Leviticus 7

This is also the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy.

1Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy.

Note"Law" here renders Hebrew *torah*, which means an instruction or ruling, a set of working procedures for the priests, rather than legislation in the modern sense. The guilt offering (KJV "trespass offering") covered wrongs that involved damage or fraud: misusing something dedicated to the sanctuary, cheating a neighbor, swearing falsely about property. It normally came with repayment of the loss plus a fifth. "Most holy" is a technical grade, not praise: it marks offerings that only priests could eat, and only inside the sanctuary area.

2They must kill the animal for the guilt offering in the same place where they kill the animal for the burnt offering. The priest must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.

2In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar.

NoteThe burnt offering was killed on the north side of the altar (Leviticus 1:11), so this fixes the spot. "Sprinkle" understates the Hebrew, which means to throw or dash the blood from a basin against the sides of the altar.

3He must offer all of its fat: the fat tail, and the fat that covers the inner organs,

3And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards,

NoteKJV "the rump" means the fat tail. The sheep of the region were a broad-tailed breed whose tail was a heavy slab of fat, sometimes weighing several pounds, and counted the choicest part of the animal. "The inwards" are the intestines and stomach, which in a sheep or ox are wrapped in sheets of fat.

4and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them near the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he must remove along with the kidneys.

4And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away:

NoteThe "flanks" are the loins, the lower back. "The caul that is above the liver" is the lobe or fatty appendage attached to the liver, the same organ that Israel's neighbors read for omens, though nothing of that sort is in view here. These particular fatty parts, with the kidneys, were the portion always burned rather than eaten.

5The priest must burn them on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a guilt offering.

5And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering.

Note"An offering made by fire" translates a Hebrew term traditionally connected with the word for fire; some scholars take it to mean simply a gift presented to God. Either way it names the portion turned to smoke on the altar rather than eaten.

6Every male among the priests may eat it. It must be eaten in the holy place. It is most holy.

6Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.

Note"The holy place" here means the enclosed sanctuary courtyard, where the priests' quarters and the altar stood, not the curtained inner room of the tent, which only priests on duty entered and where no meal was eaten.

7The guilt offering is like the sin offering. There is one law for both of them. It belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.

7As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.

Note"Makes atonement" translates a verb whose root sense is disputed: either to cover over, or to wipe clean, or to pay a ransom. In sacrificial contexts it describes the priest performing the rite that clears the wrong or the impurity away.

8And the priest who presents anyone's burnt offering keeps for himself the skin of the burnt offering he has presented.

8And the priest that offereth any man’s burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered.

NoteThe hide was the one substantial part of a burnt offering not consumed on the altar. Leather was valuable, so this was a real form of payment for the priest's work.

9Every grain offering that is baked in an oven, and every one cooked in a frying pan or on a griddle, belongs to the priest who presents it.

9And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest’s that offereth it.

NoteKJV "meat offering" does not mean flesh. In 1611 "meat" meant food of any kind, and this offering was made of grain (flour, oil and sometimes incense) with no animal in it at all. The three cooking methods named are an enclosed clay oven, a deep pan, and a flat griddle.

10And every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron, each one getting as much as another.

10And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.

NoteThe distinction is between grain offerings already cooked, which go to the individual priest who handled them, and uncooked flour offerings, which are divided equally among all the priests.

11And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that a person brings to the LORD.

11And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.

NoteThe peace offering (Hebrew *shelamim*, related to the word for wholeness or well-being) was the one sacrifice the worshiper's own family ate. Part was burned, part went to the priests, and the rest became a meal at the sanctuary. The name has been understood as an offering of well-being, of fellowship, or of settled obligation; the Hebrew does not settle it.

12If he offers it to give thanks, then along with the thanksgiving sacrifice he must offer cakes made without yeast and mixed with oil, thin wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well mixed with oil and fried.

12If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.

NoteBread "without yeast" was made from dough that had not been left to ferment. The word behind "fried" or "well mixed" is uncertain in Hebrew; it may mean stirred, soaked with oil, or scalded.

13Along with the cakes, he must bring loaves of bread made with yeast as his offering, together with the thanksgiving sacrifice of his peace offerings.

13Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.

NoteLeavened bread was normally kept off the altar entirely, so these risen loaves were not burned. They belonged to the meal, one loaf going to the priest, the rest eaten by the worshiper's household.

14From it he must present one of the whole offering as a lifted-up gift to the LORD. It belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.

14And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings.

Note"Heave offering" (Hebrew *terumah*) does not mean the bread was heaved into the air. The term means a portion lifted out and set apart from a larger amount as a contribution, here one loaf of each kind, taken off the top for the priest.

15The meat of his thanksgiving peace offering must be eaten on the same day it is offered. He must not leave any of it until morning.

15And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.

NoteIn a hot climate with no way of preserving cooked meat, a same-day rule meant a whole animal had to be shared out and eaten at once, which made the offering a communal meal rather than a private one.

16But if his sacrifice is for a vow, or is an offering he gives freely, it must be eaten on the day he offers it, and what is left of it is to be eaten the next day as well.

16But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten:

NoteTwo different occasions. A vow offering pays off a promise made earlier, usually conditional, if God grants such a thing, I will sacrifice. A freewill offering is spontaneous, owed to nothing. Because neither is a thanksgiving, the eating period runs two days instead of one.

