Leviticus 2:12

Summary

The verse instructs that offerings of reshit ("first fruit", H7225G) may be presented to Yehovah as a qorban ("present of", H7133A), but such offerings must not ascend to the altar for the purpose of producing a reach ("odor of", H7381) nichoach ("soothing", H5207). The text distinguishes between presenting something to Yehovah and burning it on the altar.

Key words

• korban ("a present of", H7133A) — masculine singular construct noun; the construct form links it to the following word, forming "a present of first-fruit."
• reshit ("first fruit", H7225G) — feminine singular noun; identifies the category of offering under discussion.
• taqrivu ("you will present", H7126H) — hiphil (causative) imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural; the hiphil stem indicates causing something to be brought near or presented, addressed collectively to the audience.
• ya'alu ("they will go up", H5927I) — qal (simple) imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural; describes the physical ascent onto the altar, negated by lo' ("not", H3808).
• nichoach ("soothing", H5207) — masculine singular noun, paired with reach ("odor of", H7381) in construct relationship to describe the altar's smoke.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence structure places the object — qorban reshit ("a present of first fruit") — before the verb taqrivu ("you will present"), a common fronting pattern that emphasizes the offering itself. The direct object marker 'otam ("them", H0853+H9038) confirms the plural referent (the first-fruit offerings) as the grammatical object of the presenting action, directed la-Yehovah ("to Yehovah", H9005+H3068G).

The second clause introduces a contrast marked by ve-'el ("and to", H9002+H0413) followed by ha-mizbeach ("the altar", H9009+H4196). Here the verb shifts to ya'alu ("they will go up", H5927I), a qal imperfect describing physical ascent, negated by lo' ("not", H3808). The grammatical subject shifts from the addressees (who present) to the offerings themselves (which do not ascend). The final phrase le-reach nichoach ("to an odor of soothing") uses a construct chain identical to phrasing elsewhere in Levitical offering texts, specifying the purpose the ascent would serve — but this purpose is precisely what is negated for these first-fruit items.

Differences between versions

The LXX adds kyriō ("to the Lord") at the end of the verse, repeating the divine name in connection with the "odor of sweetness," where the Hebrew ends with nichoach ("soothing", H5207) alone, without a second mention of Yehovah's name in that clause. The Vulgate renders taqrivu with offeretis... ac munera ("you will offer... and as gifts"), expanding the single Hebrew verb into a phrase with an added noun not present as a separate lexical item in the Hebrew construct chain.