Leviticus7
New American Standard
1‘Now this is the law of the guilt offering; it is most holy.
2In the place where they slaughter the burnt offering they are to slaughter the guilt offering, and the priest shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.
3Then he shall offer from it all its fat: the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails,
4and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins; and he shall remove the lobe on the liver with the kidneys.
5The priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a guilt offering.
6Every male among the priests may eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.
7The guilt offering is like the sin offering: there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.
8Also the priest who presents anyone’s burnt offering, that priest shall have for himself the hide of the burnt offering which he has presented.
9Likewise, every grain offering that is baked in the oven and everything prepared in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who presents it.
10Every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, to all alike.
11‘Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the Lord.
12If he offers it by way of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of well stirred fine flour mixed with oil.
13With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread.
14Of this he shall present one of every offering as a contribution to the Lord; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.
15‘Now as for the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings, it shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it over until morning.
16But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what is left of it may be eaten;
17but what is left over from the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.
18So if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is ever eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted, and it will not be credited to him. It will be an unclean thing, and the person who eats it shall bear his punishment.
19‘Also the flesh that touches anything unclean shall not be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. As for other flesh, anyone who is clean may eat such flesh.
20But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the Lord, when he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from his people.
21When anyone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing, and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the Lord, that person shall be cut off from his people.’”
22Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
23“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall not eat any fat from an ox, a sheep, or a goat.
24Also the fat of an animal which dies and the fat of an animal torn by animals may be put to any other use, but you certainly are not to eat it.
25For whoever eats the fat of the animal from which an offering by fire is offered to the Lord, the person who eats it shall also be cut off from his people.
26And you are not to eat any blood, either of bird or animal, in any of your dwellings.
27Any person who eats any blood, that person shall also be cut off from his people.’”
28Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
29“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offerings.
30His own hands are to bring offerings by fire to the Lord. He shall bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be presented as a wave offering before the Lord.
31And the priest shall offer up the fat in smoke on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and to his sons.
32And you shall give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifices of your peace offerings.
33The one among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat, the right thigh shall be his as his portion.
34For I have taken from the sons of Israel the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as their allotted portion forever from the sons of Israel.
35‘This is the allotment to Aaron and the allotment to his sons from the offerings by fire to the Lord, on that day when he presented them to serve as priests to the Lord.
36These the Lord had commanded to be given them from the sons of Israel on the day that He anointed them. It is their allotted portion forever throughout their generations.’”
37This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering, and the ordination offering and the sacrifice of peace offerings,
38which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day that He commanded the sons of Israel to present their offerings to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 7.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Concerning the trespass-offering. (1–10). Concerning the peace-offering. (11–27). The wave and heave offerings. (28–34). The conclusion of these institutions. (35–38).
vv1-10
In the sin-offering and the trespass-offering, the sacrifice was divided between the altar and the priest; the offerer had no share, as he had in the peace-offerings. The former expressed repentance and sorrow for sin, therefore it was more proper to fast than feast; the peace-offerings denoted communion with a reconciled God in Christ, the joy and gratitude of a pardoned sinner, and the privileges of a true believer.
vv11-27
As to the peace-offerings, in the expression of their sense of mercy, God left them more at liberty, than in the expression of their sense of sin; that their sacrifices, being free-will offerings, might be the more acceptable, while, by obliging them to bring the sacrifices of atonement, God shows the necessity of the great Propitiation. The main reason why blood was forbidden of old, was because the Lord had appointed blood for an atonement. This use, being figurative, had its end in Christ, who by his death and blood-shedding caused the sacrifices to cease. Therefore this law is not now in force on believers.
vv28-34
The priest who offered, was to have the breast and the right shoulder. When the sacrifice was killed, the offerer himself must present God's part of it; that he might signify his cheerfully giving it up to God. He was with his own hands to lift it up, in token of his regard to God as the God of heaven; and then to wave it to and fro, in token of his regard to God as the Lord of the whole earth. Be persuaded and encouraged to feed and feast upon Christ, our Peace-offering. This blessed Peace-offering is not for the priests only, for saints of the highest rank and greatest eminence, but for the common people also. Take heed of delay. Many think to repent and return to God when they are dying and dropping into hell; but they should eat the peace-offering, and eat it now. Stay not till the day of the Lord's patience be run out, for eating the third day will not be accepted, nor will catching at Christ when thou art gone to hell! (Le 7:35-38)
Key Words
תּוֹרָה: a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch
אָשָׁם: guilt; by implication, a fault; also a sin-offering
קֹדֶשׁ: a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity
מָקוֹם: properly, a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)
שָׁחַט: to slaughter (in sacrifice or massacre)
עֹלָה: a step or (collectively, stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke)
דָּם: blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood)
זָרַק: to sprinkle (fluid or solid particles)
סָבִיב: (as noun) a circle, neighbour, or environs; but chiefly (as adverb, with or without preposition) around
מִזְבֵּחַ: an altar
Cross References
Leviticus 7Direct parallel establishing the law of eating the sacrifice of thanksgiving on the same day.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Establishes the foundational perpetual prohibition against eating fat and blood.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Identifies the priest who makes atonement as the one entitled to eat the sin/trespass offering.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Traditional patriarchal link for the priest receiving the animal skin, tracing back to Adam's garments.
Supported by JFB
Another distinct offering where leavened bread is explicitly permitted, showing leaven is not inherently evil.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The original Noahic covenant prohibition of eating flesh with its lifeblood.
Supported by Matthew Henry
States the severe penalty of cutting off anyone who consumes blood.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The exact ritual instructions for removing and burning the fat, kidneys, and liver caul.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Specifies that the holy portion must be eaten by the male priests in a holy place.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Direct law parallel for eating vow and voluntary peace offerings over two days, burning remaining flesh.
Supported by John Calvin
Warns of being cut off for approaching holy things while having ceremonial uncleanness.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels prohibition of eating beasts that die of themselves or are torn.
Supported by JFB
Prescribes the wave breast and heave shoulder ritual during priestly consecration.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Confirms the priest's right to eat the sin offering in holy place.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Aligns the waved breast and right shoulder with the priests' inheritance.
Supported by JFB
Establishes that the law of the trespass offering matches the law of the sin offering.
Supported by John Calvin
Sacerdotally outlines the reserved most holy offerings given to Aaron and his sons as their portion.
Supported by JFB
Details the preparation of meat offerings (oven, pan, fryingpan) that belong to the priest.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The perpetual statute assigning the heave and wave peace offerings as the priests' portion.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Reiterates the key sacrificial principle: 'all the fat is the Lord's.'
Supported by Matthew Henry
Confirms the priest's portions as a perpetual due by reason of anointing.
Supported by JFB
Describes the historical anointing and presentation of Aaron and his sons.
Supported by JFB
New Testament parallel: those who minister at the altar feed from the altar's sacrifices.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Exhorts believers to offer up a continual sacrifice of praise, fulfillment of the peace/thanksgiving offering.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Spiritual parallel regarding examining oneself before partaking, avoiding eating the holy feast unworthily.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Contrasts godly observance with Eli's sons' sinful demands for raw fat.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Commands that flesh torn of beasts in the field be cast to dogs.
Supported by JFB
Reinforces the command to pour blood out upon the earth like water.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Reiterates the prohibition against eating anything with the blood.
Supported by John Calvin
Defines what constitutes touching an unclean thing and incurring guilt.
Supported by Matthew Poole