Keraia
Leviticus 1

Leviticus 1:5

Laws for Burnt Offerings · Leviticus 1:1–17
Read Leviticus 1

Translations

Modern
And he shall slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to present the blood and splatter it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Traditional
And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Literal
And he shall slaughter the son of the herd before the face of YHWH, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall bring near the blood, and they shall sprinkle the blood on the altar all around, which is at the door to the Tent of Meeting.
Latin
Immolabitque vitulum coram Domino, et offerent filii Aaron sacerdotes sanguinem ejus, fundentes per altaris circuitum, quod est ante ostium tabernaculi:

Original

Hebrew
English
And he shall slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to present the blood and splatter it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

Notes

Leviticus 1:5

  • Aaron’s sons: Moses was from the tribe of Levi. This tribe divided into two groups:

    1. priests, who were descendants of Aaron, the first high priest; and

    2. Levites, who served in supporting roles (Exodus 28:1–4; Numbers 18:1–7).

    These instructions also applied to future generations.

  • the blood: This symbolized life, not death. The basis of the Israelite sacrifice system was substitution. Shedding sacrificial blood was essential for atonement. It meant sacrificing the animal's life as a substitute for the worshiper's life (Leviticus 17:10–14; Hebrews 9:22). Jesus Christ's shed his blood as the ultimate sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:11–14).

  • the altar of burnt offering was at the east end of the courtyard. It was outside the Tent of Meeting but inside the courtyard entrance (Exodus 40:6, 29).

Leviticus 1:3–17

burnt offering (Hebrew ‘olah, which means “what goes up”): The Hebrew word suggests the animal rises up in flame and smoke. Its hide was not burned, but given to the officiating priest as payment (Leviticus 7:8). They completely burned this offering on the altar (1:9).

Its purpose was to turn away God’s judgment against sin. It also makes the worshiper clean in a ceremonial way and restores his or her relationship with God (compare Romans 3:25; 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:18–21). The whole burnt offering appears first in this list of offerings (Leviticus 1–7). It sets a pattern for the offerings that follow. It is the most common offering for atonement.

Theme notes and profiles

Ancient Law Codes Atonement Pure Worship

Parallels

Leviticus 6:8–13

People

Aaron: Moses' brother, first high priest of Israel

Glossary

Aaron Biblical Concept of Law Burnt Offering Deuteronomy, Book of History of Israel Law of Moses Leviticus, Book of Moses Offerings and Sacrifices

Topics

Blood: Sacrificial: Sprinkled all Around, and Upon the Altar Offerings: Different Kinds of Burnt Priest: Duties of To offer Sacrifices Sacrifices: Different Kinds of Burnt offering Wholly Consumed by Fire The Burnt offering: Blood of, Sprinkled Round About Upon the Altar The Burnt offering: Required to Be: Killed, If a Beast, by the Person Who Brought It Under the Law Atonement: Made by Sacrifice