Essay for Leviticus 2:1

The minha, understood earlier in the Bible as simply “tribute” or “gift” (cf. Gen. 4:3 and 32:14), comes in the priestly texts to indicate specifically an offering of grain. Using a three-part structure of grain cooked in an oven/griddle/pan, paralleling Chap, 1’s cattle/sheep/birds, the description of the minha focuses on the type of grain offered, what is added to it, the strictures against fermenting, and the “covenant of salt.” The chapter ends with the usual refrain, “a fire-offering for YHWH.”