The book of leviticus - secular.help

Introduction

The book of leviticus comes between the book of exodus and the book of numbers. It is the third book in the Pentateuch and is part of the bigger story of the (supposed) exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to their promised land. A more detailed examination of the “exodus” fable is covered on a page on this site: “exodus? Get outta here!“.

Disappointingly, the book of leviticus doesn’t progress the exodus fairy tale; instead, it is a long list of rules and procedures – none of which are practiced today (well, here’s hoping that they’re not).

As you are reading these summaries of the 27 chapters in the book of leviticus, and in between fits of incredulity, horror, and laughter, try to figure out if the rules presented are the writings of an omniscient being who created two trillion galaxies in an observable universe that is 93 billion light years across, or are they the ramblings of superstitious and ignorant iron age men who were making things up as they went along? Perhaps try to read between the lines to figure out the true motivation affecting those who actually wrote the text. That’s mentioned in the summary at the end of this page.

It’s believed that leviticus was compiled between 800-550 BCE, however the earliest manuscripts of the work are found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, circa the first or second century BCE.

The book is a strained mixture of general instructions (to priests and common folk) and very specific instruction involving moses and aaron and aaron’s sons. As usual, no attempt has been made to capitalize words describing fictitious characters and places.

Chapter 1 – Rules for killing animals for rituals. When to use the east and north sides of the sacrificial altar.

There’s no getting around this: the lord liked burnt offerings (it’s a recurring theme). But seriously, who likes burnt food? Even the smell is objectionable when compared to well-cooked food.

If the poor animal that is destined for sacrifice is a cow, sheep or goat, then it has to be a male and be without blemish (it’s not explained how to judge a beast for blemishes). For some reason, it is important that the offering be killed on the northward side of the altar and its blood be sprinkled around the altar. However if the offering be a fowl, then it has to be a turtledove or a young pigeon and it’s necessary to pluck the feathers and cast them on the east side of the altar. Before burning the poor bird to a blackened crisp, it’s important to “cleave it with the wings thereof”, but “not to divide it asunder”.

Since the lord has never been in a position to do anything with the results of sacrifice, the whole exercise must have seemed like a terrible waste of food to the poor and hungry – especially in times of hardship. Of course, the collecting of roasted bits of animals is a very useful exercise for those who didn’t do anything to obtain those animals for themselves. That is the basis of how a ruling class (in this case headed by aaron and his sons) organised things to take advantage of a working class.

Seriously though, if we stumbled across an undiscovered tribe in the jungle who believed that it was important to slaughter a creature to their god – on the north side of an altar, wouldn’t we just shake our heads and try to humor them? However when it’s reportedly done by people who went on to form the basis of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, it’s considered sane? Why?

Chapter 2 – Rules for non-animal sacrifice

And when it came to non-blood-based sacrifice, then the offering could be of fine flour or grain with oil and frankincense (a hardened resin that oozes from the Boswellia tree). Confusingly, this is also called a “meat” offering. If a head start is required on preparations by pre-baking, then make sure to only use unleavened ingredients (because yeast is a no-no). For some reason honey is also out, however anything that is offered should be well salted. There’s even another option because fruit and corn could be offered, however only with the required (but unstated) amount of oil and frankincense.

Of course, the priests involved in the ceremony of things burnt beyond recognition were entitled to take part of the offering (the part that is not cremated presumably), because, hey, why should they have to work for a living? It’s baffling why no one has created a cookbook out of all this: “Sacrificial Recipes for the Finicky, but Lazy Priest“?

Chapter 3 – More rules pertaining to sacrifices, including the avoidance of kidneys, fat and blood.

It gets more complicated because apparently there’s a distinction whether the offering is one of: peace, or one of vow or voluntary. This is of course meaningless in any modern society (you know, the ones that don’t sacrifice animals on the north side of an altar), however if you are interested you can try to decipher the distinctions “explained” in leviticus 7:11 (which is at least a little bit funny when it comes to eating food that isn’t good for you).

Chapter 3 is pretty much a rehash of what was covered in the first two chapters, however it is really stressed that the kidneys, the caul above the liver, and certain parts of fat shall be: taken away. The last sentence is interesting for the modern religious person: “It shall be a perpetual statue for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood“.

The iron age men who wrote this stuff were obviously not aware that every cell in an animal’s body contains fat (lipids) because it is a fundamental component of all cell membranes. But for some reason they came to believe that fat is something abhorrent. Not sure how the people over-pricing Wagyu steak feel about the prohibition on fat? And of course those who enjoy blood sausage are partaking in a horror too terrible to contemplate (according to leviticus).

The bit about the kidneys is strange. Okay, they’re not like a juicy t-bone steak, but if you are going to kick kidneys to the curb, then why not also mention: pancreas, spleen, stomach, liver, heart, brain, intestines, tongue, etc.?

Chapter 4 – Rules about what types of animals can be sacrificed and how the priest should dip his finger in blood.

Chapter 4 is where it starts to get very interesting – for the sinner, because we enter pay-for-play territory.

It seems that, as long as a young bullock without blemish is sacrificed, then atonement for sin shall be possible for the following groups: priests and Israelites. The whole bit about kidneys and fat is repeated in case the thrice-mentioning one chapter ago had been forgotten.

For some reason, it is necessary (amongst other procedures) for the priest to dip his finger in the blood of the sacrificed animal and sprinkle it seven times before the lord. Yep, not twice, not three times, not six times, not eight times, not 42 times, but exactly seven times. Why?

However when a ruler hath sinned it is only necessary to sacrifice a male kid of a goat (obviously without blemish).

