The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible
Laws for Peace Offerings
Leviticus 3:1–17 — Laws for Peace Offerings. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.
1“If one’s offering is a peace offering and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he must present it without blemish before the LORD.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·’im- qā·rə·bā·nōw ze·ḇaḥ šə·lā·mîm hū maq·rîḇ min- hab·bā·qār ’im zā·ḵār ’im- ’im- nə·qê·ḇāh yaq·rî·ḇen·nū tā·mîm lip̄·nê Yah·weh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And if one's offering (qorbānô — "his brought-near thing") is a slaughter-sacrifice of peace-things (zeḇaḥ šəlāmîm), and he himself is the one bringing near (maqrîḇ) from the herd — whether male, whether female — he shall bring it near whole / unblemished (tāmîm) before the face of YHWH.
Where the English smooths the original
The original word here used, שׁלמים , shelamim, is in the plural number, and is properly rendered peaces, pacifications, and also payments. These were offerings for peace, prosperity, and the blessing of God
the word must be understood not in the sense of an offering to bring shout peace, but an offering of those who arc in a state of peacePulpit reads šəlāmîm as the offering of those already at peace, not a means to procure it — a key over-against the popular "pacification" gloss.
They were called peace-offering, because in them God and his people did, as it were, feast together, in token of friendship.
Whilst in the case of the burnt offering ( Leviticus 1:3 ; Leviticus 1:10 ) the male only was legal, there is no distinction of sex here, nor is there any limitation of age. All that was required was that it should be without any organic defect.
2He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splatter the blood on all sides of the altar.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·sā·maḵ yā·ḏōw ‘al- rōš qā·rə·bā·nōw ū·šə·ḥā·ṭōw pe·ṯaḥ ’ō·hel mō·w·‘êḏ ’a·hă·rōn bə·nê hak·kō·hă·nîm ’eṯ- wə·zā·rə·qū had·dām sā·ḇîḇ ‘al- ham·miz·bê·aḥ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And he shall lean (wəsāmaḵ) his hand upon the head of his offering and slaughter (ūšəḥāṭô) it at the opening of the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron the priests shall throw / dash (wəzārəqû) the blood upon the altar all around.
Where the English smooths the original
Unlike the laying of hands on the burnt offering, there was no confession of sin here, but the utterance of words of praise to GodEllicott also corrects the English: "Shall sprinkle. —Better, throw" — i.e. zāraq is a dashing of blood, not a sprinkle.
This laying on of hands signifies devotion and faith, with an acknowledgment of the benefits, for which we can offer nothing of our own, but only return to God what we have received; that we may understand gratitude and thanksgiving to be the greatest sacrifices.Benson quoting Conradus.
not on the north side of the altar, where the burnt-offering was killed, Leviticus 1:11 , as also the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering, Leviticus 6:25 7:2 , but in the very entrance of the court
this was typical of the blood of Christ, called "the blood of sprinkling".
3From the peace offering he is to bring a food offering to the LORD: the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
miz·ze·ḇaḥ haš·šə·lā·mîm wə·hiq·rîḇ ’iš·šeh Yah·weh ’eṯ- ha·ḥê·leḇ ham·ḵas·seh ’eṯ- haq·qe·reḇ wə·’êṯ kāl- ha·ḥê·leḇ ’ă·šer ‘al- haq·qe·reḇ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And from the slaughter of the peace-things he shall bring near a fire-offering ('iššeh) to YHWH: the fat (haḥêleḇ) that covers the entrails (haqqereḇ), and all the fat that is upon the entrails,
Where the English smooths the original
The fat. —That is, the best or choicest part. Hence the expression is also used for the best produce of the ground ( Genesis 45:18 ; Numbers 18:12 ). As the most valuable part of the animal, the fat belonged to God
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
"The fat that covereth the inwards" refers to the caul or transparent membrane which has upon it a network of fatty tissue: "the fat upon the inwards" refers to the small lumps of suet found upon the intestines of healthy animals.
the fat being the best, it was the Lord's, and offered to him, and denoted Christ the fatted calf, whose sacrifice is best and most excellent
4both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·’êṯ šə·tê hak·kə·lā·yōṯ wə·’eṯ- ha·ḥê·leḇ ’ă·šer ‘ă·lê·hen ’ă·šer ‘al- hak·kə·sā·lîm wə·’eṯ- hay·yō·ṯe·reṯ ‘al- hak·kā·ḇêḏ yə·sî·ren·nāh ‘al- hak·kə·lā·yō·wṯ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And the two kidneys (hakkəlāyōṯ) and the fat that is upon them, that is upon the loins (hakkəsālîm), and the appendage / lobe (hayyōṯereṯ) upon the liver — upon the kidneys he shall remove it (yəsîrennāh).
