Leviticus 7:11

And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings.—That is, the rites to be observed in connection with this sacrifice. As in the case of the sin offering (Leviticus 4:24-31 with Leviticus 6:24-30) and the trespass offering (Leviticus 5:1-13 with Leviticus 7:1-10), so here (Leviticus 7:11-21), we have more specific and fuller directions given to the priests with regard to the peace offerings, about which orders had previously been given to the people (Leviticus 3:1-15).

Which he shall offer.—That is, he who feels it his duty to offer it to the Lord. This common Hebrew idiom of using a verb with he in it without an antecedent is better expressed in English by the impersonal, which one shall offer, or by the passive, which shall be offered. (See Leviticus 7:20-29.) Three classes of peace offerings are specified—(1) an acknowledgment of mercies received, (2) as a vow offering, (3) as a freewill offering.

Benson Commentary

Leviticus 7:11. This is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings — These are the only sort of offerings to be spoken of. There were several sorts of them, which required various rites. The first was a gratulatory offering, or a sacrifice of thanksgiving, so called because it was offered to God for some particular benefit received, Leviticus 7:12. Such sacrifices were accompanied with feasting, and sometimes with high demonstrations of joy, 1 Samuel 11:15; 1 Kings 8:6. Of these the psalmist speaks, when he says, Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing, <19A722>Psalm 107:22. The second was a votive-offering, or vow, being also a sacrifice of thanksgiving, but offered in consequence of a vow, or religious oath, whereby the party obliged himself to offer to God such a sacrifice, in case of receiving some particular benefit. The third was a voluntary offering, being a sacrifice freely made beforehand, in the nature of a prayer for obtaining some future blessing, Leviticus 7:16; or, as Le Clerc explains it, a voluntary offering was a sacrifice offered, not for any particular benefit either received or expected, but merely from the overflowing of a heart grateful to God for his goodness in general. We find this oblation plainly distinguished from a votive-offering, Leviticus 22:23.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:11-27 As to the peace-offerings, in the expression of their sense of mercy, God left them more at liberty, than in the expression of their sense of sin; that their sacrifices, being free-will offerings, might be the more acceptable, while, by obliging them to bring the sacrifices of atonement, God shows the necessity of the great Propitiation. The main reason why blood was forbidden of old, was because the Lord had appointed blood for an atonement. This use, being figurative, had its end in Christ, who by his death and blood-shedding caused the sacrifices to cease. Therefore this law is not now in force on believers.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See Leviticus 3:1-17. What is here added, relates to the accompanying מנחה mı̂nchāh Leviticus 2:1, the classification of peace-offerings into:

(1) thank-offerings,

(2) vow-offerings and

(3) voluntary-offerings, and the conditions to be observed by the worshipper in eating the flesh.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

11-14. this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings—Besides the usual accompaniments of other sacrifices, leavened bread was offered with the peace offerings, as a thanksgiving, such bread being common at feasts.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which ye shall offer unto the Lord. Some other laws and rules respecting the oblation of them: in Leviticus 3:1 an account is given of what they should be, both of the herd and flock, and of the burning of the fat of them; and here the several sorts of them are distinctly observed, what should be offered with them, and the part the priest should have of it, and when the flesh of them should be eaten.

Geneva Study Bible

And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

11. which one shall offer] i.e. anyone who desires to bring this kind of offering; where there is no emphasis on the subject, the passive is generally employed in English, ‘which may be offered.’

The Peace-Offering comes in this collection of toroth after the Sin and Guilt-Offerings, either because the ‘most holy’ things are placed first, or because the Peace-Offering is treated at greater length than the others. The text is not above suspicion; the omission by the LXX. in Leviticus 7:12 is noticed below, and the frequent occurrences of the Heb. prep. ‘al, translated ‘for’ and ‘with’ in Leviticus 7:12, and ‘with’ twice in Leviticus 7:13, are noted by Wellh., who remarks (Hist. of Isr. p. 69, note 1): ‘the suspicion very readily occurs that Leviticus 7:12 is an authentic interpretation prefixed, to obviate beforehand the difficulty presented by Leviticus 7:13, and that similarly the first ‘al in Leviticus 7:13 is also a later correction which does not harmonize well by any means with the second.’ This criticism is endorsed by Berth. KHC Lev. p. 22, and Bibl. Theol. d. A. T. ii.P.350.

