1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. 3 Outside of the veil of the Testimony, in the Tent of Meeting, shall Aaron keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 4 He shall keep in order the lamps on the pure gold lamp stand before the LORD continually. 5 “You shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes of it: two tenths of an ephah shall be in one cake. 6 You shall set them in two rows, six on a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. 7 You shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire to the LORD. 8 Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before the LORD continually. It is on the behalf of the children of Israel an everlasting covenant. 9 It shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy to him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.” 10 The son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out amongst the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelite woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 They put him in custody, until the LORD’s will should be declared to them. 13 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Bring out of the camp him who cursed; and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. 16 He who blasphemes the LORD’s name, he shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him. The foreigner as well as the native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death. 17 “‘He who strikes any man mortally shall surely be put to death. 18 He who strikes an animal mortally shall make it good, life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor; as he has done, so shall it be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has injured someone, so shall it be done to him. 21 He who kills an animal shall make it good; and he who kills a man shall be put to death. 22 You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born; for I am the LORD your God.’” 23 Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and they brought out him who had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. The children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, 1706
Verses 1–9
The loaves of bread typify Christ as the Bread of life, and the food of the souls of his people. He is the Light of his church, the Light of the world; in and through his word this light shines. By this light we discern the food prepared for our souls; and we should daily, but especially from sabbath to sabbath, feed thereon in our hearts with thanksgiving. And as the loaves were left in the sanctuary, so should we abide with God till he dismiss us.
Verses 10–23
This offender was the son of an Egyptian father, and an Israelitish mother. The notice of his parents shows the common ill effect of mixed marriages. A standing law for the stoning of blasphemers was made upon this occasion. Great stress is laid upon this law. It extends to the strangers among them, as well as to those born in the land. Strangers, as well as native Israelites, should be entitled to the benefit of the law, so as not to suffer wrong; and should be liable to the penalty of this law, in case they did wrong. If those who profane the name of God escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgments. What enmity against God must be in the heart of man, when blasphemies against God proceed out of his mouth. If he that despised Moses’ law, died without mercy, of what punishment will they be worthy, who despise and abuse the gospel of the Son of God! Let us watch against anger, do no evil, avoid all connexions with wicked people, and reverence that holy name which sinners blaspheme.