Bible Commentaries

Leviticus 7:1 Likewise this [is] the law of the trespass offering: it [is] most holy.

Ver. 1. Of the trespass offering.] Heb., Asham, Piaculum, quo peccatum expiabatur. How it differed from the sin offering is hard to determine.

Leviticus 7:2 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.

Ver. 2. In the place.] {See Trapp on "Leviticus 1:11"}

Leviticus 7:3 And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards,

Ver. 3. That covereth the inwards.] "My son, give me thy heart." See Psalms 51:6, Jeremiah 4:14.

Leviticus 7:4 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:

Ver. 4. And the two kidneys.] {See Trapp on "Leviticus 3:4"}

Leviticus 7:5 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar [for] an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a trespass offering.

Ver. 5. It is a trespass offering.] And, as in the sin offering, the priest was to have the remainder. They had many a good morsel besides their tithes and lands.

Leviticus 7:7 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].

Ver. 7. As the sin offering is.] They were distinct then. See Leviticus 7:1.

Leviticus 7:8 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.

Ver. 8. The priest shall have to himself.] It is a sign of gasping devotion when men are so straithanded to their ministers, who should have part of all. [Galatians 6:6]

Leviticus 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.

Ver. 9. And all the meat offering.] Which seems to be so called, partly because it went as meat unto the priest - the labourer is surely worthy of his meat, - but [Matthew 10:10] principally as leading to Christ, whose "flesh is meat indeed." [John 6:55]

Leviticus 7:10 And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one [as much] as another.

Ver. 10. Have, one as much as another.] In their father’s house was bread enough. "Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priest’s offices, that I may eat a piece of bread." [1 Samuel 2:36] This the Tirshatha would not suffer those turn-coats to do. [Ezra 2:63] But how hard put to it was that poor priest that answered young Pareus, asking him an alms, according to the custom of those times, Nos pauperi fratres, nos nihil habemus, an piscis, an caro, an panis, an misericordia habemus? ^(a)

Leviticus 7:11 And this [is] the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.

Ver. 11. Sacrifice of peace offerings.] Or, pay offering. See Psalms 116:14. "I will pay," or, I will perfect. Fitly; for a vow, till paid, is an imperfect thing.

Leviticus 7:12 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.

Ver. 12. Unleavened cakes.] There must be sincerity in all our services; for else God will not once look at them.

Leviticus 7:13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer [for] his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.

Ver. 13. Leavened bread.] Lo, leavened bread will pass in a peace offering: God for Christ’s sake rejects not the services of his saints, though tainted with corruption. Peccata nobis non nocent, si non placent. ^(a) Wine is not thrown away for the dregs, nor gold for the dirt that cleaves unto it.

Leviticus 7:14 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.

Ver. 14. For a heave offering.] So called, because it was heaved and lifted up before the Lord, in token that they received all from him, and did acknowledge all to be due to him.

Leviticus 7:15 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.

Ver. 15. Eaten the same day.] Thanks must be returned while mercies are fresh; lest, as fish, they putrify with keeping. Eaten bread is soon forgotten. Hezekiah wrote his song the third day after his recovery. Jehoshaphat gave thanks first upon the ground where he had the victory, calling it Berachah; and three days after again at Jerusalem. [2 Chronicles 20:25-26] See David’s Now, now, now, - "I will pay my vows." [Psalms 116:14-15]

Leviticus 7:16 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:

Ver. 16. And on the morrow also.] This was not allowed in a thank offering. [Leviticus 7:15] Hereby God would teach them, that he must be worshipped as himself appointeth, and not as they in their reason should think fit.

Leviticus 7:17 But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.

Ver. 17. On the third day.] Foreshadowing the resurrection of Christ on the third day, whereby all legal ceremonies were abolished, and had no use in the Church, but by accident; as he who bnildeth a vault, letteth the centrals stand till he put in the keystone, and then pulleth them away.

Leviticus 7:18 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.

Ver. 18. It shall be an abomination.] Kept beyond the time; and so uneatable, unsacrificeable, profane, stinking.

