Part one of an overview of Leviticus. This is chapters 1-7 which deals with the sacrificial system.
Initial definitions of these types of offerings are described in Exodus 29:1-18.
For all animal offerings, there must be no defects. [All measurements are estimates from NLT translation].
Burnt Offering requirements (Lev chapter 1):
– [Lev 1:3-9] A male bull from the herd.
– [Lev 1:10-13] A male goat (or sheep) from the flock.
– [Lev 1:14-17] A turtledove or a young pigeon (no sex requirements).
– The priest lay their hands on the animal’s (bull’s, sheep’s, or goat’s) head, then slaughter it at the entrance of the Tabernacle and splatter its blood on all sides of the bronze altar.
– They are to skin and cut the animal into multiple pieces and burn up the entire animal. First the head and body fat, then the entrails and legs after washing them.
– For birds, the priest will snap off its head and then drain the blood on the side of the altar. Then the crop and feathers are to be removed and thrown into the ash heap in front of the altar. Then the bird’s body is split open (without being torn apart) and burned on the altar.
*More info on Burnt Offerings (Lev 6:8-13):
– The burnt offering is burned all night long. The next morning the priest are to put on their linens, remove the ashes, and put them beside the altar. Then they must take off the linen garments and put on their other clothes before moving the ashes to a clean place outside the camp.
– Each morning the wood is to be rekindled after the ashes are removed, and the fat of the peace offerings and burn offerings will be arranged on it. The fire is to burn on the bronze altar continuously.
– [Lev 7:8] The priest may keep the hide of a burnt offering.
Grain Offering requirements (Lev chapter 2):
– They must mix fine flour with olive oil and frankincense for their grain offerings.
– If this is a first fruit offering, then the grain must be coarsely ground and roasted, then the olive oil and frankincense are added right before it is burned on the altar.
– For cooked grain offerings whether baked or griddled it must be unleavened (no yeast).
– Baked offerings can be thin cakes or wafers. If cakes it must be mixed with olive oil and wafers should be spread with olive oil.
– If cooked on a griddle, they are to break it up and pour olive oil on it.
– It can also be prepared in a pan or pot as long as it has olive oil.
– The priest burns a handful of the grain offering on the altar, and the rest is to be eaten by the priest doing the offering.
– NO yeast or honey can be burned on the altar for the grain offering. They can bring honey and yeast-baked products for the first fruit offerings, but those leavened offerings are never to be burned on the altar.
– All grain offerings must be seasoned with salt.
*More info on Grain Offerings (Lev 6:14-18, Lev 7:9-10):
– For uncooked grain offerings, a portion of the offering of flour, olive oil, and frankincense is to be burned on the altar, but the rest is can be baked and eaten by the priest in a holy place (the courtyard of the Tabernacle).
– They must bake it WITHOUT yeast. In addition, this offering can be freely shared with all the priests.
– Like the sin and guilt offerings, anyone or anything that touches the priest’s portion becomes holy.
– [Lev 7:9-10] Cooked grain offerings belong to the priest who offers them. However uncooked grain offerings, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, can be shared with all the priests.
Peace Offering requirements (Lev chapter 3):
– [Lev 3:1-5] male or female bull from the herd.
– [Lev 3:6-16] male or female goat (or sheep) from the flock.
– The priest lay their hands on the animal’s head, then slaughter it in front of the Tabernacle entrance, and splatter its blood on all sides of the bronze altar.
– A bull or goat offering includes all of the fat: including the fat above and covering the internal organs, both kidneys and the fat near the loins, and the covering of the liver. They must all be removed together and burned on the altar.
– The sheep offering is the same as the bull but includes the fat on the tail near the backbone.
– The rest of the animal is to be eaten by the person offering it. NO ONE must ever eat any fat or blood.
*More info on Peace Offerings (Lev 7:11-21):
– If peace offering sacrifice is for thanksgiving, it must come with multiple kinds of unleavened bread: cakes mixed with olive oil, wafers spread with olive oil, and cakes fried in olive oil, as well as cakes of leavened bread.