Where the English smooths the original
The Heb. word translated ‘caul’ occurs only in these passages, and A.V. has the preposition ‘above’ in all of them. By ‘caul’ is here meant the membrane known as the small omentum , which covers the liverCambridge surveys the long dispute and the rival lobus caudatus reading — a model of philological honesty about an uncertain organ.
The word יתרת, which only occurs in the passages quoted, is to be explained from the Arabic and Ethiopic (to stretch over, to stretch out), whence also the words יתר a cord ( Judges 16:7 ; Psalm 11:2 ), and מיתר the bow-string
these, and the burning of them, may signify the burning zeal and flaming love and affections of Christ for his people, which instructed him, and put him upon offering himself a sacrifice of peace offering for them, see Psalm 16:7 .
The caul above the liver - Probably the membrane covering the upper part of the liver.
5Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar atop the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
’a·hă·rōn ḇə·nê- wə·hiq·ṭî·rū ’ō·ṯōw ham·miz·bê·ḥāh ‘al- hā·‘ō·lāh ’ă·šer ‘al- hā·’êš hā·‘ê·ṣîm ’ă·šer ‘al- ’iš·šêh nî·ḥō·aḥ rê·aḥ Yah·weh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And the sons of Aaron shall make it go up in smoke (wəhiqṭîrū) on the altar, upon the ascent-offering (hā·‘ōlāh) that is upon the wood that is upon the fire: a fire-offering, a soothing aroma (nîḥōaḥ rêaḥ) to YHWH.
Where the English smooths the original
Symbolically and actually the burnt offering serves as the foundation of the peace offering. Self-surrender leads to peace; and the self-sacrifice of Christ is the cause of the peace subsisting between God and man.
for the daily burnt-offering was first to be offered, both as more eminently respecting God’s honour, which ought to be preferred before all things; and as the most solemn and stated sacrifice
the peace-offering was preceded as a rule by the burnt-offering. At any rate it was always preceded by the daily burnt-offering, which burned, if not all day, at all events the whole of the forenoon
this signified the sufferings of Christ, by which our peace is made, and by whose death we are reconciled to God
6If, however, one’s peace offering to the LORD is from the flock, he must present a male or female without blemish.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·’im- qā·rə·bā·nōw šə·lā·mîm lə·ze·ḇaḥ Yah·weh min- haṣ·ṣōn yaq·rî·ḇen·nū zā·ḵār ’ōw nə·qê·ḇāh tā·mîm
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And if his offering for a slaughter of peace-things to YHWH is from the flock (haṣṣōn), male or female (zāḵār 'ô nəqêḇāh), whole (tāmîm) he shall bring it near.
Where the English smooths the original
In the peace offering either male or female could be offered, but in the burnt offering only the male: so here no birds can be offered, but in the burnt offering they might: there all was consumed with fire, and in the peace offering divided.
Of the flock. —That is, of sheep or goats; they too might be either male or female, provided only that they were without organic defects.
Christ, as the Prince of peace, made peace with the blood of his cross. Through him the believer is reconciled to God; and having the peace of God in his heart, he is disposed to follow peace with all men.
7If he is presenting a lamb for his offering, he must present it before the LORD.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
’im- hū- maq·rîḇ ’eṯ- ke·śeḇ qā·rə·bā·nōw wə·hiq·rîḇ ’ō·ṯōw lip̄·nê Yah·weh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
If he himself is bringing near (maqrîḇ) a sheep (keśeḇ) for his offering, he shall bring it near before the face of YHWH.
Where the English smooths the original
A lamb. —Better, a sheep, as it is rendered in Leviticus 1:10 ; Leviticus 7:23 ; Leviticus 22:19 ; Leviticus 22:27 , &c, since the word denotes a full-grown sheep.
