Leviticus chapter 3

Peace offerings.

 


 

Note: Many people find it morally objectionable that a religion requires the killing of innocent animals.

 


 

PEACE OFFERINGS

 

VERSE 1. “ ‘If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he offers it from the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without defect before the LORD.

If. This does not command people to make offerings to the LORD. Rather, it assumes that they will be doing so.

peace offerings. The Hebrew word is שְׁלָמִ֖ים (“shelem”). It means a sacrifice for alliance or friendship.

It is sometimes translated as “fulfillment sacrifice.”

It was a sacred banquet at which the offerer and guests ate the meat of the sacrificial animal.

from the herd. That is, from the bovine class. It would typically be a bull, a cow, or a calf.

 

VERSE 2. He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar.

lay his hand on the head of his offering. Someone laid their hands on the head of an animal, transferring human sins to it, and killed it. This is called “scapegoating.” Read more »

and kill it. For a Peace Offering, you needed to kill the animal yourself.

 

VERSE 3. He shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to the LORD. The fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards,

The fat. In ancient days, animal fats were prized. The visceral fats were burned in the temple. But the eating of animal fat as part of a meal was still permitted. Read more »

 

VERSE 4. and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away.

the fat that is on them. In ancient days, animal fats were prized. The visceral fats were burned in the temple. But the eating of animal fat as part of a meal was still permitted. Read more »

 

VERSE 5. Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.

of a pleasant aroma to the LORD. The burning sacrifice would smell like steak on a charcoal grill. People who eat meat say that is a very pleasant aroma.

 

VERSE 6. “ ‘If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD is from the flock, either male or female, he shall offer it without defect.

from the flock. That is, a sheep or goat.

 

VERSE 7. If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the LORD;

 

VERSE 8. and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

lay his hand on the head of his offering. Someone laid their hands on the head of an animal, transferring human sins to it, and killed it. This is called “scapegoating.” Read more »

and kill it. For a Peace Offering, you needed to kill the animal yourself.

 

VERSE 9. He shall offer from the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to the LORD; its fat, the entire tail fat, he shall take away close to the backbone; and the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails,

its fat. In ancient days, animal fats were prized. The visceral fats were burned in the temple. But the eating of animal fat as part of a meal was still permitted. Read more »

 

VERSE 10. and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away.

the fat that is on them. In ancient days, animal fats were prized. The visceral fats were burned in the temple. But the eating of animal fat as part of a meal was still permitted. Read more »

 

VERSE 11. The priest shall burn it on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire to the LORD.

 

VERSE 12. “ ‘If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD.

 

VERSE 13. He shall lay his hand on its head, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

lay his hand on its head. Someone laid their hands on the head of an animal, transferring human sins to it, and killed it. This is called “scapegoating.” Read more »

and kill it. For a Peace Offering, you needed to kill the animal yourself.

 

VERSE 14. He shall offer from it as his offering, an offering made by fire to the LORD; the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards,

the fat. In ancient days, animal fats were prized. The visceral fats were burned in the temple. But the eating of animal fat as part of a meal was still permitted. Read more »

 

VERSE 15. and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away.

the fat. In ancient days, animal fats were prized. The visceral fats were burned in the temple. But the eating of animal fat as part of a meal was still permitted. Read more »

 

VERSE 16. The priest shall burn them on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma; all the fat is the LORD’s.

all the fat is the LORD’s. The burning sacrifice would smell like steak on a charcoal grill. People who eat meat say that is a very pleasant aroma.

 

VERSE 17. “ ‘It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’ ”

you shall eat neither fat. This refers to the fat that was to be a part of the Peace Offering.

They were forbidden from “cheapening” the Peace Offering by eating the fat themselves.

It does not forbid the eating of animal fat outside of this specific context.

nor blood. They could not partake of the blood of the religious sacrifice.

In our era, we Christians are still prohibited from eating blood:

Acts 15:20. but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood.

 


next chapter »

« previous chapter


LEVITICUS

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, The Scapegoat, Female Sacrificial Animals

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.