Leviticus 24 Study Notes

24:1-4 The lampstand was the seven-branched menorah that lighted the holy place of the tabernacle (Ex 25:31-40). The light represented the presence of God with his people. In the Bible, light also represents God or his Word (Ps 27:1; 36:9; 119:105). Jesus’s affirmation that he was the light of the world was a polemic against those who put their faith in a menorah that was only the symbol of a greater reality (Jn 8:12; 9:5).

24:5-9 The twelve loaves of bread were called “the Bread of the Presence” (Ex 25:30). They were a constant reminder of God’s provision for the Israelites every day and especially during the wilderness period. The twelve loaves represented the twelve tribes of Israel, pointing to the totality of God’s provision. Jesus affirmed that he was the bread of life (Jn 6:33,35,48,51), satisfying the spiritual hunger of humanity.

24:10-12 To blaspheme the name of God was to blaspheme God himself, just as to praise his name was to praise him. Jews stopped using the name of Yahweh because they thought it too sacred. When they referred to God, they called him the Name (Hb Hashem).

24:13-16 The punishment for blasphemy was the death penalty by stoning, a punishment used also for those who worshiped Molech (20:2).

24:17-22 The eye for eye, tooth for tooth (v. 20) principle was a figurative way of pointing to God’s justice and showed that the punishment should fit the crime. The principle of punishing an offender with the same injury that he had inflicted is called (Lat) lex talionis. Quoting this verse, Jesus raised the bar in his teaching on turning the other cheek (Mt 5:38-42)—that is, offering of forgiveness instead of retribution.

24:23 This is the last of twelve places in Leviticus where some form of the phrase “as the Lord had commanded” is used. It is found twenty-three times in Numbers.