Reading Leviticus This Way Makes It Deeper | Christian Canu Højgaard

Exploring the Language of Scripture

Reading Leviticus this way makes it deeper.
Many readers approach Leviticus as a dense book of rules and obscure laws — difficult to read, difficult to understand, and seemingly far removed from everyday Christian life. But what if the problem isn’t Leviticus, but the way we read it?

In this episode, I’m joined by Christian Canu Højgaard — pastor, Hebrew scholar, and specialist in Leviticus — to explore how the book functions as carefully crafted literature rather than a random collection of laws. We discuss how understanding its structure, themes, and original context reveals a stunning theological vision centred on God’s presence with His people, holiness, identity, and wisdom.

Christian also explains how reading Leviticus in Hebrew slows us down and opens up patterns, echoes, and connections we simply cannot see in translation — including a beautiful line running across the Torah through Leviticus and all the way back to Eden.

Whether Leviticus has confused you, bored you, challenged you, or intrigued you — this conversation will help you appreciate why it sits at the heart of the Torah and why it still matters for Christians today.

Next Episode Preview

Next episode, Nicolai Techow and I will explore the flow of thought in Galatians 2 — and why understanding Paul’s structure changes how we read the letter and apply it today.

📘 Free Greek Guide — Why Struggle with Greek?

Avoid the biggest mistakes beginners make and start building real reading ability:
👉 https://ntgreektutoring.com/why-struggle-with-greek

Chapters:

00:00 Coming Up...
01:05 Meeting Christian Canu Højgaard: Leviticus Specialist and Pastor
03:52 Learning the Biblical Languages: A Turning Point
05:35 How Hebrew Slows You Down (and Opens Up Everything)
08:45 Hidden Word Connections Only Visible in Hebrew
14:52 Leviticus Isn’t a Stand-Alone Book
19:00 Why Treat Leviticus as Literature?
21:47 The Surprising Structure Behind Leviticus
26:02 Laws as Identity: Not Just Rules
27:51 The Holiness Code: What Is It and Why It Matters
33:11 A Book Structured to Change Its Readers
37:04 Leviticus and the Big Narrative of Scripture
41:53 What We Discover When We Read Leviticus This Way
45:26 Isn’t Leviticus Just a Dry Book of Laws?
49:13 Law as Wisdom for Life with God
52:25 How Grammar Reveals Meaning
57:58 What About Tattoos, Rituals, and Strange Laws?
01:01:37 Leviticus as a Unified Vision: Holiness in Relationship
01:05:41 How Should We Apply Leviticus Today?
Music Credits:
Music from #Uppbeat
🔗 https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/aspire

Please, let us know what you thoughts on the episode.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, please consider becoming an Explorer! Your support helps keep the podcast ad-free, allows us to bring in more guests, and enhances the content we create. By joining our Explorer community, you’ll receive exclusive benefits, including Q&As, priority for Greek tutoring applications, and discounts on tutoring. Explore more and join the Explorer programme here: Become an Explorer.

Podcast Keywords:
biblical languages, New Testament, Old Testament, Christ, bible study, Relationship with God, learn biblical languages, Biblical Theology, Christianity, Covenants, New covenant, old covenant, language acquisition, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew.

Розділи

1. Coming Up… (00:00:00)

2. Meeting Christian Canu Højgaard: Leviticus Specialist and Pastor (00:01:01)

3. Learning the Biblical Languages: A Turning Point (00:03:48)

4. How Hebrew Slows You Down (and Opens Up Everything) (00:05:31)

5. Hidden Word Connections Only Visible in Hebrew (00:08:41)

6. Leviticus Isn’t a Stand-Alone Book (00:14:48)

7. Why Treat Leviticus as Literature? (00:18:56)

8. The Surprising Structure Behind Leviticus (00:21:43)

9. Laws as Identity: Not Just Rules (00:25:58)

10. The Holiness Code: What Is It and Why It Matters (00:27:47)

11. A Book Structured to Change Its Readers (00:33:07)

12. Leviticus and the Big Narrative of Scripture (00:37:00)

13. What We Discover When We Read Leviticus This Way (00:41:49)

14. Isn’t Leviticus Just a Dry Book of Laws? (00:45:22)

15. Law as Wisdom for Life with God (00:49:09)

16. How Grammar Reveals Meaning (00:52:21)

17. What About Tattoos, Rituals, and Strange Laws? (00:57:54)

18. Leviticus as a Unified Vision: Holiness in Relationship (01:01:33)

19. How Should We Apply Leviticus Today? (01:05:37)