And when a common person hath sinned it is only necessary to sacrifice a female kid of a goat (obviously without blemish). There is a little leeway on the goat aspect because apparently a female lamb can be substituted (obviously without blemish).

Chapter 5 – More ad-hoc rules and how to sacrifice based on transgressions.

It’s rapid-fire edicts to start the chapter.

Declining to report a crime, even one you know about but didn’t witness, is as bad as actually committing that crime. Also, you are guilty if you touch the carcass of an unclean animal. Bafflingly, you are also guilty if you “touch the uncleanness of man”. Finally, if you make a rash vow for good or evil, you are guilty. Any of these things will require you to make a “sin offering” of a female lamb or baby goat, however if you can’t obtain one of those, you can substitute with two young pigeons or two turtledoves. What’s more, if you can’t rustle up the birds, you can substitute with the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour, however because it’s a “sin offering”, you shouldn’t add any oil or frankincense. An ephah is a measure of volume and is approximately 22 liters (5.8 gallons). Got all that?

And if a soul commits a trespass and sin through ignorance, then the offering has to be a ram without blemish and “thy estimation by shekels of silver”. Apparently the priest gets an additional fifth part of the offering as a bonus.

Chapter 6 – How to payback a wronged neighbor (by 120%). A repeat of rules.

The chapter describes committing a trespass against a neighbor, e.g. by breaking a vow or stealing via violence or by deception. If that’s been done, then whatever was taken has to be restored plus an additional fifth, as in “Sorry Fred, here’s 120% of the lawn mower I stole from you”. And then there’s the usual payment to the lord of a ram (without blemish).

For some reason, the remainder of the chapter is about repeating the rules (about burnt offerings) from the previous chapters, including instruction about the males among the priests being able to eat the offerings. Were there females among the priests?

Oh yes, if an earthenware pot was used as part of the burning process it needs to be broken however if a brass pot was used, it only needs to be washed. Good to know.

Chapter 07 – Eating sacrificial fat or blood means being cut off from your people. A repeat of rules.

Starts with another long repeat of the rules and procedures already covered.

However it goes up a notch with the instruction that if fat from the offering is consumed then the person who consumed it “shall be cut off from his people”. One does wonder about the practicalities of all this because surely the sacrificing part is under the control of the priests and therefore how is anyone getting their hands on the fatty parts to transgress these instructions?

And then there will be blood; or more importantly, there won’t be blood because apparently whoever eats any manner of blood then that soul shall be cut off from his people.

The details of the cutting off are not explained. Is it forever? So if you’re starving and eat some of the meat with fat then you can never see your friends and family again?

The chapter concludes with another repeat of the rules however this time more emphasis is placed on the priests receiving the right shoulder of the sacrificial beast. Why right?

And that pretty much wraps it up for the laws pertaining to: the burnt offering, the “meat” offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the peace offering, and for the instructions of the consecrations.

Regarding all these sacrificial offering punishments, note that there’s no requirement for the “guilty” party to be sorry for their actions. And of course, the rich can easily let rip and pay whereas the poor might not even be able to afford to atone for whatever it is they have done wrong.

Chapter 8 – How to dress your very own priest. A repeat of rules.

Up until now, the instructions have been more general in nature (applying to us commoners), however from this chapter onward, the instructions (mainly) pertain to specific activities of moses, aaron and aaron’s sons – the ruling priests.

The chapter gets down to the procedural nitty-gritty and about how to dress your very own priest. Apparently, a coat has to be worn, which is then girded with the girdle, then wrapped with a robe, then inserted into a ephod (a sleeveless garment). Next, a hoshen (breastplate) must be worn which also has added a urim and the thummim (of which no one knows anything). Lastly, a mitre is placed on the priest’s head and upon the mitre is affixed a golden plate (the holy crown).

Everything then gets anointed with oil, and that’s everything: the altar, the vessels, the “laver and his foot” and the priests’ heads.

The weird thing is that all of the instructions about how to dress your priest were given in exodus, chapter 28. It’s almost like this book was created by author(s) who didn’t read or care about the other parts of the pentateuch.

Unfortunately the rules and procedures already explained a dozen times are then repeated. We get it; we get it. It does get a little more specific because apparently it’s important to smear some of the blood of the sacrificed animal on: the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and upon the great toe of the right foot.

Then the priests get to enjoy a meal of boiled offering with unleavened bread, however the remaining bits need to be burned (with fire).

The strange bit is that the guys performing the ceremony are then confined to the tabernacle for seven days and nights.

Chapter 9 – A repeat of rules. god makes an appearance.

For some reason after the seven-day wait following a sacrifice, aaron et. al. were required to … perform another sacrifice. The entire process of this subsequent sacrifice is a lengthy repeat of the procedures already described several times.

For a bit of theater, the chapter concludes with: “And there came a fire out from before the lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces”.

Chapter 10 – god kills because an offering of incense plus fire was made. A repeat of rules.

The writers of the book must have realized that everything had been too down-to-Earth up until now because not only did they introduce the supernatural at the end of the previous chapter, but they went on to fully incorporate their god in the following events…

For some reason two sons of aaron, called nadab and abihu decided to add fire to incense and offered the “strange” mixture to the lord. Unfortunately, the lord wasn’t too happy about the gesture because he produced more fire of his own which executed the lads. While brutal, the act did at least provide the basis of the fireball spell found in numerous computer games about 2,500 years later.

