Leviticus Study
I’ve been following through the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary in my study of Leviticus for the last few weeks. Unfortunately, the way I like to study these passages involves reading the text in Hebrew, reading and annotating the commentary, reading the text in the LXX, hunting down materials in other commentaries and translations, and so forth. Considering that one of the commentaries on my shelf is Jacob Milgrom’s three volume set (well, it’s usually on my desk, not the shelf!), that involves a great deal of time.
The kind folks at Tyndale House sent me a complimentary copy of the commentary volume with the idea that I would review it, and they deserve a review sooner than I’m likely to finish the book . So I’m going to pause the detailed study, read the commentary through, and then return to having fun with the texts. I may post notes along the way and will definitely post a review of the whole volume.
Yes, for Leviticus, you would definitely want to refer to the Hebrew text. But that is also hard for many who can’t read Hebrew. I would say most. Even most that can sound it out have no idea what it means!! What I might recommend, 1) Pray before you start reading. (No matter what version) 2) Pray while you are reading (No mater what part and how long) 3) Ask of God to reveal to you the TRUE interpretation of the Word. Leviticus is soooo deep and shows us the Most High in a different capacity then we’re used to. The Most High DEMANDS our attention and devotion. Often punished by DEATH if not followed. There are many “prescriptions” in Leviticus. Clean and unclean. Rules for relationships. I’m glad about this study. Amen
They offered to send me the volume on I & II Corinthians after I criticized the NLT on several matters, including some issues in those books. I’m not all that interested in that volume, but I appreciated the offer. Maybe I should find a volume I especially want and then find some things to criticize about the NLT on that book!