Leviticus7
World English Bible · Public Domain
1“‘This is the law of the trespass offering: It is most holy.
2In the place where they kill the burnt offering, he shall kill the trespass offering; and its blood he shall sprinkle around on the altar.
3He shall offer all of its fat: the fat tail, and the fat that covers the innards,
4and he shall take away the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys;
5and the priest shall burn them on the altar for an offering made by fire to Yahweh: it is a trespass offering.
6Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.
7“‘As is the sin offering, so is the trespass offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with them shall have it.
8The priest who offers any man’s burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered.
9Every meal offering that is baked in the oven, and all that is prepared in the pan and on the griddle, shall be the priest’s who offers it.
10Every meal offering, mixed with oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron, one as well as another.
11“‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer to Yahweh:
12If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mixed with oil.
13He shall offer his offering with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving with cakes of leavened bread.
14Of it he shall offer one out of each offering for a heave offering to Yahweh. It shall be the priest’s who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.
15The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning.
16“‘But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow, or a free will offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice. On the next day what remains of it shall be eaten,
17but what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.
18If any of the meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted, and it shall not be credited to him who offers it. It will be an abomination, and the soul who eats any of it will bear his iniquity.
19“‘The meat that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. As for the meat, everyone who is clean may eat it;
20but the soul who eats of the meat of the sacrifice of peace offerings that belongs to Yahweh, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.
21When anyone touches any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean animal, or any unclean abomination, and eats some of the meat of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to Yahweh, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’”
22Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
23“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You shall eat no fat, of bull, or sheep, or goat.
24The fat of that which dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of animals, may be used for any other service, but you shall in no way eat of it.
25For whoever eats the fat of the animal which men offer as an offering made by fire to Yahweh, even the soul who eats it shall be cut off from his people.
26You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings.
27Whoever it is who eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’”
28Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
29“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to Yahweh shall bring his offering to Yahweh out of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.
30With his own hands he shall bring the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before Yahweh.
31The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.
32The right thigh you shall give to the priest for a heave offering out of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.
33He among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right thigh for a portion.
34For the waved breast and the heaved thigh I have taken from the children of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel.’”
35This is the consecrated portion of Aaron, and the consecrated portion of his sons, out of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister to Yahweh in the priest’s office;
36which Yahweh commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them. It is their portion forever throughout their generations.
37This is the law of the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the consecration, and the sacrifice of peace offerings
38which Yahweh commanded Moses in Mount Sinai in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their offerings to Yahweh, 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