– One of each kind of bread must be presented as a gift to God and belongs to the priest that splashes the blood of the peace offering on the altar.
– The meat from the peace offering is to be eaten the same day it is offered by the offerer.
– If the peace offering is voluntary or for a vow it should be eaten on the same day but leftovers can be eaten on the second day.
– However, no meat shall be eaten on the third day, any leftovers by that point must be burned up. If any of the meat is eaten on the third day, the person who presented it will not be accepted by God and they will not receive credit for offering it. By then the meat will be contaminated, and a person who eats it by then will be punished.
– If the meat touches anything that is unclean, then the meat becomes unclean and is to be burned. If any ceremonially unclean person (whether from touching something unclean or being in an unclean state) eats the peace offering, they will be cut off from the community.
– [Lev 7:28-36] The fat and breast of an animal for peace offering will be waved before the Tabernacle. The priests will burn the fat and will take the breast as their portion. In addition, the right thigh is given as a contribution to the priest. The breast can be eaten by any priest but the right thigh is for the priest doing the sacrifice.
– The breast and right thigh of the peace offering is the priest’s share for future generations, this was true since the day they were anointed (Ex 29:28).
Sin Offering requirements (Lev chapter 4):
– This offering is for when different groups of people sin inadvertently.
– [Lev 4:3-12] Bull (male cattle) for the priest
– [Lev 4:13-21] Bull (male cattle) for the whole community’s sin
– [Lev 4:22-26] Buck (male goat) for Israel’s leaders
– [Lev 4:27-35, Lev 5:6] female goat (or sheep) for the common people
– For the high priest’s sins:
• The high priest will lay his hands on the bull’s head and slaughter it at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
• He will collect some of its blood, dip his finger in it, and sprinkle it seven times on the inner curtain of the Tabernacle. Then put some of its blood on the four horns of the bronze altar. The rest of the blood should be poured out at the base of the altar.
• All of the fat is to be burned on the altar just like the peace offering. However, the rest of the animal (head, hide, the lower parts of its legs, its inner organs, and dung), are to be burned outside the camp where the ashes from the bronze altar are dumped.
– For the community’s sins, the community leaders (elders) will lay their hands on the bull’s head and slaughter it in front of the Tabernacle. The high priest will treat this bull the same as the sin offering for himself by sprinkling the blood on the inner curtain, the four horns of the altar, pouring the rest of the blood on the base, burning the fat on the altar, and dumping the rest outside the camp to be burned.
– For Israel’s leaders:
• The leader will lay their hands on the goat’s head and slaughter it in front of the Tabernacle.
• The priest will take the blood and with his finger, put some of it on the four horns of the altar, and the rest will be poured out at the base of the altar.
• The priest will burn all of the fat of the animal on the altar, just like with the peace offering.
– For common Israelites:
• The person will lay their hands on the goat’s (or sheep’s) head and slaughter it in front of the Tabernacle.
• The priest will take the blood and with his finger, put some of it on the four horns of the altar, and the rest will be poured out at the base of the altar.
• The priest will burn all of the fat of the animal on the altar, just like with the peace offering.
– For those who can’t afford mammals:
• [Lev 5:7-10] two turtledoves or two pigeons; one bird for sin offering & one for a burnt offering. The priest will sacrifice the sin offering by wringing its neck without beheading it. Then he will sprinkle some of the blood on the side of the altar and pour out the rest at the base of the altar. Likewise, he will do the same with the burnt offering.
• [Lev 5:11-13] If birds aren’t affordable, then 2.2 liters of flour will suffice. The priest will burn the flour on the altar, with no frankincense or olive oil, because it is a sin offering. The rest of the flour belongs to the priest just like a grain offering.
*More info on Sin Offerings (Lev 6:24-30):
– It is to be slaughtered where the burnt offerings are slaughtered. The priest who slaughters it must be the one who eats it, and he must eat it in a holy place (the courtyard of the Tabernacle).
– Anyone or anything that touches the meat becomes holy. If its blood gets on the priest’s clothes, those clothes are to be washed in a holy place.
