Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Leviticus
Chapter 3: The Peace Offering
The peace offering is unlike the ones before it. Part went up to God, part fed the priests, and part was eaten by the worshiper and his family, a shared meal in the presence of God. It is the offering of fellowship, brought by a heart already at peace with God, overflowing in thanksgiving. Here we see reconciliation and communion, and behind it all, Christ our peace, who made peace by the blood of His cross and invites us to His table.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Leviticus chapter 3. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. The peace offering was a fellowship offering, the one sacrifice from which the worshiper himself ate, a shared meal of communion with God. It pictures peace made and fellowship enjoyed, fulfilled in Jesus Christ our peace. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Peace and Wholeness
The "peace offering" (Hebrew shelamim) comes from shalom, peace, wholeness, and well-being. It celebrates a right relationship with God already enjoyed.
God, Priest, and People
Alone among the offerings, part of this one was eaten by the worshiper. God, the priests, and the offerer all had a portion, a meal shared in fellowship.
The Best Is God's
The fat and the inward parts, the richest portion, were burned to God. "All the fat is the LORD'S," a claim on the very best of the offering.
Fellowship with God
The peace offering is about communion: peace made through blood, and then a joyful meal in the presence of God. It looks straight to Christ.
A Sacrifice of Peace Offering (Leviticus 3:1-5)
The worshiper brings an offering, lays his hand on its head, and its blood is sprinkled on the altar; this is the offering of peace and fellowship with God.
An Offering of Peace
"And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar. And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away."
Hebrew Study
"peace offering," shelamim (שְׁלָמִים). From the root shalom, meaning peace, wholeness, health, and well-being. This offering was not to make peace where there was war, but to celebrate and enjoy a peace already established. It expresses a relationship that is whole and at rest.
Explanation
Like the burnt offering, the peace offering began with a victim "without blemish," the worshiper's hand laid on its head, and the blood sprinkled "upon the altar round about." Atonement stood at the foundation here as everywhere; there is no peace with God except through blood. But the peace offering had a purpose all its own. It was not brought to gain forgiveness so much as to express and enjoy a fellowship already granted. The worshiper came not as a criminal seeking pardon but as a friend coming to a feast, having peace with God and wanting to celebrate it. Male or female could be offered, for the emphasis fell not on the strict requirements of atonement but on the free thanksgiving of a heart at rest with God.
Gospel Focus
The peace offering is a picture of the peace we have with God through Jesus Christ. Notice that it began, as all the offerings did, with blood on the altar; there is no fellowship with God that does not rest on the cross. Paul says God has reconciled us, "having made peace through the blood of his cross" (Colossians 1:20), so that now, "being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Christ Himself is the peace offering; "he is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14). And this peace is not a truce held at arm's length but a warm fellowship enjoyed. The worshiper who brought the peace offering was not trembling for pardon; he was celebrating a friendship. So we, having been brought near by the blood, do not cower before God but come with confidence to enjoy Him. The war is over, the peace is made, and the peace offering invites us to sit down and feast on it.
The Food of the Offering (Leviticus 3:6-11)
The portion given to God is called His food, for the peace offering is a shared meal, a table spread between God and His people.
A Table Shared with God
"And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD. And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about. And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away."
Hebrew Study
"food," lechem (לֶחֶם). The ordinary word for bread or food. Here the portion burned on the altar is called God's "food," a vivid figure. God does not hunger, yet He speaks of the offering as bread set on His table, picturing the peace offering as a meal shared between God and His worshiper, the very heart of fellowship.
Explanation
Whether the offering came from the herd or the flock, a lamb or a goat, the pattern held: the fat and inward parts were burned to God as "the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD." The word chosen is striking: the altar portion is God's bread, His share of the meal. For the peace offering, unlike the burnt offering, was not consumed entirely. God received His portion in the fire, the priests received theirs, and the worshiper and his family ate the rest in a joyful meal before the LORD. Three parties sat, as it were, at one table. This was the only offering the worshiper himself ate from, and it made the truth unmistakable: peace with God opens into a shared life, a table where God and His people feast together.
Gospel Focus
That God would call the offering His "food," His bread on the altar, and then invite the worshiper to eat as well, is a beautiful picture of fellowship. Salvation is not only pardon; it is communion, a shared table with God. John writes that "our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). The risen Lord still speaks in the language of a shared meal: "if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). The peace offering foreshadows the communion we enjoy in Christ, and it is remembered every time believers gather at the Lord's table, feeding by faith on the sacrifice that made our peace. God does not save us to keep us at a distance; He spreads a table and bids us eat with Him. Do not settle for pardon alone when God is offering fellowship; come to the table, and feast with the God who is now your friend.
All the Fat Is the LORD'S (Leviticus 3:12-16)
The fat, the richest and choicest part of the animal, was reserved wholly for God, burned on the altar as His portion.
The Richest Portion for God
"And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S."
Hebrew Study
"fat," chelev (חֵלֶב). The fat of an animal, considered the richest and best part. The word became a figure for the choicest of anything, as in "the fat of the land." To say "all the fat is the LORD'S" was to say the very best belongs to God, and belongs to Him wholly.
