Leviticus 1:3

3 si holocaustum fuerit eius oblatio ac de armento masculum inmaculatum offeret ad ostium tabernaculi testimonii ad placandum sibi Dominum

Leviticus 1:3 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 1:3

If his offering [be] a burnt sacrifice of the herd
So called, because consumed by fire, see ( Leviticus 6:9 ) even all of it except the skin, and therefore its name with the Greeks is "a whole burnt offering", as in ( Mark 12:33 ) its name in Hebrew is (hlwe) , which comes from a word which signifies to "ascend" or "go up", because not only it was carried up to the altar by the priest, which was common to other sacrifices, but being burnt upon it, it ascended upwards in smoke and vapour; it was typical of Christ's dolorous sufferings and death, who therein sustained the fire of divine wrath, and his strength was dried up like a potsherd with it. Jarchi on ( Leviticus 1:1 ) says, there were in the burnt offerings mysteries of future things:

let him offer a male;
and not a female, pointing at the Messiah's sex, and his strength and excellency, the child that was to be born, and the Son to be given, whose name should be Immanuel:

without blemish;
or [perfect], having no part wanting, nor any part superfluous, nor any spot upon it, see ( Leviticus 22:19-24 ) denoting the perfection of Christ as man, being in all things made like unto his brethren, and his having not the least stain or blemish of sin upon him, either original or actual, and so could, as he did, offer up himself without spot to God, ( Hebrews 2:17 ) ( 9:14 ) ( 1 Peter 1:19 ) :

and he shall offer it of his own voluntary will;
not forced or compelled to it, or with any reluctancy, but as a pure freewill offering; so our Lord Jesus Christ laid down his life of himself, and freely gave himself an offering and a sacrifice, and became cheerfully and readily obedient unto death:

at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the Lord;
it was to be done openly and publicly, and in the presence of the Lord, to whom it was offered up; showing, that Christ's sacrifice would be offered up to God, against whom we have sinned, by which his law would be fulfilled, his justice satisfied, and wrath appeased, and that his death would be public and notorious; see ( Luke 24:18-20 ) .

Leviticus 1:3 In-Context

1 vocavit autem Mosen et locutus est ei Dominus de tabernaculo testimonii dicens
2 loquere filiis Israhel et dices ad eos homo qui obtulerit ex vobis hostiam Domino de pecoribus id est de bubus et ovibus offerens victimas
3 si holocaustum fuerit eius oblatio ac de armento masculum inmaculatum offeret ad ostium tabernaculi testimonii ad placandum sibi Dominum
4 ponetque manus super caput hostiae et acceptabilis erit atque in expiationem eius proficiens
5 immolabitque vitulum coram Domino et offerent filii Aaron sacerdotes sanguinem eius fundentes super altaris circuitum quod est ante ostium tabernaculi
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.