Bible Strands
Leviticus 6:9
“Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD instructs Moses to relay a directive to Aaron and his sons regarding the altar fire. This command follows the initial instructions for presenting the burnt offering and precedes the priest's duties in removing the ashes.
The words — The Hebrew imperative צַו (tzav) means "command," establishing a binding legal procedure (תּוֹרָת, to rat) for the priests. The text specifies that the burnt offering must remain on the hearth until morning while the fire is maintained.
The thread — The mandate to preserve the altar fire appears in Leviticus 6:12, which forbids extinguishing it and requires daily wood additions. Parallel daily sacrificial routines are recorded in Exodus 29:38 and Numbers 28:3.
Why it lands — The text requires unbroken priestly attendance to keep the altar fire burning through the night. A reader must apply this pattern of continuous maintenance to any prescribed duty, recognizing that sustained action precedes ritual completion.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.
Cross-references
- Exodus 29:38 This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar, each day: two lambs that are a year old.
- Leviticus 6:12 The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.
- Numbers 28:3 And tell them that this is the food offering you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs.
- Leviticus 1:1 Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying,
- Numbers 28:9 On the Sabbath day, present two unblemished year-old male lambs, accompanied by a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, as well as a drink offering.