Leviticus 7

Priestly Instructions for Guilt Offerings

¹“‘This is the law of the trespass offering: It is most holy.

²In the place where they kill the burnt offering, he shall kill the trespass offering; and its blood he shall sprinkle around on the altar.

³He shall offer all of its fat: the fat tail, and the fat that covers the innards,

⁴and he shall take away the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys;

⁵and the priest shall burn them on the altar for an offering made by fire to the LORD: it is a trespass offering.

⁶Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.

⁷“‘As is the sin offering, so is the trespass offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with them shall have it.

⁸The priest who offers any man’s burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered.

⁹Every meal offering that is baked in the oven, and all that is prepared in the pan and on the griddle, shall be the priest’s who offers it.

¹⁰Every meal offering, mixed with oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron, one as well as another.

Priestly Instructions for Peace Offerings

¹¹“‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer to the LORD:

¹²If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mixed with oil.

¹³He shall offer his offering with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving with cakes of leavened bread.

¹⁴Of it he shall offer one out of each offering for a heave offering to the LORD. It shall be the priest’s who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.

¹⁵The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning.

¹⁶“‘But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow, or a free will offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice. On the next day what remains of it shall be eaten,

¹⁷but what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.

¹⁸If any of the meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted, and it shall not be credited to him who offers it. It will be an abomination, and the soul who eats any of it will bear his iniquity.

¹⁹“‘The meat that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. As for the meat, everyone who is clean may eat it;

²⁰but the soul who eats of the meat of the sacrifice of peace offerings that belongs to the LORD, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

²¹When anyone touches any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean animal, or any unclean abomination, and eats some of the meat of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the LORD, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’”

Prohibition Against Eating Fat and Blood

²²The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²³“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You shall eat no fat, of bull, or sheep, or goat.

²⁴The fat of that which dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of animals, may be used for any other service, but you shall in no way eat of it.

²⁵For whoever eats the fat of the animal which men offer as an offering made by fire to the LORD, even the soul who eats it shall be cut off from his people.

²⁶You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings.

²⁷Whoever it is who eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’”

Priestly Portions from Peace Offerings

²⁸The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²⁹“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the LORD shall bring his offering to the LORD out of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

³⁰With his own hands he shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.

³¹The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.

³²The right thigh you shall give to the priest for a heave offering out of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.

³³He among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right thigh for a portion.

³⁴For the waved breast and the heaved thigh I have taken from the children of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel.’”

³⁵This is the consecrated portion of Aaron, and the consecrated portion of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister to the LORD in the priest’s office;

³⁶which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them. It is their portion forever throughout their generations.

³⁷This is the law of the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the consecration, and the sacrifice of peace offerings

³⁸which the LORD commanded Moses in Mount Sinai in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their offerings to the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

Previous Leviticus 6

Next Leviticus 8

Leviticus 7 provides detailed regulations for guilt offerings and peace offerings, specifying how priests should handle sacrificial procedures and receive their designated portions. The chapter establishes strict guidelines for consuming sacrificial meat, including time limits and purity requirements, with severe consequences for violations. These laws emphasize the sacred nature of worship and the importance of maintaining holiness in Israel's relationship with God.

Context

This chapter concludes the detailed sacrificial instructions that began in Leviticus 1, completing the comprehensive guide for Israel's worship system before moving to the consecration of priests in chapter 8.

Key Themes

Outline

1-10
Laws for Guilt Offerings and Priestly Portions Instructions for sacrificing guilt offerings and distributing portions to priests from various offerings
11-21
Regulations for Peace Offerings Guidelines for thanksgiving, vow, and freewill peace offerings, including time limits for consumption
22-27
Prohibition Against Fat and Blood Absolute ban on eating fat and blood from sacrificial animals, with penalties for violation
28-36
Priestly Portions from Peace Offerings Specific instructions for priests' portions from peace offerings, including the breast and thigh
37-38
Summary of Offering Laws Concluding statement identifying these as the laws given at Mount Sinai

Priestly Instructions for Guilt Offerings

7:1–7:10

law instruction solemn

Laws are given for guilt offerings, specifying the sacrificial procedures and priestly portions, along with regulations for various meal offerings. These instructions establish how priests receive their portions from different types of offerings presented to the Lord.

theme_rarity

Leviticus 7's guilt offering uniquely interweaves atonement with priestly provision, creating one of only two biblical passages where divine forgiveness directly funds ministerial sustenance.

Priestly Instructions for Peace Offerings

7:11–7:21

law instruction solemn

Detailed laws govern peace offerings, including thanksgiving sacrifices, with specific time limits for consumption and strict prohibitions against eating unclean meat. These regulations ensure proper fellowship with God through sacrifice while maintaining ritual purity.

theme_rarity

Leviticus 7's peace offering regulations uniquely combine "offering" and "fellowship" themes, establishing the only biblical framework where communal eating with God requires both thanksgiving bread varieties and strict consumption deadlines.

Prohibition Against Eating Fat and Blood

7:22–7:27

law instruction solemn

God commands Moses to prohibit the Israelites from eating fat and blood from sacrificial animals, with violation resulting in being cut off from the people. This establishes dietary laws that maintain ritual purity and distinguish sacred offerings from common food.

person_contrast

Moses receives this dietary prohibition using the identical Hebrew formula "dabber el-benei yisrael" that introduces major covenant laws, elevating food restrictions to the same legislative status as the Ten Commandments.

Priestly Portions from Peace Offerings

7:28–7:38

law instruction solemn

God establishes the priestly portions from peace offerings, designating specific parts for Aaron and his sons as their perpetual inheritance. This concludes the sacrificial laws given at Mount Sinai, providing for the priests' sustenance through their sacred service.

person_contrast

Moses receives his final sacrificial legislation in Leviticus 7:38, marking the only passage where he simultaneously concludes priestly inheritance laws and references Mount Sinai's revelatory authority.

Insight Rare Theme

Leviticus 7's guilt offering uniquely interweaves atonement with priestly provision, creating one of only two biblical passages where divine forgiveness directly funds ministerial sustenance.

Insight Rare Theme