Leviticus 7
Big idea: The priests' manual is completed and then closed. The trespass offering follows the sin offering's rules, and the priests' portions are itemised down to the skin of the burnt offering and the pan the meal offering was cooked in. The peace offering gets the most detailed treatment because it is the one people eat: thanksgiving eaten the same day, a vow or freewill offering within two, and anything left on the third day burned — eating it then makes the sacrifice worthless. Two prohibitions are repeated with the penalty attached — no fat, no blood, on pain of being cut off — and the chapter ends with a formal colophon naming this as the law given at Sinai.
Chapters 1–7 have described the offerings. Chapter 8 finally acts: Moses assembles the congregation and ordains the priests who will perform them.
7:1–10 — The trespass offering, and the priests' portions
The trespass offering is most holy, killed where the burnt offering is killed, its blood sprinkled around the altar, its fat — including the fat tail — burned. Every male among the priests may eat it in a holy place. Then a settlement of shares: the priest who makes atonement receives it; the priest who offers a burnt offering keeps the skin; a baked, pan- or griddle-cooked meal offering belongs to the priest who offers it, while flour offerings mixed with oil or dry belong to all Aaron's sons alike.
1 “‘This is the law of the trespass offering: It is most holy. 2 In the place where they kill the burnt offering, he shall kill the trespass offering; and its blood he shall sprinkle around on the altar. 3 He shall offer all of its fat: the fat tail, and the fat that covers the innards, 4 and he shall take away the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys; 5 and the priest shall burn them on the altar for an offering made by fire to Yahweh: it is a trespass offering. 6 Every 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. 8 The priest who offers any man’s burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered. 9 Every meal offering that is baked in the oven, and all that is prepared in the pan and on the griddle, shall be the priest’s who offers it. 10 Every meal offering, mixed with oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron, one as well as another.
7:11–21 — The peace offering: thanksgiving, vow, and the third day
A thanksgiving peace offering comes with unleavened cakes and wafers mixed with oil, and also with leavened bread — one of each set given to the priest who sprinkles the blood. Its meat must be eaten the day it is offered, with nothing left till morning. A vow or freewill offering may be eaten the next day too, but anything remaining on the third day is burned; eating it then makes the sacrifice not accepted, not credited, an abomination. Meat that touches anything unclean is burned, and anyone who eats peace-offering meat while unclean is cut off from his people.
11 “‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer to Yahweh: 12 If 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. 13 He shall offer his offering with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving with cakes of leavened bread. 14 Of 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. 15 The 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 free will offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice. On the next day what remains of it shall be eaten, 17 but what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire. 18 If 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; 20 but 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. 21 When 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.’”
7:22–27 — No fat, no blood
Addressed now to the children of Israel rather than the priests: eat no fat of bull, sheep or goat. Fat from an animal that died of itself or was torn may be used for other purposes but never eaten. Whoever eats the fat of an animal offered by fire to Yahweh is cut off from his people. And no blood at all, of bird or animal, in any of your dwellings — the same penalty attached.
22 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You shall eat no fat, of bull, or sheep, or goat. 24 The 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. 25 For whoever eats the fat of the animal which men offer as an offering made by fire to Yahweh, even the soul who eats it shall be cut off from his people. 26 You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings. 27 Whoever it is who eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’”
7:28–38 — The wave breast, the heave thigh, and the summary
The offerer brings the fat with the breast with his own hands; the fat is burned and the breast is waved before Yahweh and becomes Aaron's and his sons'. The right thigh goes as a heave offering to the priest who offers the blood and the fat. These are called their portion forever from the children of Israel — the consecrated portion given on the day they were anointed. The chapter closes with a formal summary naming all six laws and where they were given: in Mount Sinai, in the wilderness of Sinai.
28 Yahweh 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. 30 With 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. 31 The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. 32 The right thigh you shall give to the priest for a heave offering out of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33 He among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right thigh for a portion. 34 For 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.’” 35 This is the consecrated portion of Aaron, and the consecrated 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; 36 which 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. 37 This is the law of the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the consecration, and the sacrifice of peace offerings 38 which 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.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).