Leviticus 7 meaning explained in AI Summary

The Grain Offering Continued

• Additional Details and Bread Varieties: This chapter provides further details about grain offerings, including regulations for offerings baked in an oven, cooked in a pan, or made as dough patties. Specific portions are designated for the priest and for burning on the altar. This highlights the importance of sharing the offering with God and His representatives.
• Leavened Bread Restriction: Unlike most grain offerings, which could be leavened (containing yeast), certain grain offerings associated with thanksgiving sacrifices had to be unleavened (without yeast). This potentially symbolized sincerity and purity of heart.
• Permanent Right of Priests: The chapter reiterates that a portion of every grain offering belongs to the priests as their permanent right. This ensured their sustenance as they carried out their duties.

Chapter 7 of Leviticus continues the detailed instructions on various sacrifices and offerings within the Israelite sacrificial system. It can be broadly divided into three sections:

1. Laws Concerning Specific Sacrifices (verses 1-38):

• Burnt Offering (1-9): Reiterates the importance of burning the entire offering on the altar, leaving nothing until morning.
• Grain Offering (10-15): Details the portions of the grain offering for the priests and the offerer, emphasizing the use of unleavened bread and frankincense.
• Peace Offering (16-38): Explains the different types of peace offerings (thanksgiving, vow, freewill) and their specific regulations. It emphasizes that the offering must be eaten within a specific timeframe (one or two days depending on the type) and any leftovers burned. It also prohibits the consumption of fat and blood.

2. The Priests' Share of the Offerings (verses 28-36):

• This section clarifies the specific portions of various offerings designated for Aaron and his sons (the priests). This includes the right thigh and breast of the peace offering, the wave offering, the heave offering, and portions of the sin offering and guilt offering.

3. Concluding Statement (verses 37-38):

• These verses summarize the instructions regarding sacrifices, offerings, consecration, and the roles of the altar and priests. They emphasize that these are God's commands to Moses for the Israelites.

Key Themes:

• Holiness and Separation: The detailed instructions emphasize the sacred nature of the sacrifices and the need for careful adherence to God's commands.
• Atonement and Fellowship: Different sacrifices serve different purposes, some for atonement of sin and others for expressing gratitude and seeking fellowship with God.
• Provision for the Priests: The allocation of specific portions of the offerings to the priests highlights their role as mediators between God and the people and ensures their sustenance.

Overall, Leviticus Chapter 7 provides a deeper understanding of the intricacies and theological significance of the Israelite sacrificial system, emphasizing the importance of obedience, holiness, and the role of sacrifice in maintaining a right relationship with God.

Leviticus 7 bible study ai commentary

Leviticus 7 details the torah (instruction/law) for the guilt offering and the peace offering, shifting focus from the worshipper's role (chapters 1-5) to the procedural duties of the priests. It outlines the specific rituals, the distribution of the sacrificial portions between God, the priest, and the offerer, and the strict rules of purity required for partaking in the sacred communal meals. The chapter underscores the principles of restitution, fellowship with God, divine provision for the priesthood, and the absolute holiness required to approach the LORD.

Leviticus 7 context

This chapter's instructions were given to Moses at Mount Sinai, intended for the priests of Israel's newly established Tabernacle worship system. It provided a ritual grammar that structured their relationship with a holy God. Culturally, while animal sacrifice was common in the Ancient Near East (ANE), the Levitical system was unique. It was not for appeasing temperamental deities, divination, or magical coercion. Instead, it was a divinely ordained system for dealing with sin, expressing gratitude, and maintaining covenant fellowship, all centered on the holiness of Yahweh and His gracious provision of atonement.

Leviticus 7:1-7

‘Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering (it is most holy). In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the trespass offering. And its blood he shall sprinkle all around on the altar. And he shall offer from it all its fat. The fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the loins, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver, with the kidneys, he shall remove; and the priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a trespass offering. Every male among the priests may eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. The trespass offering is like the sin offering; there is one law for them both: the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.

In-depth-analysis

• Law of the Trespass Offering (torat ha'asham): This is the priestly instruction for the asham (guilt/reparation offering), which was introduced in chapter 5. It deals with sins requiring restitution, such as desecrating holy things or defrauding a neighbor.
• Most Holy (qodesh qadashim): This designation means the offering has the highest degree of sanctity. Consequently, it can only be eaten by consecrated individuals (priests), in a consecrated place (the Tabernacle court), within a specific time.
• Blood Sprinkled Around: The application of blood against the sides of the altar signifies atonement and the release of life. Unlike some sin offerings, the blood is not taken inside the sanctuary.
• Fat Belongs to the LORD: The list of fat portions (fat tail of the sheep, entrails, kidneys, liver lobe) is identical to that of the peace offering. These were considered the richest, best parts and were reserved for God, consumed by fire on the altar.
• Priest's Portion: The priest who officiates receives the meat of the animal as his food. This is a key part of God's provision for the Levites, who had no land inheritance.
• One Law for Both: The procedure for the guilt offering (asham) and the sin offering (hatta't) are nearly identical, with the key distinction being the context of the sin—asham always involves a violation requiring restitution.

