[Avodah] Emor -- Lechem Elokim

[Sholom Simon via Avodah]

Off line conversation that I'm belatedly moving to Avodah:

I asked:

Starting at 21:6 (then 21:8, and etc etc.) the phrase "lechem Elokim" 
is used a number of times.  Onkelos translates lechem as korban each 
time -- which is exactly what one would guess.  While my Hebrew isn't 
great, I couldn't find a single mention of this in my Mikraos G'dolos 
(just about every mention of that pasuk talks about the first part of 
the pasuk, about forcing a Kohen to give a get).  Perhaps it's just 
so obvious that lechem means korban here, that it's literally unremarkable.

But, still, the use of the word "lechem" seems odd to me.  It's as if 
the Torah is going out of its way to make things sound _more_ 
anthropomorphic, more primitive, than it needs to.  (Granted -- now 
that I think about it, the phrase "rayach nichoach" also seems 
gratuitously anthropomorphic -- but: (a) there is some commentary on 
that phrase; and (b) perhaps we hear "rayach nichoach" so often we're 
just used to it.)

Does anybody have any thoughts on why the Torah, after using the 
words "korban" or "olah" this entire Sefer, suddenly switches to 
"lechem" in this perek?

R Seth Mandel answered:

: From a linguistic point of view, I do not consider the usage remarkable.
: This is the House of HQBH, and the qorbanot are His Daily Portion.
: The use of the word lechem to describe "portion/allotment" I consider
: a perfectly normal, if poetic, term.


R MIcha Berger responded:

... It would be interesting to confirm this... Does anyone associate
Vayiqra 21 with qorbanos that are forced by the calendar, to the exclusion
of chatas, asham, todah, etc...? Does qedushas kohanim have more to do
with such qorbanos than others? (And if so, does this relate to which
qorbanos were allowed on bamos back in the days of bamos?)

Anyone else have any thoughts?

(It was also pointed out to me that "lechem" always went with 
"Elokim", and "rayach nichoach" always went with YKVK.  Is this 
significant at all?)

-- Sholom