Leviticus 3
The Peace Offering from the Herd (Cattle) 1–5
Peace Offering from the Flock (Lamb) 6–11
Peace Offering of a Goat and the Law of Fat and Blood 12–17
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Study Notes for Leviticus 3
Verse 1
a sacrifice of peace offering — Zebach shelamim, from the root of shalam, to make whole or requite; offered for thanksgiving, a vow or freewill (7:12, 16). It may be ‘a male or female’, where the burnt offering of the herd must be ‘a male’ (1:3). It was offered at the covenant at Sinai (Ex 24:5), and the New Testament speaks of ‘peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Rom 5:1).
Verse 2
lay his hand upon the head of his offering — Samak, to lean on, to rest weight upon. The same act opens the burnt offering, where it is ‘accepted for him to make atonement for him’ (1:4). The offerer himself kills the animal at the tabernacle door; the priests, Aaron’s sons, sprinkle the blood (zaraq) ‘upon the altar round about’, as in 1:5.
Verse 3
the fat that covereth the inwards — Cheleb, the fat, burned as ‘an offering made by fire’ (ishsheh). Verse 4 adds the kidneys and the caul above the liver. The fat is the LORD’s portion, and Lev 7:25 says that whoever eats the fat of a beast offered by fire ‘shall be cut off from his people’. Abel’s firstlings are offered ‘of the fat thereof’ (Gen 4:4).
Verse 5
upon the burnt sacrifice — The fat is laid on the olah, the burnt offering already on the altar, ‘upon the wood that is on the fire’. This is the daily order of 6:12, where the priest ‘shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings’.
Verse 6
of the flock; male or female — Tson, the flock of sheep or goats. The herd is treated in vv.1–5, the lamb in vv.7–11 and the goat in vv.12–16. Male or female, it must be ‘without blemish’ (tamim) (v.1), and of the vow and freewill offering Lev 22:21 says, ‘it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.’
Verse 9
the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone — The ‘rump’ is alyah, the fat tail of the sheep, taken off ‘hard by’ (beside) the atseh, the spine. It is added to the fat that covers the inwards when the offering is a lamb (v.7). It is named with the fat of the ram of consecration (Ex 29:22) and in Lev 7:3 and 9:19.
Verse 11
the food of the offering made by fire — ‘Food’ is lechem, bread. The offerings are called ‘the bread of their God’ (Lev 21:6) and ‘my bread for my sacrifices’ (Num 28:2). The LORD denies hunger: ‘If I were hungry, I would not tell thee… Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?’ (Ps 50:12–13); the call there is to offer thanksgiving.
Verse 16
all the fat is the LORD’S — The altar burns the fat ‘for a sweet savour’ (nichoach, a restful aroma). The rule is repeated at 7:23–25. Later the priest’s servant demanded raw flesh before the fat was burned, and ‘men abhorred the offering of the LORD’ (1 Sam 2:15–17).
Verse 17
a perpetual statute… that ye eat neither fat nor blood — Chuqqat olam, a statute for ever, binding ‘throughout all your dwellings’ as well as at the altar. The fat is forbidden of beasts offered by fire (7:25). Blood is forbidden because ‘the life of the flesh is in the blood’ (17:11, 14), as Noah was told (Gen 9:4); the apostles wrote, ‘abstain… from blood’ (Acts 15:20).