Leviticus 7:19 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.

Ver. 19. Shall not be eaten.] Because not fit to represent Christ.

Leviticus 7:20 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.

Ver. 20. Having his uncleanness upon him.] To the unclean all things are unclean, &c. [Titus 1:15] {See Trapp on "Titus 1:15"}

Leviticus 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.

Ver. 21. Cut off from his people.] Compare 1 Corinthians 11:27-29.

Leviticus 7:22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Ver. 22. And the Lord spake unto Moses.] This is oft repeated to draw attention and get authority. See 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

Leviticus 7:23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.

Ver. 23. No manner of fat.] {See Trapp on "Leviticus 3:12"}

Leviticus 7:24 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.

Ver. 24. Used in any other use.] Though not in sacrifice. Mud walls may be made up of any refuse matter: not so the walls of a church or palace.

Leviticus 7:25 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.

Ver. 25. Shall be cut off,] i.e., Shall be liable to God’s judgments.

Leviticus 7:26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, [whether it be] of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.

Ver. 26. Ye shall eat no manner of blood.] This signified, (1.) That we should learn to honour holy things, and not to make a mock of them by employing them to common use; (2.) That we should be most careful not to shed man’s blood for the satisfying of our lust. See Leviticus 17:11-12, Genesis 9:4-5, Deuteronomy 12:13.

Leviticus 7:27 Whatsoever soul [it be] that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

Ver. 27. Whatsoever soul it be.] One would think this to be but a peccadillo: yet how fearfully is it threatened! No sin can be little, because there is no little God to sin against.

Leviticus 7:29 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.

Ver. 29. Unto the Lord.] Not kill it in the camp, though there they might eat it.

Leviticus 7:30 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.

Ver. 30. His own hands.] Teaching them that they must live by their own faith. [Habakkuk 2:5]

May be waved.] Or, Shaken to and fro; which signified the shaking of our lips in giving thanks to God, [Hosea 14:2 Hebrews 13:15-16] which yet must be fetched lower than the lips, even from the bottom of the heart; the deeper the sweeter. The voice that is made in the mouth is nothing so sweet, as that which comes from the depth of the breast.

Leviticus 7:31 And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.

Ver. 31,32. The breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. And the right shoulder.] To note that men must give their breasts and shoulders, affections and actions, even their whole selves; first to the Lord, and then to us ministers by the will of God, as those famous Macedonians did in 2 Corinthians 8:5; that so they may be sani in doctrina et sancti in vita, sound in doctrine, and holy in life.

Leviticus 7:32 And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest [for] an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.

Ver. 32. See note in previous verse.

Leviticus 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.

Ver. 33. He among the sons of Aaron.] The breast belonged to the high priest and his family; but the right shoulder was for the priest that did officiate, or do the office of a priest, for that turn.

Leviticus 7:34 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.

Ver. 34. For the wave-breast, and the heaveshoulder.] This might further signify, saith one, that Christ Jesus heaved up for us both breast and shoulder - that is, wisdom and strength to all his elect priesthood, whose portion he is. [1 Corinthians 1:30] Or it might note, saith another, that ministers should both take care (figured by the breast) and pains (signified by the shoulder). And therefore the high priest did to that end wear the names of the tribes upon his shoulders and upon his breast.

Leviticus 7:35 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;

Ver. 35. This is the portion of the anointing.] That is, Of the anointed priests; and that because they were anointed to the office. Here Origen, according to his manner, turns all into allegories and mysteries, and tells us of a threefold sense of Scripture, (1.) Literal; (2.) Moral; (3.) Mystical: comparing them to the gridiron, frying pan, and oven, used in dressing the meat offering. Leviticus 7:9 But this itch of allegorising dark and difficult texts hath no small danger in it. And I may doubt of Origen, as one doth of Jerome, Utrum plus boni peritia linguarum, qua excelluit, an mali suis allegoriis, in quibus dominatus fuit, ecclesiae Dei attulerit; whether he did more harm or good to the Church. ^(a)