Leviticus — Chapter 7

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1“Now this is the law of the guilt offering, which is most holy:

2The guilt offering must be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and the priest shall splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.

3And all the fat from it shall be offered: the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,

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

5The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering to the LORD; it is a guilt offering.

6Every male among the priests may eat of it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

7The guilt offering is like the sin offering; the same law applies to both. It belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.

8As for the priest who presents a burnt offering for anyone, the hide of that offering belongs to him.

9Likewise, every grain offering that is baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who presents it,

10and every grain offering, whether dry or mixed with oil, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.

11Now this is the law of the peace offering that one may present to the LORD:

12If he offers it in thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.

13Along with his peace offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of leavened bread.

14From the cakes he must present one portion of each offering as a contribution to the LORD. It belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering.

15The meat of the sacrifice of his peace offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day he offers it; none of it may be left until morning.

16If, however, the sacrifice he offers is a vow or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, but the remainder may be eaten on the next day.

17But any meat of the sacrifice remaining until the third day must be burned up.

18If any of the meat from his peace offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who presented it; it shall be an abomination, and the one who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

19Meat that touches anything unclean must not be eaten; it is to be burned up. As for any other meat, anyone who is ceremonially clean may eat it.

20But if anyone who is unclean eats meat from the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people.

21If one touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean, detestable thing, and then eats any of the meat of the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people.”

22Then the LORD said to Moses,

23“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘You are not to eat any of the fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat.

24The fat of an animal found dead or mauled by wild beasts may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it.

25If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be presented to the LORD, the one who eats it must be cut off from his people.

26You must not eat the blood of any bird or animal in any of your dwellings.

27If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.’”

28Then the LORD said to Moses,

29“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Anyone who presents a peace offering to the LORD must bring it as his sacrifice to the LORD.

30With his own hands he is to bring the food offerings to the LORD; he shall bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast as a wave offering before the LORD.

31The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.

32And you are to give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from your peace offering.

33The son of Aaron who presents the blood and fat of the peace offering shall have the right thigh as a portion.

34I have taken from the sons of Israel the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as a permanent portion from the sons of Israel.’”

35This is the portion of the food offerings to the LORD for Aaron and his sons since the day they were presented to serve the LORD as priests.

36On the day they were anointed, the LORD commanded that this be given them by the sons of Israel. It is a permanent portion for the generations to come.

37This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the peace offering,

38which the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai on the day He commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai.

1Likewise this

2In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar.

3And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards,

4And the two kidneys, and the fat that

5And the priest shall burn them upon the altar

6Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it

7As the sin offering

8And the priest that offereth any man’s burnt offering,

9And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest’s that offereth it.

10And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one

11And this

12If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.

13Besides the cakes, he shall offer

14And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation

15And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.

16But if the sacrifice of his offering

17But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.

18And if

19And the flesh that toucheth any unclean

20But the soul that eateth

21Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean

22And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

23Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.

24And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.

25For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth

26Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood,

27Whatsoever soul

28And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

29Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

30His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved

31And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.

32And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest

33He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for

34For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.

35This

36Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them,

37This

38Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

1And this is the law of the trespass-offering: it is most holy.

2In the place where they kill the burnt-offering shall they kill the trespass-offering; and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle upon the altar round about.

3And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof: the fat tail, and the fat that covereth 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 the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: it is a trespass-offering.

6Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in a holy place: it is most holy.

7As is the sin-offering, so is the trespass-offering; there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith, he shall have it.

8And the priest that offereth any man`s burnt-offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt-offering which he hath offered.

9And every meal-offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the frying-pan, and on the baking-pan, shall be the priest`s that offereth it.

10And every meal-offering, mingled with oil, or dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as well as another.

11And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one shall offer unto Jehovah.

12If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked.

13With cakes of leavened bread he shall offer his oblation with the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving.

14And of it he shall offer one out of each oblation for a heave-offering unto Jehovah; it shall be the priest`s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace-offerings.

15And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his oblation; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.

16But if the sacrifice of his oblation be a vow, or a freewill-offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offereth his sacrifice; and on the morrow that which remaineth of it shall be eaten:

17but that which remaineth of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.

18And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.

19And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire. And as for the flesh, every one that is clean shall eat thereof:

20but the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, that pertain unto Jehovah, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

21And when any one shall touch any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean beast, or any unclean abomination, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which pertain unto Jehovah, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

22And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

23Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat.

