Leviticus 7:11-21 Meaning: Peace Offerings
11“‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer to Yahweh:
12If 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.
13He shall offer his offering with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving with cakes of leavened bread.
14Of 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.
15The 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,
17but what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.
18If 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;
20but 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.
21When 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.’”
11And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord.
12If 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.
13Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.
14And 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.
15And 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.
16But 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:
17But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.
18And 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.
19And 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.
20But 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.
21Moreover 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.
11And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one shall offer unto Jehovah.
12If 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 soaked.
13With cakes of leavened bread he shall offer his oblation with the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving.
14And of it he shall offer one out of each oblation for a heave-offering unto Jehovah; it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace-offerings.
15And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his oblation; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.
16But if the sacrifice of his oblation be a vow, or a freewill-offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offereth his sacrifice; and on the morrow that which remaineth of it shall be eaten:
17but that which remaineth of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.
18And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be eaten 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.
19And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire. And as for the flesh, every one that is clean shall eat thereof:
20but the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, that pertain unto Jehovah, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.
21And when any one shall touch any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean beast, or any unclean abomination, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which pertain unto Jehovah, that soul shall be cut off from his people.
11`And this is a law of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings which one bringeth near to Jehovah:
12if for a thank-offering he bring it near, then he hath brought near with the sacrifice of thank-offering unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and thin unleavened cakes anointed with oil, and of fried flour cakes mixed with oil;
13besides the cakes, fermented bread he doth bring near with his offering, besides the sacrifice of thank-offering of his peace-offerings;
14and he hath brought near out of it one of the whole offering--a heave-offering to Jehovah; to the priest who is sprinkling the blood of the peace-offerings--it is his;
15as to the flesh of the sacrifice of the thank-offering of his peace-offerings, in the day of his offering it is eaten; he doth not leave of it till morning.
16`And if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or free-will offering, in the day of his bringing near his sacrifice it is eaten; and on the morrow also the remnant of it is eaten;
17and the remnant of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day with fire is burnt;
18and if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be really eaten on the third day, it is not pleasing; for him who is bringing it near it is not reckoned; it is an abominable thing, and the person who is eating of it his iniquity doth bear.
19`And the flesh which cometh against any unclean thing is not eaten; with fire it is burnt; as to the flesh, every clean one doth eat of the flesh;
20and the person who eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings which are Jehovah's, and his uncleanness upon him, even that person hath been cut off from his people.
21`And when a person cometh against any thing unclean, of the uncleanness of man, or of the uncleanness of beasts, or of any unclean teeming creature, and hath eaten of the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings which are Jehovah's, even that person hath been cut off from his people.'
11And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offering, which [a man] shall present to Jehovah.
12If he present it for a thanksgiving, then he shall present with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and fine flour saturated with oil, cakes mingled with oil.
13Besides the cakes, he shall present his offering of leavened bread with the sacrifice of his peace-offering of thanksgiving.
14And of it he shall present one out of the whole offering as a heave-offering to Jehovah; to the priest that sprinkleth the blood of the peace-offering, to him it shall belong.
15And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offering of thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is presented; he shall not let any of it remain until the morning.
16And if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or voluntary, it shall be eaten the same day that he presented his sacrifice; on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten;
17and the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.
18And if [any] of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offering be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, it shall not be reckoned to him that hath presented it; it shall be an unclean thing, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.
19And the flesh that toucheth anything unclean shall not be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. And as to the flesh, all that are clean may eat [the] flesh.
20But the soul that eateth the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offering which is for Jehovah, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples.
21And if any one touch anything unclean, the uncleanness of man, or unclean beast, or any unclean abomination, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offering, which is for Jehovah, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples.
Meaning in one sentence
What is a peace offering and why did it have to be eaten quickly? Leviticus 7:11-21 answers with rules for three kinds of peace offerings.
Context
Leviticus 7 continues the detailed instructions for the sacrifices that began in chapter 1. The peace offering, first described in chapter 3, was unique among Israel's sacrifices because it included a shared meal. Unlike the burnt offering, which was entirely consumed on the altar, or the sin offering, which was handled only by priests, the peace offering allowed the offerer and his family to eat part of the meat. This passage gives the rules for three kinds of peace offerings: thanksgiving for a blessing received, a vow made during trouble, and a freewill gift of devotion. Each had different rules about how long the meat could be kept. These regulations protected the holiness of the sacrifice and taught the people to handle God's gifts with reverence.
