Leviticus 24 Summary

The LORD instructs Moses to command Israel to supply pure beaten olive oil so that Aaron may keep the lamps of the golden lampstand burning continually before the LORD outside the veil of the tabernacle. Moses is also directed to bake twelve loaves of showbread, arrange them in two rows of six on the pure table with pure frankincense, renew them every Sabbath, and reserve them as a most-holy portion for Aaron and his sons to eat in the holy place. The chapter then records a narrative incident in which the mixed-heritage son of Shelomith blasphemes the name of the LORD during a fight in the camp; he is held in custody while Moses inquires of God, who decrees that the blasphemer be stoned outside the camp by the whole congregation. This divine ruling is accompanied by a broader statement of law covering blasphemy, murder, injury to man or beast, and the principle of equal justice—summarized as "eye for eye, tooth for tooth"—applicable alike to native Israelites and resident strangers; Moses carries out the sentence and the congregation stones the man as commanded.