Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Leviticus
Chapter 7: The Law of the Peace Offering
Chapter 7 finishes the manual of the offerings. It completes the trespass offering, then dwells on the peace offering, the meal of fellowship, brought in thanksgiving, in payment of a vow, or as a freewill gift. Thanksgiving was to be enjoyed fresh, the table approached in cleanness, the fat and blood left to God, and two portions, the wave breast and the heave shoulder, given to the priests. In these we find the sacrifice of praise, and a picture of feeding on the love and the strength of Christ.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Leviticus chapter 7. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. The chapter completes the trespass offering and gives the full law of the peace offering, with its thanksgiving, vow, and freewill forms, the ban on fat and blood, and the priests' portions. It teaches the joy of thanksgiving and points to the love and strength of Christ, in whom we have fellowship with God. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Sin and Trespass
"As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them." Sin as defilement and sin as debt are both answered by the one sacrifice.
Enjoyed Fresh
The peace offering came in thanksgiving, in vow, or in freewill. Thanksgiving was to be eaten the same day, gratitude enjoyed while it was fresh.
Not Fat nor Blood
The best (fat) and the life (blood) were forever God's. To eat them was to take what belonged to Him alone.
Breast and Shoulder
The wave breast and the heave shoulder went to the priests, a picture of the love and the strength we feed on in Christ.
The Law of the Trespass Offering (Leviticus 7:1-10)
The trespass offering shares one law with the sin offering, and the priest who makes atonement receives the offering as his portion.
One Law for Both
"Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy. In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar. And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away: And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering. Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy. As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it. And the priest that offereth any man's burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered. And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest's that offereth it. And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another. And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings."
Hebrew Study
"trespass offering," asham, is here declared to share "one law" with the sin offering — "as the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering." Both deal with guilt; both are "most holy." And woven through the chapter is a quiet provision: the officiating priest keeps the hide of the burnt offering and the baked portions of the meal offering. Those who serve at the altar are fed from the altar — the very principle Paul later draws on, "they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple" (1 Corinthians 9:13).
Explanation
God gives the priests the handling of the trespass offering, and it mirrors the sin offering closely: it was "most holy," killed "in the place where they kill the burnt offering," its blood sprinkled on the altar, its fat burned to God. The chapter states plainly, "As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them." Though the sin offering dealt more with the defilement of sin and the trespass offering more with the damage and debt of sin, both were answered by the same pattern of atonement. And the priest who performed it received the flesh of the offering, along with the hide of the burnt offering and the grain offerings, as his portion. The one who ministered the atonement was sustained by it.
Gospel Focus
"There is one law for them." Sin wears more than one face, a stain that defiles and a debt that must be repaid, but God answered both with one kind of sacrifice, and He has answered every face of our sin with one Saviour. Jesus is at once our sin offering, cleansing the defilement, and our trespass offering, paying the debt; whatever sin has done, His one sacrifice is enough for it. There is no category of guilt that needs a different Redeemer. And notice that the priest who made atonement received the offering; the one who ministered was fed by it. This points beyond the Levite to Christ, who is both the Priest who offers and the offering itself, and who now, having made atonement, receives the reward of His suffering, a people saved by His blood. What He accomplished at such cost, He now possesses forever: us, His portion, redeemed by the one law of the sacrifice that covers all our sin.
The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving (Leviticus 7:11-21)
The peace offering came in three forms, thanksgiving, vow, and freewill, and the thanksgiving was to be eaten the same day, enjoyed while fresh.
Eaten the Same Day
"And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof. But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people."
Hebrew Study
"thanksgiving," todah (תּוֹדָה). Thanksgiving, praise, an offering of gratitude. It comes from yadah, the same root as the word for confession. To confess sin and to give thanks are two sides of one honest heart: both agree with God about the truth, one owning the sin, the other owning the goodness of God.
Explanation
The peace offering came in three forms. A "thanksgiving" was brought in spontaneous gratitude for God's goodness; a "vow" was offered in payment of a promise made to God; and a "voluntary offering" was a freewill gift of devotion. Each was a shared meal, but the timing differed. The thanksgiving peace offering "shall be eaten the same day that it is offered," with nothing left "until the morning," while the vow or freewill offering could also be eaten on the second day, and anything remaining to the third day was to be burned as an abomination. The worshiper also had to eat in cleanness: anyone who ate "having his uncleanness upon him" would be "cut off." Fellowship with God was a joy, but a holy joy, to be entered fresh, promptly, and clean.
Gospel Focus
The thanksgiving offering, eaten fresh the same day, teaches us something about gratitude: it is meant to be offered while it is warm. Thanksgiving delayed grows stale; the mercy that thrilled us yesterday can be taken for granted by tomorrow. So Scripture calls us to "sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving" (Psalm 107:22) and to offer "the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15) freely and often, not letting God's goodness go unacknowledged until the feeling is cold. The peace offering also joined thanksgiving to the paying of vows, exactly as the psalm does: "Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High" (Psalm 50:14). And the meal had to be eaten in cleanness, on pain of being cut off, a solemn foreshadow of the warning that we come to the Lord's table worthily: "let a man examine himself, and so let him eat" (1 Corinthians 11:28). Come to God with fresh, glad thanksgiving; keep the vows you have made Him; and approach His table with a heart made clean.
Neither Fat nor Blood (Leviticus 7:22-27)
Once more God reserves the fat and the blood for Himself, warning that whoever eats them will be cut off from the people.
The Blood Is God's
"Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD. And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part."
Hebrew Study
"cut off," karath (כָּרַת). To be cut off, severed from the people, removed from the community of God's covenant. It is a grave penalty, marking a deliberate crossing of a line God had drawn. To take the fat or the blood, which were His, was to break covenant and be cut off from the fellowship the offering was meant to celebrate.