Bible references

• Isa 53:10: 'Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him... When You make His soul an offering for sin [asham]...' (Jesus as the ultimate guilt offering, making full restitution for humanity's sin.)
• 2 Cor 5:21: 'For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.' (Christ's substitutionary atonement fulfills the principle of the sin/trespass offering.)
• Heb 9:22: 'And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.' (The foundational principle of the necessity of blood for atonement.)

Cross references

Lev 5:14-19 (Introduction of the trespass offering); Num 18:9 (Portions designated as most holy for the priests); Ezek 40:39 (Vision of the future temple includes a place for slaughtering the guilt offering).

Leviticus 7:8-10

And the priest who offers any man’s burnt offering, that priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered. Also every grain offering that is baked in the oven and all that is prepared in the pan or on the griddle shall be the priest’s who offers it. Every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, one as much as another.

In-depth-analysis

• Priest's Right to the Skin: In the burnt offering (olah), where the entire animal was consumed by fire, the priest was given the animal's hide. This was a valuable material, providing another source of income/provision.
• Cooked Grain Offerings: Grain offerings (minchah) prepared in specific ways (baked, pan-fried) belonged entirely to the officiating priest.
• Uncooked Grain Offerings: In contrast, raw grain offerings (flour mixed with oil or dry) were to be shared equally among all the priests on duty, fostering community among the priesthood. This section clarifies the regulations from Lev 2.

Bible references

• 1 Cor 9:13-14: 'Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple... Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.' (Paul uses the Levitical model as the basis for supporting New Testament ministers.)
• Num 18:8-10: 'I have given you charge of My heave offerings... This shall be yours of the most holy things...' (God explicitly states that the offerings are the priests' inheritance and provision.)

Cross references

Lev 2 (The law of the grain offering); 2 Kgs 12:16 (Trespass and sin offering money was not brought into the temple treasury but belonged to the priests); Gen 3:21 (The first instance of an animal skin being used as a covering, provided by God).

Leviticus 7:11-15

‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the LORD: If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. Besides the cakes, he shall offer leavened bread with the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving. And from it he shall offer one cake from each offering as a heave offering to the LORD. It shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering. The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning.

In-depth-analysis

• Peace Offering (zevah shelamim): The instruction for the peace offering, which symbolized fellowship and peace between God and the worshipper. This was a celebratory, communal meal.
• Thanksgiving Offering (todah): This is the first of three types of peace offerings. It was a spontaneous offering of gratitude for an answered prayer or deliverance.
• Leavened and Unleavened Bread: Uniquely, the thanksgiving offering included leavened (chametz) bread alongside unleavened cakes. Leaven, usually a symbol of sin, is here permitted, perhaps because it represented the "staff of life" and the ordinary, joyful reality of what God provides. It was offered in thanksgiving, not for atonement.
• Priest's Share: The priest received one of each type of cake/bread, signifying God's portion being given to His representative.
• Eat the Same Day: The meat of the thanksgiving offering had to be consumed entirely on the day it was offered. This urgency emphasized the immediacy and intensity of the gratitude being expressed.

Bible references

• Psa 107:22: 'Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.' (Captures the joyful spirit of the todah offering.)
• Heb 13:15: 'Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.' (The NT fulfillment of the thanksgiving offering is verbal praise to God through Christ.)
• 1 Cor 10:16: 'The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?' (The Lord's Supper is a New Covenant communal meal of thanksgiving.)

Cross references

Lev 22:29-30 (Reiteration of the "same-day" rule for thanksgiving); 2 Chr 29:31 (Hezekiah's revival included an abundance of thanksgiving offerings); Psa 50:14 (God desires the offering of thanksgiving).

Polemics: While surrounding nations had communal feasts for their gods, the Israelite peace offering was fundamentally different. It was not a banquet for God (as if He needed food), but a meal with God, celebrating a covenant relationship He established. The strict rules of timing and purity were unique to Israelite worship.

Leviticus 7:16-18

But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day he offers his sacrifice; but on the next day the remainder of it also may be eaten; but the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day must be burned with fire. And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, nor shall it be imputed to him who offers it. It shall be an abomination, and the person who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

In-depth-analysis

• Vow (neder) and Voluntary (nedavah) Offerings: These are the other two types of peace offerings. A vow offering fulfilled a pledge made to God, while a voluntary offering was a freewill expression of devotion.
• Two-Day Limit: These offerings were less urgent than the thanksgiving offering and could be eaten on the day of the sacrifice and the next day. This allowed for more time to gather family and friends to share in the meal.
• Third Day Prohibition: Eating the meat on the third day was strictly forbidden. It was to be burned.
• Abomination (piggul): If eaten on the third day, the offering becomes piggul—a foul, ritually offensive thing. This is a very strong term of rejection. The sacrifice is nullified, and the eater bears guilt (avon). This rule taught reverence for holy things and prevented the sacred meal from being treated as common leftovers.

