Leviticus 7:3-7 · Bible study
Leviticus 7:3-7 Commentary: One Law for Sin and Guilt
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore why the trespass offering shares the same fat portions and priestly provisions as the sin offering, and what this unity signifies for atonement.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The guilt offering follows the same ritual for fat portions and priestly consumption as the sin offering, affirming its status as a most holy sacrifice that provides atonement and provision for the priest.
- Key words: Chelev (H2459, “fat”), the choicest parts, belonging to God; Kodesh Kodashim (H6944, “most holy”), set apart for the sanctuary and restricted; Torah (H8451, “law”), a single legal procedure for both offerings.
- Main debate: Whether the guilt offering is a distinct category from the sin offering or essentially the same with different application; the text says “one law” but contexts differ (sin for general purification, guilt for specific trespasses with restitution).
- Theological theme: Consistently in atoning sacrifices, God claims the best, provides for His ministers, and requires a precise, costly ritual that points forward to the final atonement in Christ.
- Best use: Teaching the coherence of Old Testament sacrifice, the seriousness of sin, and the gracious provision God makes for those who mediate atonement.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
3And all the fat from it shall be offered: the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,
4both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys.
5The priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD; it is a guilt offering.
6Every male among the priests may eat of it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.
7The guilt offering is like the sin offering; the same law applies to both. It belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.
WEB World English Bible 2000
3He shall offer all of its fat: the fat tail, and the fat that covers the innards,
4and he shall take away the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys;
5and the priest shall burn them on the altar for an offering made by fire to Yahweh: it is a trespass offering.
6Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.
7“‘As is the sin offering, so is the trespass offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with them shall have it.
KJV King James Version 1769
3And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards,
4And 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:
5And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a trespass offering.
6Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.
7As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
3And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof: the fat tail, and the fat that covereth the inwards,
4and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away;
5and the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: it is a trespass-offering.
6Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in a holy place: it is most holy.
7As is the sin-offering, so is the trespass-offering; there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith, he shall have it.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
3and all its fat he bringeth near out of it, the fat tail, and the fat which is covering the inwards,
4and the two kidneys, and the fat which is on them, which is on the flanks, and the redundance above the liver (beside the kidneys he doth turn it aside);
5and the priest hath made them a perfume on the altar, a fire-offering to Jehovah; it is a guilt-offering.
6`Every male among the priests doth eat it; in the holy place it is eaten--it is most holy;
7as is a sin-offering, so is a guilt-offering; one law is for them; the priest who maketh atonement by it--it is his.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
3And he shall present of it all the fat thereof; the fat tail and the fat that covereth the inwards,
4and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the net above the liver, which he shall take away as far as the kidneys.
5And the priest shall burn them on the altar, an offering by fire to Jehovah: it is a trespass-offering.
6Every male among the priests shall eat thereof; in a holy place shall it be eaten: it is most holy.
7As the sin-offering, so is the trespass-offering; [there shall] be one law for them: it shall be the priest's who maketh atonement therewith.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
3They shall offer thereof the rump and the fat that covereth the entrails:
4The two little kidneys, and the fat which is by the flanks, and the caul of the liver with the little kidneys.
5And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the burnt sacrifice of the Lord for a trespass.
6Every male of the priestly race, shall eat this flesh in a holy place, because it is most holy.