Explanation
In the middle of the peace offering law, God repeats a boundary already given: "Ye shall eat no manner of fat" and "ye shall eat no manner of blood." The fat was the richest part, and the blood was the life; both belonged to God. This time the warning is sharpened with a penalty: "even that soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people." At the very meal of fellowship, where the worshiper feasted freely on the goodness of God, two things were never his to take. He could enjoy the peace and the communion, but he could not lay hands on what God had claimed as His own. The joy of the table was real, but it had a holy boundary, and to cross it was to be cut off from the very fellowship the meal expressed.
Gospel Focus
Even in the feast of fellowship, God kept the fat and the blood for Himself, and the boundary carried the weightiest penalty, being cut off. This teaches that nearness to God never erases reverence for God. We are welcomed to the table as friends, yet He remains the holy LORD, and there are things that belong to Him alone. The blood especially is holy, for it is the life and the price of atonement; Israel was never to make it common, and we are never to treat the blood of Jesus as a light thing. To presume upon grace, to grow careless with what cost God His own Son, is to miss the reverence that true fellowship requires. The peace offering holds the two together perfectly: come freely and feast on the goodness of God, but never lay careless hands on what is holy. Enjoy the nearness, and keep the reverence, for the God who spreads the table is the God whose blood bought your place at it.
The Wave Breast and the Heave Shoulder (Leviticus 7:28-38)
The breast was waved before the LORD and the shoulder lifted up, and both were given to the priests as their perpetual portion.
The Breast and the Shoulder
"For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office; Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations. This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings; Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai."
Hebrew Study
"wave offering," tenuphah (תְּנוּפָה). From a root meaning to swing or move to and fro. The breast was waved back and forth before the LORD, presented to Him and received back, a gesture of giving to God and being given in return.
"heave offering," terumah (תְּרוּמָה). From a root meaning to lift up or raise. The shoulder was heaved, lifted up to God, then given to the priests. Together the breast and the shoulder were first offered up to God, and then shared with those who served Him.
Explanation
God appoints the priests' share of the peace offering. The worshiper's "own hands" were to bring the fat and the breast, so that "the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD," moved to and fro in presentation. "The right shoulder" was given as "an heave offering," lifted up to God. Both the wave breast and the heave shoulder were then given "unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever." So the worshiper's peace offering fed not only his own family but those who ministered before God. The chapter then closes the whole section with a summary: this is "the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings," all commanded by the LORD to Moses "in mount Sinai."
Gospel Focus
The two portions given to the priests carry a beautiful meaning. The breast is the place of the heart and the affections, and the shoulder is the place of strength and support. In the peace offering, these two, love and strength, were first waved and lifted up to God and then given to His priests to feed upon. So in Christ, our peace, we are given His very heart and His very strength as our portion. We feed on His love, for He gathers the lambs "in his bosom" (Isaiah 40:11), and we lean on His strength, for "the government shall be upon his shoulder" (Isaiah 9:6). As a royal priesthood we are nourished by both: His affection holds us and His power upholds us. And notice that the worshiper brought these with "his own hands"; devotion is personal, not delegated. The love and strength of Christ, first offered up to God, are now given to His people to be our daily food. Feed on His heart and rest on His shoulder, for He has given both to those who are His.
Chapter 7 in Review
Leviticus 7 completes the manual of the offerings. It finishes the trespass offering, which shares "one law" with the sin offering, both answered by the same atonement, and it grants the ministering priest his portion. It then gives the full law of the peace offering in its three forms, thanksgiving, vow, and freewill, requiring the thanksgiving meal to be eaten fresh the same day and always in cleanness. It reserves the fat and the blood to God once more, now under the penalty of being cut off. And it appoints the priests' share, the wave breast and the heave shoulder, first offered up to God and then given to those who serve Him. The chapter closes by naming all the offerings commanded to Moses at Sinai.
For the Apostolic reader, the chapter overflows with Christ and true worship. The one law over sin and trespass shows that His single sacrifice answers every face of our sin. The thanksgiving offering, eaten fresh, calls us to gratitude offered while it is warm and to a table approached in cleanness. The reserved fat and blood teach that nearness to God never dissolves reverence, and that the blood of Jesus is holy. And the wave breast and heave shoulder, love and strength lifted to God and given to His priests, picture how we feed on the heart and lean on the might of Christ our peace. The offerings all point one direction: to the Lamb who is our atonement, our thanksgiving, and our fellowship with God.
- Sin and trespass share "one law": Christ's single sacrifice answers sin both as defilement and as debt.
- Thanksgiving was to be eaten fresh; gratitude is meant to be offered to God while it is still warm.
- The fellowship table was approached in cleanness, foreshadowing the call to examine ourselves before the Lord's table.
- Fat and blood remained God's under the gravest penalty: nearness to God never erases reverence for God.
- The wave breast and heave shoulder picture the love and strength of Christ, given to His people as their portion.
Questions for Reflection
- Do you offer God fresh thanksgiving, or let His mercies grow stale before you acknowledge them?
- Do you hold together nearness and reverence, enjoying fellowship with God without treating holy things as common?
- Are you feeding on the love of Christ and leaning on His strength as your daily portion?
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.
- One law for sin and trespass, and the priest's portion: Leviticus 7:1-10.
- The sacrifice of thanksgiving, vows, and the clean table: Leviticus 7:11-21; Psalm 50:14; Psalm 107:22; 1 Corinthians 11:28.
- The fat and blood reserved to God: Leviticus 7:22-27.
- The wave breast and heave shoulder, love and strength in Christ: Leviticus 7:28-38; Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 9:6.