Leviticus 3:5

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.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(5) And Aaron’s sons.—After the offerer has killed the victim, taken out the choice parts and offered them to the officiating priest, the latter shall burn it, that is, the whole collection of the fat pieces described in Leviticus 3:3-4, upon the ashes of the continual burnt offering, which was the daily offering of the lamb. It had always the precedence, and was burning the whole day (Leviticus 6:12). Besides these choice pieces which had thus to be burnt, the breast and the right shoulder were reserved for the priest, whilst the remainder of the peace offering was eaten by the offerer, his family and his friends (Leviticus 7:15-16).

Benson Commentary

Leviticus 3:5. Upon the burnt-sacrifice — Either, 1st, Upon the remainders of it, which were yet burning; or, rather, 2d, After it: for the daily burnt- offering was first to be offered, both as more eminently respecting God’s honour, and as the most solemn and stated sacrifice, which should take place of all occasional oblations, and as a sacrifice of a higher nature, being for atonement, without which no peace could be obtained, nor peace- offering offered with acceptance.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

3:1-5 The peace-offerings had regard to God as the giver of all good things. These were divided between the altar, the priest, and the owner. They were called peace-offering, because in them God and his people did, as it were, feast together, in token of friendship. The peace-offerings were offered by way of supplication. If a man were in pursuit of any mercy, he would add a peace-offering to his prayer for it. Christ is our Peace, our Peace-offering; for through him alone it is that we can obtain an answer of peace to our prayers. Or, the peace-offering was offered by way of thanksgiving for some mercy received. We must offer to God the sacrifice of praise continually, by Christ our Peace; and then this shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Upon the burnt sacrifice - Upon the ashes of the continual burnt-offering Exodus 29:38, in accordance with Leviticus 6:12.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4-11. the two kidneys … of the flock … the whole rump—There is, in Eastern countries, a species of sheep the tails of which are not less than four feet and a half in length. These tails are of a substance between fat and marrow. A sheep of this kind weighs sixty or seventy English pounds weight, of which the tail usually weighs fifteen pounds and upwards. This species is by far the most numerous in Arabia, Syria, and Palestine, and, forming probably a large portion in the flocks of the Israelites, it seems to have been the kind that usually bled on the Jewish altars. The extraordinary size and deliciousness of their tails give additional importance to this law. To command by an express law the tail of a certain sheep to be offered in sacrifice to God, might well surprise us; but the wonder ceases, when we are told of those broad-tailed Eastern sheep, and of the extreme delicacy of that part which was so particularly specified in the statute [Paxton].

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Upon the burnt sacrifice; either,

1. Upon the remainders of it, which yet were burning; or rather,

2. After it; for the daily burnt-offering was first to be offered, both as more eminently respecting God’s honour, which ought to be preferred before all things; and as the most solemn and stated sacrifice, which should take place of all voluntary and occasional oblation, and as a sacrifice of a higher nature and use, being for expiation and atonement, without which no peace could be obtained, nor peace-offering offered with acceptance.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar,.... That is, the fat of the several parts before mentioned; this signified the sufferings of Christ, by which our peace is made, and by whose death we are reconciled to God: this rite of burning the fat of the inwards of sacrifices was used by the Pagans, and is still retained by the idolatrous Indians to this day (h):

upon the burnt sacrifice; which, as Gersom says, was the burnt offering of the daily sacrifice of the morning, which was offered first of all sacrifices; so Jarchi says,"we learn that the daily burnt offering preceded every other offering:''this was an eminent type of Christ's sacrifice:

which is upon the wood that is on the fire; that is, which burnt offering was laid upon the wood on the fire, and the fat of the peace offering upon that:

it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord; as Christ's sacrifice is, Ephesians 5:2; see Gill on Leviticus 1:9.

(h) See the Abridgment of Mr. Brainerd's Journal, published in 1748, p. 30.

Geneva Study Bible

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 savor unto the LORD.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. on the altar upon the burnt offering] The remains of the daily Burnt-Offering were not removed till the following morning, when a fresh Burnt-Offering was placed on wood kindled from the fire of yesterday. The fat parts of the Peace-Offering were placed upon the Burnt-Offering of the day. Cp. Leviticus 6:12.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 5. - Upon the burnt sacrifice. The peace offering is to be placed upon the burnt offering previously laid upon the fire. Symbolically and actually the burnt offering serves as the foundation of the peace offering. Self-surrender leads to peace; and the self-sacrifice of Christ is the cause of the peace subsisting between God and man. Leviticus 3:5

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

This fat the priests were to burn upon the altar, over the burnt sacrifice, on the pieces of wood upon the fire. על־העלה does not mean "in the manner or style of the burnt-offering" (Knobel), but "upon (over) the burnt-offering." For apart from the fact that על cannot be shown to have this meaning, the peace-offering was preceded as a rule by the burnt-offering. At any rate it was always preceded by the daily burnt-offering, which burned, if not all day, at all events the whole of the forenoon, until it was quite consumed; so that the fat portions of the peace-offerings were to be laid upon the burnt-offering which was burning already. That this is the meaning of על־העלה is placed beyond all doubt, both by Leviticus 6:5, where the priest is directed to burn wood every morning upon the fire of the altar, and then to place the burnt-offering upon it (עליה), and upon that to cause the fat portions of the peace-offerings to evaporate in smoke, and also by Leviticus 9:14, where Aaron is said first of all to have burned the flesh and head of the burnt-offering upon the altar, then to have washed the entrails and legs of the animal, and burned them on the altar, העלה על, i.e., upon (over) the portions of the burnt-offering that were burning already.