Leviticus 7:37

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;

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(37) This is the law . . . —This and the following verse sum up the whole sacrificial law contained in Leviticus 1-8

The burnt offering.—Described in Leviticus 1:3-17, with its supplement, Leviticus 6:8-13.

The meat offering.—Described in Leviticus 2:1-16, with its supplement, Leviticus 6:14-18.

The sin offering.—Described in Leviticus 4:1-35, with its supplement, Leviticus 6:24-30.

The trespass offering.—Described in Leviticus 5:1-13, with its supplements, Leviticus 5:14-19, Leviticus 6:1-7, Leviticus 7:1-10.

And of the consecrations.—Better, and of the offering of consecration, that is, the meat offering which the high priest is to bring on his consecration to the pontifical office, described in Leviticus 6:19-23.

The peace offering.—Described in Leviticus 3:1-17, with its supplements, Leviticus 7:11-21; Leviticus 7:28-36.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:35-38 Solemn acts of religious worship are not things which we may do or not do at our pleasure; it is at our peril if we omit them. An observance of the laws of Christ cannot be less necessary than of the laws of Moses.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Of the consecrations - That is, of the sacrifices which were to be offered in the consecration of the priests. See the marginal references.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

35-38. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron—These verses contain a general summing up of the laws which regulate the privileges and duties of the priests. The word "anointing" is often used as synonymous with "office" or "dignity." So that the "portion of the anointing of Aaron" probably means the provision made for the maintenance of the high priest and the numerous body of functionaries which composed the sacerdotal order.

in the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord, &c.—that is, from the day they approached the Lord in the duties of their ministry.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Of the consecration, i.e. of the sacrifice offered at the consecration of the priests.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

This is the law of the burnt offering,.... As delivered, Leviticus 6:9,

of the meat offering; as in Leviticus 6:14,

and of the sin offering; as in Leviticus 6:25,

and of the trespass offering; as in Leviticus 7:1,

and of the consecrations; of Aaron and his sons to the priest's office, as in Leviticus 6:20,

and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings; as in this chapter, Leviticus 7:11 for this is only a recapitulation of the several laws respecting these things before observed.

Geneva Study Bible

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 {o} consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;

(o) Which sacrifice was offered when the priests were consecrated, Ex 29:22.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

37, 38. These verses seem at first sight to form a general conclusion to chs. 1–7, but as the order in which the sacrifices are mentioned is closely connected with that in Leviticus 6:8 to Leviticus 8:34, it must be regarded as a conclusion to that section1[50]. The words ‘and of the consecration’ probably are intended as a reterence to Leviticus 6:19-23; whether it is to be regarded as an addition depends upon the view taken of that section, and of the words ‘in the day when he is anointed’ in Leviticus 6:20 (see pp. 30 ff.).

[50] It is possible that the last clause of Leviticus 7:38 may refer to chs. 1–6:7.

Note. The priests’ portions as prescribed under the separate offerings are as follows:

(a) That which remains of the Meal-Offerings, Leviticus 2:3; Leviticus 2:10; Leviticus 6:16-18; Leviticus 7:9-10; Leviticus 7:14 (brought as part of the Peace-Offering); Leviticus 24:9, the shewbread.

(b) The remainder of the Sin-Offerings, except of those whereof any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting; Leviticus 5:13, Leviticus 6:26; Leviticus 6:29-30.

(c) The remainder of the Guilt-Offerings, Leviticus 7:6-7; and the ‘restitution for guilt’ where there is no kinsman to whom restitution may be made, Numbers 5:8.

(d) The skin of the Burnt-Offering, Leviticus 7:7.

(e) Of the Peace-Offerings, the wave breast for Aaron and his sons, and the heave thigh for the priest who offers the blood and the fat, Leviticus 7:29-34.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 37, 38. - Conclusion of Part I. The law of the burnt offering is contained in Leviticus 1:1-17; Leviticus 6:8-13: of the meat offering, in chapter Leviticus 2:1-16; 6:14-23: of the sin offering, in Leviticus 4:1-35; Leviticus 5:1-13; Leviticus 6:24-30: of the trespass offering, in Leviticus 5:14-19; Leviticus 6:1-7; Leviticus 7:1-6: of the consecrations, in Leviticus 6:19-23, supplementing Exodus 29:1-37: of the sacrifice of the peace offerings, in Leviticus 3:1-17; Leviticus 7:11-21; 28-34. Together, the sacrifices teach the lessons of self-surrender, loyalty, atonement, satisfaction, dedication, peace.