Key Words
The Hebrew word todah, translated as thanksgiving, carries more weight than our English thanks. It comes from a root that means to confess or give praise publicly. When an Israelite brought a todah offering, they were not just feeling grateful. They were declaring God's goodness out loud, in front of witnesses, as part of a shared meal. The word shelem, peace offering, grows from shalom, meaning wholeness, completeness, peace. This was the only sacrifice where the offerer sat down to eat with family and friends. It was a celebration of being fully at peace with God. And there is piggul, a blunt Hebrew word for meat that has become foul and detestable. What was meant to be a holy meal had to be burned instead. The same gift, treated carelessly, became something repulsive. These words together remind us that gratitude needs a voice, peace with God is meant to be shared, and holy things must be handled with care.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have found different emphases in this passage. Protestant commentators like Calvin and Matthew Henry see the peace offering as a joyful celebration of fellowship with God, a shared meal that pictures the peace Christ would bring. Jewish readings tie the thanksgiving offering to specific deliverances: escape from danger, recovery from illness, return from captivity, as Gill notes from the rabbis. The time limits are understood as both practical, since meat spoiled quickly in the heat, and spiritual, teaching that God's gifts must be handled with reverence. The severe penalty for eating while unclean points to the seriousness of approaching God. Across these readings, the passage stands as an invitation to draw near to God with gratitude and with care.
A common misunderstanding
A common mistake is to read these rules as fussy religious bureaucracy, as if God were micromanaging dinner. In fact, the time limits taught Israel something essential about holiness. The thanksgiving offering had to be consumed in one day because it was a celebration of God's goodness that demanded generous sharing. The third-day rule turned holy meat into something detestable, showing that neglect can corrupt even sacred things. God was not being petty. He was teaching His people that gratitude must be expressed while it is fresh.
Living This Out
This passage does not tell you to offer an animal sacrifice. But it does ask something of you. When God gives you a good gift, an answered prayer, a moment of peace, a kindness from someone, how quickly do you turn it into gratitude? The thanksgiving offering had to be eaten the same day, shared with others, not saved for later. Gratitude that sits too long can grow cold. The vow offering reminds you to keep your promises to God. The freewill offering invites you to give simply because you love Him. This week, think of one blessing you have been slow to thank God for. Say it out loud. Tell someone. Share it while it is still fresh.
Main takeaway: Your peace with God is a gift meant to be shared generously, offered promptly, and handled with a clean heart.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
When you say thank you to God, it is best to say it right away, not wait until tomorrow. And sharing what God gives you with other people makes your thank you even better.
For ages 9, 12
In Old Testament times, when someone wanted to thank God for a blessing, they brought a peace offering. The meat had to be eaten the same day with family and friends. They could not save it for later. This taught them that gratitude works best when it is quick and shared. If they waited too long, the meat would spoil and had to be burned. God was teaching His people to be generous with their blessings and to treat holy things with respect. What has God given you that you can thank Him for today?
Questions People Ask
What is a peace offering in Leviticus?
The peace offering, also called a fellowship offering, was a voluntary sacrifice in ancient Israel. Unlike sin offerings, which dealt with wrongdoing, the peace offering celebrated being at peace with God. The offerer, the priest, and the family shared a meal from the meat. It could be brought as a thanksgiving for a blessing, to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill gift of devotion.
Why did the meat have to be eaten the same day for the thanksgiving offering?
The thanksgiving peace offering had to be eaten on the day it was offered because it was a celebration of God's goodness that required immediate and generous sharing. In a hot climate, meat spoiled quickly. The rule also prevented a stingy attitude. The offerer was not to hoard what was meant to be a shared feast of gratitude.
What does 'cut off from his people' mean in Leviticus 7?
Being cut off meant being excluded from the community of Israel and from worship at the tabernacle. In some cases it may have meant death. This severe consequence showed how seriously God took the holiness of the sacrifices. Eating sacred food while unclean was a grave offense.
What is the difference between a vow and a freewill offering?
A vow offering was promised to God during a time of need, often conditional on God's help. A freewill offering was purely voluntary, given out of devotion without any condition or promise. Both could be eaten over two days, unlike the thanksgiving offering which had to be eaten in one.
Why was leavened bread allowed with the peace offering but not with other sacrifices?
Leaven was normally forbidden on the altar because it symbolized corruption. But for the peace offering of thanksgiving, leavened bread was brought alongside the unleavened cakes. Wesley explains that this was a sacrifice of thanksgiving for God's blessings, among which leavened bread was one. The leavened bread was not burned on the altar but was eaten by the priests and offerers.
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