And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it ,.... His right hand, according to the Targum of Jonathan, as before; the same directions are given for the killing of it, and for the sprinkling of its blood, as in the offerings of the bullock and lamb. read more
And he shall offer thereof his offering ,.... The same rules are laid down about taking the fat off of several parts as in the sacrifice of the bullock; but nothing is said of the fat of the rump and tail, as is said of the lamb. read more
And the priest shall burn them upon the altar ,.... Which shows that not the fat only, but the inwards and the kidneys, were burnt also; so Maimonides says F12 Ut supra, (Maaseh Hakorbanot) c. 9. sect. 11. , that the priest salted the parts, and burned them upon the altar; and the priests might not have the breast and shoulder (which were what belonged to them) until the parts were burnt: it is the food of the offering made by fire ; which the Lord ate of, or accepted of: for... read more
It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations ,.... That is, unto the end of the Mosaic dispensation, until the Messiah comes, and his sacrifice is offered up, and his blood is shed, till that time in all generations: and throughout all your dwellings ; wherever their habitations should be, it is a law to be observed: that ye eat neither fat nor blood ; the Jewish writers think, that this is not to be restrained to the fat and blood of sacrifices, because these were not... read more
That ye eat neither fat nor blood - It is not likely that the fat should be forbidden in the same manner and in the same latitude as the blood. The blood was the life of the beast, and that was offered to make an atonement for their souls; consequently, this was never eaten in all their generations: but it was impossible to separate the fat from the flesh, which in many parts is so intimately intermixed with the muscular fibres; but the blood, being contained in separate vessels, the... read more
Verse 16 16.And the priest shall burn them. He justly assigns to the priest the main duties of sacrificing, i.e., to sprinkle the blood, and to cast the fat into the fire, since he alone was competent to make atonement. Moreover, although there is a harsh metaphor contained in the word “food,” yet it admirably expresses what the Holy Spirit would teach, that the legal service pleased God, just as the food which we eat is pleasing to us; whilst it at the same time marks God’s familiar communion... read more
The foundation of fellowship with God. The "sacrifice of peace offering" was one of fellowship. Its distinctive features are brought out in chapter 7 . (see Homily there). The sacrifice enjoined in this (third) chapter is preliminary to the sacred feast which was to follow. Its significance is found in the fact that the act of communion with God could only come after the oblation had been presented. We learn, therefore— I. THAT SACRED JOY BEFORE GOD CAN ONLY FOLLOW ... read more
The peace offering was not a sacrifice denoting self-devotion like the burnt-offering, nor a tender of homage like the meat offering, but a feast upon a sacrifice, which God and man symbolically joined in partaking of. The offering consisted of an animal and unleavened cakes and (generally) leavened bread, of which a share was given to God's altar and priests on the one hand, and to the offerer and his friends on the other. It represented the blessedness and joyousness of communion between... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 3:6-17
Directions are here given concerning the peace-offering, if it was a sheep or a goat. Turtle-doves or young pigeons, which might be brought for whole burnt offerings, were not allowed for peace-offerings, because they have no fat considerable enough to be burnt upon the altar; and they would be next to nothing if they were to be divided according to the law of the peace-offerings. The laws concerning a lamb or goat offered for a peace offering are much the same with those concerning a bullock,... read more