Leviticus 3

Laws for Peace Offerings

1 "If his offering is ¹a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, ²he shall offer it ³without blemish before the LORD.

2 And ⁴he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar.

3 And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the LORD, he shall offer ⁵the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

4 ⁶and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys.

5 Then Aaron's sons ⁷shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

6 "If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it ⁸without blemish.

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

8 lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

9 Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering he shall offer as a food offering to the LORD its fat; he shall remove the whole ⁹fat tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails

10 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove ¹⁰with the kidneys.

11 And the priest shall burn it on the altar as ¹¹a food offering to the LORD.

12 "If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD

13 and lay his hand on its head and kill it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

14 Then he shall offer from it, as his offering for a food offering to the LORD, the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails

15 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove ¹²with the kidneys.

16 And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a ¹³food offering with a pleasing aroma. ¹⁴All fat is the LORD's.

17 It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither ¹⁵fat nor ¹⁶blood."

Leviticus 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

The peace-offering of the herd. (1-5) The peace-offering of the flock. (6-17)

Verses 1-5 The peace-offerings had regard to God as the giver of all good things. These were divided between the altar, the priest, and the owner. They were called peace-offering, because in them God and his people did, as it were, feast together, in token of friendship. The peace-offerings were offered by way of supplication. If a man were in pursuit of any mercy, he would add a peace-offering to his prayer for it. Christ is our Peace, our Peace-offering; for through him alone it is that we can obtain an answer of peace to our prayers. Or, the peace-offering was offered by way of thanksgiving for some mercy received. We must offer to God the sacrifice of praise continually, by Christ our Peace; and then this shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock.

Verses 6-17 Here is a law that they should eat neither fat nor blood. As for the fat, it means the fat of the inwards, the suet. The blood was forbidden for the same reason; because it was God's part of every sacrifice. God would not permit the blood that made atonement to be used as a common thing, ( Hebrews 10:29 ) ; nor will he allow us, though we have the comfort of the atonement made, to claim for ourselves any share in the honour of making it. This taught the Jews to observe distinction between common and sacred things; it kept them separate from idolaters. It would impress them more deeply with the belief of some important mystery in the shedding of the blood and the burning the fat of their solemn sacrifices. Christ, as the Prince of peace, "made peace with the blood of his cross." Through him the believer is reconciled to God; and having the peace of God in his heart, he is disposed to follow peace with all men. May the Lord multiply grace, mercy, and peace, to all who desire to bear the Christian character.

Cross References

• 1. Leviticus 17:5; Leviticus 22:21; Leviticus 23:19; Amos 5:22; See Leviticus 7:11-21, 29-34
• 2. ver. 7, 12
• 3. See Exodus 12:5
• 4. See Leviticus 1:4
• 5. Leviticus 4:8, 9; Exodus 29:13, 22
• 6. ver. 10
• 7. Leviticus 6:12
• 8. [See ver. 1 above]
• 9. Leviticus 9:19; Exodus 29:22
• 10. ver. 4
• 11. Leviticus 21:6, 8, 17, 21, 22; Leviticus 22:7, 25; Numbers 28:2; Ezekiel 44:7; Malachi 1:7
• 12. [See ver. 10 above]
• 13. [See ver. 11 above]
• 14. Leviticus 7:23-25; 1 Samuel 2:15; Ezekiel 44:7, 15
• 15. [See ver. 16 above]
• 16. Leviticus 7:26; Leviticus 17:10, 14; Leviticus 19:26; Genesis 9:4; Deuteronomy 12:16, 23; Deuteronomy 15:23; 1 Samuel 14:33; Acts 15:20, 29

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 3

This chapter contains the law of the peace offerings, and gives an account what they consisted of, and of the various rites and ceremonies used at them, as of the bullock and the rites appertaining to that, Le 3:1-5 and of the lamb, and of the rites peculiar to it, Le 3:6-11 and of the goat, and of the rites belonging to it, Le 3:12-16 and the chapter is concluded with a law forbidding the eating of fat and blood throughout their dwellings for ever, Le 3:17.