Leviticus 7

The chapter moves from ritual instructions for the priest to ethical and behavioral commands for the individual, framing the offerings not merely as ceremonies but as a comprehensive structure for holiness.

• The priest who performs the atonement (כָּפַר) shall have the meat offering (v7).
• The wave breast and heave shoulder are granted to Aaron and his sons as a statute forever (v34).

• Every male among the priests shall eat the most holy offering in the holy place (v6).
• Ye shall eat no manner of fat (v23).
• Ye shall eat no manner of blood (v26).

• If the peace offering is eaten on the third day, it is an abomination and the soul that eats it shall bear his iniquity (v18).
• The soul that eats of the sacrifice while having uncleanness upon him shall be cut off from his people (v20, 21).
• Whoever eats the fat of a beast offered as a fire offering shall be cut off from his people (v25).

• This text establishes the economic support system (prebends) for the tribe of Levi, who were set apart from owning land in Israel.

• The practice of 'waving' (wave offering) and 'heaving' (heave offering) functioned as a symbolic gesture of presenting parts of the sacrifice to God, who then symbolically returned them to the priests.
• The prohibition against blood was unique to Israel compared to many surrounding Ancient Near Eastern practices where blood was sometimes consumed in pagan rituals.

• This is the conclusion of the instructions for the five major offerings (burnt, grain, sin, trespass, peace) begun in Leviticus 6.
• Matthew Henry observes that in the sin and trespass offerings, the offerer had no share (expressing sorrow for sin), whereas in peace offerings, there was communion, reflecting joy and gratitude.

• The concept of blood (דָּם) as the life-force of the flesh is foundational to the theology of atonement throughout the Bible, culminating in the New Testament teaching that 'without the shedding of blood there is no remission' (Hebrews 9:22).
• The 'cutting off' (kareth) of the soul is a significant motif in the Torah, representing removal from the covenant people.

• The prohibition of blood is reiterated throughout the law (Leviticus 17:10-14, Deuteronomy 12:23) and upheld in the early Church council (Acts 15:29).

• תּוֹרָה [H8451]: Law, instruction. Defines the foundational nature of these statutes.
• אָשָׁם [H817]: Guilt offering. The Hebrew emphasizes the legal fault or trespass requiring expiation.
• קֹדֶשׁ [H6944]: Most holy. Highlights the extreme ritual separation of these items.
• זָרַק [H2236]: Sprinkle. Technical term for the application of blood to the altar.
• חֶלֶב [H2459]: Fat. Often denotes the 'choice' or best part of an animal.
• דָּם [H1818]: Blood. The vital substance of the animal, forbidden for consumption.

• The specific distinction between 'baked in the oven' vs. 'pan/griddle' grain offerings (v9), showing that every method of preparation was regulated.
• The emphasis on 'his own hands' in verse 30—the offerer was personally involved in the presentation of the sacrifice, not merely a passive bystander.

• The exact nature of the penalty of being 'cut off' (kareth) is debated among scholars. Some interpret it as immediate divine judgment (execution), others as death within a set time, and some as permanent exclusion from the community of Israel.
• While Matthew Henry and other Reformed commentators emphasize the typology of these offerings pointing toward Christ, scholars across traditions acknowledge the tension regarding how much of these specific ritual details were understood by the original audience as predictive of a future Messiah versus an immediate act of obedience to the covenant.