The Torah · Old Testament
Leviticus 3
Peace offerings and the portions burned on the altar
General context
Instructions for peace offerings permit an unblemished male or female from the herd or flock. The offerer lays a hand on the animal's head and kills it, and Aaron's sons sprinkle the blood around the altar. Specified fat, kidneys and the portion above the liver are burned for the Lord. Separate cases describe cattle, a lamb and a goat; the lamb instructions also include the tail. The chapter ends by declaring the fat to be the Lord's and prohibiting the eating of fat or blood throughout Israel's generations and dwellings.
Cited passages: Leviticus 3:1, Leviticus 3:2, Leviticus 3:3, Leviticus 3:4, Leviticus 3:5, Leviticus 3:6, Leviticus 3:7, Leviticus 3:8, Leviticus 3:9, Leviticus 3:10, Leviticus 3:11, Leviticus 3:12, Leviticus 3:13, Leviticus 3:14, Leviticus 3:15, Leviticus 3:16, Leviticus 3:17
Leviticus 3 (KJV)
1And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.
2And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
3And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
4And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
5And Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
6And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the Lord be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
7If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the Lord.
8And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar.
9And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
10And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
11And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord.
12And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord.
13And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.
14And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
15And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
16And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the Lord’s.
17It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.
This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.
Historical context
The ritual setting includes the tabernacle, altar and Aaron's sons. Both male and female animals are permitted in this chapter. In the lamb instructions the KJV says 'whole rump', while the ASV and BBE specify the fat tail. The chapter concentrates on blood and the portions burned on the altar. It does not yet give the rules for who eats the remaining meat or how long it may be kept.
Cited passages: Leviticus 3:1, Leviticus 3:2, Leviticus 3:6, Leviticus 3:7, Leviticus 3:8, Leviticus 3:9, Leviticus 3:10, Leviticus 3:11, Leviticus 3:12, Leviticus 3:13, Leviticus 3:14, Leviticus 3:15, Leviticus 3:16, Leviticus 3:17
Literary context
The repeated sequence of hand, slaughter, blood and burning links the three animal cases. The closing declaration that all the fat is the Lord's turns the preceding lists of portions into an explicit statement of their ownership. This is a reading of the chapter's arrangement, not an additional explanation of the rite's origins.
Cited passages: Leviticus 3:2, Leviticus 3:3, Leviticus 3:4, Leviticus 3:5, Leviticus 3:8, Leviticus 3:9, Leviticus 3:10, Leviticus 3:11, Leviticus 3:13, Leviticus 3:14, Leviticus 3:15, Leviticus 3:16, Leviticus 3:17
Key moments
- An unblemished animal (Leviticus 3:1). The peace offering from the herd may be male or female.
- The lamb's prescribed portions (Leviticus 3:9). The lamb instructions include the tail and specified inward fat.
- The closing prohibition (Leviticus 3:17). Israel is told not to eat fat or blood.
For reflection
What does the repeated division of duties and portions communicate about how the offering is presented?