The Peace-Offering may be brought for three reasons:

(a) For thanksgiving (Leviticus 7:12), to commemorate deliverance from sickness or danger. In Psalms 107, after mentioning perils out of which the Lord delivers man, the Psalmist says ‘let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving’ (Leviticus 7:22). These are quoted in Tal. Bab. Berǎchoth 54 b as occasions on which the Lord must be openly praised (cf. Leviticus 7:22; Leviticus 7:32 of the Ps., and Psalm 56:12).

(b) In fulfilment of a vow (Leviticus 7:16, cp. Psalm 56:12; Psalm 66:13-14; Psalm 116:12-19), when a man promises to bring an offering to the Lord, if He deliver him out of his distress.

(c) As a freewill offering (Leviticus 7:16, cp. Psalm 54:6) when the heart is moved by the remembrance of God’s tender mercies (Psalm 95:1-2; Psalm 103:1-5) to bring an oblation. Offerings for vows and freewill offerings are mentioned in Leviticus 22:18; Leviticus 22:21; Leviticus 22:23; Numbers 15:3; a sacrifice of thanksgiving in Leviticus 22:29. On the distinction between the three kinds see note on Leviticus 22:23.

(6) The Peace-Offering (11–21)

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 11-21. - Further ritual of the peace offering (see note on chapter Leviticus 3:1). There are three sorts of peace offerings - thank offerings (verses 12-15), votive offerings, and voluntary offerings (verses 16-18). Of these, the thank offerings were made in thankful memorial for past mercies; votive offerings were made in fulfillment of a vow previously taken, that such offering should be presented if a terrain condition were fulfilled. Voluntary offerings differ from votive offerings by not having been previously vowed, and from thank offerings by not having reference to any special mercy received. The thank offering must be eaten by the offerer and his friends, on the same day that it was offered; the votive and the voluntary offerings, which were inferior to the thank offering in sanctity, on the same day or the next. The reason why a longer time was not given probably was that the more the meal was delayed, the less would a religious character be attached to it. The necessity of a quick consumption also took away the temptation of acting grudgingly towards those with whom the feast might be shared, and it likewise precluded the danger of the flesh becoming corrupted. If any of the flesh remained till the third day, it was to be burnt with fire; if eaten on that day, it should not be accepted or imputed unto him that offered, that is, it should not be regarded as a sacrifice of sweet savour to God, but an abomination (literally, a stench), and whoever ate it should bear his iniquity, that is, should be guilty of an offense, requiring, probably, a sin offering to atone for it. The bread gift accompanying the animal sacrifice was to consist of three kinds of unleavened cakes, and one cake of leavened bread, and one out of the whole oblation, that is, one cake of each kind, was to be offered by heaving and then given to the officiating priest, the remaining cakes forming a part of the offerer's festive meal. If any one took part of a feast on a peace offering while in a state of Levitical uncleanness, he was to be cut off from his people, that is, excommunicated, without permission to recover immediate communion by offering a sin offering. St. Paul joined in a votive offering (Acts 21:26). Leviticus 7:11

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The Law of the Peace-Offerings, "which he shall offer to Jehovah" (the subject is to be supplied from the verb), contains instructions, (1) as to the bloodless accompaniment to these sacrifices (Leviticus 7:12-14), (2) as to the eating of the flesh of the sacrifices (Leviticus 7:15-21), with the prohibition against eating fat and blood (Leviticus 7:22-27), and (3) as to Jehovah's share of these sacrifices (Leviticus 7:28-36). - In Leviticus 7:12 and Leviticus 7:16 three classes of shelamim are mentioned, which differ according to their occasion and design, viz., whether they were brought על־תּודה, upon the ground of praise, i.e., to praise God for blessings received or desired, or as vow-offerings, or thirdly, as freewill-offerings (Leviticus 7:16). To (lit., upon, in addition to) the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Leviticus 7:12, "sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace-offerings," Leviticus 7:13 and Leviticus 7:15) they were to present "unleavened cakes kneaded with oil, and flat cakes anointed with oil (see at Leviticus 2:4), and roasted fine flour (see Leviticus 6:14) mixed as cakes with oil," i.e., cakes made of fine flour roasted with oil, and thoroughly kneaded with oil (on the construction, see Ges. 139, 2; Ewald 284 a). This last kind of cakes kneaded with oil is also called oil-bread-cake ("a cake of oiled bread," Leviticus 8:26; Exodus 29:23), or "cake unleavened, kneaded with oil" (Exodus 29:2), and probably differed from the former simply in the fact that it was more thoroughly saturated with oil, inasmuch as it was not only made of flour that had been mixed with oil in the kneading, but the flour itself was first of all roasted in oil, and then the dough was moistened still further with oil in the process of kneading.