Leviticus — Chapter 3

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1“If one’s offering is a peace offering and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he must present it without blemish before the LORD.

2He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splatter the blood on all sides of the altar.

3From the peace offering he is to bring a food offering to the LORD: the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,

4both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys.

5Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar atop the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

6If, however, one’s peace offering to the LORD is from the flock, he must present a male or female without blemish.

7If he is presenting a lamb for his offering, he must present it before the LORD.

8He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.

9And from the peace offering he shall bring a food offering to the LORD consisting of its fat: the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,

10both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys.

11Then the priest is to burn them on the altar as food, a food offering to the LORD.

12If one’s offering is a goat, he is to present it before the LORD.

13He must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.

14And from his offering he shall present a food offering to the LORD: the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,

15both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys.

16Then the priest is to burn the food on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’s.

17This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”

1And if his oblation

2And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it

3And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that

4And the two kidneys, and the fat that

5And Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which

6And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD

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

8And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar.

9And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat thereof,

10And the two kidneys, and the fat that

11And the priest shall burn it upon the altar:

12And if his offering

13And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.

14And he shall offer thereof his offering,

15And the two kidneys, and the fat that

16And the priest shall burn them upon the altar:

17It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

1And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace-offerings; if he offer of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before Jehovah.

2And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his oblation, and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting: and Aaron`s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

3And he shall offer of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire unto Jehovah; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

4and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away.

5And Aaron`s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt-offering, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

6And if his oblation for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto Jehovah be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.

7If he offer a lamb for his oblation, then shall he offer it before Jehovah;

8and he shall lay his hand upon the head of his oblation, and kill it before the tent of meeting: and Aaron`s sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.

9And he shall offer of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire unto Jehovah; the fat thereof, the fat tail entire, he shall take away hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

10and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away.

11And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

12And if his oblation be a goat, then he shall offer it before Jehovah:

13and he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.

14And he shall offer thereof his oblation, [even] an offering made by fire unto Jehovah; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

15and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away.

16And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savor; all the fat is Jehovah`s.

17It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood.

1“‘Now if his offering is a peace-offering sacrifice, if he presents an offering from the herd, he must present before the Lord a flawless male or a female.

2He must lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, must splash the blood against the altar’s sides.

3Then the one presenting the offering must present a gift to the Lord from the peace-offering sacrifice: He must remove the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that surrounds the entrails,

4the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys).

5Then the sons of Aaron must offer it up in smoke on the altar atop the burnt offering that is on the wood in the fire as a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.

6“‘If his offering for a peace-offering sacrifice to the Lord is from the flock, he must present a flawless male or female.

7If he presents a sheep as his offering, he must present it before the Lord.

8He must lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it before the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron must splash its blood against the altar’s sides.

9Then he must present a gift to the Lord from the peace-offering sacrifice: He must remove all the fatty tail up to the end of the spine, the fat covering the entrails, and all the fat on the entrails,

10the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys).

11Then the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar as a food gift to the Lord.

12“‘If his offering is a goat, he must present it before the Lord,

13lay his hand on its head, and slaughter it before the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron must splash its blood against the altar’s sides.

14Then he must present from it his offering as a gift to the Lord: the fat which covers the entrails and all the fat on the entrails,

15the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys).

16Then the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar as a food gift for a soothing aroma—all the fat belongs to the Lord.

17This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all the places where you live: You must never eat any fat or any blood.’”

1“‘If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings; if he offers it from the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without defect before Yahweh.

2He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting: and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar.

3He shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to Yahweh; the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards,

4and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away.

5Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.

6“‘If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh is from the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without defect.

7If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before Yahweh;

8and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting: and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

9He shall offer from the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to Yahweh; its fat, the entire tail fat, he shall take away close to the backbone; and the fat that covers the inwards, and all the fat that is on the inwards,

10and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away.

11The priest shall burn it on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire to Yahweh.

12“‘If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before Yahweh:

13and he shall lay his hand on its head, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

14He shall offer from it as his offering, an offering made by fire to Yahweh; the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards,

15and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away.

16The priest shall burn them on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma; all the fat is Yahweh’s.

