Leviticus 22 - Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Separate themselves — When any uncleanness is upon them, as appears from Leviticus 22:3-4. From the holy things — From eating of those parts of the offerings, which belong to them. Only of the tithes they might eat. They — The children of Israel. And it ill became the priests to profane or pollute what the people did hallow.

Goeth unto the holy things — To eat them, or to touch them; for if the touch of one of the people having his uncleanness upon him defiled the thing he touched, much more was it so in the priest. Cut off — From my ordinances by excommunication: He shall be excluded both from the administration, and from the participation of them.

His food — His portion, the means of his subsistence. This may be added, to signify why there was no greater nor longer a penalty put upon the priests than upon the people in the same case, because his necessity craved some mitigation: tho' otherwise the priests being more sacred persons, deserved a greater punishment.

Lest they bear sin — Incur guilt and punishment. For it — For the neglect or violation of it.

No stranger — Of a strange family, who is not a priest; but there is an exception to this rule, Leviticus 22:11. A sojourner — One that comes to his house and abides there for a season, and eats at his table.

A stranger — To one of another family, who is no priest. Yet the priest's wife, though of another family, might eat. The reason of which difference is, because the wife passeth into the name, state and privileges of her husband, from whom the family is denominated.

Unto it — Over and above the principle, and besides the ram to be offered to God, Leviticus 5:15. And shall give unto the priest the holy thing — That is, the worth of it, which the priest was either to take to himself or to offer to God, as the nature of the thing was.

They — The people shall not profane them, by eating them: or the priests shall not profane them, that is, suffer the people to profane them, without censure and punishment.

They — That is, the priests, shall not (the negative particle being understood out of the foregoing clause) suffer them — That is, the people, to bear the iniquity of trespass — That is, the punishment of their sin, which they might expect from God, and for the prevention whereof the priest was to see restitution made.

Strangers — Such as were proselytes.

A male — For a burnt — offering, which was always of that kind: but the females were accepted in peace — offerings, and sin — offerings.

A stranger's hand — From proselytes: even from those, such should not be accepted, much less from the Israelites. The bread of your God — That is, the sacrifices.

In one day — Because it favoured of cruelty.

Hallowed, or sanctified, either by you in keeping my holy commands, or upon you in executing my holy and righteous judgments. I will manifest myself to be an holy God that will not bear the transgression of my laws.