7As 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.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 7:3
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Leviticus 7:3-7 deliberately binds the guilt offering to the sin offering. Keil and Delitzsch note that the fat portions burned on the altar are identical to those in the sin and peace offerings (compare Lev 4:8; 3:9). The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges observes that both offerings are called “most holy,” killed in the same place, and the parts burned are the same. Matthew Henry writes that the guilt offering “being much of the same nature with the sin-offering, it was to be governed by the same rules.” Calvin adds that this repetition confirms the rights of priests, who receive the flesh as their provision. The consensus: the shared procedures underscore that the trespass offering belongs to the same class of most holy sacrifices and that the priest who makes atonement receives it as his due.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The trespass offering follows the same procedures as the sin offering for the fat portions and priestly consumption, affirming its status as a most holy sacrifice that makes atonement and provides for the priest.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship between sin and guilt offerings | Both are most holy, follow the same procedure for burning fat and priestly consumption, and require atonement through blood and fire. | Some traditions (e.g., Calvin, Reformed) see the guilt offering as a subset of the sin offering, while others distinguish them by the specific offense and the requirement of restitution (see Lev 5:14-6:7). The text itself says “one law for them” but treats them in separate sections. |
| Priest’s portion and consumption | The priest who makes atonement receives the flesh of the offering (except the fat burned on the altar). Only male priests may eat it, and only in a holy place. | Whether this provision is primarily compensation for service (so Calvin, Keil) or a participation in the holiness of the sacrifice (so Matthew Henry, Cambridge). Both are present in the text. |
| Fat portions as God’s portion | The same set of fat parts (tail, covering, kidneys, liver lobe) is burned for guilt, sin, and peace offerings, signifying the best belongs to God. | Whether the “fat” in the guilt offering includes the fat tail of sheep only (Gill, Ellicott) or also of rams; the text does not specify the animal, but tradition includes all offerings. |
| Role of restitution in the guilt offering | The guilt offering often accompanies restitution for specific sins against God or neighbor (Lev 5:14-6:7), emphasizing that forgiveness requires making things right. | Some Christians read this as a timeless moral principle (restore what you have wronged), while others see it as part of the ceremonial law superseded in Christ. Historic Christian teaching holds both: the principle of restitution remains, though the ritual is fulfilled. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The guilt offering, described in Leviticus 5:14, 6:7, was brought for specific violations against God or neighbor, often requiring restitution plus a penalty. The present unit (Lev 7:1-10) gives the ritual law for this offering. Verses 3-7 detail the fat portions to be burned on the altar: the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the two kidneys and their fat, and the lobe of the liver. These same parts appear in the sin and peace offerings (Lev 3:3-4; 4:8), indicating a standard set of “the choicest parts” (Chelev, H2459) that belong to God alone.
The fat tail of sheep was especially prized in the ancient Near East. Ellicott’s commentary notes that it was so large it could trail on the ground, and cooks used it for fat. By claiming this portion, God asserted His right to the best of the animal. The phrase “most holy” (Kodesh Kodashim) appears here and in the sin offering, setting these sacrifices apart from others like the peace offering, which priests could eat outside the sanctuary. Only male priests could eat this flesh, and only in the holy place, a restriction that reinforced the sacred boundary around atonement rituals.
Calvin sees God’s provision for priests in this arrangement: “that their hire might be a spur to their diligence.” The priest who officiated the atonement received the meat as his payment. This was not mere compensation; it tied the priest’s livelihood to faithful service at the altar. The repetition of these details across sin and guilt offerings, then, is no accident. It signals that all atoning sacrifices share a common structure and a common holiness, and that the priests who mediate them are sustained by the offerings themselves.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants in Leviticus 7:3-7. The Masoretic Text is consistent across manuscripts, and the minor differences between English translations (e.g., “fat tail” vs. “rump”) reflect translation choices rather than manuscript divergence. The passage is well-preserved and presents no textual difficulties affecting interpretation.
Reception History
Jewish tradition has long used this passage to establish the detailed halakhah for the guilt offering, including the rule about the priest’s portion and the site of consumption. The Cambridge Bible notes that the phrase “one law for them” was cited to support the practice of laying on of hands (semikhah) for guilt offerings.
Early Christian interpreters, including Origen and Chrysostom, saw the shared law of sin and guilt offerings as a type of Christ’s single atoning sacrifice that covers both universal sin and personal trespasses. The Reformers, especially Calvin, emphasized the priestly provision as God’s care for ministers, applying the principle that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. In modern preaching, the passage is often used to illustrate God’s claim on the best of our lives and the community’s responsibility to support those who minister at the altar.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God claims the best. The fat, kidneys, and liver lobe are the richest parts. By burning them, the offerer acknowledges that God deserves the first and finest.
- God provides for His ministers. The priest who makes atonement receives the flesh, a practical provision and a reminder that those who serve at the altar live from the altar.
- God unifies the atoning sacrifices. The same law for sin and trespass offerings teaches that every offense against God or neighbor requires the same costly remedy, blood and fire, and points forward to the final atonement in Christ.
Five-point outline
- The fat: God’s portion. The specific fat parts (tail, covering, kidneys, liver lobe) are burned as a fire offering to Yahweh. This act claims the animal’s choicest parts as belonging to God alone (Lev 3:16: “all the fat is Yahweh’s”).
- The blood: sprinkled around. Leviticus 7:2 (not in our passage but part of the same law) requires blood to be cast on the altar, linking the guilt offering to the burnt offering.
- The place: holy ground. The slaughter occurs at the same place as the burnt offering (v.2), and the meat is eaten in a holy place. Location underscores the sacredness of every step.
- The people: male priests only. Only Aaron’s male descendants eat this flesh. This restriction preserved the purity of the most holy food and emphasized the unique priestly role in atonement.