24And the fat of that which dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of beasts, may be used for any other service; but ye shall in no wise eat of it.

25For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people.

26And ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of bird or of beast, in any of your dwellings.

27Whosoever it be that eateth any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

28And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

29Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace-offerings unto Jehovah shall bring his oblation unto Jehovah out of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings:

30his own hands shall bring the offerings of Jehovah made by fire; the fat with the breast shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave-offering before Jehovah.

31And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar; but the breast shall be Aaron`s and his sons`.

32And the right thigh shall ye give unto the priest for a heave-offering out of the sacrifices of your peace-offerings.

33He among the sons of Aaron that offereth the blood of the peace-offerings, and the fat, shall have the right thigh for a portion.

34For the wave-breast and the heave-thigh have I taken of the children of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace-offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons as [their] portion for ever from the children of Israel.

35This is the anointing-portion of Aaron, and the anointing-portion of his sons, out of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto Jehovah in the priest`s office;

36which Jehovah commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them. It is [their] portion for ever throughout their generations.

37This is the law of the burnt-offering, of the meal-offering, and of the sin-offering, and of the trespass-offering, and of the consecration, and of the sacrifice of peace-offerings;

38which Jehovah commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto Jehovah, in the wilderness of Sinai.

1“‘This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy.

2In the place where they slaughter the burnt offering they must slaughter the guilt offering, and the officiating priest must splash the blood against the altar’s sides.

3Then the one making the offering must present all its fat: the fatty tail, the fat covering the entrails,

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

5Then the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar as a gift to the Lord. It is a guilt offering.

6Any male among the priests may eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.

7The law is the same for the sin offering and the guilt offering; it belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.

8“‘As for the priest who presents someone’s burnt offering, the hide of that burnt offering which he presented belongs to him.

9Every grain offering which is baked in the oven or made in the pan or on the griddle belongs to the priest who presented it.

10Every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron, each one alike.

11“‘This is the law of the peace-offering sacrifice which he is to present to the Lord.

12If he presents it on account of thanksgiving, along with the thank-offering sacrifice he must present unleavened loaves mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers smeared with olive oil, and well-soaked, ring-shaped loaves made of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil.

13He must present this grain offering in addition to ring-shaped loaves of leavened bread which regularly accompany the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offering.

14He must present one of each kind of grain offering as a contribution offering to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the peace offering.

15The meat of his thanksgiving peace offering must be eaten on the day of his offering; he must not set any of it aside until morning.

16“‘If his offering is a votive or freewill sacrifice, it may be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, and also the leftovers from it may be eaten on the next day,

17but the leftovers from the meat of the sacrifice must be burned up in the fire on the third day.

18If some of the meat of his peace-offering sacrifice is ever eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted; it will not be accounted to the one who presented it since it is spoiled, and the person who eats from it will bear his punishment for iniquity.

19The meat which touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up in the fire. As for ceremonially clean meat, everyone who is ceremonially clean may eat the meat.

20The person who eats meat from the peace-offering sacrifice which belongs to the Lord while that person’s uncleanness persists will be cut off from his people.

21When a person touches anything unclean (whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or an unclean detestable creature) and eats some of the meat of the peace-offering sacrifice which belongs to the Lord, that person will be cut off from his people.’”

22Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

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

24Moreover, the fat of an animal that has died of natural causes and the fat of an animal torn by beasts may be used for any other purpose, but you must certainly never eat it.

25If anyone eats fat from the animal from which he presents a gift to the Lord, that person will be cut off from his people.

26And you must not eat any blood of the birds or of the domesticated land animals in any of the places where you live.

27Any person who eats any blood—that person will be cut off from his people.’”

28Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

29“Tell the Israelites, ‘The one who presents his peace-offering sacrifice to the Lord must bring part of his offering to the Lord as his sacrifice.

30With his own hands he must bring the Lord’s gifts. He must bring the fat with the breast to wave the breast as a wave offering before the Lord,

31and the priest must offer the fat up in smoke on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons.

32The right thigh you must give as a contribution offering to the priest from your peace-offering sacrifice.

33The one from Aaron’s sons who presents the blood of the peace offering and fat will have the right thigh as his share,

34for the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution offering I have taken from the Israelites out of their peace-offering sacrifices and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the people of Israel as a perpetual allotted portion.’”

