Leviticus 7

1 This is the Instruction for the compensation offering: It is most holy.

2 The compensation offering must be slaughtered at the same place where the entirely burned offering is slaughtered, and its blood must be tossed against all sides of the altar.

3 All of its fat will be offered: the fat tail; the fat that covers the insides;

4 the two kidneys and the fat around them at the loins; and the lobe on the liver, which must be removed with the kidneys.

5 The priest must burn them completely on the altar as a food gift for the LORD; it is a compensation offering.

6 Any male priest can eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

7 The compensation offering is like the purification offering—they share the same Instruction: It belongs to the priest who makes reconciliation with it.

8 The hide of the entirely burned offering that a priest has offered belongs to the priest who offered it.

9 Any grain offering that is baked in an oven or that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle also belongs to the priest who offered it.

10 But every other grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, will belong to all of Aaron's sons equally.

11 This is the Instruction for the communal sacrifice of well-being that someone may offer to the LORD:

12 If you are offering it for thanksgiving, you must offer the following with the communal sacrifice of thanksgiving: unleavened flatbread mixed with oil, unleavened thin loaves spread with oil, and flatbread of choice flour thoroughly mixed with oil.

13 You must present this offering, plus the leavened flatbread, with the communal thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being.

14 From this you will present one of each kind of offering as a gift to the LORD. It will belong to the priest who tosses the blood of the well-being offering.

15 The flesh of your communal thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being must be eaten on the day you offer it; you cannot save any of it until morning.

16 But if your communal sacrifice of well-being is payment for a solemn promise or if it is a spontaneous gift, it may be eaten on the day you offer it as your communal sacrifice, and whatever is left over can be eaten the next day.

17 But whatever is left over of the flesh of the communal sacrifice on the third day must be burned with fire.

18 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who offered it. It will be considered foul, and the person who eats of it will be liable to punishment.

19 Flesh that touches any unclean thing must not be eaten; it must be burned with fire. Any clean person may eat the flesh,

20 but anyone who eats the flesh of a communal sacrifice of well-being that belongs to the LORD while in an unclean state will be cut off from their people.

21 Whenever anyone touches any unclean thing—whether it is human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean and disgusting creature—and then eats the flesh of a communal sacrifice of well-being that belongs to the LORD, that person will be cut off from their people.

22 The LORD said to Moses:

23 Tell the Israelites: You must not eat the fat of an ox, sheep, or goat.

24 The fat of an animal that has died naturally or the fat of an animal that was killed by another animal may be put to any use, but you must definitely not eat it.

25 If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which a food gift could be offered to the LORD, that person will be cut off from their people.

26 You must not consume any blood whatsoever—whether bird or animal blood—wherever you may live.

27 Any person who consumes any blood whatsoever will be cut off from their people.

28 The LORD said to Moses:

29 Say to the Israelites: If you wish to offer a communal sacrifice of well-being to the LORD, you are allowed to bring your offering to the LORD as your communal sacrifice of well-being.

30 Your own hands must bring the LORD's food gifts. You will bring the fat with the breast so that the breast can be lifted as an uplifted offering before the LORD.

31 The priest will completely burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will go to Aaron and his sons.

32 You will give the right thigh of your communal sacrifice of well-being to the priest as a gift.

33 The right thigh will belong to the son of Aaron who offers the blood and fat of the well-being offering.

34 I have taken the breast of the uplifted offering and the thigh that is given by the Israelites from their communal sacrifices of well-being, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as a permanent portion from the Israelites.

35 This is what Aaron and his sons are allotted from the LORD's food gifts once they have been presented to serve the LORD as priests.

36 The LORD commanded that these things be given to the priests by the Israelites, following their anointment. It is their permanent portion throughout their future generations.

Conclusion concerning offerings

37 This concludes the Instructions for the entirely burned offering, the grain offering, the purification offering, the compensation offering, the ordination offering, and the communal sacrifice of well-being,

38 which the LORD commanded Moses at Mount Sinai on the day when he ordered the Israelites to present their offerings to the LORD, 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Heb uncertain

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.