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Leviticus 1-4 Listen 
We see the five categories of offerings in the first six chapters of Leviticus.
For a complete overview of the offerings, refer to the outline in the box to the right of this window.
How to offer a burnt offering before the Lord (Leviticus 1)
The burnt offering
1 ¶ Now the LORD called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.
3 ¶ “If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD.
4 Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
5 He shall kill the bull before the LORD; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
6 And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.
7 The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood in order on the fire.
8 Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar;
9 but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
10 ¶ “If his offering is of the flocks—of the sheep or of the goats—as a burnt sacrifice, he shall bring a male without blemish.
11 He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar.
12 And he shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat; and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar;
13 but he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water. Then the priest shall bring it all and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
14 ¶ “And if the burnt sacrifice of his offering to the LORD is of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or young pigeons.
15 The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar.
16 And he shall remove its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, into the place for ashes.
17 Then he shall split it at its wings, but shall not divide it completely; and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
These instructions for the burnt offering are divided into three sections, for cattle (the herd in verses 3-9), sheep or goats (the flock in verses 10-13) and birds (in verses 14-17). These sacrifices were burnt completely on the big ol' brazen altar (7.5 feet square on its surface), except perhaps for the offering of the birds where the "crop" (food canal) of the bird was separated and discarded first. You'll notice that from the cattle and sheep/goats the offering was to be an unblemished male; the reason is found in verse 4, "Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him." The word "atonement" means an act of reconciliation. In other words, this is what the Hebrews did when they wanted to ensure a right relationship with God. Notice that the word "sin" is not actually used in this first chapter with regard to this sacrifice. As a matter of fact, neither the word "sin" nor "trespass" is used until we get to the "sin" offering of Leviticus 4:2 (see below). This burnt offering was for the purpose of rededication (whether individual or corporate) to God.
This "burnt offering" predates Mosaic Law. The Hebrew word for "burnt offering" is "olah," and it is used of the offering Noah made when leaving the ark in Genesis 8:20 (see notes). The only other time we see the word used in Genesis is the six times in reference to Abraham's "burnt offering" of Isaac in Genesis 22 (see notes). Notice that the one who provides the offering does most of the work here for the cattle, goats and sheep. It was a very hands-on experience for the one who brought the offering.
Paul makes reference to this relationship in Romans 12:1-2 (see notes) when he says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." They sacrificed an innocent animal, and it was burned on the altar. Just prior to the slaying of the animal, the one offering identified with the sacrifice by placing his hand upon the head of the innocent animal (verse 4). The "living sacrifice" of Romans 12:1-2 is a lot less traumatic than the "burnt offering" of Leviticus. One of my Bible professors, Emerson Pent, would always say when he came to this verse, "Here's the problem with the living sacrifice; it keeps crawling off of the altar." Burnt offerings stayed put! You know what I mean; many Believers have a tendency to run cycles where they get completely surrendered to God's will for their lives, but then they slide away from that commitment (i.e. crawling off of the altar). It is God's intention that we, as Believers, stay continually surrendered as "living sacrifices" on the altar of God's service.
When a meat offering contains no meat (Leviticus 2)
The Meat (Grain) Offering
1 “When anyone offers a grain offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.
2 He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
3 The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.
4 ¶ “And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
5 But if your offering is a grain offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil.
6 You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.
7 ¶ “If your offering is a grain offering baked in a covered pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
8 You shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the LORD. And when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar.
9 Then the priest shall take from the grain offering a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar. It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
10 And what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.
11 ¶ “No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire.
12 As for the offering of the firstfruits, you shall offer them to the LORD, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma.
13 And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
14 ¶ “If you offer a grain offering of your firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits green heads of grain roasted on the fire, grain beaten from full heads.
15 And you shall put oil on it, and lay frankincense on it. It is a grain offering.
16 Then the priest shall burn the memorial portion: part of its beaten grain and part of its oil, with all the frankincense, as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Perhaps the term "meat" offering in the KJV is a little confusing; it's translated "grain" offering in the NKJV. The KJV word "meat" here is used in the context of a description of something that can be eaten. In other words, these offerings were edible, unlike the burnt offerings which were completely consumed by the fire as they were placed on the brazen altar. You'll notice that these are baked goods - grain offerings (so to speak). Some of this grain sacrifice was burned upon the altar, but notice what happened to the remainder in verse 10, "And what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire." Now that we know the priests will be eating it, let's take a look at how tasty it may have been. Let's see...unleavened bread without honey, but well salted - hmmmm...that sounds like a saltine cracker.
Finally...an offering we can eat (Leviticus 3)
The Peace Offering
1 “When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.
2 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar.
