Leviticus 1:11

11 He^[a] must slaughter it on the north side of the altar {before}^[b] Yahweh; then^[c] Aaron's sons, the priests, will sprinkle its blood all around the altar.

Leviticus 1:11 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 1:11

And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward
before the Lord
This is a circumstance not mentioned in the killing of the bullock: Maimonides ^F7 says, there was a square place from the wall of the altar northward, to the wall of the court, and it was sixty cubits, and all that was over against the breadth of this, from the wall of the porch to the eastern wall, and it is seventy six cubits; and this foursquare place is called the "north", for the slaying of the most holy things; so that it seems this being a large place, was fittest for this purpose. Aben Ezra intimates, as if some respect was had to the situation of Mount Zion; his note is, "on the side of the altar northward", i.e. without, and so "the sides of the north", ( Psalms 48:2 ) for so many mistake who say that the tower of Zion was in the midst of Jerusalem; and with this agrees Mr. Ainsworth's note on ( Leviticus 6:25 ) hereby was figured, that Christ our sin offering should be killed by the priests in Jerusalem, and Mount Sion, which was on "the sides of the north", ( Psalms 48:2 ) crucified on Mount Calvary, which was on the northwest side of Jerusalem; as by the Jews' tradition, the morning sacrifice was killed at the northwest horn of the altar ^F8:

and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle the blood round about
upon the altar; (See Gill on Leviticus 1:5).

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 In Misn. Zebachim, c. 5. sect. 1.
F8 Misn. Tamid, c. 4. sect. 1.

Leviticus 1:11 In-Context

9 Then he must wash its inner parts and its lower leg bones with water, and the priest will turn into smoke the whole [animal] on the altar [as] a burnt offering [by] fire, [as] an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.

10 " 'But if his offering [is] from the flock, from the sheep or from the goats for a burnt offering, he must present an unblemished male.

11 He must slaughter it on the north side of the altar {before} Yahweh; then Aaron's sons, the priests, will sprinkle its blood all around the altar.

12 Then he must cut it into pieces [along] with its head and its suet; and the priest will arrange them on the wood that [is] on the fire that [is] on the altar.

13 Then he must wash the inner parts and the lower leg bones with water and the priest shall present the whole [animal] and will turn [it] into smoke on the altar; it [is] a burnt offering [by] fire [as] an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "And he"
• [b]. Literally "to the face of"
• [c]. Or "and"