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Chapter 7




Ritual for guilt offerings

1 This also is the law of the sacrifice for a trespass, it is most holy: 2 Therefore where the holocaust is immolated, the victim also for a trespass shall be slain: the blood thereof shall be poured round about the altar. 3 They shall offer thereof the rump and the fat that covereth the entrails: 4 The two little kidneys, and the fat which is by the flanks, and the caul of the liver with the little kidneys. 5 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the burnt sacrifice of the Lord for a trespass. 6 Every male of the priestly race, shall eat this flesh in a holy place, because it is most holy.


The offerings belong to the priest

7 As the sacrifice for sin is offered, so is also that for a trespass: the same shall be the law of both these sacrifices: it shall belong to the priest that offereth it. 8 The priest that offereth the victim of holocaust, shall have the skin thereof. 9 And every sacrifice of flour that is baked in the oven, and whatsoever is dressed on the gridiron, or in the fryingpan, shall be the priest's that offereth it: 10 Whether they be tempered with oil, or dry, all the sons of Aaron shall have one as much as another.


Ritual for peace offerings

11 This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that is offered to the Lord. 12 If the oblation be for thanksgiving, they shall offer leaves without leaven tempered with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and fine flour fried, and cakes tempered and mingled with oil: 13 Moreover leaves of leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanks, which is offered for peace offerings: 14 Of which one shall be offered to the Lord for firstfruits, and shall be the priest's that shall pour out the blood of the victim.


Regulations regarding peace offerings

15 And the flesh of it shall be eaten the same day, neither shall any of it remain until the morning. 16 If any man by vow, or of his own accord offer a sacrifice, it shall in like manner be eaten the same day: and if any of it remain until the morrow, it is lawful to eat it: 17 But whatsoever shall be found on the third day shall be consumed with fire. 18 If any man eat of the flesh of the victim of peace offerings on the third day, the oblation shall be of no effect, neither shall it profit the offerer: yea rather whatsoever soul shall defile itself with such meat, shall be guilty of transgression. 19 The flesh that hath touched any unclean thing, shall not be eaten, but shall be burnt with fire: he that is clean shall eat of it. 20 If any one that is defiled shall eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which is offered to the Lord, he shall be cut off from his people. 21 And he that hath touched the uncleanness of man, or of beast, or of any thing that can defile, and shall eat of such kind of flesh, shall be cut off from his people.


Prohibition against blood and fat

22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 Say to the children of Israel: The fat of a sheep, and of an ox, and of a goat you shall not eat. 24 The fat of a carcass that hath died of itself, and of a beast that was caught by another beast, you shall have for divers uses. 25 If any man eat the fat that should be offered for the burnt sacrifice of the Lord, he shall perish out of his people. 26 Moreover you shall not eat the blood of any creature whatsoever, whether of birds or beasts. 27 Every one that eateth blood, shall perish from among the people.


The portions for priests

28 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 29 Speak to the children of Israel, saying: He that offereth a victim of peace offerings to the Lord, let him offer therewith a sacrifice also, that is, the libations thereof. 30 He shall hold in his hands the fat of the victim, and the breast: and when he hath offered and consecrated both to the Lord, he shall deliver them to the priest, 31 Who shall burn the fat upon the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. 32 The right shoulder also of the victims of peace offerings shall fall to the priest for firstfruits. 33 He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood, and the fat, he shall have the right shoulder also for his portion. 34 For the breast that is elevated and the shoulder that is separated I have taken of the children of Israel, from off their victims of peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest, and to his sons, by a law for ever, from all the people of Israel. 35 This is the anointing of Aaron and his sons, in the ceremonies of the Lord, in the day when Moses offered them, that they might do the office of priesthood, 36 And the things that the Lord commanded to be given them by the children of Israel, by a perpetual observance in their generations.


Summary of rituals

37 This is the law of holocaust, and of the sacrifice for sin, and for trespass, and for consecration, and the victims of peace offerings: 38 Which the Lord appointed to Moses in mount Sinai, when he commanded the children of Israel, that they should offer their oblations to the Lord in the desert of Sinai.

