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Leviticus 1 - Peake Arthur S. and Grieve A. J. - Peake's Comment

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Leviticus 1

Sacrifices

1 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.

The Burnt Offering

3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.

4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

5 And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

6 And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.

7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:

8 and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:

9 but his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

10 And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.

11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.

12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:

13 but he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

14 And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.

15 And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:

16 and he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:

17 and he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

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Leviticus 1

Leviticus 1-7. The Law of Sacrifices: Burnt Offering (1), Meal Offering (2), Peace Offering (3), Sin Offering (Lev 4:1 to Lev 5:13 ), Trespass Offering (Lev 5:14-19 ), Directions chiefly for Priests (Lev 6:8 to Lev 7:38 ).

I. Burnt Offering or Whole Burnt Offering.—This is η constant element in the worship of the community; it is too solemn for the victim to be shared by the offerer. In the historical books, we find it practised before some great occasion or enterprise or after a reverse (Gen 8:20 , Jdg 6:26 , 2Sa 24:25 ). Only domestic and “clean” animals and birds could be offered (a restriction peculiar to Heb. practice). The part of the worshipper is to lay his hand on the victim, kill, flay, cut it up, and wash it, on the N. side of the altar; the priest does the rest at the altar itself—pouring out the blood, bringing the fire, arranging the parts of the victim. For further sacrificial arrangements, see Num 15:1-16 .

Lev 1:1 f. Introductory formula, common throughout P. The original of “oblation” is a technical and general word, identical with “Korban” (Mar 7:11 ); “brought near.”

Lev 1:3-9 . First Kind of Burnt Offering: Cattle.—The two conditions (male, and without blemish) are indispensable for all burnt offerings, cf. Lev 22:17-25 ; contrast for peace offerings, Lev 3:1 . For the laying on of hands, cf. Lev 3:2 , Lev 8:22 , Lev 16:21 , Lev 24:14 Exo 29:15 . It denotes, not substitution, but responsibility and sharing; it is a solemn declaration, and the gesture itself has its importance. P does not remove this element in the sacrifice from the laity. References in the Law to sacrifice as atoning are peculiar to P. The term is nowhere explained; it is evidently of far wider application than an act of personal renunciation for another’s wilful disobedience; it is used for all those acts which are regarded in the cultus as putting the individual into the right relation with Yahweh. The layman kills, as in older Heb. and Arab practice; but the blood is regarded in P as too sacred (and dangerous) for the layman to manipulate. It is presented, or brought near (the root is that of the word “oblation”); and sprinkled from a bowl (for sprinkling from the fingers, another word is used, Lev 16:14 ). The skin is flayed, because it is the perquisite of the priests (cf. 2Ch 29:34 ). The parts are arranged on the altar, as if a meal for the Godhead were being prepared. The fat, or the suet round the entrails, is a special delicacy. The entrails themselves and the legs must be washed as being the unclean parts. The text does not make it clear whether this is to be done by priest or offerer. “Sweet savour” is a term almost confined to P; it is used of offerings made by fire, and suggests a smell of rest and contentment, almost as if it were a narcotic. The hint of archaism here, as in the sprinkling and laying in order, will be noted. Certain elements in the cultus must be retained, however completely their original purpose may be forgotten or even repudiated. Note also that Levites are not mentioned here, or elsewhere in Lev. Contrast Ezr 8:15 , Neh 8:7 ; Neh 11:18 , etc., and note Eze 44:11 .



Lev 1:10-13 . Offering of Sheep or Goat.—The ritual is identical. The choice of victim—more or less expensive—is left to the worshipper, Lev 1:11 adds the detail of “northward” (cf. Lev 4:24 , and Lev 7:2 ). Eastward is the “tent” or Temple building (the whole sanctuary lies E. and W.); W. is the “laver,” S. is the approach.



Lev 1:14-17 . Birds.—This class is not mentioned in Lev 1:2 , and may be a later addition to the list of possible offerings (it is not referred to in the narrative books of OT) for the sake of the poor (Luk 2:24 ). Turtle doves and pigeons are always mentioned together in Lev., and no other birds are allowed. Doves have a sacred character in both Babylonian and Greek rituals. The head of the bird is to be nipped off (cf. RVm), not wholly severed; separate parts of a bird (so 1:7 ) are too small to lay on the altar. The blood is drained off, as there will not be enough for sprinkling from a bowl. II. The Meal Offering.—In Lev 7:1-11 the meal offering is regarded as the regular accompaniment of the peace offering, as bread is naturally eaten with meat. Here it is apparently an independent offering; note also the use of the second personal pronoun in Lev 1:4 ff., not in the other chapters. Probably we have here an older ritual (cf. 2Ki 16:15 ). Ch. 1 is naturally followed by ch. 3. This offering is not eaten by laymen.




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Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Published by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Cambridge Univ. Press & BFBS
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