Leviticus 7

1 "'This is the law for the guilt offering: it is especially holy.

2 They are to slaughter the guilt offering in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering, and its blood is to be splashed against all sides of the altar.

3 He is to offer all its fat - the fat tail, the fat covering the inner organs,

4 the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys.

5 The cohen will make them go up in smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire to ADONAI ; it is a guilt offering.

6 Every male from a family of cohanim may eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place; it is especially holy.

7 The guilt offering is like the sin offering; the same law governs them - it will belong to the cohen who uses it to make atonement.

8 "'The cohen who offers someone's burnt offering will possess the hide of the burnt offering which he has offered.

9 "'Every grain offering baked in the oven, cooked in a pot or fried on a griddle will belong to the cohen who offers it.

10 But every grain offering which is mixed with olive oil or is dry will belong to all the sons of Aharon equally.

11 "'This is the law for sacrificing peace offerings offered to ADONAI:

12 If a person offers it for giving thanks, he is to offer it with the thanksgiving sacrifice of unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, matzah spread with olive oil, and cakes made of fine flour mixed with olive oil and fried.

13 With cakes of leavened bread he is to present his offering together with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for giving thanks.

14 From each kind of offering he is to present one as a gift for ADONAI; it will belong to the cohen who splashes the blood of the peace offerings against the altar.

15 The meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for giving thanks is to be eaten on the day of his offering; he is not to leave any of it until morning.

16 But if the sacrifice connected with his offering is for a vow or is a voluntary offering, then, while it is to be eaten on the day he offers his sacrifice, what remains of it may be eaten the next day.

17 However, what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day is to be burned up completely.

18 If any of the meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, the sacrifice will neither be accepted nor credited to the person offering it; rather, it will have become a disgusting thing, and whoever eats it will bear the consequences of his wrongdoing.

19 Meat which touches something unclean is not to be eaten but burned up completely. As for the meat, everyone who is clean may eat it;

20 but a person in a state of uncleanness who eats any meat from the sacrifice of peace offerings made to ADONAI will be cut off from his people.

21 Anyone who touches something unclean - whether the uncleanness be from a person, from an unclean animal or from some other unclean detestable thing - and then eats the meat from the sacrifice of peace offerings for ADONAI, that person will be cut off from his people.'"

22 ADONAI said to Moshe,

23 "Say to the people of Isra'el, 'You are not to eat the fat of bulls, sheep or goats.

24 The fat of animals that die of themselves or are killed by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but under no circumstances are you to eat it.

25 For whoever eats the fat of animals of the kind used in presenting an offering made by fire to ADONAI will be cut off from his people.

26 You are not to eat any kind of blood, whether from birds or animals, in any of your homes.

27 Whoever eats any blood will be cut off from his people.'"

28 ADONAI said to Moshe,

29 "Say to the people of Isra'el, 'A person who offers his sacrifice of peace offerings to ADONAI is to bring part of his sacrifice of peace offerings as his offering for ADONAI.

30 He is to bring with his own hands the offerings for ADONAI made by fire - he is to bring the breast with its fat. The breast is to be waved as a wave offering before ADONAI.

31 The cohen is to make the fat go up in smoke on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aharon and his descendants.

32 You are to give the right thigh from your sacrifices of peace offerings to the cohen as a contribution.

33 The descendant of Aharon who offers the blood of the peace offerings is to have the right thigh as his share.

34 For the breast that has been waved and the thigh that has been contributed I have taken from the people of Isra'el out of their sacrifices of peace offerings and given them to Aharon the cohen and to his descendants as their share forever from the people of Isra'el.'"

35 On the day when Aharon and his sons were presented to serve ADONAI in the office of cohen, this portion was set aside for him and his descendants from the offerings for ADONAI made by fire.

36 On the day they were anointed, ADONAI ordered that this be given to them by the people of Isra'el. It is their share forever through all their generations.

37 This is the law for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the consecration offering and the sacrifice of peace offerings

38 which ADONAI ordered Moshe on Mount Sinai on the day he ordered the people of Isra'el to present their offerings to ADONAI, in the Sinai Desert.

Leviticus 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

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)

Verses 1-10 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.

Verses 11-27 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.

Verses 28-34 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!

Verses 35-38 Solemn acts of religious worship are not things which we may do or not do at our pleasure; it is at our peril if we omit them. An observance of the laws of Christ cannot be less necessary than of the laws of Moses.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 7

The several things contained in this chapter are the law of the trespass offering, Le 7:1-7 the portion the priests had in the burnt offerings and meat offerings, Le 7:8-10 the law of the peace offerings, whether by way of thanksgiving, or a vow, or voluntary oblation, Le 7:11-21 the prohibition of fat and blood, Le 7:22-27 the parts the priests should have in the peace offerings, the breast and right shoulder, Le 7:28-36 and the chapter is concluded with a recapitulation of the various things contained in this and the preceding chapters, Le 7:37,38.