With deities flinging deadly fire around, can anyone blame aaron for holding his peace following the cinderization of his sons? Relatives of the dead boys were then required to carry them out of the camp, however the priests involved were required to stay within the temple (tabernacle) for the rest of their lives. The reasons behind any of this are not given.

Then follows another retelling of the procedures of sacrifice, prefaced with the instruction not to drink wine nor strong drink whilst in the tabernacle. Note that the Catholics of today have decided to ignore the instruction about wine; on the contrary, breaking that law has become central to their practices.

For some reason, moses was at first angry at the remaining sons of aaron because he thought that they had not eaten their share of a sin offering, however he became content when aaron explained that they had offered their parts before the lord. Phew.

Chapter 11 – Dietary laws.

This is the chapter that most Christians (especially) ignore. For some reason, inventing an entire framework (e.g. the priority of testaments) to avoid just about every commandment and law given by their almighty creator is deemed more reasonable than simply following the laws that were unambiguously stated. Speaking of which…

All animals that have feet that are cloven and chew their cud may be eaten. In case readers have trouble counting to two, the next verse points out the counterexample of a camel (its hoof isn’t divided). A further two counterexamples are given: a coney and a hare, however that’s just weird since they don’t chew the cud (despite the text saying they do) and they have toes, not hoofs.
Swine (that’s bacon to the average Christian) also can’t be eaten because, despite having cloven hoofs, the pig doesn’t chew the cud. For those who are unsure, chewing the cud means regurgitating previously-swallowed food for another chew (which is done because some animals can’t easily digest the cellulose in plant matter). Touching a dead pig is also a no-no, although it’s not explained how that is more dangerous than touching, say, a dead horse (which is also unclean because it doesn’t have cloven hoofs).
Of all the water-based creatures, only those with fins and scales are edible. So to you fundamentalist Christians, that’s shrimp gone from the menu.
Next, it’s up, up and away for the “definition” of which “fowls” can be eaten (which is religious speak for birds). Before the list, note that fowls are scientifically defined as birds that belong to either the galliformes clade (gamefowl like chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowls, partridges, grouses, peafowls and pheasants) or the anseriformes clade (waterfowl like ducks, mallards, swans and geese). So here’s the set that your god determines to be abomination “fowls”: eagle, ossifrage, ospray, vulture, kite, raven, owl, night hawk, cuckow, hawk kind, little owl, cormorant, great owl, swan, pelican, gier eagle, stork, heron, lapwing and the bat. Incidentally, bats aren’t birds. The interesting things about the “bird” list is that it isn’t based on characteristics (like scales and fins for fish, or cud and hoofs for land-based animals); instead, it’s based on specific examples. Does that mean that birds not on the list are okay to eat? Exactly why would a kestrel or kookaburra be okay to eat when an eagle isn’t? Isn’t it funny that the list consists of examples of “birds” found in the middle east?
Then it’s onto the abomination of eating “fowls that creep, going upon all four” – which are insects apparently. However there are loopholes when it comes to insects because it’s okay to have a meal of bald locusts or beetles or grasshoppers (or their kinds). However all other flying things that go on all fours are an abomination and it’s not even possible to touch their carcasses (so no swatting and killing mosquitoes that are currently biting you). The fact that insects have six legs (not four) doesn’t seem to worry anyone who has decided to take the texts literally.
In case the above list wasn’t comprehensive enough, the vague rule classes are then restated followed by some specific examples of unclean animals: weasel, mouse, tortoise, ferret, chameleon, lizard, snail and the mole.
Then it’s made clear that anything that has come into contact with something on the prohibited list will also be considered unclean. That includes (but is presumably not limited to): clothing, pots, water, the oven and skin.
There’s a little addendum to the list of abominations with: “and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” and “whatsoever goeth upon the belly”.

So it’s okay to eat beetles and grasshoppers? Why? Is that only possible because the writers of the text realized that people might starve if they couldn’t eat something like a locust – something that is a source of protein and is sometimes found in plague proportions? What’s the objective reason why it’s okay to eat a beetle but not a rabbit? Of course, the underlying reasons behind any of the above list is not explained by the text. It’s pretty obvious that the unscientific list was created as a series of stabs in the dark by ignorant and superstitious men (and not the creator of a universe).

Chapter 12 – Rules to protect against unclean women.

This chapter is one that is never talked about by religious people.

If a woman gives birth to a boy then she shall be unclean for 7 days and on the eighth day the baby shall be circumcised. She shall be considered impure for a further 33 days and shall not touch any hallowed thing nor shall she be allowed into the sanctuary (the tabernacle) until that time has passed.

If a woman gives birth to a girl, then she shall be unclean for 14 days and she shall be considered impure for a further 66 days.

When her days of impurity are over (that’s a total of 40 for a boy and 80 for a girl), she shall bring a first-year lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering to the the door of the tabernacle. The priest shall take the offering and use it to make atonement for her so that she shall once again be clean. There is some wiggle room because if the mother is not able to get a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons – one for a burnt and one for a sin offering.

Why exactly are women who give birth considered unclean and sinful? And why twice as unclean and twice as sinful if they give birth to a girl? Remember, this is an edict given by your god because the chapter starts with “And the lord spake unto moses, saying,”.

Chapter 13 – How to handle disease (the incorrect method).

This chapter deals with disease; well, what the guys at the time knew about disease.

