Add parallel Print Page Options

The Law of Burnt Offerings

The Lord [a]called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying, “Speak to the [b]children of Israel and say to them, ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of [domestic] animals from the herd (cattle, oxen) or from the flock (sheep, goats). If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting so that he may be accepted before the Lord.(A) He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice], that it may be [c]accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.(B) He shall kill the young bull before the Lord; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting. Then he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the [high] priest shall put fire on the altar [of burnt offering] and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and the fat, on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. But he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering. It is an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord.(C)

10 ‘But if his offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, as a burnt offering, he shall offer a male without blemish. 11 He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar. 12 He shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 13 But he shall wash the entrails and legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it, and offer it up in smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord.

14 ‘But if his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring turtledoves or young pigeons as his offering. 15 The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He shall remove its [d]crop with its feathers and throw it next to the east side of the altar, in the place for ashes. 17 Then he shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord.

The Law of Grain Offerings

‘When [e]anyone presents a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour [olive] oil over it and put frankincense on it. He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. Out of it he shall take a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall offer this up in smoke on the altar [of burnt offering] as the memorial portion of it. It is an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord. What is left of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings to the Lord by fire.

‘When you bring an offering of grain baked in the oven, it shall be [f]unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. If your offering is grain baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine unleavened flour, mixed with oil. You are to break it into pieces, and you shall pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. Now if your offering is grain cooked in a lidded pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. When you bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord, it shall be presented to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar [of burnt offering]. The priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar. It is an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord. 10 What is left of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings to the Lord by fire.

11 ‘No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven [which symbolizes the spread of sin] or any honey [which, like leaven, is subject to fermentation] in any offering by fire to the Lord.(D) 12 As an offering of first fruits you may offer them [leaven and honey] to the Lord, but they shall not go up [in smoke] on the altar as a sweet and soothing aroma. 13 You shall season every grain offering with salt so that the salt (preservation) of the covenant of your God will not be missing from your grain offering. You shall offer salt with all your offerings.(E)

14 ‘If you bring a grain offering of early ripened things to the Lord, you shall bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, crushed grain of new growth, for the grain offering of your early ripened things. 15 You shall put oil on it and lay incense on it; it is a grain offering. 16 The priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial portion, part of the crushed grain and part of its oil with all its incense; it is an offering by fire to the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 1:1 Before this God had spoken to Moses from the mountain, but now God dwelt among His people in fellowship with them and talked with His servant Moses “from the Tent of Meeting.” The people were entering into a new relationship with God.
  2. Leviticus 1:2 In general, sons (children) of Israel or Israel or Israelites refers to all the people (males and females) of the various tribes descended from the twelve sons (Gen 35:23-26) of Jacob (later renamed Israel by God). In verses concerning things such as warfare or circumcision sons of Israel or Israel or Israelites usually refers only to the males. Tribes of ancient people were identified by the name of their founding ancestor. Therefore, this same general rule applies when referring to individual tribal groups, e.g. sons of Reuben, Reuben, Reubenites and so throughout.
  3. Leviticus 1:4 By laying his hands on the head of the sacrifice the offerer identified himself with it and through its death it became an atonement or covering for his sin. Because the unblemished sacrifice “covered” his sin it placed the offerer in a right relationship with God, just as later under the new covenant the perfection and sacrifice of the Christ would cover the imperfection and sin of those who identified with Him and accepted Him as Savior.
  4. Leviticus 1:16 An enlargement of the gullet that serves as a receptacle for food.
  5. Leviticus 2:1 Lit a soul.
  6. Leviticus 2:4 Leaven (yeast) symbolized corruption and sin.

Bible Gateway Recommends