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Leviticus

About this book
Chapter 9

1 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, 2 and said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both flawless, and present them before the Lord. 3 Then tell the Israelites:⁠ ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb, both a year old and flawless, for a burnt offering, 4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with olive oil, for today the Lord is going to appear to you.’”⁠ 5 So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the Meeting Tent, and the whole congregation presented them and stood before the Lord. 6 Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” 7 Moses then said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and make your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement on behalf of yourself and on behalf of the people; and also make the people’s offering and make atonement on behalf of them just as the Lord has commanded.” 8 So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the sin-offering calf which was for himself. 9 Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar, and the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. 10 The fat and the kidneys and the protruding lobe of the liver from the sin offering he offered up in smoke on the altar just as the Lord had commanded Moses, 11 but the flesh and the hide he completely burned up outside the camp. 12 He then slaughtered the burnt offering, and his sons handed the blood to him, and he splashed it against the altar’s sides. 13 The burnt offering itself they handed to him by its parts, including the head, and he offered them up in smoke on the altar, 14 and he washed the entrails and the legs and offered them up in smoke on top of the burnt offering on the altar. 15 Then he presented the people’s offering. He took the sin-offering male goat which was for the people, slaughtered it, and performed a purification rite with it like the first one. 16 He then presented the burnt offering, and did it according to the standard regulation. 17 Next he presented the grain offering, filled his hand with some of it, and offered it up in smoke on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering. 18 Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram—the peace-offering sacrifices which were for the people—and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him, and he splashed it against the altar’s sides. 19 As for the fat parts from the ox and from the ram (the fatty tail, the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys, and the protruding lobe of the liver), 20 they set those on the breasts, and he offered the fat parts up in smoke on the altar. 21 Finally Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the Lord just as Moses had commanded. 22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people⁠ and blessed them and descended from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. 23 Moses and Aaron then entered into the Meeting Tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 Then fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Leviticus 9:24 and 2 Chronicles 7:1

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

The scene of divine fire consuming the offering in 2 Chronicles echoes Leviticus, where fire shows acceptance of sacrifice at the Tabernacle. By repeating this language for Solomon’s temple, the Chronicler creates a deliberate connection between the two.

Passages

Leviticus 9:24

Hebrew Bible
22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them and descended from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. 23 Moses and Aaron then entered into the Meeting Tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 Then fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Leviticus

2 Chronicles 7:1

Hebrew Bible
1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the Lord’s splendor filled the temple. 2 The priests were unable to enter the Lord’s temple because the Lord’s splendor filled the Lord’s temple. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and the Lord’s splendor over the temple, they got on their knees with their faces downward toward the pavement. They worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!”
400–301 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Chronicles

References

"... according to Chronicles, Solomon’s Temple receives double divine approval: once by the cloud/glory of the Lord that filled the Temple (2 Chronicles 5:13–14), and again by the heavenly fire that burned the sacrifices (2 Chronicles 7:1–3). There are in fact three essential additional elements in 2 Chronicles 7:1–3 not present in its Vorlage [Leviticus 9:24] ... the Chronicler compares the divine acceptance of Solomon’s Temple’s and its holiness with that of Moses’ Tabernacle; and the approval of Solomon’s altar with those of the altars of Moses, David, and Elijah. This is, indeed, the highest level of holiness that one could bestow on any sacred place. Obviously, by creating these analogies, the Chronicler bestows particular holiness also on the site of his own (Second) Temple ..."
Isaac Kalimi, Writing and Rewriting the Story of Solomon in Ancient Israel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019), 291–292.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Leviticus 9:24 and 2 Chronicles 7:1

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