Explanation
In every form of the peace offering, the same portions went up to God: the fat that covered the inward parts, the two kidneys with their fat, and the caul above the liver. These were the richest parts of the animal, and they were burned wholly to God with the summarizing word, "all the fat is the LORD'S." The inward parts, in Hebrew thought, were the seat of the deepest feelings and the hidden self; the fat was the choicest substance. So God claimed both the innermost and the richest, the deep and the best, for Himself. The worshiper feasted, but not on the fat; that belonged to God alone, offered up as "a sweet savour."
Gospel Focus
"All the fat is the LORD'S." God claimed the best of the offering, the richest part, and the inward parts that stood for the deepest self. There is a lesson here that runs through all true worship: God is worthy of our best, not our leftovers. It is easy to give God the scraps, the tired end of our energy, the spare minutes, the loose change, while the fat, the prime of our strength and substance, we keep for ourselves. But the peace offering says the choicest belongs to Him. Christ shows us the perfect pattern; He gave the Father not a portion but the fat, the inmost devotion of a heart that always did the things that pleased Him. And He asks the same surrender of us, that we love God with all the heart, the seat of our inward parts, holding nothing of the best in reserve. Search your worship and your giving: is God receiving the fat, or only what is left when everything else has had its share?
Neither Fat nor Blood (Leviticus 3:17)
The chapter closes with a perpetual statute: God's people were never to eat the fat or the blood, for both belonged to Him.
A Perpetual Statute
"It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood."
Hebrew Study
"blood," dam (דָּם). The blood, which Scripture identifies with life itself: "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). Because the life belonged to God and the blood made atonement, it was never to be treated as common food. The blood was holy, set apart to God alone.
Explanation
The chapter ends with a lasting command binding on every generation and every home: "ye eat neither fat nor blood." Both were God's, and for different reasons. The fat was the best portion, reserved for Him as an act of worship. The blood was the life, and by God's own appointment it made atonement upon the altar; to eat it would be to treat as common what God had made holy. So the worshiper feasted freely on the peace offering, but two things were never his to take: the richest part, which honored God, and the blood, which spoke of life and atonement. This was no passing rule for the wilderness but "a perpetual statute," a permanent boundary marking what belongs to God.
Gospel Focus
Two things God kept for Himself, the fat and the blood, and both point us to Christ. The fat teaches that the best belongs to God; the blood teaches that life and atonement are sacred and His alone. The blood especially casts a long shadow forward. Israel was never to make the blood common, for it pictured the precious blood that would one day be shed for the sins of the world. We treat the blood of Jesus with holy reverence, never presuming upon it, never counting it a light thing, for by it alone we have redemption and peace. It is telling that in the peace offering, the very meal of fellowship, the blood was still reserved to God; our communion with Him rests entirely on a blood we could never provide and dare never cheapen. Come to the table of fellowship, feast on the goodness of God, but hold in reverence the blood that bought your place there, for it is holy, and it is the LORD'S.
Chapter 3 in Review
Leviticus 3 presents the peace offering, brought from the herd or the flock by a worshiper already at peace with God. Like the other sacrifices it rested on blood sprinkled at the altar, but its purpose was fellowship, not pardon. The fat and inward parts were burned to God as "the food of the offering," His portion of a shared meal; the priests received their share; and the worshiper and his family ate the rest in joy before the LORD. This was the one offering the worshiper himself ate from, a table shared with God. The richest portion, the fat, belonged wholly to Him, "all the fat is the LORD'S," and a perpetual statute forbade eating either the fat or the blood, for both were God's.
For the Apostolic reader, the peace offering is a portrait of communion with God through Christ. Peace was made by blood, exactly as our peace was made "through the blood of his cross," and then that peace opened into a feast. Jesus is our peace offering, and in Him we do not merely receive pardon but sit at God's table in fellowship, supping with Him and He with us. The offering also lays a claim on us: the fat, the best, belongs to God, not the leftovers; and the blood, the life, is holy, to be held always in reverence. Reconciled by the cross and welcomed to the table, we give God our choicest and treasure the blood that made us His friends.
- The peace offering (shelamim, from shalom) celebrates a peace with God already made, not one still to be won.
- It rested on blood at the altar; there is no fellowship with God that does not stand on atonement.
- It was the one offering the worshiper ate from: peace with God opens into a shared meal of communion.
- "All the fat is the LORD'S": God is worthy of our best and our innermost, not our leftovers.
- Fat and blood were reserved to God forever; the blood especially foreshadows the precious, holy blood of Christ.
Questions for Reflection
- Do you live in the peace Christ has already made, coming to God as a friend to a feast, not a criminal to a court?
- Is God receiving the fat, the best of your time, strength, and substance, or only what is left over?
- Do you treasure the blood of Jesus as holy, never presuming on the peace it purchased?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The peace offering and peace with God: Leviticus 3:1-5; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:14; Colossians 1:20.
- The shared meal and our fellowship with God: Leviticus 3:6-11; 1 John 1:3; Revelation 3:20.
- The fat, the best, reserved for the LORD: Leviticus 3:12-16.
- The lasting ban on fat and blood, and the holiness of the blood: Leviticus 3:17; 17:11.