35This is the allotment of Aaron and the allotment of his sons from the Lord’s gifts on the day Moses presented them to serve as priests to the Lord.

36This is what the Lord commanded to give to them from the Israelites on the day Moses anointed them—a perpetual allotted portion throughout their generations.

37This is the law for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the peace-offering sacrifice,

38which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord in the desert of Sinai.

1“‘This is the law of the trespass offering. It is most holy.

2In the place where they kill the burnt offering, he shall kill the trespass offering; and its blood he shall sprinkle around on the altar.

3He shall offer all of its fat: the fat tail, and the fat that covers 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, shall he take away;

5and the priest shall burn them on the altar for an offering made by fire to Yahweh: it is a trespass offering.

6Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.

7“‘As is the sin offering, so is the trespass offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with them shall have it.

8The priest who offers any man’s burnt offering, even the priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered.

9Every meal offering that is baked in the oven, and all that is dressed in the pan, and on the griddle, shall be the priest’s who offers it.

10Every meal offering, mixed with oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron, one as well as another.

11“‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer to Yahweh.

12If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mixed with oil.

13With cakes of leavened bread he shall offer his offering with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving.

14Of it he shall offer one out of each offering for a heave offering to Yahweh. It shall be the priest’s who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.

15The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning.

16“‘But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow, or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice; and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten:

17but what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.

18If any of the meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted, and it shall not be credited to him who offers it. It will be an abomination, and the soul who eats any of it will bear his iniquity.

19“‘The meat that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. As for the meat, everyone who is clean may eat it;

20but the soul who eats of the meat of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that belongs to Yahweh, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

21When anyone touches any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean animal, or any unclean abomination, and eats some of the meat of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which belong to Yahweh, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’”

22Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

23“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You shall eat no fat, of bull, or sheep, or goat.

24The fat of that which dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of animals, may be used for any other service, but you shall in no way eat of it.

25For whoever eats the fat of the animal, of which men offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh, even the soul who eats it shall be cut off from his people.

26You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings.

27Whoever it is who eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’”

28Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

29“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to Yahweh shall bring his offering to Yahweh out of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

30With his own hands he shall bring the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before Yahweh.

31The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.

32The right thigh you shall give to the priest for a heave offering out of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.

33He among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right thigh for a portion.

34For the waved breast and the heaved thigh I have taken from the children of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel.’”

35This is the anointing portion of Aaron, and the anointing portion of his sons, out of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister to Yahweh in the priest’s office;

36which Yahweh commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them. It is their portion forever throughout their generations.

37This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meal offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecration, and of the sacrifice of peace offerings;

38which Yahweh commanded Moses in Mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their offerings to Yahweh, in the wilderness of Sinai.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

The law of the guilt offering is given: it is slaughtered like the burnt offering, its fat burned on the altar, and its meat eaten by the priests as a most holy portion, with the officiating priest keeping the hide of any burnt offering he presents (vv. 1-10). The law of the peace offering follows, distinguishing a thanksgiving offering — accompanied by various breads and eaten the same day — from a vow or freewill offering, which may also be eaten the next day but must be burned if any remains on the third day, since eating it then makes the offering unacceptable (vv. 11-18). Meat that touches anything unclean, or is eaten by someone unclean, defiles the offering and brings guilt on the offerer (vv. 19-21). Israel is forbidden to eat the fat of any ox, sheep, or goat, or any blood at all, on penalty of being cut off from the people (vv. 22-27). The priest's portion of every peace offering is fixed: the breast is waved before the LORD and given to Aaron's line, and the right thigh is presented as a heave offering (vv. 28-34). The chapter closes by summarizing all the offering laws given at Sinai (vv. 35-38).