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7:1 law of the sacrifice: In other words, the priests were allowed to eat what was left over. (St. Augustine Questions on Lev) Trespass: Trespasses, for which these offerings were to be made, were lesser offenses than those for which the sin offerings were appointed. (Bishop Richard Challoner)  It appears frequently in the divine Scriptures that sin is indifferently used for transgression and transgression for sin without any other distinction.  Yet in this place it is found to be distinguished.  For where above it had delivered the rite and order of sacrifice in an offering "for sin (Lev 6:18),"  now it commands separately a sacrifice "for a transgression."  Although all things are commanded in the same order and observation, and it adds in the last, "as that, which is for sin, so that which is for a transgression; there will be one law for them (Lev 7:7)," nevertheless, it wanted to show there is some difference in these for which it commanded separate sacrifices.  In this, I think the transgression committed is a little less serious than a sin.  For we find of sin that "sin" is "to death (1 Jn 5:16-17)."  We do not read concerning a transgression that it is said to be to death.  Yet, I also know that difference that was seen by some scholars, that it is a transgression when we do not do what we ought not to commit.  But since we do not always find these in Holy Scripture under this distinction, we cannot, therefore, affirm this generally.  Consequently, it must be taken in the same manner and the same tradition concerning the sacrifice that is offered "for transgression" as we expounded above concerning that which is "for sin." (Origen Hom 5 on Lev)

7:7 sin and trespass: We can also consider the trespass as a trespass committed recklessly, that is to say, ignorance, and sin as a trespass committed knowingly... Almost all faults mentioned in this chapter are therefore are in turn the qualification of trespass and sin. Thus, after many passages of Scripture, these two terms are used interchangeably for each other, and yet the Scripture testifies that there is some difference between them (see Matt. 26:28. Rom. 5:18. Lev. 4:13,22, 27-28. Lev. 5:4-6, 15-7, 18-19.). (St. Augustine Questions on Lev)

7:12 offer loaves: sodden in the oven. unleavened wafers: Made of dough cooked in hot waterflour fried: Some of the species of the bread was first baked in the oven, and afterwards a while in hot water.  cakes tempered and mingled with oil: For it was not only to be mixed with water but mixed together with oil. (Nicholas of Lyra)

7:13 Earlier the leaven was thrown out entirely from the sacrifices, how does it command the sacrifice to be placed on leavened bread?  Consider more diligently that the leavened bread is received, not for the sacrifice but for the ministry of the sacrifice. (Origen Hom 5 on Lev)

7:16-18 The reason why the consumption of the sacrificial flesh after three days and impose a penalty for transgression of the law by declaring the sacrifice invalid was because they would not feast alone but share the meat with the needy.  Therefore, he commanded them to partake of the meat on the first and second days but burn the leftovers, so that, under pressure of this obligation, they would invite the poor to share in the feast. (Theodoret of Cyrus)

7:19-20 So great a concern was there a reverence towards God that God did not accept bold hands even out of help... Are these things which existed long ago, and now they do not happen in this way?  What then?  Has God ceased to care for what concerns us?  Has he withdrawn beyond the view of the world, and does he look down from heaven upon no one?  Is his forbearance really ignorance?  God forbid, you will say.  Therefore he sees what we do but he waits, indeed, and endures patiently, and he grants an opportunity for repentance and holds out his own Christ to postpone the end, so that they whom he has redeemed may not readily perish.  Understand this well, you sinners: you are observed by God; you can appease him if you want to. (Pacian of Barcelona On Pen. 6.3)

7:20-24 The reason why he forbid a share of the sacrificial meat to anyone who had touched someone suffering a discharge, a leper, an animal carcass, or anything else declared unclean, was because He used these slight ailments to cure the serious.  If in the eyes of the Law natural things cause defilement, this is much more the case with matters of intention, which are properly referred to as "transgression."  the following verses confirm the truth of this.  After commanding that all fat be offered on the alter, he allotted to human usage the fat from animals that had died or been killed by others.  Yet as he declared all such things unclean, anyone touching one of these was also unclean.  We gather from this passage as well that he legislates some thing through others. (Theodoret of Cyrus)

7:29 peace offering: No one offers that sacrifice to the Lord unless one who, healthy and conscious of his salvation, renders thanks to the Lord.  Thus, no one who is sick in spirit and feeble in works can offer a salutary or peace offering. (Origen Hom 5 on Lev)

7:30 Mystically the fatty parts which are above the breast are understood as the breast, which is the heart, from which all evil thoughts must be taken away by you, for they proceed from that place.  And they must be delivered to the fire of the alter that your heart, made pure, may see God. (Origen Hom 5 on Lev)























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