If someone has a a rising scab or bright spot on his skin (e.g. resembling leprosy), then they have to be brought before the priest. The priest will use all his diagnostic skills to determine if it really is leprosy or scall, e.g. by assessing whether the blemish be deeper than the normal skin or if there is a white hair growing from the blemish. If the priest diagnoses leprosy, then the priest shall pronounce the person to be unclean. If the diagnosis is not leprosy then the sufferer will be “shut up” (presumably that means being isolated) for seven days. If after seven days the symptoms remain, then the person shall be shut up for a further seven days. If after another seven days the symptoms remain, the person shall be declared to have leprosy.

The chapter then has an excruciatingly long set of verses basically saying the above many, many times over.

After many rounds of the above, if there is finally no hope of recovery then the priest shall “pronounce him utterly unclean because the plague is in his head. And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean“. Oh yes, the person with “leprosy” then has to dwell alone, outside of the camp. The clothing of the diseased person shall either be burned or washed (perhaps twice), depending on how severe is the case.

In case it comes up at trivia, this is the longest chapter in the book.

Chapter 14 – How not to deal with leprosy.

The chapter continues with the leprosy theme, however it moves on to trying to treat anyone who has been isolated due to their leprosy. When a religious person criticizes some sort of writing or belief system as being nothing more than “magic”, e.g. when fundies won’t permit their kids to see Star Wars or Harry Potter, then perhaps remind them that their sacred texts also contain magic rituals – as this chapter demonstrates.

When it comes time for the leper to be cleansed, the priest shall have on hand two birds (alive and clean), cedar wood, the scarlet plant and the hyssop shrub. One of the birds shall be killed in an earthen vessel over running water, and the living bird and wood and plants shall be dipped in the blood of the killed bird. The blood shall then be sprinkled over the person with leprosy seven times, and the patient shall be pronounced clean. The living bird shall then be released.

The patient still needs to have a good wash and shave off all of his hair (including his eyebrows) both immediately and again after seven days. After eight days, the patient needs to bring two male lambs (obviously without blemish), one ewe lamb of the first year (without blemish), and three tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, and one log of oil (whatever that is), and present the lot as offerings to the priest – who will commence with the usual procedure of burning and offering. It’s still more complicated because some of the blood of the offering needs to be placed on the tip of the right ear of the patient, and on his right thumb, and on his right big toe. For an unknown reason, the above has to be repeated with oil (instead of blood).

After all that, the victim is still required to find two turtledoves or two young pigeons to be provided as burnt and sin offerings. So having leprosy is a sin? The chapter then continues with a lengthy restatement of the process of the above offerings.

Amazingly, the chapter then continues with the procedure should the priest determine that a house has been affected by leprosy. This is too ridiculous to document, but for the sake of completeness, if a house be infected with leprosy:

The house shall be emptied and shut up for seven days.
If the house still has leprosy, then the infected stones be removed and cast outside of the city in an unclean place. The remaining parts of the house shall be scraped and the removed dust be cast outside of the city, also in an unclean place.
The removed bits of the house shall be replaced with new stones and mortar.
If the leprosy returns to the house, then the entire house shall be demolished and be cast outside of the city in an unclean place. Anyone who has had contact with the house will need to wash their clothes.
If the house becomes free of leprosy, then the house has to be sprinkled seven times via a bird, scarlet and hyssop dipped in the the blood of a bird killed in an earthen vessel over running water. As per usual, the living bird can be released.

For the religious who are tempted to criticize real science, if you had leprosy would you opt for the above or would you go with the modern approach of: multi-drug therapy (MDT) which is a combination of two or three antibiotics (dapsone, rifampicin and sometimes clofazimine) that kills the bacteria and cures the disease? Why is it that an omnipotent being didn’t know that when speaking to moses?

Remember that the chapter starts with “And the lord spake unto moses, saying,” so the nonsense above was actually believed by the being who supposedly created two trillion galaxies in our observable universe.

This is the second-longest chapter in the book, which suggests that god took his leprosy very seriously (despite knowing nothing about the disease).

Chapter 15 – More rules to do with health: venereal disease, ejaculation, menstruation.

This chapter deals with the watered-down version of leprosy – the result of someone having a “running issue out of his flesh”. The text lists (extensively) the set of things that could be affected by the discharge (beds, chairs, clothes, saddles, vessels, others) and then the “cure”: seven days of isolation, the washing of clothes, and the usual offering of turtledoves or young pigeons, and the procedure for burning and offering those.

Some have suggested that “running issue” refers to sin (and not to a bodily discharge). That’s pure speculation and doesn’t fit with the narrative of the chapter – which deals with the physical result of a discharge, e.g. beds, chairs, clothes, saddles, vessels and others. And it’s “out of his flesh”, not out of his mouth or mind (as would pertain to “sin”). It’s much more likely that the text is referring to the disease of gonorrhea.

The chapter then deals with the result of ejaculation (the “man’s seed of copulation”). Apparently everything is considered unclean until the garments, skin and woman involved are thoroughly washed.

Finally, the chapter moves on to something that is also never talked about (let alone acted upon) by religious folk: the treatment of menstruating women.

Apparently, menstruating women must be “put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean“. It’s not just the woman involved, because anything that she sat upon, or lay down on, or even touched (including people) is also unclean. Having sex with a menstruating women results in the man being unclean for seven days.

And here’s the really creepy bit: after the seven days of isolation are over, the woman is expected to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest so that he can make a sin offering and a burnt offering of them so that the woman involved be atoned “for the issue of her uncleanness“. Amazingly, the justification for all this nonsense is given as: “Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them”. By the way, that “my” is your god (if you are religious).

Remember that menstruation is a natural process that is part of the reproductive cycle of women. It is observed in other animals such as primates, some bats, spiny mice and elephant shrews. A similar process happens in other mammals except the shed tissue is reabsorbed rather than expelled from the body. It’s not something for which atonement is needed. Why does god say that it is?