A lamb - A sheep. The word signifies a full-grown sheep, in its prime.
this is a rule laid down by Maimonides (i), that where ever this word is used in the law, it signifies one of the first year
8He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·sā·maḵ ’eṯ- yā·ḏōw ‘al- rōš qā·rə·bā·nōw wə·šā·ḥaṭ ’ō·ṯōw lip̄·nê ’ō·hel mō·w·‘êḏ ’a·hă·rōn ’eṯ- bə·nê wə·zā·rə·qū dā·mōw sā·ḇîḇ ‘al- ham·miz·bê·aḥ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And he shall lean his hand upon the head of his offering and slaughter it before the face of the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood upon the altar all around.
Where the English smooths the original
The same rules apply to the peace-offerings of sheep and goats, except that, in addition to the fat portions, which were to be burned upon the altar in the case of the oxen ( Leviticus 3:3 , Leviticus 3:4 ) and goats ( Leviticus 3:14 , Leviticus 3:15 ), the fat tail of the sheep was to be consumed as well.
and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar; upon the four horns of it
Before the tabernacle of the congregation. —Better, before the tent of meeting.
9And from the peace offering he shall bring a food offering to the LORD consisting of its fat: the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
miz·ze·ḇaḥ haš·šə·lā·mîm wə·hiq·rîḇ ’iš·šeh Yah·weh ḥel·bōw ṯə·mî·māh hā·’al·yāh yə·sî·ren·nāh wə·’eṯ- lə·‘um·maṯ he·‘ā·ṣeh ha·ḥê·leḇ ham·ḵas·seh ’eṯ- haq·qe·reḇ wə·’êṯ kāl- ha·ḥê·leḇ ’ă·šer ‘al- haq·qe·reḇ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And from the slaughter of the peace-things he shall bring near a fire-offering to YHWH: its fat, the fat tail (hā'alyāh) whole (təmîmāh) — close to the backbone (he‘āṣeh) he shall remove it — and the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is upon the entrails,
Where the English smooths the original
The sheep of Syria and Palestine were, and still are, the bread-tailed species, the broad part often weighing fifteen pounds and upwards. In young animals, the substance of the tail, which consists of marrow and fat, tastes like marrow, and it is used by the Arabs for cooking instead of butter.
The fat tail here reserved for sacrifice was regarded as a delicacy, and set before Saul. In 1 Samuel 9:24 for ‘that which was upon it’ should be read ‘the fat tail’Cambridge: "the backbone ] The Heb. word occurs here only." — flagging the hapax he‘āṣeh.
The fat thereof, and the whole rump, which in sheep is fat and sweet, and in these parts was; cry much larger and better than ours, as is agreed both by ancient and modern writers, and therefore was fitly offered to God.
The burning of the fat tail upon the altar, together with the internal fat, is the only point in which the ritual to be used when offering a sheep (verses 6-11) differs from that used in offering a bull or cow (verses 1-5), or a goat (verses 12-16).
10both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·’êṯ šə·tê hak·kə·lā·yōṯ wə·’eṯ- ha·ḥê·leḇ ’ă·šer ‘ă·lê·hen ’ă·šer ‘al- hak·kə·sā·lîm wə·’eṯ- hay·yō·ṯe·reṯ ‘al- hak·kā·ḇêḏ yə·sî·ren·nāh ‘al- hak·kə·lā·yōṯ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And the two kidneys (hakkəlāyōṯ) and the fat that is upon them, that is upon the loins (hakkəsālîm), and the appendage (hayyōṯereṯ) upon the liver — upon the kidneys he shall remove it.
Where the English smooths the original
And the two kidneys. —The ritual enjoined in these two verses is the same as in Leviticus 3:4-5 .
The same direction is given here as about the bullock of the peace offering
God would not permit the blood that made atonement to be used as a common thing, Heb 10:29; nor will he allow us, though we have the comfort of the atonement made, to claim for ourselves any share in the honour of making it.
11Then the priest is to burn them on the altar as food, a food offering to the LORD.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
hak·kō·hên wə·hiq·ṭî·rōw ham·miz·bê·ḥāh le·ḥem ’iš·šeh Yah·weh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And the priest shall make them go up in smoke on the altar — food / bread (leḥem), a fire-offering to YHWH.
