The big picture
Leviticus 24 opens in verse 1 with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”, reaches its middle movement near verse 12 with “And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them.”, and closes in verse 23 with “And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, Israel, children, Moses, beast. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Leviticus · King James Version · 23Leviticus 24:1-8
1–8: The LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Leviticus 24:1–8 opens with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” and reaches “Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Tending the lamp and bread before the Lord, followed by the sober public judgment concerning blasphemy, with particular weight carried by LORD, continually, pure.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” Naming Moses keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Leviticus 24:1-8
King James Version1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.
3Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.
4He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually.
5And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
6And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD .
7And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD .
8Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
Leviticus 24:9-16
9–16: It shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy…
Leviticus 24:9–16 opens with “And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most…” and reaches “And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD , he shall surely be put to death, and all the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Tending the lamp and bread before the Lord, followed by the sober public judgment concerning blasphemy, with particular weight carried by LORD, name, Israel.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him 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 the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the \+nd LORD\+nd , and cursed. And they brought him unto…” Naming Dan and Dibri keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” Naming Moses keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Leviticus 24:9-16
King James Version9And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.
10And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp;
11And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the \+nd LORD\+nd , and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)
12And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them.
13And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
14Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
15And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.
16And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD , he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the \+nd LORD\+nd , shall be put to death.
Leviticus 24:17-23
17–23: He that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.
Leviticus 24:17–23 opens with “And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.” and reaches “And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Tending the lamp and bread before the Lord, followed by the sober public judgment concerning blasphemy, with particular weight carried by beast, killeth, blemish.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Leviticus 24:17-23
King James Version17And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.
18And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.
19And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him;
20Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.
21And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.
22Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.
23And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Leviticus 24:1 begins with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”
Where the chapter turns
Leviticus 24:12 forms a natural hinge: “And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them.”
The final note
Leviticus 24:23 leaves the reader with “And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, Israel, children, Moses, beast, continually help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What does Rebekah contribute beyond family eligibility?
Energy, hospitality and a direct decision to make the journey.
Why is the servant's retelling so long?
It presents the sequence to the family and explains why he sees divine guidance in it.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- hath
- has
- spake
- spoke
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.