Leviticus 4 11

Leviticus 4:11 kjv

And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung,

Leviticus 4:11 nkjv

But the bull's hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and offal?

Leviticus 4:11 niv

But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines?

Leviticus 4:11 esv

But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung ?

Leviticus 4:11 nlt

But he must take whatever is left of the bull ? its hide, meat, head, legs, internal organs, and dung ?

Leviticus 4 verses

Leviticus 4 11 Meaning

Leviticus 4:11 describes specific parts of the sin offering bull—namely, its hide, all its flesh (including head, legs), entrails, and dung—that are to be taken outside the camp and burned. This signifies a complete removal of everything associated with the offering for certain types of sin offerings (those for the anointed priest or the entire congregation, where the blood is brought into the Tabernacle), emphasizing the comprehensive disposal of the parts not used for the altar as holy or edible. It highlights the full severance of sin's residue and impurity from the holy camp of Israel.

Leviticus 4 11 Context

Leviticus Chapter 4 details the procedures for the chatta't, or sin offering, for unintentional sins. This specific verse (4:11) falls within the regulations for the sin offering of either the high priest (Lev 4:1-12) or the whole congregation (Lev 4:13-21). In these particular cases, because the blood of the bull is brought into the Tent of Meeting for atonement before the Lord, the remainder of the carcass (except specific fatty parts, kidneys, and liver lobe that are burned on the altar as a pleasing aroma, Lev 4:8-10) is deemed exceptionally defiling and must be completely removed from the holy camp and burned in a ritually clean place. This is in contrast to sin offerings for individuals (like a leader or common person) where the priest could eat a portion of the meat in a holy place. The historical and cultural context underscores the acute importance of purity for the Israelites, God's chosen people, among whom He dwelt in the Tabernacle. Sin, even unintentional, carried defilement that necessitated a stringent separation from the sacred space to maintain God's holiness within the camp. This act of taking the defiled parts outside the camp served as a visual and practical representation of the absolute necessity of purging sin and its contaminating effects from the community.

Leviticus 4 11 Word Analysis

• But the hide (וְאֵת עוֹר - vəʾēt ʿōr): ʿŌr means "skin" or "hide." The hide, unlike in some pagan rites, was not kept for other uses or offered. Its inclusion signifies the complete disposal of the entirety of the bull that was not placed on the altar, emphasizing nothing edible or valuable could remain.
• of the bull (הַפָּר - happār): Pār refers to a young bull, often signifying a valuable and robust animal, suitable for such a significant sin offering due to its size and cost.
• and all its flesh (וְאֵת כָּל בְּשָׂרוֹ - vəʾēt kāl bəśārō): Kāl bəśārō means "all its flesh" or "all of its body." This comprehensive term confirms that no part of the muscle or body was to be consumed or preserved. It highlights the completeness of the expiation required for the defilement caused by these particular sins.
• with its head (עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ - ʿal-rōʾšō): Rōʾšō is "its head." This specific inclusion details what "all its flesh" entails, ensuring thoroughness.
• and its legs (וְעַל־כְּרָעָיו - wəʿal-kərāʿāw): Kərāʿāw is "its legs" or "its shanks." Again, specifying parts for thorough disposal.
• its entrails (וְאֶת־קִרְבּוֹ - wəʾet-qirbō): Qirbō refers to the inner parts, viscera, or entrails, especially the stomach and intestines. These parts are naturally associated with waste and impurity, making their exclusion from the altar and subsequent burning outside the camp fitting.
• and its dung (וְאֶת־פִּרְשׁוֹ - wəʾet-piršō): Piršō means "its dung" or "excrement." The explicit mention of dung powerfully reinforces the absolute impurity and abhorrence of these parts in relation to the holy Tabernacle and its camp. This detail underlines the full and visible removal of the contaminant.

Words-group analysis:

• "the hide of the bull and all its flesh...its entrails and its dung": This phrase functions as a comprehensive and exhaustive list. It covers the exterior (hide), the main body (flesh), extremities (head, legs), internal organs (entrails), and waste product (dung). The totality signifies that everything of the bull not explicitly designated for the altar's sacrificial smoke must be treated as entirely defiled and completely removed, symbolizing the complete expulsion of sin and its associated impurity. The extreme specificity highlights the meticulous nature of God's purity laws.
• "hide...flesh...head...legs...entrails...dung": This catalog contrasts sharply with parts burned on the altar for other sacrifices, such as fats (Lev 4:8-10) or, in the burnt offering, the whole animal except skin (which priests kept, Lev 7:8) but including washed entrails and legs (Lev 1:9). The selection in Lev 4:11 is explicitly the undesirable, non-sacred components for this specific type of sin offering, reflecting the severe impurity that had to be expelled.

Leviticus 4 11 Bonus Section

• The practice of burning the whole animal outside the camp for these high-level sin offerings underscored the principle that atonement involved not merely "covering" sin but also its radical "removal." This distinguished these offerings from others where parts were consumed or brought into the camp in other ways.
• The "clean place where the ashes are poured out" (Lev 4:12) indicates that even the place of disposal needed a measure of ritual purity, showing the comprehensive concern for holiness and the careful handling of that which became defiled by sin. It wasn't simply thrown away, but managed within the system of purity.
• The specific requirement to burn all the flesh of the bull, including muscle, contrasts with almost every other offering where the meat of the sacrificed animal might be eaten by the priests or by the worshippers (e.g., peace offerings). This distinctiveness marks the sin offering for the high priest/congregation as particularly potent in its association with sin and impurity, leaving no part to be enjoyed or appropriated by humans.

Leviticus 4 11 Commentary

Leviticus 4:11, though seemingly a mundane instruction for animal disposal, carries profound theological weight. It meticulously details the components of the sin offering bull that must be completely incinerated outside the Israelite camp. This action signifies a drastic separation: anything deemed impure due to sin, especially when atoning for high priest or communal sins (blood taken into the holy place), had to be fully removed from God's holy dwelling place and people. The listed parts (hide, flesh, head, legs, entrails, dung) represent the totality of the physical remains, reinforcing the comprehensive nature of sin's defilement and its complete expulsion. It underscores the severity of sin, which cannot be brought near the presence of God but must be borne away. This ritual prefigured the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who, like the sin offering bull, suffered "outside the gate" (Heb 13:12) of Jerusalem, bearing the full weight and impurity of humanity's sin, taking it completely away so that His people could be sanctified and draw near to God. Just as the physical waste was removed, so too was the spiritual defilement.