Where the English smooths the original
The idea of the peace offering being that of a meal at God's board, the part of the animal presented to God upon the altar is regarded as his share of the feast, and is called his food or bread. Cf. Revelation 3:20 , "I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Hence that which was burnt unto God was called His bread ( Numbers 28:2 ; Ezekiel 44:7 ), and the priests who burnt it are described as offering “ the bread of their God”
It is called food , bread , to note God’s acceptance of it, and delight in it, as men delight in their food.
12If one’s offering is a goat, he is to present it before the LORD.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·’im qā·rə·bā·nōw ‘êz wə·hiq·rî·ḇōw lip̄·nê Yah·weh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And if his offering is a goat (‘êz), he shall bring it near before the face of YHWH.
Where the English smooths the original
Unlike the burnt offering ( Leviticus 1:10 ), the goat is here separated from the sheep because of the difference in the oblation, arising from the broad tail of the sheep, which does not exist in the goat.
Birds were not accepted as peace-offerings, most probably because they were, by themselves, insufficient to make up a sacrificial meal.
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.
13He must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·sā·maḵ ’eṯ- yā·ḏōw ‘al- rō·šōw wə·šā·ḥaṭ ’ō·ṯōw lip̄·nê ’ō·hel mō·w·‘êḏ ’a·hă·rōn ’eṯ- bə·nê wə·zā·rə·qū dā·mōw sā·ḇîḇ ‘al- ham·miz·bê·aḥ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And he shall lean his hand upon its head and slaughter it before the face of the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood upon the altar all around.
Where the English smooths the original
the same directions are given for the killing of it, and for the sprinkling of its blood, as in the offerings of the bullock and lamb.
Meaning, at the north side of the altarGeneva's marginal note; the north-side detail belongs to the burnt/sin offerings (1:11; cf. 3:2 commentators), so this is a harmonizing gloss, not the plain sense of ch. 3.
The same rules apply to the peace-offerings of sheep and goats
14And from his offering he shall present a food offering to the LORD: the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
mim·men·nū qā·rə·bā·nōw wə·hiq·rîḇ ’iš·šeh Yah·weh ’eṯ- ha·ḥê·leḇ ham·ḵas·seh ’eṯ- haq·qe·reḇ wə·’êṯ kāl- ha·ḥê·leḇ ’ă·šer ‘al- haq·qe·reḇ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And from it he shall bring near his offering, a fire-offering to YHWH: the fat (haḥêleḇ) that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is upon the entrails,
Where the English smooths the original
The same rules are laid down about taking the fat off of several parts as in the sacrifice of the bullock; but nothing is said of the fat of the rump and tail, as is said of the lamb.
It would impress them more deeply with the belief of some important mystery in the shedding of the blood and the burning the fat of their solemn sacrifices.
the fat portions, which were to be burned upon the altar in the case of the oxen ( Leviticus 3:3 , Leviticus 3:4 ) and goats ( Leviticus 3:14 , Leviticus 3:15 )
15both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·’êṯ šə·tê hak·kə·lā·yōṯ wə·’eṯ- ha·ḥê·leḇ ’ă·šer ‘ă·lê·hen ’ă·šer ‘al- hak·kə·sā·lîm wə·’eṯ- hay·yō·ṯe·reṯ ‘al- hak·kā·ḇêḏ yə·sî·ren·nāh ‘al- hak·kə·lā·yōṯ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them, that is upon the loins, and the appendage upon the liver — upon the kidneys he shall remove it.
Where the English smooths the original
16Then the priest is to burn the food on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’s.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
hak·kō·hên wə·hiq·ṭî·rām le·ḥem ham·miz·bê·ḥāh ’iš·šeh nî·ḥō·aḥ lə·rê·aḥ kāl- ḥê·leḇ Yah·weh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And the priest shall make them go up in smoke on the altar — bread (leḥem), a fire-offering for a soothing aroma (nîḥōaḥ). All the fat (kāl-ḥêleḇ) belongs to YHWH.
Where the English smooths the original
All the fat is the Lord’s. —This part of the verse is intimately connected with the following verse. As the fat belongs to the Lord, it is therefore enacted as a perpetual statute that it must never be eaten.
the word food may here have a special fitness in its application to the peace-offering, which served for food also to the priests and the offerer, and so symbolized communion between the Lord, His ministers, and His worshippers.