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 newly completed Tabernacle, giving Israel instructions for worship, sacrifice, and holy living.
Historical Context: Chapter 7 concludes the entire offering section that began in chapter 1. It provides priestly regulations for the guilt/trespass offering (vv.1-10), then gives detailed laws for the peace offering (vv.11-36), and closes with a summary statement covering all the offerings (vv.37-38). The peace offering is unique among the sacrifices because it is the only offering where the worshipper eats a portion — it is a communal meal shared between God (the fat burned on the altar), the priest (breast and right thigh), and the worshipper (the remaining flesh). This makes it a picture of fellowship and communion. Three categories of peace offering are distinguished: thanksgiving (todah), vow (neder), and freewill (nedabah). The chapter also contains absolute prohibitions against eating fat and blood — commands that carry the penalty of being "cut off" from the people.
Classification: Historical Narrative
Key Themes: a peace offering distinguished from every other sacrifice by being the one meal the worshipper himself gets to eat, a thanksgiving offering that must be eaten the very day it is brought while a vow offering may stretch to a second, a third day's leftovers declared not an oversight but an abomination, fat and blood alike forbidden to any Israelite because both already belong to God, and a summary verse tying every offering in the first seven chapters back to the single mountain where they were all given
The Law of the Guilt/Trespass Offering (vv.1-10): Killed where the burnt offering is killed (v.2). Blood sprinkled on the altar (v.2). All fat offered: fat tail, fat covering entrails, kidneys, liver lobe (vv.3-4). Burned on the altar as a fire offering (v.5). Eaten by male priests in a holy place (v.6). Same law as sin offering — priest who atones receives it (v.7). Priest receives the skin of burnt offerings (v.8). Priest receives baked/prepared grain offerings; dry/oil-mixed grain offerings shared equally among all priests (vv.9-10).
The Law of the Peace Offering (vv.11-21): Three categories: (1) Thanksgiving (vv.12-15) — offered with unleavened cakes, wafers, and fried cakes, plus leavened bread (v.13). Must be eaten the same day (v.15). The urgency: gratitude should be immediate and shared. (2) Vow or Freewill (vv.16-17) — may be eaten over two days. Remainder burned on the third day (v.17). (3) Penalty for violation: eating on the third day — the offering is not accepted, not credited, becomes an "abomination" (v.18). Unclean flesh must be burned (v.19). Eating while unclean results in being "cut off from his people" (vv.20-21).
Prohibition of Fat and Blood (vv.22-27): No fat of ox, sheep, or goat to be eaten (v.23). Fat of dead/torn animals may be used for other purposes but not eaten (v.24). Penalty: cut off from the people (v.25). No blood of any kind — fowl or beast (v.26). Penalty: cut off (v.27). The fat belongs to God (burned on the altar). The blood belongs to God (it is the life — Leviticus 17:11). Man may not consume what belongs to God.
The Wave Offering and Heave Offering (vv.28-36): The worshipper brings the offering with his own hands (v.30) — personal involvement required. The fat burned on the altar; the breast waved before the LORD and given to Aaron's sons (vv.30-31). The right thigh/shoulder given as a heave offering to the officiating priest (vv.32-33). Wave breast and heave thigh: a perpetual statute for priestly provision (v.34). This is their "portion of the anointing" (v.35).
Summary Statement (vv.37-38): "This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings" (v.37). Given at Mount Sinai in the wilderness (v.38). This closes the entire sacrificial legislation of Leviticus 1-7.

Map & Geography

  • Sinai (v.38): Mountain where God gave Moses the Law.

Places on this map

  • Mount SinaiJebel Musa, Sinai Peninsula, EgyptTraditionally Jebel Musa in the granite mountains of the southern Sinai peninsula, about 7,500 feet high. The identification dates from Christian monastic tradition rather than from the text, and other candidates have been proposed, but this has been the pilgrimage site since the fourth century. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik highlights the peace offering as the only sacrifice where the worshipper eats — making it a picture of communion and fellowship. He notes the three categories (thanksgiving, vow, freewill) and the urgency of the same-day eating requirement for thanksgiving offerings.
  • 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

Leviticus 7 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes
2BeLikeChrist

How Jesus Fulfills the Sacrificial System – Leviticus Chapter 7
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

  • Gratitude That Doesn't Wait (v.15) — The thanksgiving offering had to be eaten the same day it was given, allowing no time for the moment of gratitude to grow stale. When God does something worth thanking Him for, how quickly do you actually stop and thank Him?
  • Approaching God's Table in an Unfit State Has Consequences (v.20) — Eating the peace offering while ceremonially unclean resulted in being cut off from the people. Do you examine your own heart before approaching worship, or do you come however you happen to be?
  • What Belongs to God Isn't Yours to Take (vv.26-27) — Blood, representing life itself, was permanently off-limits for personal consumption because it belonged to God alone. What in your life do you treat as yours to use however you want, when it actually belongs to God?
  • Worship Requires Your Own Hands (v.30) — The worshipper had to personally carry the offering forward rather than send it by another. Is your worship something you're personally engaged in, or something you let happen around you?