Leviticus 24:5-9 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.

Take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes - for the showbread, as previously appointed (Exodus 25:30). Those cakes were baked by the Levites, the flour being furnished by the people (1 Chronicles 9:32; 1 Chronicles 23:29), oil, wine, and salt being the other ingredients (Leviticus 2:13).

Two tenth deals - i:e., of an ephah, 13 1/2 lbs. weight each; and on each row or pile of cakes some frankincense was strewed, which, being burnt, led to the showbread being called "an offering made by fire." Every Sabbath a fresh supply was furnished: hot loaves were placed on the altar instead of the stale ones, which, having lain a week, were removed, and eaten only by the priests, except in cases of necessity (1 Samuel 21:3-6; also Luke 6:3-4).

Leviticus 24:5-9

5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.

6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.

7 And 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.

8 Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

9 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 offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.