Leviticus 7:16

16 "If the sacrifice he offers is a vow^[a] or a freewill offering,^{[b] [c]} it is to be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, and what is left over may be eaten on the next day.

Leviticus 7:16 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 7:16

But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow
Be on account of a vow made, as, that if he was favoured with such and such benefits, or delivered out of such and such troubles and distresses, then he would offer such a sacrifice:

or a voluntary offering;
without any condition or obligation; what from the mere motion of his mind he freely offered, not being directed to it by any command of God, or under any necessity from a vow of his own, and without any view to; any future good to be enjoyed: Aben Ezra describes both the one and the other thus; a "vow" which he uttered with his lips in his distresses, a "voluntary offering", which his spirit made him willing to bring, a sacrifice to God neither for a vow nor for thanksgiving:

it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice;
that is, it shall be begun to be eaten then, and if all is eaten up it is very well, but they were not obliged in either of these cases, as in the preceding, to eat up all, and leave none to the morning, for it follows:

and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten;
some of it, if thought fit, and could not be conveniently eaten, might be kept till the day after the sacrifice, but no longer.

Leviticus 7:16 In-Context

14 From the cakes he must present one [portion] of each offering as a contribution to the Lord. It will belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offering; it is his.

15 The meat of his thanksgiving sacrifice of fellowship must be eaten on the day he offers it; he may not leave any of it until morning.

16 "If the sacrifice he offers is a vow or a freewill offering, it is to be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, and what is left over may be eaten on the next day.

17 But what remains of the sacrificial meat by the third day must be burned up.

18 If any of the meat of his fellowship sacrifice is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who presents it; it is repulsive. The person who eats any of it will be guilty.

Footnotes

• [a]. The vow offering, the second category of fellowship sacrifice, was brought as an expression of gratitude to fulfill a vow; Gn 28:20; 2 Sm 15:7-8; Pr 7:14.
• [b]. The freewill offering, the third category of fellowship sacrifice, was a voluntary expression of gratitude toward God for any reason; Dt 16:10; Ps 54:6.
• [c]. Nm 15:3,8; Dt 12:6,17; Ezk 46:12