The priest shall put fire upon the altar. The fire once kindled was never to be allowed to go out ( Leviticus 6:13 ). Unless, therefore, these words refer to the first occasion only on which a burnt sacrifice was offered, they must mean "make up the fire on the altar" or it might possibly have been the practice, as Bishop Wordsworth (after Maimonides) supposes, that fresh fire was added to the altar fire before each sacrifice. read more
And the priests shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order. The head and the fat are designated by name, because, with the "pieces," they complete the whole of the animal with the exception of the hide. The order in which they were laid is said to have been the same approximately as that which the members held in the living creature. read more
The priest shall burn all on the altar , etc. The fourth and last part of the sacrifice. The word employed is not the common term used for destroying by fire, but means "make to ascend." The life of the animal has already been offered in the blood; now the whole of its substance is "made to ascend" to the Lord. Modern science, by showing that the effect of fire upon the substance of a body is to resolve it into gases which rise from it, contributes a new illustration to the verse. The vapour... read more
Our reasonable service. The burnt offering appears to have been the most general of the sacrifices presented to Jehovah, and to have had the widest significance. Its spiritual counterpart is furnished in Romans 12:1 . Meditation upon the prophetic symbol will abed light upon the "living sacrifice" of the gospel dispensation. I. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN OFFERING AS THUS SYMBOLIZED . 1 . It is a surrender to God of something that belongs to us. Property... read more
If his offering be of the flocks. The ritual of the burnt offering was the same. whether the victim was a hull, sheep, or goat. read more
The offering from the flocks. Sheep or goat. This is a repetition of the same law as applied to the offering of lower value. The great spiritual fact is thus set forth that God is no respecter of persons. His Law applies to all sorts and conditions of men, and his grace is coextensive with his Law. The rich man's offering and the poor man's substantially the same. The only unchangeable condition is the relation of the offering to the offerer. It must represent sincere, heartfelt surrender... read more
The burnt offering of the flock and of the fowls. The ceremony of the offering of the flock is almost identical with that of the herd described in the verses preceding. In that of the fowls there is a wider dissimilarity. I. the VARIETY OF THE VICTIMS CLAIMS ATTENTION . 1 . Five or six kinds of victims were accepted. 2 . But what are the lessons conveyed in this variety? II. THERE ARE NOTABLE OMISSIONS . 1 . The placing of the offerer's hand... read more
He shall kill it on the side of the altar, northward before the Lord. In the sacrifice of the bullock it is only "before the Lord" ( Leviticus 1:5 ). No doubt the same place is meant in both cases, but it is specified with more exactness here. On the western side of the altar was the tabernacle, on the east side the heap of ashes ( Leviticus 1:16 ), on the south side probably the ascent to the altar (see Josephus, 'De Bell. Jud.,' Leviticus 5:5 , Leviticus 5:6 ); on the north side,... read more
If the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls. A comparison of Le Leviticus 12:8 leads us to infer that the permission to offer a bird was a concession to poverty. The pigeon and the turtle-dove were the most easy to procure, as the domestic fowl was at this time unknown to the Hebrews. The first and only allusion in the Bible to the hen occurs in the New Testament ( Matthew 23:37 ; Luke 13:30 , nor is there any representation of the domestic fowl in ancient Egyptian... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Leviticus 1:6
He shall flay the burnt offering. The hide was given to the priest ( Leviticus 7:8 ). The whole of the remainder of the animal was consumed by the fire of the altar; none of it was eaten by the offerer and his friends as in the peace offerings, or even by the ministers of God as in the sin offerings; it was a whole burnt offering. His pieces , into which it was to be cut, means the customary pieces. read more