Tyndale Open Study NotesLeviticus 24

Traditionally called the “shewbread” in the King James Version, this bread was made of twelve flat loaves. It is also called the "Bread of the Presence." Every Sabbath, the loaves were placed on the table in the Holy Place (see Exodus 25:30 and Exodus 25:23–30). This bread was part of the priest's share of the offerings. David and his men ate this bread while escaping from King Saul (see 1 Samuel 21:1–6 and Matthew 12:1–8).

The priests burned a portion of this bread as an offering (see 2:2). So they made the bread without yeast ("unleavened"; see 2:11).

A large group of non-Israelites, including other Semitic people and Egyptians, left Egypt with the Israelites (Exodus 12:38). Among them was a man with an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father. A fight broke out between this man and a full-blooded Israelite. the man who was half-Egyptian verbally cursed the Israelite, using the name of God in a disrespectful manner.

• blasphemed … with a curse: In biblical times, a name was more than a title. It represented a person's character, reputation, and origin. God is holy, and he required the Israelites to treat him as holy in all aspects of life (see Leviticus 10:3). God's instructed them to show respect for God's name (Exodus 20:7). Using God's name in a curse showed a sinful attitude toward God (Leviticus 24:15). It was punishable by death (24:13–16).

  The Hebrew text in this passage uses two different words for "curse." One refers to a formal type of curse, while the other means a blasphemous or irreverent expression. These terms are used together in 24:15–16 to show the seriousness of the offense.

• the Name: The Hebrew text referes only to "the Name." This wording shows care and respect for God's name.

Those who heard someone curse against God had to lay their hands on his head. This act showed their innocence by symbolically transferring the guilt (see Leviticus 16:21). It also showed their willingness to take responsibility for the person's death. A single witness was not enough to sentence someone to death (see Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:2–7; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28).

Because human life was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27), murder was seen as an attack against God himself. It carried the same penalty as speaking blasphemy against God (Genesis 9:6). For a similar law and its details, see Exodus 21:12–14.

eye for eye: This legal principle is often called lex talionis (which means “law of retaliation”). This means the punishment should match the crime. When an injured person sought revenge for their family member, excessive revenge often occurred instead of proper justice (see Numbers 35:19–21). This led to even more retaliation, creating a cycle of increasing violence. Lex talionis helped regulate how to prosecute crimes (see also Leviticus 6:2–7; compare Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21; Matthew 5:28–39).

Foreigners were not citizens, but they were human beings who deserved equal justice under the law (see Leviticus 16:29, 31).