17But whatever meat of the sacrifice is still left on the third day must be burned with fire.

17But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.

18And if any of the meat of his peace offerings is eaten at all on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who offered it. It will be a detestable thing, and the person who eats it will bear his own guilt.

18And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.

Note"Imputed" means credited or reckoned to his account: the sacrifice simply would not count. "Abomination" here renders a specific Hebrew term, *piggul*, used only of sacrificial meat that has gone past its permitted time and so become foul and rejected. "Bear his iniquity" is a legal idiom meaning to carry the liability for the offense oneself.

19Meat that touches anything unclean must not be eaten. It must be burned with fire. As for the meat itself, anyone who is clean may eat it.

19And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof.

Note"Clean" and "unclean" are not about dirt or about morality. They describe a person's ritual state, whether they are currently fit to approach holy things. Ordinary events such as childbirth, illness, bodily discharges or contact with a corpse made a person unclean for a set period, after which washing and time restored them.

20But anyone who eats meat from the sacrifice of peace offerings that belongs to the LORD while his uncleanness is still on him must be cut off from his people.

20But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

Note"Cut off from his people" translates a fixed Hebrew formula whose exact force is disputed even among ancient interpreters: it has been understood as expulsion from the community, as dying childless so the family line ends, or as death brought about by God rather than by a court. The one thing clear is that no human penalty is specified.

21Also, if a person touches anything unclean, whether the uncleanness of a human being, or an unclean animal, or any unclean, detestable thing, and then eats meat from the sacrifice of peace offerings that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people.

21Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

Note"The uncleanness of man" means human sources of ritual impurity, a corpse, a skin disease, bodily discharges. "Any abominable unclean thing" renders a separate Hebrew word used of creatures classed as detestable to eat, such as swarming things and certain water creatures.

22And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

22And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

23Speak to the Israelites and say: You must not eat any fat of an ox, or a sheep, or a goat.

23Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.

NoteThe fat forbidden here is the hard suet packed around the organs and kidneys, the same portion burned on the altar. Fat naturally marbled through the meat itself was not covered by the ban, or the meat could not have been eaten at all.

24The fat of an animal that dies on its own, and the fat of an animal torn by wild animals, may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it at all.

24And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.

NoteAn animal that died by itself or was killed by a predator could not be sacrificed and its meat was off limits, but its fat was not wasted: it could be rendered for lamp fuel, for greasing leather and equipment, or for making soap-like cleaners.

25For whoever eats the fat of an animal of the kind that people bring to the LORD as an offering made by fire, that person must be cut off from his people.

25For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people.

26You must not eat any blood at all, whether from birds or from animals, in any of the places where you live.

26Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.

NoteThe ban on blood applies everywhere, not only at the sanctuary, "in any of your dwellings" makes it a rule for ordinary home cooking. Elsewhere the reason given is that the life of a creature is in its blood, so it was drained onto the ground rather than consumed.

27Whoever eats any blood, that person must be cut off from his people.

27Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

28And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

28And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

29Speak to the Israelites and say: Whoever brings a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD must bring his offering to the LORD from that sacrifice of peace offerings.

29Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

NoteThe worshiper, not the priest, does the bringing. The point of the verse is that the person who benefits from the sacrifice must present the offering personally.

30With his own hands he must bring the offerings made by fire to the LORD. He must bring the fat along with the breast, so that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the LORD.

30His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.

NoteThe "wave offering" (Hebrew *tenuphah*) was a gesture made with the portion before it changed hands. What the gesture actually was is disputed: a horizontal waving toward and away from the altar, or a raising of the portion, or simply a formal act of presentation.

31The priest must burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.

31And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.

32And you must give the right thigh to the priest as a lifted-up gift from your sacrifices of peace offerings.

32And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.

NoteKJV "shoulder" is misleading. The Hebrew word means the upper part of the hind leg, the thigh or haunch, which with the breast made up the two best cuts of the animal.

33The one among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh as his share.

33He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part.

34For I have taken the waved breast and the lifted-up thigh from the Israelites, out of their sacrifices of peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as a lasting rule among the Israelites.

34For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.

Note"A statute for ever" translates a Hebrew phrase meaning lasting or perpetual; it marks a standing arrangement with no time limit built in, rather than making a claim about eternity.

35This is the share that comes to Aaron and to his sons because they were anointed, taken from the offerings made by fire to the LORD, from the day he presented them to serve the LORD as priests.

35This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest’s office;

NoteAnointing meant having olive oil poured or smeared on the head, the standard ceremony for installing someone in office. Aaron and his sons were anointed as priests, and these food portions were the income attached to that office, priests held no farmland of their own.

36The LORD commanded that this be given to them by the Israelites on the day he anointed them. It is a lasting rule for all their generations.

36Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.

37This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the offering for setting priests in their office, and the sacrifice of peace offerings,

37This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;

NoteKJV "the consecrations" renders a Hebrew phrase literally meaning "the filling of the hands", the idiom for installing a priest, since part of the ceremony involved placing the offering into the new priest's hands. The offering used at that ceremony is meant here.

38which the LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

38Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

Note"In the day that" is a Hebrew idiom for "at the time when," not necessarily a single calendar day. "The wilderness of Sinai" is the dry, largely unsettled region around the mountain, where the account places Israel camped.