Leviticus 3

Leviticus chapter 3 details the regulations for the peace offering, which could be from the herd or flock, male or female, but always without blemish. The offerer would lay hands on the animal, kill it, and the priests would sprinkle its blood upon the altar. Specific fatty portions were then burned on the altar as a sweet savour unto the Lord, while a perpetual statute prohibited the eating of fat or blood.

Leviticus chapter 3 outlines the procedures for presenting a peace offering to the Lord, a sacrifice that could originate from either the herd or the flock, including lambs and goats. Regardless of the animal, it had to be presented without blemish, and the offerer would lay their hand upon its head before killing it at the tabernacle door. The priests were responsible for sprinkling the animal's blood around the altar. The core of the offering involved burning specific fatty parts—such as the fat covering the inwards, the kidneys, and the caul above the liver—upon the altar. For a lamb, the whole rump was also included. These burnt portions were considered an offering made by fire, yielding a sweet savour or food unto the Lord. The chapter concludes with a perpetual statute for all generations, strictly forbidding the consumption of any fat or blood.

Leviticus chapter 3 provides comprehensive instructions concerning the peace offering, a voluntary sacrifice presented to the Lord. The chapter begins by specifying that an offering from the herd, whether male or female, must be without blemish. The offerer was to lay their hand upon the animal's head, signifying identification, and then kill it at the entrance of the tabernacle of the congregation. Following this, Aaron's sons, the priests, were to sprinkle the animal's blood upon the altar's perimeter. The central act of the peace offering involved burning specific fatty portions upon the altar: the fat covering the inwards, all fat upon the inwards, the two kidneys with their fat, and the caul above the liver. This offering by fire was considered a sweet savour unto the Lord, placed upon the burnt sacrifice already on the altar. The chapter then details similar procedures for offerings from the flock. If a lamb was offered, it too had to be without blemish, and the same ritual of laying on hands, killing, and blood sprinkling applied. For a lamb, in addition to the internal fats, the entire rump was to be removed close to the backbone and burned. If a goat was the offering, the process remained consistent, with the offerer laying hands, killing the animal, and the priests sprinkling its blood. The same internal fatty parts were designated for burning upon the altar. These burnt portions, whether from herd or flock, were referred to as the "food of the offering made by fire" and were pleasing to the Lord. The chapter concludes with a significant and perpetual statute for all future generations: the strict prohibition against eating any fat or blood, emphasizing that "all the fat is the LORD'S." This chapter underscores the ritual purity and specific anatomical requirements for these communal sacrifices.