- The principle: one law for both. Verses 7 states clearly that the sin and guilt offerings share the same legal procedure. The distinction lies in the kind of offense, not in the ritual.
Illustration hooks
- Family recipe. When a parent insists on exact measurements for a favorite dish, it is not fussiness, it preserves the integrity of the recipe. God’s exactness here protects the meaning of atonement.
- Shared classroom rules. Two different assignments can follow the same late-submission policy. The rule is one; the offense may differ. The guilt and sin offerings share one law but address different situations.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why so much repetition in Leviticus? Does God need to say everything twice?
- Can the priests really eat meat that was part of a sacrifice for sin? Does that not make them guilty too?
- What does this Old Testament system have to do with Jesus? How is the guilt offering fulfilled in the New Testament?
Leading a Discussion
This passage shows that the guilt offering follows exactly the same procedure as the sin offering, same fat, same altar, same priestly portion. The repetition is not redundant; it drives home a truth: every kind of offense, whether against God’s holiness or a neighbor’s rights, requires the same costly remedy. As you work through these questions, notice how Moses binds these two offerings together and what that tells us about the nature of atonement.
Discussion questions
- Read Leviticus 7:1-10 as a unit. What details about the guilt offering do you observe? List them without interpreting.
- Compare the fat portions here with those in Leviticus 3:3-4 (peace offering) and 4:8 (sin offering). What is similar? What is different, if anything?
- The text says the guilt offering “is most holy” (v.6). What does that phrase mean in the context of the sanctuary? How does it affect how the offering must be handled?
- Why do you think God specifies that only male priests may eat this meat, and only in a holy place? What does that restriction teach about the holiness of the sacrifice?
- Verse 7 states that the sin and guilt offerings share “one law.” In what respects are they identical, and in what respects do they differ? (See Lev 5:14-19 for the context of the guilt offering.)
- How does the priest’s portion, eating the flesh of the atoning sacrifice, reflect the New Testament teaching that believers are “partakers of the altar” (1 Cor 9:13, 10:18)?
- If the guilt offering required restitution plus a sacrifice (Lev 6:4-5), what does that combination say about God’s expectation for how we deal with our sins against others?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 29:13 | You shall take all the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. |
| Leviticus 3:3 | He shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to Yahweh. The fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, |
| Leviticus 3:5 | Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. |
| Leviticus 3:9 | He shall offer from the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to Yahweh; its fat, the entire tail fat, he shall take away close to the backbone; and the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails, |
| Leviticus 3:11 | The priest shall burn it on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire to Yahweh. |
| Leviticus 3:15 | and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away. |
| Leviticus 3:16 | The priest shall burn them on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma; all the fat is Yahweh’s. |
| Leviticus 4:8 | He shall take all the fat of the bull of the sin offering from it: the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke clarifies that "the fat that is on them" refers specifically to detached fat not mixed with muscle, such as the omentum, caul, mesentery, and kidney fat. He points readers to his fuller explanation on Leviticus 3:9 for the complete discussion.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the word "sprinkle" in Leviticus 7:2 should be translated as "cast," matching the wording in Leviticus 1:5. He observes that the detailed instructions about the altar parts are repeated for each type of sacrifice, emphasizing that this matter carried the highest importance.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights Moses' selflessness: by God's command, he deprives his own sons of priestly privileges and income, granting them only to Aaron's sons. To prevent rivalry, God also assigns specific offerings as a reward to the priest who made atonement, a fatherly concession to human weakness that spurs diligence.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge note highlights a small but telling difference: the Guilt-Offering is never called God's "food" (Hebrew _lehem_), though the Sin-Offering is. It also notes uncertainty over whether the law required the laying on of hands for the Guilt-Offering, though tradition later supported it.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva notes highlight that the trespass offering and the sin offering share the same rule: the priest who performs the atonement receives the meat as his portion, and it must be eaten only by males in the holy place because it is most holy.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the fat of the trespass offering was God's portion, burned on the altar as a type of Christ bearing divine wrath. The priests alone ate the remaining flesh in the holy place, which he sees as a picture of believers feeding on Christ by faith.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch observe a practical distinction in the meat-offering: prepared cakes and pastries went to the officiating priest alone because they were offered in small amounts, while flour, oil, and dry grain were shared among all priests since those offerings were more common and plentiful.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry notes that the trespass offering and sin offering are so alike in nature that they follow identical rules. Once the blood and fat were offered to God for atonement, the priests could eat the flesh, but only in the holy place.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that the rule about the priests receiving a portion applies only to the specific offering being discussed. In other matters, the distribution differed. Here, the priests receive exactly the part God allowed to them in this case.