16 and the priest hath made them a perfume on the altar -- bread of a fire-offering, for sweet fragrance; all the fat `is' Jehovah's.
`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.
Also before they make perfume with the fat -- then hath the priest's servant come in, and said to the man who is sacrificing, `Give flesh to roast for the priest, and he doth not take of thee flesh boiled, but raw;' and the man saith unto him, `Let them surely make a perfume (as to-day) with the fat, then take to thee as thy soul desireth;' and he hath said to him, `Surely now thou dost give; and if not -- I have taken by strength.'
`And thou hast taken from the ram the fat, and the fat tail, and the fat which is covering the inwards, and the redundance on the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat which `is' on them, and the right leg, for it `is' a ram of consecration,
`And he hath brought near from the sacrifice of the peace-offerings a fire-offering to Jehovah, the fat which is covering the inwards, and all the fat which `is' on the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat which `is' on them, which `is' on the flanks, and the redundance above the liver, (beside the kidneys he doth turn it aside), and sons of Aaron have made it a perfume on the altar, on the burnt-offering which `is' on the wood, which `is' on the fire -- a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah.
`And he hath brought near from the sacrifice of the peace-offerings a fire-offering to Jehovah, its fat, the whole fat tail (over-against the bone he doth turn it aside), and the fat which is covering the inwards, and all the fat which `is' on the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat which `is' on them, which `is' on the flanks, and the redundance above the liver, (beside the kidneys he doth turn it aside), and the priest hath made it a perfume on the altar -- bread of a fire-offering to Jehovah.
and he hath brought near from it his offering, a fire-offering to Jehovah, the fat which is covering the inwards, and all the fat which `is' on the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat which `is' upon them, which `is' on the flanks, and the redundance above the liver, (beside the kidneys he doth turn it aside),
`And all the fat of the bullock of the sin-offering he doth lift up from it, the fat which is covering over the inwards, and all the fat which `is' on the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat which `is' on them, which `is' on the flanks, and the redundance above the liver, (beside the kidneys he doth turn it aside), as it is lifted up from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings; and the priest hath made them a perfume on the altar of the burnt-offering. `And the skin of the bullock, and all its flesh, besides its head, and besides its legs, and its inwards, and its dung -- he hath even brought out the whole bullock unto the outside of the camp, unto a clean place, unto the place of the pouring out of the ashes, and he hath burnt it on the wood with fire; beside the place of the pouring out of the ashes it is burnt. `And if the whole company of Israel err ignorantly, and the thing hath been hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done `something against' one of all the commands of Jehovah `concerning things' which are not to be done, and have been guilty; when the sin which they have sinned concerning it hath been known, then have the assembly brought near a bullock, a son of the herd, for a sin-offering, and they have brought it in before the tent of meeting; and the elders of the company have laid their hands on the head of the bullock, before Jehovah, and `one' hath slaughtered the bullock before Jehovah. `And the priest who is anointed hath brought in of the blood of the bullock unto the tent of meeting, and the priest hath dipped his finger in the blood, and hath sprinkled seven times before Jehovah at the front of the vail, and `some' of the blood he doth put on the horns of the altar which `is' before Jehovah, which `is' in the tent of meeting; and all the blood he doth pour out at the foundation of the altar of the burnt-offering, which `is' at the opening of the tent of meeting; and all its fat he doth lift up from it, and hath made perfume on the altar.
and all its fat he doth turn aside, as the fat hath been turned aside from off the sacrifice of the peace-offerings, and the priest hath made perfume on the altar, for sweet fragrance to Jehovah; and the priest hath made atonement for him, and it hath been forgiven him.
and taketh the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that `is' on the inwards, and the redundance above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right leg;
`And the priest hath sprinkled the blood upon the altar of Jehovah, at the opening of the tent of meeting, and hath made perfume with the fat for sweet fragrance to Jehovah;
And Solomon sanctifieth the middle of the court that `is' before the house of Jehovah, for he hath made there the burnt-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings: for the altar of brass that Solomon made hath not been able to contain the burnt-offering, and the present, and the fat.
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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].