Bible references

• Ecc 5:4-5: 'When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it... Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.' (The seriousness of making and keeping vows to God.)
• Lev 19:6-8: 'It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day... for it is an abomination...' (A direct parallel and reinforcement of this law.)
• Hos 6:3: 'After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.' (While not a direct reference, the "third day" motif of new life in resurrection stands in stark contrast to the "third day" of decay and rejection for the offering's flesh, a powerful theological shadow.)

Cross references

Deut 12:17-18 (Eating offerings in the designated place); Num 15:3 (Laws concerning vow and freewill offerings); Psa 66:13-14 (Fulfilling vows in the house of the Lord).

Leviticus 7:19-21

The flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. And as for the flesh, all who are clean may eat of it. But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, while he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from his people. Moreover the person who touches any unclean thing, such as human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any abominable unclean thing, and then eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person shall be cut off from his people.’

In-depth-analysis

• Contact with Uncleanness: The holiness of the sacrificial meat is contagious in a negative sense; if it touches something ritually impure, the meat becomes defiled and must be destroyed, not eaten.
• Eater Must Be Clean: Conversely, only a ceremonially clean person could partake in the peace offering meal.
• Being "Cut Off" (karat): Eating the holy meal while in a state of ritual uncleanness was a serious offense, warranting being "cut off from his people." The exact meaning is debated but implies excommunication from the covenant community, and possibly premature death as a divine judgment. It demonstrates that access to God's presence and fellowship requires purity.

Bible references

• 1 Cor 11:27-29: 'Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty... For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself...' (Paul applies the principle of purity and self-examination to the New Covenant meal of communion.)
• Hag 2:12-14: 'If one who is unclean by a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?”... ‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the LORD...' (Prophetic illustration of how uncleanness defiles, but holiness is not so easily transferred.)
• Heb 12:14: 'Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord...' (The enduring principle that holiness is a prerequisite for fellowship with God.)

Cross references

Lev 11 (Laws of clean and unclean animals); Lev 15 (Laws of human uncleanness); Num 19:20 (Uncleanness from a corpse defiles the sanctuary).

Leviticus 7:22-27

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: “You shall not eat any fat, of ox or sheep or goat. And the fat of an animal that dies naturally, and the fat of what is torn by wild beasts, may be used in any other way; but you shall by no means eat it. For whoever eats the fat of an animal of which an offering is made by fire to the LORD, the person who eats it shall be cut off from his people. Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast. Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.”’

In-depth-analysis

• Fat Prohibition: The prohibition against eating the specific types of internal fat (chelev) from sacrificial animals (ox, sheep, goat) is made a general rule for all Israelites. This fat is reserved for God alone.
• Fat from a Carcass: The fat from an animal that died naturally or was killed by predators could not be eaten (because the blood wasn't drained) but could be used for other purposes, like fuel or lubrication.
• Blood Prohibition: This is an absolute, universal prohibition. Blood from any bird or beast cannot be consumed. The reason, given elsewhere, is that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Lev 17:11). Life belongs to God, and He has designated blood for the purpose of atonement on the altar.
• "Cut Off" Penalty: Violating either the fat or blood prohibition incurs the severe penalty of being karat, or "cut off," underscoring the gravity of these commands.

Bible references

• Lev 17:11: 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls...' (The primary theological reason for the blood prohibition.)
• Lev 3:16-17: 'All the fat is the LORD’s. This shall be a perpetual statute...' (The initial statement of the fat and blood rule in the context of the peace offering.)
• Acts 15:20: '...but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.' (The Jerusalem Council upholds the blood prohibition for Gentile believers, showing its enduring significance beyond the ceremonial law.)

Cross references

Gen 9:4 (The prohibition of blood given to Noah, pre-dating the Mosaic Law); Deut 12:23 (Reiteration of the blood prohibition); 1 Sam 14:32-34 (Saul’s men sin by eating meat with the blood).

Polemics: This rule set Israel apart from many pagan cultures where blood was often drunk in rituals to gain the animal's strength or communicate with underworld deities. Israel's law reinforces that life is sacred and belongs to the Creator alone.

Leviticus 7:28-36

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: “He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offering to the LORD shall bring his offering to the LORD from the sacrifice of his peace offering. His own hands shall bring the offerings made by fire to the LORD. The fat with the breast he shall bring, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the LORD. And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. Also the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a heave offering from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. He among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offering and the fat shall have the right thigh for his part. For the wave breast and the heave thigh I have taken from the children of Israel... a statute forever...”’

