What Does Leviticus 6:20 Mean?
This is the drawing near of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall bring near to the LORD on the day he is anointed. A tenth of an ephah of fine flour as an unbroken gift, half of it in the morning and half of it at night.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.THE KEY
The flour becomes an approach: the Hebrew verb for offering means bringing near, and its portion returns at morning and evening.
THE MEANING
The priest’s measured flour portion is brought near to the LORD, half at morning and half at evening. Here, consecration takes a daily shape: the approach returns at both edges of the day.
THE ROOT
יַקְרִיבוּ
yaqrîvû
GROWS FROM
קרב
q-r-b
To approach, come near, or bring near.
“bring near” in this verse is yaqrîvû. Here, offer is the verb יַקְרִיבוּ (yaqrîvû), from קרב (q-r-b), whose basic motion is coming near. The same consonants shape קָרְבָּן (qorbān), the offering itself, so the flour is presented as a thing of approach; its morning and evening portions let that approach recur through the day.
ALSO GROWS
qārab: To approach or come near.
קָרַב
The verb names the movement carried by the priest’s offering.
qārōv: Near.
קָרוֹב
This branch makes nearness part of the root’s shared sense.
qorbān: Offering; what is brought near.
קָרְבָּן
The offering’s name carries the same approach as the verb in this verse.
מָשַׁח
māšaḥ
GROWS FROM
משח
m-š-ḥ
To smear or anoint.
The day of anointing marks the priest for service, and the offering is prescribed there as a continuing portion. This root also names the anointed person and the act or substance of anointing.
ALSO GROWS
māšîaḥ: Anointed one.
מָשִׁיחַ
The branch names a person by the anointing that marks them.
mišḥāh: Anointing or ointment.
מִשְׁחָה
This branch names the act or substance by which the anointing is carried.
THE PATTERN
What is brought near becomes a recurring rhythm, carried through morning, evening, and continual praise.
One lamb you offer in the morning, and the other lamb you offer at evening.Let my prayer be set before you as smoke, and the lifting of my palms as the evening offering.Through him, then, let us always carry up a sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.THE THREAD
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, If anyone of you brings near a drawing near to the LORD, you shall bring near your drawing near from the cattle, from the herd and from the flock.Leviticus 1:2 uses the same q-r-b root in the verb bring and in קָרְבָּן (qorbān), meaning offering. The shared root names the offering by its movement toward God, opening this verse’s measured flour as an act of drawing near.
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