All the fat is the Lord’s — This is to be limited, 1st, To those beasts which were offered or offerable in sacrifice, as it is explained, Leviticus 7:23 ; Leviticus 7:25 . 2d, To that kind of fat which is above mentioned, and required to be offered, which was separated, or easily separable from the flesh
Which shows that not the fat only, but the inwards and the kidneys, were burnt also
17This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
‘ō·w·lām ḥuq·qaṯ lə·ḏō·rō·ṯê·ḵem bə·ḵōl mō·wō·šə·ḇō·ṯê·ḵem lō ṯō·ḵê·lū kāl- ḥê·leḇ wə·ḵāl dām
Literal — word-for-word from the original
An everlasting (‘ôlām) statute for your generations in all your dwellings (môšəḇōṯêḵem): all fat and all blood (kāl-ḥêleḇ wəḵāl-dām) you shall not eat (tōḵêlū).
Where the English smooths the original
Blood — Was forbidden, partly to maintain reverence to God and his worship; partly, according to Maimonides, out of opposition to idolaters, who used to drink the blood of their sacrifices; partly, with respect to Christ’s blood, thereby manifestly signified.
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 stoning sacrifice for the sins of the world [Brown].JFB; "stoning" is the source's own typo for "atoning" — preserved verbatim per the no-alteration rule.
until the Messiah comes, and his sacrifice is offered up, and his blood is shed, till that time in all generations
Eating fat was a symbol of carnality, and eating blood signified cruelty.
The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.
AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.
The chapter's governing term, zeḇaḥ šəlāmîm, is literally a "slaughter of peaces" — and the plural matters. Joseph Benson (1810s) records that the word "is in the plural number, and is properly rendered peaces, pacifications, and also payments"; he reads it as covering thank-offerings, votive offerings, and free-will offerings alike — the whole spectrum of "peace, prosperity, and the blessing of God." Against the popular sense of an offering made to procure peace, the Pulpit Commentary (1880s) insists the word "must be understood not in the sense of an offering to bring shout peace, but an offering of those who arc in a state of peace" — quoting Kurtz, that its design was "the realization, establishment, verification, and enjoyment of the existing relations of peace, friendship, fellowship." Matthew Henry (1706) gives the homely image that endures: "in them God and his people did, as it were, feast together, in token of friendship." Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871) sharpen the occasion into two species — 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" — and it is precisely this benefit-to-the-offerer character that explains the permission of a female victim, where the burnt offering required a male: "the peace-offerings did primarily respect the benefit of the offerer, and therefore the choice was left to himself." Three times (vv. 2, 8, 13) the offerer presses his own hand on the victim's head and slaughters it himself; Charles Ellicott (1878) notes that here, unlike the burnt offering, "there was no confession of sin... but the utterance of words of praise." The peace offering is the only sacrifice the worshipper eats — the slaughter ends not in expiation but at a table.
The bulk of the chapter is an unflinching anatomy lesson — the omentum, the suet on the entrails, the two kidneys, the loins, the yōṯereṯ of the liver, and (for the sheep) the whole fat tail. The commentators meet this catalog with anatomical precision: Keil & Delitzsch (1860s) describe Syrian broad-tailed sheep whose tails "often weigh 15 lbs. or more, and small carriages on wheels are sometimes placed under them to bear their weight." Two terms resist translation. The yōṯereṯ "only occurs in the passages quoted," Keil notes, deriving it from a root "to stretch over"; Cambridge (1880s) devotes a full essay to the dispute, weighing the small omentum against the lobus caudatus and even adducing Greek and Latin liver-divination. The ‘āṣeh (backbone, v. 9) is a flat hapax — "The Heb. word occurs here only." Underneath the anatomy runs one principle, stated by Ellicott: the fat is "the best or choicest part... As the most valuable part of the animal, the fat belonged to God." That is why the priest makes it "go up in smoke" (hiqṭîr) upon the daily burnt offering — and the Pulpit Commentary makes the order load-bearing: "the burnt offering serves as the foundation of the peace offering. Self-surrender leads to peace." The portion God claims is called his leḥem, his bread (vv. 11, 16), "a meal at God's board" (Pulpit). The chapter's summit, v. 16, is a single sweeping sentence: "All the fat is the LORD's."