In-depth-analysis

• Worshipper's Own Hands: Emphasizes the personal involvement of the offerer. They bring the portion for the Lord (the fat) and the portions for the priests (breast and thigh) to the priest.
• Wave Offering (tenuphah): The breast was "waved" before the LORD. This ritual likely involved a horizontal motion, symbolically presenting the portion to God, who then gives it back to His priests as their food.
• Heave/Contribution Offering (terumah): The right thigh was a "heave" or "contribution" offering. This likely involved a vertical motion, signifying it was lifted up to God. The term terumah often means a contribution or tax. This was the special portion for the officiating priest.
• Statute Forever: This provision for the priesthood is declared a permanent ordinance, signifying God's lasting commitment to sustaining His appointed ministers.
• Taken From Israel: God specifies that He has "taken" these portions from the people to give to the priests, clarifying that the people's contribution is not a mere tip, but a divine command and redistribution.

Bible references

• Exod 29:27-28: '...the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering... for it is a heave offering. It shall be from the children of Israel...' (This practice was instituted at the consecration of Aaron and his sons.)
• Num 18:18-19: 'And their flesh shall be yours, just as the wave breast and the right thigh are yours. All the heave offerings... I have given to you...' (Part of the covenant of salt with the Aaronic priesthood.)

Cross references

Lev 8:29 (Moses takes the wave breast at the priests' ordination); Lev 10:14-15 (Aaron and his sons told to eat the wave breast and heave thigh); Num 6:20 (Similar wave portions given to the priest from a Nazirite's offering).

Leviticus 7:37-38

This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the consecrations, and the sacrifice of the peace offering, which the LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that He commanded the children of Israel to present their offerings to the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai.

In-depth-analysis

• Summary Colophon: This is a concluding summary for the entire block of legislation in Leviticus 1:1–7:36. It lists the five main types of sacrifices covered, plus the "consecrations" (milluim), referring to the ordination offering for priests (detailed in Lev 8).
• This is the Law (torah): Reinforces that these chapters are the official, authoritative instructions for Israel's entire sacrificial system.
• Mount Sinai Origin: The closing verses anchor this entire system in divine revelation. These are not human inventions or borrowed customs; they are commandments from Yahweh given at a specific time (at Sinai) and place (in the wilderness).

Bible references

• Lev 27:34: 'These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.' (A concluding formula similar to the one used for the entire book.)
• Heb 8:5: '[They] serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle...' (The NT perspective that the Sinai commands, while historically real, pointed to greater heavenly realities.)

Leviticus chapter 7 analysis

• Priestly Manual: Chapters 6 and 7 function as a priestly manual, shifting the focus from the "what" of the offerings (chs. 1-5) to the "how," providing the specific procedures (torah) for the priests.
• Degrees of Holiness: The chapter clearly distinguishes between "most holy" offerings (Guilt, Sin, Grain) eaten only by priests in the holy precinct, and "holy" offerings (Peace offering) that could be shared by the worshipper and their family in any clean place. This taught Israel about gradations of sanctity.
• Theology of Provision: A central theme is God's provision for His ministers. The skin, the meat of the guilt/sin offerings, and special portions of the peace offering are all designated for the priests, who had no land inheritance. God's people support God's ministers through their worship.
• Communion and Celebration: The Peace Offering (shelamim) is unique as a communal meal shared with God. The Hebrew root sh-l-m connects to words like shalom (peace, wholeness, well-being). The offering celebrates and restores this state of well-being between God, the priest, and the worshipper.
• Urgency and Reverence: The strict time limits for eating the Peace Offering meat (one day for thanksgiving, two for vow/freewill) instilled a sense of urgency and prevented the sacred from being treated as common. The prohibition of eating on the third day when the meat would begin to spoil (piggul) taught deep reverence for holy things.
• Polemics Against Paganism: Implicitly, the system counters ANE practices. There is no hint of using entrails for divination (extispicy), a common pagan practice. The meal is not to "feed" a needy god but to fellowship with the sovereign LORD who provides for all. The strict separation of pure and impure has a moral and theological basis, not a magical one.

Leviticus 7 summary

Leviticus 7 provides the priestly instructions (torah) for handling the guilt and peace offerings. It details the specific procedures for blood application and burning the fat for the guilt offering, assigning the meat to the officiating priest. For the peace offering, it distinguishes between the thanksgiving, vow, and freewill types, setting strict time limits for their consumption. The chapter concludes with overarching prohibitions against eating fat and blood, a summary of the priest's designated portions (the wave breast and heave thigh), and a final colophon affirming the divine origin of all the sacrificial laws given at Sinai.