Leviticus Chapter 1 — The Laws of the Burnt Offering
God gives Moses instructions for the burnt offering, detailing the specific procedures for sacrificing animals from the herd, the flock, or birds.
1The LORD*When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “LORD” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name (Hebrew “יהוה”, usually pronounced Yahweh). called to Moses, and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying,
2“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When anyone of you offers an offering to the LORD, you shall offer your offering of the livestock, from the herd and from the flock.
3“ ‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without defect. He shall offer it at the door of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD.
4He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
5He shall kill the bull before the LORD. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
6He shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.
7The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay wood in order on the fire;
8and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire which is on the altar;
9but he shall wash its innards and its legs with water. The priest shall burn all of it on the altar, for a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.
10“ ‘If his offering is from the flock, from the sheep or from the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall offer a male without defect.
11He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.
12He shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat. The priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is on the altar,
13but the innards and the legs he shall wash with water. The priest shall offer the whole, and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.
14“ ‘If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall offer his offering from turtledoves or of young pigeons.
15The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar;
16and he shall take away its crop and its feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the ashes.
17He shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it apart. The priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Leviticus 1:4
“He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.”
This verse establishes the personal connection between the offerer and the sacrifice intended for atonement.
Leviticus 1:9
“The priest shall burn all of it on the altar, for a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD.”
It describes the total consumption of the offering and its acceptance by God as a pleasing act.
Chapter Summary
Leviticus 1 opens with the LORD calling to Moses from the Tent of Meeting to provide instructions for voluntary burnt offerings. The text outlines three categories of acceptable animals: bulls from the herd, sheep or goats from the flock, and birds such as turtledoves or pigeons. For livestock, the animal must be a male without defect. The offerer is required to lay their hand on the animal's head to make atonement, then slaughter the animal before the LORD. Aaron's sons, the priests, then sprinkle the blood around the altar, skin the animal, and arrange the pieces on the fire. For birds, the priest wrings off the head and drains the blood against the side of the altar. In all cases, the offering is burned completely on the altar as a pleasant aroma to the LORD, signifying total dedication and reconciliation through sacrifice.
Frequently Asked Questions
The burnt offering was a voluntary sacrifice intended to make atonement for the individual offerer and was described as a pleasant aroma to the LORD.
Acceptable offerings included male cattle, sheep, or goats without defect, as well as turtledoves or young pigeons for those who could not provide livestock.
Laying a hand on the animal's head was a symbolic gesture that identified the offerer with the sacrifice, signifying that the animal was being offered on their behalf.
Aaron's sons, the priests, were tasked with presenting the blood and sprinkling it all around the altar located at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Study Note
The Hebrew word for burnt offering is 'olah', which literally means 'to go up,' referring to the smoke of the sacrifice ascending toward heaven.
Related Chapters
Exodus Chapter 40
This chapter concludes with the glory of the LORD filling the Tabernacle, setting the stage for God's speech in Leviticus 1.
Leviticus Chapter 2
The following chapter provides instructions for the grain offering, the second type of sacrifice mentioned in the law.
Hebrews Chapter 10
A New Testament perspective on the significance and limitations of the Levitical animal sacrifices.
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