17“‘It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

The LORD gives instructions for the peace offering, a voluntary sacrifice of fellowship that may be brought from the herd, male or female without defect; the worshiper lays a hand on its head, kills it at the Tent of Meeting, and the priests sprinkle its blood on the altar (vv. 1-5). The same offering may come from the flock as a lamb or a goat, following the identical procedure of laying on hands, killing, and sprinkling blood (vv. 6-16). In every case the fat covering the entrails, the two kidneys, and the covering of the liver are burned on the altar as a food offering of pleasing aroma to the LORD, since all fat belongs to him (vv. 3-4, 9-10, 14-16). The chapter closes with a permanent statute for every generation: Israel must never eat fat or blood (v. 17).

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses. Leviticus is the third book of the Pentateuch, written during the wilderness period (approximately 1445-1405 BC). Hebrew title: "Vayikra" — "And He called." God speaks from the Tabernacle, giving instructions for worship, sacrifice, and holy living.
Historical Context: The peace offering (Hebrew: "shelamim," from "shalom" — peace, wholeness, well-being) is the third offering described in Leviticus. Unlike the burnt offering (entirely consumed) or the grain offering (shared between God and priests), the peace offering was a communal meal — portions were given to God (the fat burned on the altar), to the priest (the breast and right thigh, detailed in Lev 7:31-34), and to the worshipper and his family (the remaining meat). It was the only offering where the worshipper ate a portion. This offering was voluntary — an expression of thanksgiving, fulfillment of a vow, or a freewill act of devotion (Lev 7:11-16). It celebrated fellowship and communion with God. The shared meal pictured reconciliation — God and man eating together in peace. This points forward to Christ, who is "our peace" (Eph 2:14), who broke down the dividing wall and reconciled us to God, making fellowship possible through His blood.
Classification: Law — Sacrificial Instruction
Key Themes: The only offering the worshipper ate, a meal shared between God, priest and family, fellowship rather than atonement as the occasion, female animals permitted, and a standing rule against eating fat or blood
The Peace Offering from the Herd (vv.1-5): The peace offering takes its name from shelamim, from the same root as shalom, and the occasion is wholeness rather than guilt. The animal may be male or female, which the burnt offering does not allow, and the difference reflects that this is not an atoning sacrifice. The worshipper lays a hand on its head, the blood is sprinkled around the altar, and what is burned is the fat, the kidneys and the caul — the richest parts rather than the whole.
From the Flock: A Lamb (vv.6-11): The same procedure is set out for a lamb, with the whole rump included in what is burned. Verse 11 calls the portion on the altar “the food of the offering”, language of God being fed that the Old Testament elsewhere goes out of its way to qualify. Here it stands without embarrassment, because the occasion is a shared meal and the point is that God is a participant in it.
From the Flock: A Goat (vv.12-16): A third option, handled identically, and the repetition is the point: the rite does not change with the means of the worshipper. Verse 16 states the principle the chapter has been building — “all the fat is the LORD's”. The best of the animal goes to God, the breast and right shoulder to the priest, and the rest to the worshipper and his household, so the same animal feeds all three.
A Perpetual Statute: Neither Fat Nor Blood (v.17): One verse closes the chapter and it is binding beyond the sanctuary: eat neither fat nor blood, in all your dwellings, as a perpetual statute. The fat is withheld because it belongs to God and the blood because life is in it, a reason chapter 17 will state outright. A rule about worship becomes a rule about dinner.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik highlights the peace offering as the only sacrifice where the worshipper ate a portion — picturing fellowship and communion with God. He emphasizes that peace with God is the foundation for the peace of God, and that Christ is both our peace offering and our peace.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Peace For Today - Leviticus 3:9
David Guzik

Leviticus 1-3 | The Sacrificial System | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

How The Peace Offering Points to Jesus – Leviticus Chapter 3
David Guzik

Articles

  • BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: a case for reading the book most reading plans stall in.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Leviticus -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • A Freewill Offering of Fellowship (v.1) — Unlike the sin and guilt offerings that dealt with wrongdoing, the peace offering was voluntary — a shared meal expressing gratitude and wholeness. Is your worship ever a pure overflow of joy, or does it only happen when you need something from God?
  • Identification at the Point of Sacrifice (v.2) — As with the other offerings, the worshipper laid his hand on the animal before it died, joining himself to what was about to happen on the altar. Have you personally identified with Christ's sacrifice, or do you relate to it only as a historical fact?
  • The Best Belongs to God (v.16) — The richest part of the animal, its fat, was reserved for the altar rather than the table. Do you give God your best — your first energy and attention — or only what's left after everyone else has been served?
  • A Statute for All Generations (v.17) — The command to never eat fat or blood was permanent, binding on every generation that followed. What convictions in your own life are you passing down consistently, rather than treating as optional?