Of course, the simple explanation is that the natural process was too much for the ignorant and superstitious men who invented the chapter.

Chapter 16 – Scapegoats and aaron having to atone for his son’s “sins” (after their murder by god).

Careful readers will remember how god murdered aaron’s sons (in leviticus, chapter 10) and apparently god wasn’t quite finished with aaron because this chapter is about how aaron was expected to further offer atonement by bringing the appropriate offerings to the temple for sacrifice, etc. etc. etc.

It’s all too ridiculous and boring to document fully, however what is interesting out of the entire mess is the concept of a scapegoat. In verses 8 to 11, aaron is expected to offer one goat to the lord but to release the other goat into the wilderness. One suspects that particular theme is going to make a comeback later in the bible.

Amazingly, aaron was then expected to atone for the “sins” of his children (the ones that tried to honor the lord by adding incense to fire) by adding incense to the fire in the tabernacle. He then had to do the expected stuff like sacrifice a bull, dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it around the place (including on the “mercy seat”) seven times.

A ceremony born out of all this is then made an edict whereby no work shall be done on the tenth day of the seventh month – which became the Jewish holiday of atonement called Yom Kippur.

Chapter 17 – Don’t kill animals over there. Don’t consume their blood. Don’t eat roadkill.

The chapter starts with a dire warning about following procedure, for if anyone attempts to kill an animal for sacrifice outside of the designated area (e.g. the tabernacle), then that person shall be cut of from the people.

Next, is a reminder about not consuming the blood of any animal. This is all based upon a verse like: “for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof“, however that’s nonsense. Blood is not “life”. Blood taken with all the other components of an animal will result in something that can have life. Blood taken by itself is an inert fluid in which there are cells that will eventually die when they dry out. Remember that the ignorant men who wrote the texts had no idea of what constituted blood.

Lastly, there comes an addition that is not often mentioned. Apparently it is wrong to eat an animal that died of itself or was killed by another animal. If you do, you are unclean and must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water.

The iron-age men who wrote such things never did get around to explaining how doing the wrong thing (by their strange definitions) somehow makes people unclean, and how that uncleanliness can transfer into their clothing.

Chapter 18 – The people not to have a knee-trembler with.

The chapter starts reasonably enough with god warning everyone that because he saved them all from Egypt and “doings of the land of canaan (wherever that is)”, it’s his way from now on. E.g. from now on, everyone’s going to “do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances“. Got it?

But then it gets weird because it seems those ordinances are headlined by rules pertaining to incest. The text uses the phrase “uncover … nakedness”, however that’s universally taken to mean sexual intercourse. So here’s a list of people with whom you should not “uncover nakedness”:

“to any that is near of kin“. You’d have thought this would cover everything, but sadly, no…
your father,
your mother,
your father’s wife. This is an unexpected one based on the previous point, but you have to remember that the texts are supportive of polygamy.
your sister,
your father’s daughter,
your mother’s daughter (whether she be born at home or born abroad). What?
your son’s daughter,
your daughter’s daughter,
your father’s wife’s daughter (begotten of your father),
your father’s sister,
your mother’s sister,
your father’s brother’s wife,
your son’s wife,
your brother’s wife,
a woman and her daughter
a woman and her son’s daughter
a woman and her daughter’s daughter
a wife and her sister
an unclean woman (see chapter 15).
your neighbor’s wife. Not that this one dropped the euphemism of “uncovering nakedness” as it writes “thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor’s wife“. So that puts an end to those who would try to water down all the incest stuff.
a man,
any beast.

For some reason the extensive list doesn’t specifically mention a father “uncovering nakedness” with his daughter.

And strangely there’s an edict about not sacrificing one’s children to Moloch. Moloch was supposedly a cannanite god and that suggests that the “real” god believed that there were other gods working on his patch.

The punishment for uncovering nakedness incorrectly is to be cut off from thy people.

Chapter 19 – A whole heap of miscellaneous rules, including not to prostitute your daughter.

We’re down to the bits and pieces now:

Fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths.
Avoid idols and don’t make molten gods.
If a peace offering is made unto the lord, it shall be offered at your own will and shall be eaten within three days (else it be burnt in the fire). Any eating it on the third day shall be cut off from his people.
Don’t wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither gather the gleanings of thy harvest. Gleanings are the bits left over in the field after harvest, such as for the poor to gather.
Leave some grapes on the vines.
Don’t steal, deal falsely, nor lie.
Don’t swear an oath to god falsely.
Don’t defraud they neighbor, neither rob him of due wages.
Don’t curse the deaf or put a stumbling-block before the blind.
Only respect the righteous.
Don’t slander people and don’t put others in danger.
Don’t hate thy kinsfolk in thine heart. If you have to rebuke someone, do it wisely.
Don’t seek vengeance. Don’t bear grudges. Love thy neighbor as thyself.
Don’t breed diverse kinds of cattle.
Don’t sow a field with mingled seed.
Don’t make a garment mingled with linen and wool.
If a man has sex with a woman who is betrothed to someone else, then they shall both be put to death (because she was not free) if the act is not redeemed nor freedom given her. This is the first mention of death as a penalty, however it’s atrociously unfair to the woman, e.g. if she was a rape victim. Horribly, it seems to be okay for the act to happen if the man provides a ram as a trespass offering.
After planting trees, wait until the fifth year before fruit can be eaten (the fruit of the fourth year should be offered to god).
Don’t eat anything that still has its blood.
Don’t use enchantments.
Don’t round the corners of your head, nor mar the corners of thy beard.
You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you. You don’t seen too many religious people with a “leviticus 19:28” tattoo.
Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness. Note that this one is not stated to assist the daughter; it’s stated to help the community.
Keep the sabbath.
Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards. What wizards?
Honor the elderly.
Don’t vex a stranger in your lands.
Love a stranger in your lands as if they were born among you.
Don’t use dishonest measures when selling or buying goods.

