Leviticus

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Leviticus 7 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Leviticus 7 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

1 Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy.

(7:1-6) The holy law of trespass offering: Find an animal; kill it; sprinkle the blood around; offer God the fat, rump, kidneys, and caul; burn and eat it in the holy place, for "it is most holy."
(7:1) "The trespass offering: it is most holy"

I do not understand why killing an animal is cruel, if done without unnecessary pain.

2 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.

(7:2) "Kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar."

Without blood this is no remission of sins (Heb. 10:4).

3 And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards,

(7:3-4) "Offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them ... and the caul that is above the liver."

Items you typically don't want to eat...

4 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 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering.

6 Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.

7 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 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.

(7:8) "The priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering."
The priest gets all the skin to himself. Lucky!

Obviously the skin was useful for many things. Where does the author of the SAB think leather comes from?

9 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.

(7:9) "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."
The priest also gets all the meat in the frying pan.

The priests were working in the tabernacle and temple, this was the way they were paid.

10 And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.

(7:10) "And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have."
And Aaron's sons get all the meat and oil.

See verse 9.

11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.

12 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 Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.

14 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.

(7:14) "It shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings."

How can sprinkling the blood of a dead animal be called cruel?

15 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.

(7:15) "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."
Be sure to eat all your sacrificed animals the same day that you kill them. Leftovers are not allowed!

The only flesh that had to be eaten immediately was flesh from the peace offerings. John Gill explains:

which was ordered to encourage liberality to the priests, Levites, and others, since all must be eaten up before morning.

16 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 the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.

18 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.

(7:18) "If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day ... it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity."
Don't eat any of your dead sacrifcial animals on the third day after you kill them. That is an abomination to God and he will never forgive you for it!

This is not about eating flesh in general, but about the flesh of peace offerings. But having said that, eating flesh in a warm climate and without refrigeration after the second day is probably not advisable.

19 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.

(7:19) "And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten."
Don't eat any of your dead sacrficed animals if they have touched any unclean thing.

This is still part of the specific rules around peace offerings.

20 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.

(7:20) "But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings ... having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people."
Don't eat any sacrificed animals while you have your uncleanness upon you. If you do, you'll be exiled.

When eating peace offerings, people had to be ceremonially clean. This of course had a deep spiritual meaning as well.

21 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.

(7:21) "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."
If you touch any unclean thing (like "the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any other abominable unclean thing") while eating sacrifieced animals, you will be exiled.

Specific rules to stay ceremonially clean. If such uncleanness was touched, people had to be cleansed first, before they could eat of the peace offering again.

22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.

(7:23-25) "Ye shall eat no manner of fat ... for whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD ... shall be cut off from his people."
Be careful what you eat during these animal sacrifices. Don't eat fat or you will be exiled.

Eating fat is not advisable under other circumstances as well.

24 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 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 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.

(7:26) "Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood ... Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people."

Blood is the transmitter of many diseases. This was an excellent and practical precaution.

27 Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

28 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

29 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 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.

(7:30) "The fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD."
Wave the fat and the breast for "a wave offering before the Lord."

I do not understand why waving a piece of a dead animal is cruelty.

31 And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.

(7:31) "And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'."

The breast was for the priests to serve as food. Their income was through these sacrifices, as they had no other means of income.

32 And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.

(7:32) "And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering."

See verse 31.

33 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.

(7:33) "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."
Aaron's sons get the right shoulder from all peace offerings.

See verse 31.

34 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.

(7:34) "For the wave breast and the heave shoulder ... a statute for ever."
Be sure to do your wave breast or heave shoulder today. It is a statute forever.

The word forever in Hebrew is an indefinite: it means from now on, until repealed. After the sacrifice of Christ, the ceremonial law was fulfilled and sacrifices are no longer necessary. It is similar to how our laws are framed: they are valid until repealed, they usually don't come with an expiry date.

35 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 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 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 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.