Leviticus7

Leviticus 7 details the laws concerning various offerings and the portions designated for the priests. It begins with the trespass offering, specifying its holiness and priestly consumption. The chapter then outlines the regulations for peace offerings, including different types and strict time limits for eating the flesh. Crucially, it reiterates the prohibitions against consuming fat and blood, with severe penalties for transgression.
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The Law of the Trespass Offering

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“Now this is the law of the guilt offering, which is most holy: ​
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The guilt offering must be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and the priest shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. ​
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And all the fat from it shall be offered: the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,
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both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys.
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The priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD; it is a guilt offering.
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Every male among the priests may eat of it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy. ​

Priestly Portions from the Offerings

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The guilt offering is like the sin offering; the same law applies to both. It belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it. ​
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As for the priest who presents a burnt offering for anyone, the hide of that offering belongs to him. ​
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Likewise, 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,
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and every grain offering, whether dry or mixed with oil, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.

The Law of the Peace Offering

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Now this is the law of the peace offering that one may present to the LORD: ​
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If 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.
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Along with his peace offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of leavened bread. ​
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From 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.
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The 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. ​
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If, 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.
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But any meat of the sacrifice remaining until the third day must be burned up.
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If 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. ​
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Meat 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.
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But 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. ​
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If 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.” ​

Prohibition on Eating Fat and Blood

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Then the LORD said to Moses,
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“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘You are not to eat any of the fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat. ​
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The fat of an animal found dead or mauled by wild beasts may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it.
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If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which an offering made by fire may be presented to the LORD, the one who eats it must be cut off from his people.
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You must not eat the blood of any bird or animal in any of your dwellings. ​
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If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.’”

The Priests' Fixed Portions

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Then the LORD said to Moses,
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“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Anyone who presents a peace offering to the LORD must bring it as his sacrifice to the LORD.
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With his own hands he is to bring the offerings made by fire to the LORD; he shall bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast as a wave offering before the LORD. ​
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The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.
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And you are to give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from your peace offering.
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The son of Aaron who presents the blood and fat of the peace offering shall have the right thigh as a portion.
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I 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.’” ​
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This is the portion of the offerings made by fire to the LORD for Aaron and his sons since the day they were presented to serve the LORD as priests.
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On 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.

Conclusion of the Sacrificial Laws

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This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the peace offering, ​
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which 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. ​

Study Notes for Leviticus 7

Verse 1

The trespass offering ('Asham) addresses specific instances of wrongful action against God or neighbor that require restitution. Like the sin offering, it is designated 'most holy,' meaning consumption is restricted to the priests in a sacred location.

Verse 2

The requirement that the trespass offering be slaughtered in the same location as the burnt offering emphasizes the gravity and sacredness of the atonement process, linking it closely to the general sacrificial ritual.

Verse 6

Only male priests (the sons of Aaron) were permitted to eat the meat of the 'most holy' offerings (sin and trespass), symbolizing their unique consecrated status and limiting contact with the sacred food.

Verse 7

This verse establishes that the law governing the distribution of the trespass offering is identical to that of the sin offering: the priest who performs the rite receives the meat as his sustenance.

Verse 8

The skin of the burnt offering was the only part not consumed by fire, and it was given to the officiating priest. This portion provided practical material for clothing or trade, contributing to the priest's livelihood.

Verse 11

The peace offering (Shelamim) is unique because it is the only major sacrifice shared among God (fat), the priest (breast/shoulder), and the worshipper (remaining meat), symbolizing fellowship and communion.

Verse 13

Leavened bread is normally forbidden on the altar, but it is permitted here as a secondary offering alongside the unleavened cakes. This leavened bread was eaten by the priest and the offerer during the celebratory meal.

Verse 15

The thanksgiving peace offering must be consumed entirely on the day of sacrifice. This strict time limit emphasizes the urgency of expressing gratitude and ensures the meat is shared while the celebratory impulse is fresh.

Verse 18

Eating the meat on the third day renders the sacrifice unacceptable and is deemed an 'abomination.' This strict time limit maintains the sanctity of the offering and prevents ritual decay or defilement.

Verse 20

Participation in the sacred meal requires ritual purity. If a person eats the offering while in a state of uncleanness, they violate the holiness of the sacrifice and are subject to being 'cut off' (excommunication or divine judgment).

Verse 21

This verse reiterates the severe penalty for violating the sanctity of the peace offering through contact with human, animal, or object uncleanness, underscoring the necessity of ritual separation.

Verse 23

The fat (suet or internal organ fat) was reserved exclusively for the Lord, as it was considered the choicest part. Eating the fat was forbidden because it was the portion designated for the altar.

Verse 26

The prohibition on consuming blood is fundamental throughout the Torah because the blood represents the life (soul) of the creature. Blood must be reserved solely for the purpose of atonement upon the altar.

Verse 30

The worshipper personally presents the fat (for God) and the breast (for the priest) to the officiating priest. The breast is then ritually ‘waved’ before the Lord, marking its transfer as the priest’s food.

Verse 34

The 'wave breast' and the 'heave shoulder' were designated as permanent, non-negotiable portions for the Aaronic priesthood, establishing a perpetual means of their support and sustenance.

Verse 37

This verse serves as a summary colophon, listing the six main categories of sacrificial and priestly laws detailed across Leviticus 1-7, concluding the initial instruction given to Moses.

Verse 38

The summary emphasizes that these detailed sacrificial regulations were revealed by the LORD to Moses at Mount Sinai, thus placing the entire system under divine authority and covenant mandate.

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