Chapter 20 – More miscellaneous rules, including women not having sex with animals.

This chapter takes it up a notch by demanding the death penalty for those breaking the various laws. It’s not explained how this works when considered with the sixth commandment (the one that doesn’t have an asterisk following the edict about not killing).

Here be more laws (that wouldn’t fit in chapter 19, although some are repeats):

Sacrificing children to Moloch is punishable by death. However if somehow the people involved aren’t put to death, then they will be cut off from their own people.
Anyone who turneth after familiar spirits or wizards will be cut off from their own people.
Anyone cursing their father or mother shall be put to death.
Anyone committing adultery with another man’s wife will cause both of them to be put to death.
Anyone who lieth with their father’s wife will cause both of them to be put to death.
Anyone who lie with his daughter-in-law will cause both of them to be put to death.
Any man who lies with another man will cause both of them to be put to death.
Any man who “take a wife and her mother, they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they“. A triple-play! Sometimes a good stoning is mentioned but this one is unusual for mentioning fire as the means of carrying out the penalty.
Any man who lies with a beast shall be put to death, and the animal slayed. What did the poor animal do wrong?
And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast. This is another unusual one because it specifically mentions a woman as the perpetrator. One does wonder if this was such a problem as to warrant a specific rule, but here it is? Again, what did the animal do wrong?
Don’t see the nakedness of: your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter. You’ll be cut off from your people if you do.
If you lie with a menstruating woman then both shall be cut off from their people. This punishment is at odds with that described in leviticus 15:24.
Don’t uncover thy nakedness with thy mother’s sister or thy father’s sister (punishment unstated).
Don’t lie with your uncle’s wife because that will uncover your uncle’s nakedness and they shall die childless. What does that mean? Will they not have more children or will their existing children be killed?
Don’t lie with your brother’s wife because that will uncover your brother’s nakedness and they shall die childless. What does that mean? Will they not have more children or will their existing children be killed?
Don’t walk in the manners of the nation from which you have been cast out. You’re set to inherit their land (which floweth with milk and honey), so don’t do anything to risk that.
Just for good measure, don’t hath a familiar spirit or wizard because that will cause you to be put to death.

It’s interesting that the penalty for the above points is often: “they shall surely be put to death”. Well, is it the punishment from the word of god or not? Seems like it’s still up to others to adjudicate on “surely”? Does that really mean that the priest gets to determine if the rules crafted by the omnipotent being who created the universe are carried out?

It does seem like this chapter was added by someone who wasn’t too happy about the wishy-washy nature of the previous chapters when it comes to punishments. The use of “surely” does seem like someone who wasn’t too sure about adding the punishments but really wanted/needed them to be true.

Chapter 21 – Rules for priests, including burning the priest’s daughter if she acts like a whore.

This chapter is aimed at the priests. They are not permitted to touch a corpse or to attend a funeral feast, however it’s okay if it’s for their father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister (but only if she is a virgin).

Importantly, they can’t cut off all their hair nor shave the corners of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

They can take a wife, but not if she is a whore, or profane; neither can she be a woman put away from her husband. She must be a virgin. She must be of his own people (e.g. no foreigners).

If the priest’s daughter acts like a whore then she shall be burnt with fire.

The high priest shall not uncover his head nor rend his clothes. He shall not touch a dead body. He shall not leave the tabernacle. He shall not profane his seed among his people.

Priests with any of the following blemishes are not permitted to approach the altar for any ritualistic purpose: blindness, lameness, having a flat nose, anything superfluous, brokenfooted, brokenhanded, crookbackt, be a dwarf, having a blemish in the eye, having scurvy, be scabbed, or having broken testicles. This list is ridiculous since such blemishes are unrelated to the performance of required duties. Someone might be an excellent priest despite having a blemish in their eye, but god says nuts to that.

Chapter 22 – More rules for a priest, including not killing a cow and its calf on the same day.

The chapter continues the theme of prohibiting any priest from having anything to do with anything that is considered unclean. It’s a bit of a recap of rules from previous chapters.

The chapter continues with guidance about what the priest, and the priest’s family, are allowed to eat from the various offerings.

Finally, there’s a little fine-tuning about how animals due for sacrifice should be treated. For example, if either a cow or ewe and their young are due for slaughter, then they cannot be killed on the same day. Good to know

None of these rules are given plausible reasons for their inclusion. They just be.

Chapter 23 – Rules for the various feasts.

This chapter describes the rules for the various annual events and feasts, but first there’s a reminder about how the seventh day is the sabbath day of rest each week. It’s a pity that the lord didn’t bother to give precise instructions as to when the sabbath starts and ends because that’s led to a wide variety of practices among religions. The smart money is on Friday-sunset to Saturday-sunset, but that also leads to problems in our connected world of varying time zones (e.g. trading on the Internet).

