Leviticus 1:14

14 "If his gift to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, he is to present his offering from the turtledoves or young pigeons.^{[a] [b]}

Leviticus 1:14 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 1:14

And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be
of fowls
As it might be for the poorer sort, who could not offer a bullock, nor a sheep, or a lamb, ( Leviticus 5:7 ) ( 12:8 ) :

then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young
pigeons;
the Jewish writers all agree, that the turtles should be old, and not young, as the pigeons young, and not old; so the Targum of Jonathan, Jarchi, Aben Ezra and Gersom ^F12; the latter gives two reasons for it, because then they are the choicest and easiest to be found and taken: no mention is made of their being male or female, either would do, or of their being perfect and unblemished, as in the other burnt offerings; but if any part was wanting, it was not fit for sacrifice, as Maimonides ^F13 observes. These creatures were proper emblems of Christ, and therefore used in sacrifice, whose voice is compared to the turtle's, and his eyes to the eyes of doves, ( Song of Solomon 2:12 ) ( 5:12 ) and who is fitly represented by them for his meekness and humility, for his chaste and strong affection to his church, as the turtledove to its mate, and for those dove like graces of the Spirit which are in him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Vid. T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 22. 1, 2.
F13 Issure Mizbeach, c. 3. sect. 1, 2. Vid. Misn. Zebachim, c. 7. sect. 5. & Maimon. & Bartenora, in ib.

Leviticus 1:14 In-Context

12 He will cut it into pieces with its head and its suet, and the priest will arrange them on top of the burning wood on the altar.

13 But he is to wash the entrails and shanks with water. The priest will then present all of it and burn [it] on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

14 "If his gift to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, he is to present his offering from the turtledoves or young pigeons.

15 Then the priest must bring it to the altar, and must twist off its head and burn [it] on the altar; its blood should be drained at the side of the altar.

16 He will remove its digestive tract, cutting off the tail feathers, and throw it on the east side of the altar at the place for ashes.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or or pigeons
• [b]. Lv 5:11; 12:8; Lk 2:24