Leviticus 7:11

"And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one shall offer unto Jehovah. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked. With cakes of leavened bread he shall offer his oblation with the sacrifice of his peace-offerings for thanksgiving. And if 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-offering."

The peace-offering was the only sacrifice in which the worshiper himself was privileged to eat the meat offered and to share it with his friends. "The peace-offering was the only one that laymen were allowed to eat."[1] From this, it has been supposed that upon occasions of peace-offerings many of the Israelites had a rare opportunity to eat meat. The peace-offerings were discussed in Leviticus 3; the additional instruction here regards the particular type of peace-offering intended also as a thanksgiving-offering. Additional items are specified here as being necessary in those cases.

A different order of these sacrifices is observed in Leviticus 7 from that in the previous chapters, but we have been unable to assign any significance whatever to this, or any reason for it. The peace-offering is the one oddly placed in Leviticus 7.

The mention of thanksgiving-offering here reminds us that:

"The peace-offerings of Leviticus 3:2-27 were further classified as: (1) thanksgiving (Leviticus 7:12-15); (2) votive (Leviticus 7:16-18); and (3) freewill. The difference between the first and the other two was in the times when they could be eaten."[2]

The latter two of these are discussed in the next paragraph.