The chapter closes by lifting its law off the altar and into every Israelite kitchen: "a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings." Matthew Poole (1685) presses the reach — "not only at or near the tabernacle... but also in your several dwellings." Fat is withheld because it is God's portion (v. 16); blood, for a deeper reason. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871) ground the blood-ban not in hygiene but in promise: it was "intended to preserve their reverence for the Messiah, who was to shed His blood as an [a]toning sacrifice for the sins of the world." John Gill (1746–63) reads the very word "perpetual" christologically — the statute holds "until the Messiah comes, and his sacrifice is offered up, and his blood is shed." Matthew Henry draws the line forward: "God would not permit the blood that made atonement to be used as a common thing... nor will he allow us, though we have the comfort of the atonement made, to claim for ourselves any share in the honour of making it."
Read on its own terms, Leviticus 3 is the strangest of the offerings, because nothing in it is for anything: there is no atonement clause, no confession, no "it shall be forgiven him." The deliberate omission is the point — Cambridge, comparing the rite point-for-point with the burnt offering of chapter 1, observes: "There is nothing corresponding to the last clauses of Leviticus 1:3-4 referring to acceptance and atonement." The zeḇaḥ šəlāmîm presupposes peace already made and stages its enjoyment. Yet it does so over a corpse. The worshipper leans his weight onto a living animal, opens its throat, watches its life dashed against the altar, and then surrenders the very best of it — the choicest fat, the inmost organs — to the fire, keeping the rest for a feast. Peace, in this chapter, is not the absence of cost; it is a meal eaten in the presence of a death. And the one part the offerer may never touch is the blood and the fat: the life that was poured out and the richness that was burned. He may sit at God's table, but he may not lay hold of what purchased his seat there. Under Sola Scriptura I take the chapter to be teaching, by its very silences, that fellowship with God is both freely given and dearly bought — a table set on the foundation of an altar (v. 5). This is the tool's fallible reading, offered to be tested against the text.
Peace is not the absence of cost; it is a meal eaten in the presence of a death.
AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.
The catalog of fat reserved for God in Leviticus 3:3-4, 9-10, 14-15 is repeated almost word-for-word in the sin offering (Lev. 4:9), the guilt/trespass offering (Lev. 7:4), the consecration of the priests (Lev. 8:25; Exod. 29:22), and the inaugural offerings (Lev. 9:19). The link is genuinely verbal and built on a rare lexeme: yōṯereṯ (H3508, the liver-appendage) occurs in only 11 verses total, and these passages share it together with kilyāh (kidney), kāḇêḏ (liver), and keśel (loin). The fat-list is not free composition but a fixed liturgical formula stamped across the whole sacrificial system.
Leviticus 4:9 · Leviticus 7:4 · Leviticus 8:25 · Leviticus 9:19
basis: Verifier: shared rare lexeme H3508 yôthereth (only 11 vv), with H3629 kilyâh, H3516 kâbêd, H3689 keçel, H2459 cheleb — the fat-portion formula reused verbatim across these sacrificial laws (Hebrew↔Hebrew).
The fat tail ('alyāh, H451) singled out for the sheep in Leviticus 3:9 is one of the chapter's most concrete details — and the word is rare, appearing in only 5 verses of the OT. It recurs in the priestly consecration ram (Exod. 29:22) and the ordination offering (Lev. 8:25), where the fat tail is again burned whole as God's portion. The shared rare lexeme makes this a true verbal link, tying the peace offering's unique sheep-procedure directly into the ordination ritual.
Exodus 29:22 · Leviticus 8:25
basis: Verifier (Lev 3:9 ↔ Exod 29:22): shared rare lexeme H451 ʼalyâh (only 5 vv), with H2459 cheleb, H3680 kâçâh, H7130 qereb — the fat-tail clause shared verbatim between peace offering and consecration ram (Hebrew↔Hebrew).