Passover is on the 14 of January. It’s followed the next day by the start of the feast of unleavened bread (during which only unleavened bread must be eaten for seven days). On the first and seventh day of passover, no work shall be done. You also need to bring a sheaf of firstfruits from your harvest and a lamb (obviously without blemish) as a burnt offering. There also needs to be a “meat” offering of two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, and a drink offering of wine. Apparently the lord was thirsty because it is supposed to be about 1 liter of wine. It’s still not clear what happens to all of these offerings. One can only presume that the lord doesn’t actually appear after everyone has gone to bed and drink the wine, so what happens to it?

During the “feast” no bread or parched corn or green ears shall be consumed until the offering has been made. Then a period of seven sabbaths are to pass (about fifty days), at which point another “meat” offering of two wave loaves, two tenth deals of fine flour, baked with leaven should be made.

It’s not over yet because ye shall also offer with the bread seven lambs (obviously without blemish) fo the first year, one young bullock and two rams as burnt offerings. Then you’ll need to sacrifice one kid of the goats and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.

Then it’s back to farming, however you are not allowed to harvest the corners of your field and you also can’t gather all the gleanings because they should be left to the poor.

Good luck with all that because it’s on with the next event, which occurs on the first day of the seventh month. That’s known as the feast of trumpets and shall be honored by doing no work and by making an offering of fire. The event is the one known as the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

The next event occurs on the tenth day of the seventh month and is now known as the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. An offering of fire must be made and no work shall be done on the day lest you be cut off from your people.

Finally, there’s the feast of tabernacles and that happens on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. It starts with a day of no work, followed by seven days of making offerings by fire, and ending on the eighth day during which no work can be done. On the first of the days, you’ll need boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of thick trees, and the willows of the brook (although the purpose for each is unstated).

Chapter 24 – How to illuminate and eat in the tabernacle. Repeat of some rules, including capital punishment.

The chapter begins very procedurally in that it describes the lighting requirements of the tabernacle. Beaten olive oil is needed for the lamps, which must be able to be lit from evening unto the morning.

Then, in terms of food: thou shalt take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with two tenth deals of flour in each cake. Then, two rows of six cakes sprinkled with pure frankincense shall be placed on the table before the lord. Of course the priests are the ones that are allowed to eat in the tabernacle.

The chapter then detours into an episode in which the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian managed to blaspheme the name of the lord. The lord himself spoke and ordered the camp to stone the man to death – which they did.

There’s also a retelling (with various discrepancies) of rules that were laid out in previous chapters, with the additional edict: “Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him“. That of course is a paraphrase from the Code of Hammurabi – a work that long predated the books of the old testament.

Chapter 25 – Rules for agriculture, economics and slavery.

A lot of areas have been addressed in the previous chapters, however this chapter attempts to deal with economics.

Six years shall a field be sown or a vineyard pruned, however in the seventh year the land should be rested and the vineyard not pruned. Whatever was produced in the seventh year was to be shared by everyone, including landowners, slaves and livestock.

After seven lots of seven-year cycles, the 50th year was considered to be the jubilee year. During that year (also a year of fallow), some debts would be forgiven, people would be able to redeem their land and property, and certain people who had been forced into servitude due to debt or poverty were to be freed, along with their families. Of course, none of that sort of charity has been practiced for a very, very long time.

The natural question arises about what should people eat if they are not planting crops in the seventh year? The lord has that covered because he promised to “command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years“. Obviously nothing like that has ever been witnessed (which should be enough to disprove this nonsense, but people apparently don’t like to have nonsense disproved).

Being freed once every 50 years sounds pretty much indistinguishable from actual slavery.

Interestingly, the lord states that “the land shall not be sold forever: for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me“. Oh really? So after 2,500 years of buying and selling land (post your statement), we’re all still good to go?

Further, wealthier Israelites were to help their poor countrymen, not by lending money with interest but by providing food and shelter.

The chapter absolutely deals with slavery when it writes: “Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids“. So buying people is okay according to the lord? The extrapolation of this policy has led to some amusing observations, e.g. see Why Can’t I own a Canadian (a RationalWiki article).

It gets worse in the next verse because it’s made clear that buying “heathens” also entitles the purchaser to the children of the purchased (to become possessions). And what’s more, it’s slavery forever because the purchased people can be left to the next generation as inheritance.

Apparently lifetime slavery doesn’t work in reverse because an Israelite is entitled to buy back another Israelite (a brethren) who has been forced into slavery in a foreign land, with the price being determined by the number of years of servitude relative to the jubilee. It doesn’t say how “entitled” works when the foreign owner doesn’t want to sell.

Chapter 26 – More rules from an angry god.

This chapter returns to the angry lord and a whole heap more rules and regulations:

Don’t make idols or graven images, and definitely don’t set up those images in stone in your land, and definitely don’t bow down before that image.
Keep the sabbath.
Keep my commandments.
If the rules are obeyed then apparently the lord will give rain in due season and the land yield shall increase and the the trees shall bear fruit. Surely this is worth a scientific study because it’s all that is needed to prove the existence of the lord?
Also, following the rules will apparently give peace in the land and enemies shall fall before you by the sword (even with a ratio of five to one hundred against the enemy) – which are other testable claims.
However the reverse is also true (and this gets laid on with a trowel): if you don’t follow the rules then you will experience terror, consumption, the burning ague, sorrow, and poor crops which will get eaten by your enemies. You will also get slain by your enemies who will hate you and reign over you. You’ll get punished seven times more for your sins. Your pride will break, your heaven will break, your earth as brass, your strength be spent in vain for your lands shall not increase yield, neither shall the trees of the land yield fruit. You’ll also get seven times more plagues and wild beasts will be sent among you which will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle, make you few in number and your highways shall be desolate. You’ll also receive pestilence and be delivered into the hands of your enemies. Your bread won’t be enough to feed you and you will have to eat the flesh of your sons and daughters. Your high places will be destroyed and your carcasses shall be cast on the carcasses of your idols. Your cities shall be made waste and your sanctuaries brought unto desolation. You will be scattered among the heathen who will draw out a sword after you. Your land shall be desolate and your cities waste. Whoever is still alive will receive a faintness of heart in the lands of your enemies and shall fall one upon another as it were before a sword when none pursueth and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. Ye shall perish among the heathen and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. Those remaining shall pine away in their iniquity in their enemies’ lands.
Even though that’s all pretty bad, the lord promised to remember the covenants made with jacob and issac and with abraham. It’s not made clear what the practical implication of remembering those covenants would be?

