CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Leviticus 7
Chapter 7 of 27
Chapter Overview
What happens in Leviticus 7
God continues giving detailed rules about the guilt offering, the peace offering, and the shares that belong to the priests. This chapter also includes strict warnings against eating fat or blood.
Scripture
Leviticus 7
Rules for the Guilt Offering
Study note
The guilt offering followed similar steps to the sin offering. It was killed at the same place as the burnt offering, and its blood was splashed on all sides of the altar. The fat, kidneys, and liver covering were burned on the altar. The remaining meat belonged to the priest who performed the sacrifice. The skin of the burnt offering also belonged to the performing priest. These portions of food and materials served as the priests' payment, since they had no land or other income.
1 "Here are the rules for the guilt offering. It is most sacred." Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy.
2 "The guilt offering animal must be slaughtered in the same spot where the burnt offering is made. Its blood must be thrown against every side of the altar." In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar.
3 "Every bit of fat must be offered up: the fat tail, the fat wrapping the internal organs," And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards,
4 "both kidneys with the fat around them near the lower back, and the covering over the liver. These must be taken out along with the kidneys." And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away:
5 "The priest must burn all these parts on the altar as a fire gift to the Lord. This is a guilt offering." And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering.
6 "Any male in the priestly family may eat the meat. It must be eaten in a sacred area. It is most sacred." Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.
7 "The guilt offering follows the same procedure as the sin offering. The priest who uses it to restore someone's relationship with God keeps the meat." As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.
8 "When a priest offers someone's burnt offering, the hide of that animal belongs to the priest." And the priest that offereth any man's burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered.
9 "Any grain offering that was baked in an oven, made in a deep pan, or cooked on a flat plate belongs to the priest who brings it." And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest's that offereth it.
10 "Every other grain gift must be shared equally among Aaron's sons. This is true whether it has oil mixed in or is dry." And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.
Rules for the Peace Offering
Study note
There were three types of peace offerings: thanksgiving, vow, and freewill. A thanksgiving offering had to be eaten the same day. A vow or freewill offering could be eaten over two days. Any meat left until the third day had to be burned. These time limits kept the sacred meal fresh and prevented people from hoarding holy food. Anyone who was ceremonially unclean was forbidden from eating the peace offering, with the penalty of being cut off from the community.
11 "Here are the rules for the peace offering that someone may bring to the Lord." And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.
12 "If the person brings the offering to give thanks, it must also include thick cakes made without yeast and mixed with oil. It must include thin wafers made without yeast and brushed with oil. It must also include cakes of fine flour that are well mixed with oil." If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.
13 "In addition to these cakes, the person must bring loaves of bread made with yeast as part of the thanksgiving peace offering." Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.
14 "From each type of bread, one loaf must be set aside as a special contribution to the Lord. That loaf goes to whichever priest throws the blood of the peace offering on the altar." And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings.
15 "The meat from a thanksgiving peace offering must be eaten that very same day. Nothing may be saved for the next morning." And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.
16 "But if the peace offering is brought to keep a promise to God or as a free gift, the meat may be eaten on the day it is offered. Whatever is left may also be eaten the next day." But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten:
17 "But if any of the sacrifice meat is still around on the third day, it must be completely burned up." But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.
18 "If someone eats peace offering meat on the third day, the offering will be rejected. It will not count for the person who brought it. Instead, it will be treated as ruined, and whoever eats it must face the consequences." And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.
19 "If the meat touches anything that is ritually unclean, it must not be eaten -- burn it up instead. As for the rest of the meat that is still clean, anyone who is ritually clean may eat it." And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof.
20 "Someone who is unclean might eat meat from the Lord's peace gift. Send that person away from the group." But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
21 "Someone touches something unclean. Then they eat meat from the Lord's peace gift. Send that person away from the group. It does not matter what made them unclean. It could be human, animal, or any other unclean thing." Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
The Ban on Eating Fat and Blood
Study note
God gave a firm command that the people must never eat the fat of cattle, sheep, or goats. The fat of an animal that died naturally or was killed by wild animals could be used for other purposes like making leather or oil for lamps, but never for food. Eating blood was also strictly forbidden. Blood represented life, and life belonged to God alone. Anyone who ate fat or blood would be cut off from the community.
22 Then the Lord gave Moses another message. He said, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23 "Give the people of Israel this instruction: Do not eat the fat from cattle, sheep, or goats." Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.
24 "The fat of an animal that dies on its own or is killed by a wild animal can be used for other things. But you must never, ever eat it." And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.
25 "Anyone who eats fat from a fire-gift animal must be cut off from the people. These animals belong to the Lord." For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people.
26 "Wherever you live, you must never eat the blood of any bird or animal." Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
27 "Anyone who eats blood of any kind must be expelled from the community." Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
The Priests' Share of the Peace Offering
Study note
When someone brought a peace offering, they had to personally carry the fat and the breast to the priest. The breast was waved before the Lord in a ceremony and then given to the priests. The right thigh was also given as a special gift to the priest who performed the sacrifice. These portions were a permanent right given to Aaron and his sons by God as payment for their service.
28 Then the Lord gave Moses another message. He said, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
29 "Tell the people of Israel this. Someone brings a peace gift to the Lord. Part of it must go to the Lord. It is a special share." Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.
30 "The person must personally carry the fire offering to the Lord. This includes the fat along with the breast. The breast must be lifted and waved in the Lord's presence as a wave offering." His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.
31 "The priest must burn the fat on the altar, but the breast goes to Aaron and his sons." And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'.
32 "You must also give the right thigh to the priest as a special contribution from your peace offerings." And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.
33 "The son of Aaron who handles the blood and fat of the peace offering gets the right thigh as his own share." He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part.
34 "I have taken the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the gift from the peace offerings of the Israelites. I have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons forever. This is their rightful share from the people of Israel." For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.
Summary of the Offering Laws
Study note
This closing summary wraps up the entire section on offerings that began in chapter 1. It confirms that all these laws came from God through Moses at Mount Sinai. The five main offerings were the burnt offering, grain offering, sin offering, guilt offering, and peace offering. Together they covered every aspect of the relationship between the people and God: worship, gratitude, forgiveness, restitution, and fellowship.
35 "This is the share set aside for Aaron and his sons from the Lord's fire offerings. It started from the very day they began serving the Lord as priests." This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office;
36 "On the day they were anointed, the Lord required the people of Israel to provide this share for them. It is a permanent rule for every generation to come." Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.
37 "So these are all the rules. They cover the burnt gift and grain gift. They cover the sin gift and guilt gift. They cover the setting-apart gift and peace gift." This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;
38 "The Lord gave these instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai. He gave them on the very day he told the people of Israel to start bringing their offerings to the Lord in the Sinai wilderness." Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.
Key Themes
Themes in Leviticus 7
Completing the instructions for the offering systemThe strict prohibition on eating blood and fatProviding for the priests who serve God's peopleOrder and reverence in worship
Apply This Today
Living Leviticus 7
The detailed rules about offerings may seem tedious, but they teach an important truth: approaching God is not casual or careless. These instructions created order, reverence, and fairness. They also ensured the priests were provided for, establishing the principle that those who serve God's people full-time deserve support.
Go Deeper
Study Leviticus in Covenant Path
Read every chapter with study aids, bookmarks, and daily reading plans — free in the app.