Leviticus 3:1 deliberately mirrors the opening of the burnt offering at Leviticus 1:3 (and 1:10), sharing qorbān (offering), zāḵār (male), tāmîm (unblemished), and bāqār (herd). The link is thematic-structural, not a quotation: the same casuistic frame governs both, but ch. 3 pointedly drops the atonement language of 1:4. The relationship is also functional — v. 5 lays the peace offering's fat upon the burnt offering, so that, as the Pulpit Commentary observes, the burnt offering is the foundation on which peace is built.
Leviticus 1:3 · Leviticus 1:10 · Leviticus 6:12
basis: Verifier (Lev 3:1 ↔ Lev 1:3): shared lexemes H7133 qorbân, H2145 zâkâr, H8549 tâmîym, H1241 bâqâr — common offering-pattern, no quotation claim; the shared words are frequent (78–172 vv), so structural rather than verbal.
The perpetual ban on eating fat and blood (Leviticus 3:17) is expanded at Leviticus 7:23-27 and given its rationale at Leviticus 17:11, "the life of the flesh is in the blood... it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." The verbal connection to 17:11 rests on the shared word dām (blood, H1818) — but that lexeme is common (295 vv), so the link is thematic, not a quotation. Numbers 18:17 likewise shares zāraq (dash blood) and dām in the same sacrificial register. The motif reaches its NT horizon in Hebrews 9:22, "without shedding of blood is no remission."
Leviticus 7:23 · Leviticus 17:11 · Numbers 18:17
basis: Verifier (Lev 3:17 ↔ Lev 17:11): shared lexeme H1818 dâm only, freq 295 vv — too common for a verbal/quotation tier; the connection is the shared blood-prohibition motif, confirmed thematically.
The peace offering's burned portion is twice called the LORD's leḥem, "bread/food" (Leviticus 3:11, 16). The same idiom — sacrifice as God's bread — runs to Numbers 28:2 ("my bread for my sacrifices made by fire") and Leviticus 21:6, 21:21-22, where priests offer "the bread of their God." The Numbers 28:2 candidate shares qorbān and qāraḇ; because those lexemes are frequent (78 and 260 vv), the bread-of-God connection is best tiered structural/thematic, an offering-as-meal motif rather than a quotation.
Numbers 28:2 · Leviticus 21:6
basis: Verifier (Lev 3 ↔ Num 28:2): shared lexemes H7133 qorbân, H7126 qârab (freq 78 / 260 vv) — frequent words, so the "bread/food of God" connection is a shared motif, tiered thematic not verbal.
John Gill reads the offered fat of Leviticus 3:3 back to Abel, who brought "of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof" (Genesis 4:4), a sacrifice God "had respect unto." This is a typological reading rather than a documented verbal link — Genesis 4:4 shares the theme of offering the choicest fat, and the wider canon (Heb. 11:4) names Abel's as offered "by faith." Flagged as a commentator's figural connection, not a lexical one established by the Verifier.
Genesis 4:4 · Hebrews 11:4
basis: Not in Verifier thread_candidates for this unit; Gill's connection of Lev 3:3 fat to Abel's fat offering (Gen 4:4) is a homiletical/typological reading, not a computed shared-lexeme link — flagged so the figural basis is not mistaken for a verbal one.
Uniquely among the Leviticus 1–7 offerings, the zeḇaḥ šəlāmîm ends in a meal the worshipper eats (vv. 3, 11, 16 reserve only the fat and blood for God; the rest is shared). This is the one offering whose structure is a feast — God, priest, and offerer partaking of one victim, as Jamieson, Fausset & Brown describe: "a small part was allotted to the priests while the rest was granted to the offerer and his friends, thus forming a sacred feast." Paul reasons directly from this pattern in 1 Corinthians 10:18, where he points to Israel — those who eat the sacrifices are partakers of the altar — to expound the Lord's Table. This is a cross-Testament link (Greek↔Hebrew), so it cannot rest on shared Strong's numbers; it is a structural/typological correspondence of the fellowship-meal motif, not a verbal quotation. The Pulpit Commentary draws the same line to Revelation 3:20 ("I will sup with him"); both are figural readings of the peace offering as table-fellowship, widely held but here marked structural to avoid any claim of a verbal citation.
1 Corinthians 10:18 · Revelation 3:20
basis: Cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): no shared Strong's numbers possible, so this is NOT a verbal link. The basis is the shared fellowship-meal structure — one victim partaken by God, priest, and worshipper (the zeḇaḥ šəlāmîm's distinctive feast) — which Paul reasons from explicitly in 1 Cor 10:18. Tiered structural/thematic, not verbal, per the cross-Testament rule.
AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.
The historic Christian reading, voiced across the commentators, takes the zeḇaḥ šəlāmîm as a figure of Christ. Matthew Henry: "Christ is our Peace, our Peace-offering; for through him alone it is that we can obtain an answer of peace to our prayers." The Pulpit Commentary makes the structural point that the peace offering rests upon the burnt offering as its foundation — "the self-sacrifice of Christ is the cause of the peace subsisting between God and man" — and reads the shared meal toward Christ's table (citing Rev. 3:20). The fellowship-meal aspect (God, priest, and offerer eating together) is read as a foreshadowing of communion in Christ. This is a widely-held reading anchored in Ephesians 2:14 ("he is our peace") and Colossians 1:20 ("having made peace through the blood of his cross").
Leviticus 3:1 · Leviticus 3:5 · Ephesians 2:14 · Colossians 1:20
The perpetual prohibition of blood (Leviticus 3:17) is read by JFB and Gill as pointing forward to Christ: the blood was withheld from common use because it was reserved as the sign of "the Messiah, who was to shed His blood as an [a]toning sacrifice for the sins of the world" (JFB). Gill takes the word "perpetual" itself as bounded by the cross — the statute holds "until the Messiah comes, and his sacrifice is offered up, and his blood is shed." Matthew Henry presses the application: God will not allow us "to claim for ourselves any share in the honour of making" the atonement. The reading is grounded in Leviticus 17:11 (blood as the means of atonement) and reaches its fulfillment in Hebrews 9:22 and 1 Peter 1:19.
Leviticus 3:17 · Leviticus 17:11 · Hebrews 9:22
Gill reads the burned fat — "the best" of the animal — as denoting "Christ the fatted calf, whose sacrifice is best and most excellent," and the burning of the kidneys (the inmost organs, the Hebrew "reins") as "the burning zeal and flaming love and affections of Christ for his people... which put him upon offering himself a sacrifice of peace offering." This figural reading of the specific organs is more particular and more novel than the broad "Christ our Peace" theme — it is one commentator's typological pressing of the anatomy rather than a consensus reading, and is marked accordingly.
Leviticus 3:3 · Leviticus 3:4 · Leviticus 3:16
The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.
Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:
This unit is Hebrew throughout, so every Verifier-computed thread basis is a Hebrew↔Hebrew shared Strong's lexeme; the one cross-Testament thread (Lev 3 ↔ 1 Cor 10:18 / Rev. 3:20) is therefore Greek↔Hebrew and is tiered structural/typological, never verbal — no shared Strong's number is possible across the Testaments, and none is claimed. Two Hebrew threads earned the "verbal / quotation — confirmed" tier on genuinely rare lexemes (yōṯereṯ H3508, 11 vv; 'alyāh H451, 5 vv — the latter confirmed by pairing Lev 3:9 directly with Exod 29:22 and Lev 8:25, where the rare fat-tail word is genuinely shared); links resting on common words (dām 295 vv, qorbān 78 vv, qāraḇ 260 vv) were deliberately downgraded to structural/thematic to avoid over-claiming. The Abel/Genesis 4:4 thread is flagged because it is a commentator's typological reading with no computed lexical basis. Translation honesty: the text contains two terms the sources themselves cannot fix with certainty — yōṯereṯ (v. 4, the liver "caul/lobe/appendage," disputed for centuries between the small omentum and the lobus caudatus) and ‘āṣeh (v. 9, "backbone," a hapax legomenon). Our literal renderings name the uncertainty rather than smoothing it. One verbatim voice (JFB on v. 17) contains the source's own typo "stoning" for "atoning"; it is preserved unaltered per the no-alteration rule, with the correction noted only in the editorial_note. The Matthew Henry note on vv. 1-5 / 6-17 is a single block covering ranges of verses; excerpts are pointed to the relevant clause for each verse. Several verses (10, 13, 15) are near-verbatim Hebrew repetitions of earlier verses (4, 8/2, 4) — an intentional literary symmetry, not scribal redundancy.
✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)