Chapter 27 – How to value human life with money. Thou shalt tithe to help the privileged class.

The lord starts the last chapter of leviticus by associating human life with a monetary value (in shekels of silver):

For males aged over 60 years it’s 15, however for females it’s 10.
For males aged between 20 and 60 it’s 50, however for females it’s 30.
For males aged between 5 and 20 it’s 20, however for females it’s 10.
For males aged between one month to 5 years it’s 5, however for females it’s 3.

It’s possible to be worth less than the above estimation, however that’s for the local priest to decide. Note that the lord puts no value on a baby less than one month old. Also note that the lord values women to be between half and two-thirds the value of men.

Apparently valuations will also vary depending on the value of beasts brought as offerings, and of a person’s house, and of a person’s land (relative to the jubilee).

It’s not until the third last verse of the chapter that the purpose of all of this valuation stuff is made clear: it’s to do with the amount that is deemed appropriate for tithing: “And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the lord“.

There you have it: the priests, who already eat for free when others “sin”, and who are already clothed and housed, are entitled to get 10% of what people are deemed to be worth. Could it be that all of these laws are not the words of an omnipotent being who created the universe and instead are the words of greedy and obnoxious men trying to live an easy life via the suffering of others?

Thoughts

There you have it: probably one of the most horrific and abominable “books” ever written.

The book is basically a how-to manual about the control and subjugation of people. When you realize that there’s no such thing as a god then the book becomes sinister because it’s obvious that it details a deliberate and calculated methodology for the control and domination of all but the privileged class. Here are the highlights of that methodology:

Make it sound authoritative. All the “And the lord spake unto moses” bits achieves that.
Scare people. The parts about “sin” (although poorly defined) do that. Also the bit when god instantly wipes out two guys with fire is bound to make the average person think twice.
Emphasize the class system. The book makes it clear that there are those who receive, document, and enact the law, and there are those (the vast majority) who fall victim of the law. The text specifically refers to commoners, and women are (as usual) very poorly treated.
Create rules. In this case, poorly defined rules because exactly what “sin” is isn’t well documented. It really could be anything that is alleged against someone – especially if thoughts could be sinful.
Introduce punishment and fines. There certainly is a lot of description of the punishments and fines involved when transgressions have occurred. In fact, these are repeated dozens and dozens of times.
Nourish the ruling class. It’s a very successful system when the punishment of others feeds the ones enforcing the law. It’s going to be pretty much a steady stream of meat, fruit and cakes coming in as people try to redeem themselves. And that’s in addition to the 10% tithing that will manage to clothe and shelter the priests and their accomplices.
Entrench the entire system as law. Because it’s all god-given (apparently), and because it’s so weighty (thanks to the interminable repetition of the text), who is going to argue?

Based on the above, there’s no way of getting around the fact that the scriptures of these religions do not treat people equally as there’s an inherent implication of a class-based society. Perhaps instead of all these rules, the book could have contained rules about how not to let society devolve into classes?

Note that at no point does the text mention anything about the sinner feeling or expressing any sort of remorse or contrition. All that is necessary for restitution is a procedure carried out by someone else. It’s interesting that everything is good to go after the sinner is forgiven and the priests have a good feed. Sounds like an excellent system for priests, but a horrible system for anyone trying to work out what sin is while starving due to hardship. It also sounds like an excellent recipe for corruption in a system.

Hopefully it’s obvious that the edicts and rules were very much of their time? Where could you go now with your baby goat after committing the crime of patting a pig (or touching an old-fashioned football)? You can certainly honor the dates of a holiday, but how do you go about finding a calf (obviously without blemish) and delivering it to a suitable location so that it can take part in a sin offering? Didn’t god realize that humans would progress for at least a couple more thousand years, and that perhaps some of these rules would turn out to be complete nonsense for the modern reader?

At no point in the text is there any mention of god turning off the rules for later generations.

Or perhaps the words are just made up nonsense by superstitious and ignorant Iron Age men? And if that’s the case, then exactly what does something like “he hath certainly trespassed against the lord” mean (leviticus 5:19)? And that’s the other problem: exactly what do you have to do to “commit a trespass”? It’s certainly written in a very open-ended fashion to suit those who would want to sit in judgment and control their fellow men and women.

And what happens if a modern reader wants to try and stick to parts of the text? So it’s okay to do some of the above, but not other parts? Why?

However be very careful you religious literalists because the book of leviticus contains rules that, should you carry them all out faithfully, would land you in jail (or worse) in every country on the Earth.

There’s no way of getting around it, but the entire book is very badly written. The same thing could have been said in about one fifth of the words. People think the weight of the texts somehow lend them gravitas, however do they realize that every rule is mentioned multiple times? Honestly, it just becomes painful to read – which is probably why (so called) religious people haven’t.

The story continues in the book of numbers.

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