Fat and Blood
1 “‘This is the law of the trespass offering: It is most holy. 2 In the place where they kill the burnt offering, he shall kill the trespass offering; and its blood he shall sprinkle around on the altar. 3 He shall offer all of its fat: the fat tail, and the fat that covers the innards, 4 and he shall take away the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys; 5 and the priest shall burn them on the altar for an offering made by fire to Yahweh: it is a trespass offering. 6 Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. 7 “‘As is the sin offering, so is the trespass offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with them shall have it. 8 The priest who offers any man’s burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered. 9 Every meal offering that is baked in the oven, and all that is prepared in the pan and on the griddle, shall be the priest’s who offers it. 10 Every meal offering, mixed with oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron, one as well as another. 11 “‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer to Yahweh: 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mixed with oil. 13 He shall offer his offering with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving with cakes of leavened bread. 14 Of it he shall offer one out of each offering for a heave offering to Yahweh. It shall be the priest’s who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings. 15 The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16 “‘But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow, or a free will offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice. On the next day what remains of it shall be eaten, 17 but what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire. 18 If any of the meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted, and it shall not be credited to him who offers it. It will be an abomination, and the soul who eats any of it will bear his iniquity. 19 “‘The meat that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. As for the meat, everyone who is clean may eat it; 20 but the soul who eats of the meat of the sacrifice of peace offerings that belongs to Yahweh, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from his people. 21 When anyone touches any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean animal, or any unclean abomination, and eats some of the meat of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to Yahweh, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’” 22 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You shall eat no fat, of bull, or sheep, or goat. 24 The fat of that which dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of animals, may be used for any other service, but you shall in no way eat of it. 25 For whoever eats the fat of the animal which men offer as an offering made by fire to Yahweh, even the soul who eats it shall be cut off from his people. 26 You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings. 27 Whoever it is who eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’”
The thanksgiving offering must be eaten the same day, and the two permanent prohibitions are the richest part of the meat and the blood.
The peace offering is subdivided here, and the distinction turns on why it was brought.
An offering for a thanksgiving comes with bread — unleavened cakes, wafers anointed with oil, cakes mixed with oil Leviticus 7:12 — and it must be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning Leviticus 7:15.
One day. A whole animal and a quantity of bread, and no leftovers permitted, which means a family cannot possibly finish it alone. The rule forces an invitation. Thanksgiving in this system cannot be done privately, because the timetable makes it physically impossible.
An offering brought for a vow or freely may be eaten on a second day Leviticus 7:16, and what remains on the third is burned. The urgency is proportioned to the occasion.
Then the two prohibitions, both stated as permanent and both carrying the same penalty.
You shall eat no fat, of bull, or sheep, or goat Leviticus 7:23. The restriction is specific to the animals that could be offered — an important limit, because the same passage allows the fat of an animal that died of itself to be used for any other service Leviticus 7:24. It may be rendered for lamps or leather. It may not be eaten. What is withheld is the best portion of the kind of animal that goes on the altar.
You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings.
This one is wider. It covers birds, which were never a peace offering, and it applies at home. It is also older than Israel, given to Noah for all his descendants Genesis 9:4, and the reason will be stated at length in chapter 17.
The penalty for both is the same: cut off from his people Leviticus 7:25 Leviticus 7:27. Whatever the phrase covered in practice, its force is exclusion from the community whose whole identity is the arrangement being violated.
So the meal shared with God has two things kept back from the table, and they are the two things that were burned or poured out on the altar. What the worshiper eats is everything except what was given.
settled What this mark means