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Concordia Commentary
Leviticus
God speaks in Leviticus to give Israel his instructions for the divine worship service. His prescriptions for the many kinds of sacrifices are attended by his promises for the forgiveness of sins and life with him. Purity and holiness come to God's people through his indwelling presence among them. The sacrificial rites maintain the status of God's redeemed people. Central to Leviticus is the Day of Atonement, when a special sacrifice dealt with the sin of the entire people. The sacrificial blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, foreshadowing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his ministry as our great high priest.
This unique commentary explores how each chapter of Leviticus finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the present worship life of the church. Using the method of ritual analysis, it examines the agents, enactment, and theological purpose of each set of instructions in the divine speeches. Each section concludes with that specific text's "Fulfillment in Christ"—his earthly life, atoning death, resurrection, and ongoing ministry in the heavenly sanctuary now on behalf of his people on earth. Then a hymn quotation poetically sums up the theology of the passage as it applies to the individual Christian's faith and the church's corporate life.
This unique commentary explores how each chapter of Leviticus finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the present worship life of the church. Using the method of ritual analysis, it examines the agents, enactment, and theological purpose of each set of instructions in the divine speeches. Each section concludes with that specific text's "Fulfillment in Christ"—his earthly life, atoning death, resurrection, and ongoing ministry in the heavenly sanctuary now on behalf of his people on earth. Then a hymn quotation poetically sums up the theology of the passage as it applies to the individual Christian's faith and the church's corporate life.
- GenresTheology
654 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 15, 2025
Seven ideas from this commentary that will contribute to my religious imagination.
1. Leviticus is Divine speech more than any other book in the Bible - almost every section begins with "The Lord spoke to Moses."
2. Many attempts have been made to define the concept of holiness - they all founder because holiness has to do with God's being, that which makes Him from all other beings. It cannot be defined by analogy with anything in the order of creation, whether by similarity or dissimilarity, by excellence or transcendence. The OT Scriptures therefore do not attempt to define God's holiness in the abstract, but treat it as something that is experienced by personal contact and ritual interaction with him at the sanctuary.
3. (For those who've read East of Eden) The sentence "You are/will be/shall be holy" can be read polysemously - a statement of fact (You *are* holy), a promise (You *will be* holy), and a demand (You *shall be* holy). (Steinbeck tied himself in knots unnecessarily.)
4. Judged by ancient standards, Leviticus is a literary masterpiece.
5. Whether we acknowledge it or not, all humans are creatures of ritual (a word that evokes pattern and rhythm and beauty) In Leviticus God *speaks* and by that Word institutes and empowers rituals so that they actually accomplish something. God's Word -not our emotions- is what makes a ritual alive or dead.
6. Leviticus is all about the institution of the Divine Service and the creation of what Kleinig refers to as a liturgical community - a people whose life walking with God is defined by His ordering of time for them - cycles of fasting and feasting, high holy days of celebration, and a weekly Sabbath at which He serves them a meal for their sustenance. The critical distinction between pagan and Christian ritual is that in the former, worshippers provide for their deity, whereas through Christian rituals the Deity is actually providing for us. (My church refers to all Sunday services as Divine Service so as to emphasize the fact that God is the primary actor serving us on Sunday mornings - although our active worship of Him is a part of that service, worship can *only* refer to our activity.)
7. The entire book is concerned with forgiveness and atonement - more than any other book of the Bible.
1. Leviticus is Divine speech more than any other book in the Bible - almost every section begins with "The Lord spoke to Moses."
2. Many attempts have been made to define the concept of holiness - they all founder because holiness has to do with God's being, that which makes Him from all other beings. It cannot be defined by analogy with anything in the order of creation, whether by similarity or dissimilarity, by excellence or transcendence. The OT Scriptures therefore do not attempt to define God's holiness in the abstract, but treat it as something that is experienced by personal contact and ritual interaction with him at the sanctuary.
3. (For those who've read East of Eden) The sentence "You are/will be/shall be holy" can be read polysemously - a statement of fact (You *are* holy), a promise (You *will be* holy), and a demand (You *shall be* holy). (Steinbeck tied himself in knots unnecessarily.)
4. Judged by ancient standards, Leviticus is a literary masterpiece.
5. Whether we acknowledge it or not, all humans are creatures of ritual (a word that evokes pattern and rhythm and beauty) In Leviticus God *speaks* and by that Word institutes and empowers rituals so that they actually accomplish something. God's Word -not our emotions- is what makes a ritual alive or dead.
6. Leviticus is all about the institution of the Divine Service and the creation of what Kleinig refers to as a liturgical community - a people whose life walking with God is defined by His ordering of time for them - cycles of fasting and feasting, high holy days of celebration, and a weekly Sabbath at which He serves them a meal for their sustenance. The critical distinction between pagan and Christian ritual is that in the former, worshippers provide for their deity, whereas through Christian rituals the Deity is actually providing for us. (My church refers to all Sunday services as Divine Service so as to emphasize the fact that God is the primary actor serving us on Sunday mornings - although our active worship of Him is a part of that service, worship can *only* refer to our activity.)
7. The entire book is concerned with forgiveness and atonement - more than any other book of the Bible.
August 14, 2018
I’ve used this commentary on and off through the years, but this is the first time I’ve worked my way all the way through it. In preparation for every episode of my podcast, 40 Minutes in the Old Testament, I consulted it. Kleinig is thorough, clear, practical, Christological, and scholarly. If there’s one commentary on Leviticus you need, this is it.
December 12, 2023
A great treatment of an often neglected book in the Old Testament. Kleinig makes the point in the introduction that this book of rules is meant as a book of holiness for God's people. It is the Lord who has made them holy, therefore they must act holy and offer sacrifices to retain their holiness from sin. Each section of the book follows the format:
Translation
Textual Notes
Structure
Ritual Agents, Materials, Occasion, Enactment
Theological Function
Fulfillment by Christ
This helps explain what is going in the text and the historical situation of the Israelites before putting it into context with Jesus.
Translation
Textual Notes
Structure
Ritual Agents, Materials, Occasion, Enactment
Theological Function
Fulfillment by Christ
This helps explain what is going in the text and the historical situation of the Israelites before putting it into context with Jesus.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews