1 `And if his offering `is' a sacrifice of peace-offerings, if out of the herd he is bringing near, whether male or female, a perfect one he doth bring near before Jehovah,
Having been declared righteous, then, by faith, we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have the access by the faith into this grace in which we have stood, and we boast on the hope of the glory of God.
at your pleasure a perfect one, a male of the herd, of the sheep or of the goats; nothing in which `is' blemish do ye bring near, for it is not for a pleasing thing for you. `And when a man bringeth near a sacrifice of peace-offerings to Jehovah, to complete a vow, or for a willing-offering, of the herd or of the flock, it is perfect for a pleasing thing: no blemish is in it;
`And this `is' a law of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings which `one' bringeth near to Jehovah: if for a thank-offering he bring it near, then he hath brought near with the sacrifice of thank-offering unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and thin unleavened cakes anointed with oil, and of fried flour cakes mixed with oil; besides the cakes, fermented bread he doth bring near `with' his offering, besides the sacrifice of thank-offering of his peace-offerings; and he hath brought near out of it one of the whole offering -- a heave-offering to Jehovah; to the priest who is sprinkling the blood of the peace-offerings -- it is his; as to the flesh of the sacrifice of the thank-offering of his peace-offerings, in the day of his offering it is eaten; he doth not leave of it till morning. `And if the sacrifice of his offering `is' a vow or free-will offering, in the day of his bringing near his sacrifice it is eaten; and on the morrow also the remnant of it is eaten; and the remnant of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day with fire is burnt; and if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be really eaten on the third day, it is not pleasing; for him who is bringing it near it is not reckoned; it is an abominable thing, and the person who is eating of it his iniquity doth bear. `And the flesh which cometh against any unclean thing is not eaten; with fire it is burnt; as to the flesh, every clean one doth eat of the flesh; and the person who eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings which `are' Jehovah's, and his uncleanness upon him, even that person hath been cut off from his people. `And when a person cometh against any thing unclean, of the uncleanness of man, or of the uncleanness of beasts, or of any unclean teeming creature, and hath eaten of the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings which `are' Jehovah's, even that person hath been cut off from his people.' And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, `Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, Any fat of ox and sheep and goat ye do not eat; and the fat of a carcase, and the fat of a torn thing is prepared for any work, but ye do certainly not eat it; for whoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which `one' bringeth near a fire-offering to Jehovah, even the person who eateth hath been cut off from his people. `And any blood ye do not eat in all your dwellings, of fowl, or of beast; any person who eateth any blood, even that person hath been cut off from his people.' And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, `Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, He who is bringing near the sacrifice of his peace-offerings to Jehovah doth bring in his offering to Jehovah from the sacrifice of his peace-offerings; his own hands do bring in the fire-offerings of Jehovah, the fat beside the breast, it he doth bring in with the breast, to wave it -- a wave-offering before Jehovah. `And the priest hath made perfume with the fat on the altar, and the breast hath been Aaron's and his sons; and the right leg ye do make a heave-offering to the priest of the sacrifices of your peace-offerings; he of the sons of Aaron who is bringing near the blood of the peace-offerings, and the fat, his is the right leg for a portion. `For the breast of the wave-offering, and the leg of the heave-offering, I have taken from the sons of Israel, from the sacrifices of their peace-offerings, and I give them to Aaron the priest, and to his sons, by a statute age-during, from the sons of Israel.'
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Commentary on Leviticus 3 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 3
Le 3:1-17. The Peace Offering of the Herd.
1. if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering—"Peace" being used in Scripture to denote prosperity and happiness generally, a peace offering was a voluntary tribute of gratitude for health or other benefits. In this view it was eucharistic, being a token of thanksgiving for benefits already received, or it was sometimes votive, presented in prayer for benefits wished for in the future.
of the herd—This kind of offering being of a festive character, either male or female, if without blemish, might be used, as both of them were equally good for food, and, if the circumstances of the offerer allowed it, it might be a calf.
2. he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering—Having performed this significant act, he killed it before the door of the tabernacle, and the priests sprinkled the blood round about upon the altar.
3. he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering—The peace offering differed from the oblations formerly mentioned in this respect: while the burnt offering was wholly consumed on the altar, and the freewill offering was partly consumed and partly assigned to the priests; in this offering the fat alone was burnt; only a small part was allotted to the priests while the rest was granted to the offerer and his friends, thus forming a sacred feast of which the Lord, His priests, and people conjointly partook, and which was symbolical of the spiritual feast, the sacred communion which, through Christ, the great peace offering, believers enjoy. (See further on Le 19:5-8; 22:21).
the fat that covereth the inwards—that is, the web work that presents itself first to the eye on opening the belly of a cow.
the fat … upon the inwards—adhering to the intestines, but easily removable from them; or, according to some, that which was next the ventricle.
4-11. the two kidneys … of the flock … the whole rump—There is, in Eastern countries, a species of sheep the tails of which are not less than four feet and a half in length. These tails are of a substance between fat and marrow. A sheep of this kind weighs sixty or seventy English pounds weight, of which the tail usually weighs fifteen pounds and upwards. This species is by far the most numerous in Arabia, Syria, and Palestine, and, forming probably a large portion in the flocks of the Israelites, it seems to have been the kind that usually bled on the Jewish altars. The extraordinary size and deliciousness of their tails give additional importance to this law. To command by an express law the tail of a certain sheep to be offered in sacrifice to God, might well surprise us; but the wonder ceases, when we are told of those broad-tailed Eastern sheep, and of the extreme delicacy of that part which was so particularly specified in the statute [Paxton].
12. if his offering be a goat—Whether this or any of the other two animals were chosen, the same general directions were to be followed in the ceremony of offering.
17. ye eat neither fat nor blood—The details given above distinctly define the fat in animals which was not to be eaten, so that all the rest, whatever adhered to other parts, or was intermixed with them, might be used. The prohibition of blood rested on a different foundation, being intended to preserve their reverence for the Messiah, who was to shed His blood as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world [Brown].