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Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. 4: Harmony of the Law, Part II, tr. by John King, [1847-50], at sacred-texts.com
Leviticus 7:6-10, 14, 31-36
6. Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.
6. Omnis masculus in sacerdotibus comedet cam, in loco sancto comedetur, sanctificatio sanctifica tionum est.
7. As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.
7. Sicut hostia pro peccato, sic hostia pro delicto, lex eadem illis: sacerdotis erit qui expiabit eum.
8. And the priest that offereth any man’s burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered.
8. At sacerdos offerens hostiam holocausti alicujus, pellis holocausti quod obtulerit, sacerdotis ipsius erit.
9. And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest’s that offereth it.
9. Omnis praeterea minha quae coquebatur in clibano, et omne praeparatum in sartagine et in craticula, erit sacerdotis offerentis illud.
10. And every meat offering mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.
10. Omnis item minha mista oleo et arida, omnibus filiis Aharon erit erit unicuique sicut fratri suo.
14. ... it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace-offerings.
14. Panis sacerdotis spargentis sanguinem prosperitatum erit.
31. And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.
31. Et erit pectusculum illud Aharoni et filiis ejus.
32. And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.
32. Armum autem dextrum dabitis ad elevationem sacerdoti de sacrificiis prosperitatum vestrarum.
33. He among the sons of Aaron that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part.
33. Qui offeret sanguinem prosperitatum, et adipem e filiis Aharonis, ipsius erit armus dexter in portionem.
34. For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest, and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.
34. Quia pectusculum agitationis, et armum elevationis tull a filiis Israel de sacrificiis prosperitatum suarum, et dedi illa Aharoni sacerdoti, et filiis ejus in statutum perpetuum a filiis Israel.
35. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest’s office;
35. Haec est unctio Aharon, et unctio filiorum ejus ex oblationibus ignitis Jehovae, a die qua accedere fecit cos ut sacerdotio fungerentur Jehovae:
36. Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.
36. Quas praecepit Jehova ut darent eis a die qua unxit cos a filiis Israel statuto perpetuo in generationibus suis.
In these passages Moses confirms what we have seen before as to the rights of the priests, and also adds an exception to which he had not yet referred. In general, therefore, he claims for the priests whatever remained of the holier victims; and distinguishes them by this prerogative from the other Levites; from whence we gather how free from all self-seeking Moses was, when by God’s command he deprives his own sons not only of the dignity which was conferred on his nephews, but also of their pecuniary advantages. Let none, he says, but the sons of Aaron enjoy the sacred oblations, because they are divinely anointed that they may approach the altar. But, since some rivalry might have arisen among themselves, he adds a special law, that certain kinds of offerings should only be taken by the priest who had offered them. For although they ought all to have disinterestedly discharged their duties, and not to have been attracted by lucre, yet, that all might perform their parts more cheerfully, he appoints a reward for their labor and diligence. On this account he prescribes that the residue of the minha in the peace-offerings, and also the right shoulder of the victim, and the flesh that remained of the trespass-offerings, should be the recompense of the priest who had performed the office of atonement and sprinkling the blood. It is unquestionable that many were attracted by the desire of gain, who would otherwise have neglected their duties; but this was a proof of God’s fatherly indulgence, that He consulted their infirmity so that their hire might be a spur to their diligence. Meanwhile He did not desire to hire their services like those of slaves, so that they should be mercenaries in heart; but rather, when He reproves them by His Prophet because there were none of them who would “kindle fire on His altar for nought.” (Mal 1:10.) He aggravates their ingratitude, not only because they would not give their services gratuitously, but because, when they received their hire, they defrauded Him who had appointed them to be His ministers.