Honey
In Leviticus 2:11, when talking about the grain offering, it states that the priests were not to burn any yeast or honey in an offering to the Lord by fire. I understand the yeast, but I have been unable to find any information on why they were not to burn honey in an offering to the Lord. Can anyone point me to a Logos resource that might give me some info on the honey aspect of this passage?
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This quote from Pulpit Commentary seems to be cited frequently in my library:
Ye shall burn no leaven nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire. Leaven and honey are not forbidden to be offered to the Lord; on the contrary, in the next verse they are commanded to be offered. The prohibition only extends to their being burnt on the altar, owing, no doubt, to the effect of fire upon them in making them swell and froth, thus creating a repulsive appearance which, as we shall see, throughout the Mosaic legislation, represents moral evil. The firstfruits of honey are to be offered (of. Exod. 22:29), and leaven is to be used in the two wave loaves offered at the Feast of Pentecost, as first-fruits (ch. 23:17). The words translated As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord, should be rendered As an oblation of firstfruits ye shall offer them (that is, leaven and honey), but they shall not be burnt on the altar. The mark in A.V. denoting a new paragraph at the beginning of ver. 12, should be removed.
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I've never considered your question before so I too am interested in what you discover.
Harper's Bible Dictionary says this "Leavened bread was prohibited in sacrifices that went on the altar (Lev. 2:4). The reason for this was that no leaven could be burned, nor could honey (Lev. 2:11). These both caused fermentation and thus appeared to have a life of their own that must not be destroyed."
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I did some more research and came up with this helpful article from the UBS Handbook on Leviticus.
Honey: this word is used both of honey from bees and a kind of concentrated fruit syrup made from raisins or dates. In the context of this chapter on grain offerings, the second meaning is preferred by some scholars, but most simply translate it honey. Honey and yeast are to be understood here as two separate items and not as a mixture. However, they are mentioned together probably because they both involve fermentation. Some languages distinguish between honey found in the forest and that which is bought in stores. In this context the term for natural wild honey is clearly more appropriate.
The point of forbidding the offering of yeast and honey was that they could not be burned. Things that ferment, like the blood of the animals offered in sacrifice (see 17:11), were thought to have a life of their own and were therefore excluded from those items that could be offered by fire to God.Using adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God
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Bruce Dunning said:
Honey: this word is used both of honey from bees and a kind of concentrated fruit syrup made from raisins or dates.
I just learned earlier this summer about the different types of "honey" when studying Ps 19:10. God's Word is precious like the more desirable honey that comes from the comb. I also found that the "fine gold" in the first part of the verse is not just a more refined form of yellow gold, but likely a more rare specific type of gold (like the "red gold" that can be found in parts of India). Lord, protect us from treating your Word as ordinary!
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Thank you everyone for your replies, this is very helpful!
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