Leviticus 7NLT
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Leviticus7

New Living Translation

1“These are the instructions for the guilt offering. It is most holy.

2The animal sacrificed as a guilt offering must be slaughtered at the place where the burnt offerings are slaughtered, and its blood must be splattered against all sides of the altar.

3The priest will then offer all its fat on the altar, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs,

4the two kidneys and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver. These are to be removed with the kidneys,

5and the priests will burn them on the altar as a special gift presented to the Lord. This is the guilt offering.

6Any male from a priest’s family may eat the meat. It must be eaten in a sacred place, for it is most holy.

7“The same instructions apply to both the guilt offering and the sin offering. Both belong to the priest who uses them to purify someone, making that person right with the Lord.

8In the case of the burnt offering, the priest may keep the hide of the sacrificed animal.

9Any grain offering that has been baked in an oven, prepared in a pan, or cooked on a griddle belongs to the priest who presents it.

10All other grain offerings, whether made of dry flour or flour moistened with olive oil, are to be shared equally among all the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

11“These are the instructions regarding the different kinds of peace offerings that may be presented to the Lord.

12If you present your peace offering as an expression of thanksgiving, the usual animal sacrifice must be accompanied by various kinds of bread made without yeast—thin cakes mixed with olive oil, wafers spread with oil, and cakes made of choice flour mixed with olive oil.

13This peace offering of thanksgiving must also be accompanied by loaves of bread made with yeast.

14One of each kind of bread must be presented as a gift to the Lord. It will then belong to the priest who splatters the blood of the peace offering against the altar.

15The meat of the peace offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the same day it is offered. None of it may be saved for the next morning.

16“If you bring an offering to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary offering, the meat must be eaten on the same day the sacrifice is offered, but whatever is left over may be eaten on the second day.

17Any meat left over until the third day must be completely burned up.

18If any of the meat from the peace offering is eaten on the third day, the person who presented it will not be accepted by the Lord. You will receive no credit for offering it. By then the meat will be contaminated; if you eat it, you will be punished for your sin.

19“Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean may not be eaten; it must be completely burned up. The rest of the meat may be eaten, but only by people who are ceremonially clean.

20If you are ceremonially unclean and you eat meat from a peace offering that was presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community.

21If you touch anything that is unclean (whether it is human defilement or an unclean animal or any other unclean, detestable thing) and then eat meat from a peace offering presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community.”

22Then the Lord said to Moses,

23“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. You must never eat fat, whether from cattle, sheep, or goats.

24The fat of an animal found dead or torn to pieces by wild animals must never be eaten, though it may be used for any other purpose.

25Anyone who eats fat from an animal presented as a special gift to the Lord will be cut off from the community.

26No matter where you live, you must never consume the blood of any bird or animal.

27Anyone who consumes blood will be cut off from the community.”

28Then the Lord said to Moses,

29“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present a peace offering to the Lord, bring part of it as a gift to the Lord.

30Present it to the Lord with your own hands as a special gift to the Lord. Bring the fat of the animal, together with the breast, and lift up the breast as a special offering to the Lord.

31Then the priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants.

32Give the right thigh of your peace offering to the priest as a gift.

33The right thigh must always be given to the priest who offers the blood and the fat of the peace offering.

34For I have reserved the breast of the special offering and the right thigh of the sacred offering for the priests. It is the permanent right of Aaron and his descendants to share in the peace offerings brought by the people of Israel.

35This is their rightful share. The special gifts presented to the Lord have been reserved for Aaron and his descendants from the time they were set apart to serve the Lord as priests.

36On the day they were anointed, the Lord commanded the Israelites to give these portions to the priests as their permanent share from generation to generation.”

37These are the instructions for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, as well as the ordination offering and the peace offering.

38The Lord gave these instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai when he commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 7.

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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)

Cross References

Leviticus 7
v12Leviticus 22:29thematic

Direct parallel establishing the law of eating the sacrifice of thanksgiving on the same day.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin

v23Leviticus 3:17thematic

Establishes the foundational perpetual prohibition against eating fat and blood.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v7Leviticus 6:26thematic

Identifies the priest who makes atonement as the one entitled to eat the sin/trespass offering.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v8Genesis 3:21typology

Traditional patriarchal link for the priest receiving the animal skin, tracing back to Adam's garments.

Supported by JFB

v13Leviticus 23:17thematic

Another distinct offering where leavened bread is explicitly permitted, showing leaven is not inherently evil.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v26Genesis 9:4thematic

The original Noahic covenant prohibition of eating flesh with its lifeblood.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v26Leviticus 17:10thematic

States the severe penalty of cutting off anyone who consumes blood.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v3Leviticus 3:3-5thematic

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

v16Leviticus 19:5-8thematic

Direct law parallel for eating vow and voluntary peace offerings over two days, burning remaining flesh.

Supported by John Calvin

v20Leviticus 22:3thematic

Warns of being cut off for approaching holy things while having ceremonial uncleanness.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v24Leviticus 22:8thematic

Parallels prohibition of eating beasts that die of themselves or are torn.

Supported by JFB

v30Exodus 29:24-28thematic

Prescribes the wave breast and heave shoulder ritual during priestly consecration.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v31Leviticus 6:26thematic

Confirms the priest's right to eat the sin offering in holy place.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v31Numbers 18:18thematic

Aligns the waved breast and right shoulder with the priests' inheritance.

Supported by JFB

v1Leviticus 6:25thematic

Establishes that the law of the trespass offering matches the law of the sin offering.

Supported by John Calvin

v6Numbers 18:9thematic

Sacerdotally outlines the reserved most holy offerings given to Aaron and his sons as their portion.

Supported by JFB

v9Leviticus 2:4-7thematic

Details the preparation of meat offerings (oven, pan, fryingpan) that belong to the priest.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v14Exodus 29:28thematic

The perpetual statute assigning the heave and wave peace offerings as the priests' portion.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v23Leviticus 3:16thematic

Reiterates the key sacrificial principle: 'all the fat is the Lord's.'

Supported by Matthew Henry

v32Numbers 18:8thematic

Confirms the priest's portions as a perpetual due by reason of anointing.

Supported by JFB

v35Exodus 40:13-15thematic

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

v12Hebrews 13:15typology

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

v231 Samuel 2:15-17contrast

Contrasts godly observance with Eli's sons' sinful demands for raw fat.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v24Exodus 22:31thematic

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

v26Leviticus 19:26thematic

Reiterates the prohibition against eating anything with the blood.

Supported by John Calvin

v21Leviticus 5:2thematic

Defines what constitutes touching an unclean thing and incurring guilt.

Supported by Matthew Poole