Leviticus 7:17

But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(17) But the remainder of the flesh.—If, however, the sacrifices were very plentiful, or if through stubbornness of the owners a sufficient number of poor guests were not invited, so that the victim could not be eaten up within the time specified, all that remained on the third day was to be burnt.

Benson Commentary

Leviticus 7:17-18. The flesh on the third day shall be burned with fire — Lest it should putrefy, and so be exposed to contempt, and to prevent their distrust of God’s providence, or indulging a covetous disposition, by reserving for domestic use what ought to be given to their friends or the poor. If eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted — In this case, not only the sacrifice became worthless, but the offerer guilty of a new offence. Neither shall it be imputed unto him — For an acceptable service to God, but reckoned as if it had not been offered at all.

Whatsoever is not of faith is sin; and that cannot be of faith which has not the sanction of God’s authority, expressed or implied, and is not done agreeably to his will. It is therefore not acceptable to him.

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

The vow-offering appears to have been a peace-offering vowed upon a certain condition; the voluntary-offering, one offered as the simple tribute of a devout heart rejoicing in peace with God and man offered on no external occasion (compare Leviticus 22:17-25).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15-17. the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings … shall be eaten the same day that it is offered—The flesh of the sacrifices was eaten on the day of the offering or on the day following. But if any part of it remained till the third day, it was, instead of being made use of, to be burned with fire. In the East, butcher-meat is generally eaten the day it is killed, and it is rarely kept a second day, so that as a prohibition was issued against any of the flesh in the peace offerings being used on the third day, it has been thought, not without reason, that this injunction must have been given to prevent a superstitious notion arising that there was some virtue or holiness belonging to it.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

That it might neither putrefy, and thereby be exposed to contempt; nor yet be reserved either for superstitious abuse, or for the priest’s domestic use, which would savour of covetousness, and of distrust of God’s care for their future provisions.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day,.... What remained of it uneaten on the second day, and was kept till the third:

shall be burnt with fire; that it might neither corrupt, nor be put to superstitious uses, nor be of any profit in any respect; that so stubbornness and distrust of the care of Providence might be discouraged: perhaps some respect may be had in the type to the resurrection of Christ on the third day, having seen no corruption.

Geneva Study Bible

But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Leviticus 7:17

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The flesh of the praise-offering was to be eaten on the day of presentation, and none of it was to be left till the next morning (cf. Leviticus 22:29-30); but that of the vow and freewill-offerings might be eaten on both the first and second days. Whatever remained after that was to be burnt on the third day, i.e., to be destroyed by burning. If any was eaten on the third day, it was not well-pleasing (ירצה "good pleasure," see Leviticus 1:4), and was "not reckoned to the offerer," sc., as a sacrifice well-pleasing to God; it was "an abomination." פּגּוּל, an abomination, is only applied to the flesh of the sacrifices (Leviticus 19:7; Ezekiel 4:14; Isaiah 65:4), and signifies properly a stench; - compare the talmudic word פּגּל faetidum reddere. Whoever ate thereof would bear his sin (see Leviticus 5:1). "The soul that eateth" is not to be restricted, as Knobel supposes, to the other participators in the sacrificial meal, but applies to the offerer also, in fact to every one who partook of such flesh. The burning on the third day was commanded, not to compel the offerer to invite the poor to share in the meal (Theodoret, Clericus, etc.), but to guard against the danger of a desecration of the meal. The sacrificial flesh was holy (Exodus 29:34); and in Leviticus 19:8, where this command is repeated,

(Note: There is no foundation for Knobel's assertion, that in Leviticus 19:5. another early lawgiver introduces a milder regulation with regard to the thank-offering, and allows all the thank-offerings to be eaten on the second day. For Leviticus 19:5. does not profess to lay down a universal rule with regard to all the thank-offerings, but presupposes our law, and simply enforces its regulations with regard to the vow and freewill-offerings, and threatens transgressors with severe punishment.)

eating it on the third day is called a profanation of that which was holy to Jehovah, and ordered to be punished with extermination. It became a desecration of what was holy, through the fact that in warm countries, if flesh is not most carefully preserved by artificial means, it begins to putrefy, or becomes offensive (פּגּוּל) on the third day. But to eat flesh that was putrid or stinking, would be like eating unclean carrion, or the נבלה with which putrid flesh is associated in Ezekiel 4:14. It was for this reason that burning was commanded, as Philo (de vict. p. 842) and Maimonides (More Neboch iii. 46) admit; though the former also associates with this the purpose mentioned above, which we decidedly reject (cf. Outram l.c. p. 185 seq., and Bhr, ii. pp. 375-6).