Leviticus 7:37

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

With Leviticus 7:37 and Leviticus 7:38 the whole of the sacrificial law (ch. 1-7) is brought to a close. Among the sacrifices appointed, the fill-offering (המּלּוּאים) is also mentioned here; though it is not first instituted in these chapters, but in Exodus 29:19-20 (Exodus 29:22, Exodus 29:26, Exodus 29:27, Exodus 29:31). The name may be explained from the phrase to "fill the hand," which is not used in the sense of installing a man, or giving him authority, like בּיד נתן "commit into his hand" in Isaiah 22:21 (Knobel), but was applied primarily to the ceremony of consecrating the priests, as described in Leviticus 8:25., and was restricted to the idea of investiture with the priesthood (cf. Leviticus 8:33; Leviticus 16:32; Exodus 28:41; Exodus 29:9, Exodus 29:29, Exodus 29:33, Exodus 29:35; Numbers 3:3; Judges 17:5, Judges 17:12). This gave rise to the expression "to fill the hand for Jehovah," i.e., to provide something to offer to Jehovah (1 Chronicles 29:5; 2 Chronicles 29:31, cf. Exodus 32:29). Hence מלּוּאים denotes the filling of the hand with sacrificial gifts to be offered to Jehovah, and as used primarily of the particular sacrifice through which the priests were symbolically invested at their consecration with the gifts they were to offer, and were empowered, by virtue of this investiture, to officiate at the sacrifices; and secondly, in a less restricted sense, of priestly consecration generally (Leviticus 8:33, "the days of your consecration"). The allusion to the place in Leviticus 7:38, viz., "in the wilderness of Sinai," points on the one hand back to Exodus 19:1, and on the other hand forward to Numbers 26:63-64, and Numbers 36:13, "in the plains of Moab" (cf. Numbers 1:1, Numbers 1:19, etc.).

The sacrificial law, therefore, with the five species of sacrifices which it enjoins, embraces every aspect in which Israel was to manifest its true relation to the Lord its God. Whilst the sanctification of the whole man in self-surrender to the Lord was shadowed forth in the burnt-offerings, the fruits of this sanctification in the meat-offerings, and the blessedness of the possession and enjoyment of saving grace in the peace-offerings, the expiatory sacrifices furnished the means of removing the barrier which sins and trespasses had set up between the sinner and the holy God, and procured the forgiveness of sin and guilt, so that the sinner could attain once more to the unrestricted enjoyment of the covenant grace. For, provided only that the people of God drew near to their God with sacrificial gifts, in obedience to His commandments and in firm reliance upon His word, which had connected the forgiveness of sin, strength for sanctification, and the peace of fellowship with Him, with these manifestations of their piety, the offerers would receive in truth the blessings promised them by the Lord. Nevertheless these sacrifices could not make those who drew near to God with them and in them "perfect as pertaining to the conscience" (Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 10:1), because the blood of bulls and of goats could not possibly take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). The forgiveness of sin which the atoning sacrifices procured, was only a πάρεσις of past sins through the forbearance of God (Romans 3:25-26), in anticipation of the true sacrifice of Christ, of which the animal sacrifices were only a type, and by which the justice of God is satisfied, and the way opened fore the full forgiveness of sin and complete reconciliation with God. So also the sanctification and fellowship set forth by the burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, were simply a sanctification of the fellowship already established by the covenant of the law between Israel and its covenant God, which pointed forward to the true sanctification and blessedness that grow out of the righteousness of faith, and expand through the operation of the Holy Spirit into the true righteousness and blessedness of the divine peace of reconciliation. The effect of the sacrifices was in harmony with the nature of the old covenant. The fellowship with God, established by this covenant, was simply a faint copy of that true and living fellowship with God, which consists in God's dwelling in our hearts through His Spirit, transforming our spirit, soul, and body more and more into His own image and His divine nature, and making us partakers of the glory and blessedness of His divine life. However intimately the infinite and holy God connected Himself with His people in the earthly sanctuary of the tabernacle and the altar of burnt-offering, yet so long as this sanctuary stood, the God who was enthroned in the most holy place was separated by the veil from His people, who could only appear before Him in the fore-court, as a proof that the sin which separates unholy man from the holy God had not yet been taken out of the way. Just as the old covenant generally was not intended to secure redemption from sin, but the law was designed to produce the knowledge of sin; so the desire for reconciliation with God was not to be truly satisfied by its sacrificial ordinances, but a desire was to be awakened for that true sacrifice which cleanses from all sins, and the way to be prepared for the appearing of the Son of God, who would exalt the shadows of the Mosaic sacrifices into a substantial reality by giving up His own life as a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, and thus through the one offering of His own holy body would perfect all the manifold sacrifices of the Old Testament economy.