– The sin offerings whose blood is splattered on the inner curtain of the Tabernacle (like the sin offering for the priest and the community) are not to be eaten because these are for atonement. However, the other sin offerings can be eaten by any male from the family of the priest.
– The clay pot in which the priest’s portion is cooked must be broken; if it is cooked in a bronze pot, it must be scoured and rinsed in water.
The Guilt Offering (Lev 5:1-6):
Sins that require a guilt offering:
– Refusal to testify as a witness to a crime, is a punishable offense
– If a person touches a carcass of an unclean animal or anything that can make a person unclean like certain bodily fluids causing them to defile other things by touch and forget to purify themselves. When they realize it, they are guilty of sin.
– If someone makes a careless oath (good or bad) and forgets about it, they are guilty of breaking it when they remember it.
– If a person is guilty of any of these sins they are to confess to the priest and bring a guilt offering for atonement.
– [Lev 5:6] A general guilt offering for the sins listed above is a female sheep or goat.
– [Lev 5:7] If a person can’t afford the general flock animal guilt offering then they can give two birds (turtledoves or young pigeons) one is a sin offering and the other is a burnt offering.
– [Lev 5:11] If a person can’t afford the two birds (turtledoves or young pigeons, then they can give a sin offering of fine flour (2.2 liters). The priest will burn a portion of it and, just like the grain offering, he keeps the rest for himself.
*More types of Guilt Offering (Lev chapter 5:14-19 and 6:1-7):
– For defilement of sacred objects [Lev 5:14-15]:
• A person is to bring a ram (male sheep) or its equivalent value in silver as atonement, and they must pay restitution for their defilement and an extra 20% interest.
– For unintentional breaking of a command [Lev 5:17-19]:
• A person must bring a ram (male sheep) or its equivalent value in silver as atonement.
– If someone lies, steals, extorts, defrauds, or misleads their neighbor concerning property owned [Lev 6:1-7]:
• They must pay restitution of the full price of what they stole, plus an additional 20% interest. On the same day, they must sacrifice a ram or its equivalent value in silver for atonement.
*More info on Guilt Offerings (Lev 7:1-10):
– The animal should be slaughtered in the same place as the burnt offering. Then its blood is to be splashed on all sides of the altar (just like the burnt offering).
– All of the fat of the guilt offering including from the base of the tail, and around the inner organs, loins, and kidneys is to be completely burned on the altar, just like the sin offering.
– Also just like the sin offering, the rest of the animal may be eaten by every male member of the priest’s family, and it must be eaten in a holy place.
Ordination Offerings (Lev Chapter 6:19-23):
– On the day the priest is anointed, they are to offer 2.2 liters of fine flour, half of it in the morning and a half in the evening. It must be mixed with olive oil, cooked on a griddle, and then broken into pieces (like a grain offering).
– This offering must be burned up completely and not be eaten. All successors of Aaron in the priesthood must do this offering at their ordination.
– *The first instance of this being done was in Exodus 29:23-25.
Fat and Blood of Animals (Lev 7:22-27):
– The fat of bulls, sheep, or goats is not to be eaten. Anyone eating fat from an animal that is sacrificed will be cut off from the community because the fat of a sacrifice belongs on the altar.
– The fat of animals that are found dead or maimed should not be eaten but may be used for any other purpose.
– Anyone eating blood will be cut off from the community.
According to Numbers 15:1-11, sacrifices for burnt offerings, vows, voluntary offerings, or an offering at any of the annual festivals, whether it be from a herd or flock must come with a grain offering. The grain offering that comes with each lamb for burnt offering or special sacrifice must be 2.2 liters of choice flour mixed with one liter of olive oil, along with one liter of wine. For a ram, one must bring 4.4 liters of flour mixed with 1.3 liters of olive oil, and 1.3 liters of wine. For a bull bring 6.6 liters of flour mixed with 2 liters of olive oil, and 2 liters of wine. They must follow these grain offering instructions for each animal they sacrifice, according to the type of animal, no matter how many they bring.