3 Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire to the LORD. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,
4 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove;
5 and Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is on the wood that is on the fire, as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
6 ¶ “If his offering as a sacrifice of a peace offering to the LORD is of the flock, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
7 If he offers a lamb as his offering, then he shall offer it before the LORD.
8 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar.
9 ¶ “Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as an offering made by fire to the LORD, its fat and the whole fat tail which he shall remove close to the backbone. And the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,
10 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove;
11 and the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
12 ¶ “And if his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD.
13 He shall lay his hand on its head and kill it before the tabernacle of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar.
14 Then he shall offer from it his offering, as an offering made by fire to the LORD. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,
15 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove;
16 and the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma; all the fat is the LORD’S.
17 ¶ “This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’ ”
This is called the "peace offering." The liver, kidneys and all the fat from the animal are burned upon the altar, but the rest is for fine dining. We see this in Leviticus 7:11-18 (see notes) that there were special occasions when these offerings were made and then eaten - happy occasions. You'll notice that it is here that a differentiating statement is made with regard to the diet of the Hebrews in verse 17, "This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood." While other cultures ate both, the Hebrews would not as a matter of keeping their covenant with God.
What about when the High Priest sins? (Leviticus 4:1-12)
The Sin Offering
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them,
3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.
4 He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the LORD.
5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of meeting.
6 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.
7 And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
8 He shall take from it all the fat of the bull as the sin offering. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat which is on the entrails,
9 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove,
10 as it was taken from the bull of the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of the burnt offering.
11 But the bull’s hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and offal—
12 the whole bull he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.
Notice verse 3, "if the anointed priest sins..." I'm going to make a rather safe assumption here: This is undoubtedly a reference to the High Priest. So what happens when the High Priest sins? Well, if he thought he could make a private sacrifice before God, he was mistaken. Step one is to bring and slay an unblemished bull inside the courtyard, but apparently not upon the brazen altar. He then takes the blood of the bull and goes inside the tent itself to sprinkle some at the veil and place some upon the horns at the altar of incense. Then he emerges from the tent, pours all the remaining blood of the bull onto the brazen altar and burns the fat, kidneys and liver there as well. He then picks up the dead carcass of the bull and carries it outside the camp to a "clean place" where he constructs an altar and burns the rest of the carcass there. Whoa...that's a lot of trouble - perhaps an all-day job! It makes me really, really thankful for I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Unlike the Hebrews, a sincere prayer to God for forgiveness, and I'm done.
What about when everybody sins? (Leviticus 4:13-21)
13 ¶ “Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which should not be done, and are guilty;
14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting.
15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD. Then the bull shall be killed before the LORD.
16 The anointed priest shall bring some of the bull’s blood to the tabernacle of meeting.
17 Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil.
18 And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
19 He shall take all the fat from it and burn it on the altar.
20 And he shall do with the bull as he did with the bull as a sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
21 Then he shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is a sin offering for the assembly.
Let's be specific here in verse 13: "Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally..." What about when the congregation inadvertently breaks God's laws? Notice in verse 15 that all the elders get involved. Then the High Priest takes the blood (of a bull) and sprinkles it before the veil of the Tabernacle, burns the blood on on the altar and carries the carcass outside the camp as he did in the previous section.
What about when a ruler of the people sins? (Leviticus 4:22-26)
22 ¶ “When a ruler has sinned, and done something unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD his God in anything which should not be done, and is guilty,
23 or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a male without blemish.
24 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it at the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD. It is a sin offering.
25 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
26 And he shall burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of the peace offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
The "ruler" here refers to the head of a tribe, or of a division of a tribe. After sinning, he gets off with just a male goat. Furthermore, he doesn't have to carry it outside the camp to be burned. But notice that he has to kill the goat himself in verse 24. Then the priest takes over.
What about when regular ol' Hebrews inadvertently sin? (Leviticus 4:27-35)
27 ¶ “If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing something against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and is guilty,
28 or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed.
29 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.
30 Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar.
31 He shall remove all its fat, as fat is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma to the LORD. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.
32 ¶ “If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish.
33 Then he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it as a sin offering at the place where they kill the burnt offering.
34 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar.
35 He shall remove all its fat, as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. Then the priest shall burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire to the LORD. So the priest shall make atonement for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.
When the common folks inadvertently sin, they bring a female goat or lamb. The one who sinned slays the animal himself, but then the priest takes over and burns the kidneys, liver, fat and blood upon the altar. The priests actually eat the rest of this offering. Ironically, the more the people sinned, the more the priests had to eat. Hosea points out that this later becomes a problem in Hosea 4:8 (see notes), "They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity."
These sacrifice specifications continue on into Leviticus 5 (see notes).
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