Leviticus 1:15
New International Version
The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.

New Living Translation
The priest will take the bird to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar. But first he must drain its blood against the side of the altar.

English Standard Version
And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the priest shall bring it to the altar, twist off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood should be drained out on the side of the altar.

King James Bible
And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:

New King James Version
The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar.

New American Standard Bible
The priest shall bring it to the altar, and pinch off its head, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

NASB 1995
‘The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

NASB 1977
‘And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the priest shall bring it near to the altar and wring off its head and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

Amplified Bible
The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

Christian Standard Bible
Then the priest is to bring it to the altar, and will twist off its head and burn it on the altar; its blood should be drained at the side of the altar.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the priest must bring it to the altar, and must twist off its head and burn it on the altar; its blood should be drained at the side of the altar.

American Standard Version
And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of the altar;

Contemporary English Version
A priest will take the bird to the bronze altar, where he will wring its neck and put its head on the fire. Then he will drain out its blood on one side of the altar,

English Revised Version
And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of the altar:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The priest must bring it to the altar. He will break its neck and burn the bird on the altar. First, he will drain the blood against the side of the altar.

Good News Translation
The priest shall present it at the altar, wring its neck, and burn its head on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out against the side of the altar.

International Standard Version
The priest is to bring it to the altar to offer it up in smoke. He is to decapitate it and drain its blood on the side of the altar,

Majority Standard Bible
Then the priest shall bring it to the altar, twist off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood should be drained out on the side of the altar.

NET Bible
The priest must present it at the altar, pinch off its head and offer the head up in smoke on the altar, and its blood must be drained out against the side of the altar.

New Heart English Bible
The 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;

Webster's Bible Translation
And the priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar: and its blood shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:

World English Bible
The 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;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the priest has brought it near to the altar, and has wrung off its head, and has made incense on the altar, and its blood has been wrung out by the side of the altar;

Young's Literal Translation
and the priest hath brought it near unto the altar, and hath wrung off its head, and hath made perfume on the altar, and its blood hath been wrung out by the side of the altar;

Smith's Literal Translation
And the priest brought it near to the altar, and broke off the head, and burnt upon the altar: and pressed out its blood upon the wall of the altar.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The priest shall offer it at the altar: and twisting back the neck, and breaking the place of the wound, he shall make the blood run down upon the brim of the altar.

Catholic Public Domain Version
the priest shall offer it at the altar: and twisting back the neck with the head, and also rupturing the place of the wound, he shall make the blood run down over the edge of the altar.

New American Bible
Having brought it to the altar, the priest shall wring its head off and burn it on the altar. The blood shall be drained out against the side of the altar.

New Revised Standard Version
The priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head, and turn it into smoke on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out against the side of the altar.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head and burn it on the altar; and its blood shall be wrung out at the side of the altar round about;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Priest shall bring it to the altar and shall pull off his head and shall offer it up on the altar and shall drain out the blood on the wall of the altar as a circle:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and pinch off its head, and make it smoke on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of the altar.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the priest shall bring it to the altar, and shall wring off its head; and the priest shall put it on the altar, and shall wring out the blood at the bottom of the altar.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Laws for Burnt Offerings
14If, instead, one’s offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to present a turtledove or a young pigeon. 15Then the priest shall bring it to the altar, twist off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood should be drained out on the side of the altar. 16And he is to remove the crop with its contents and throw it to the east side of the altar, in the place for ashes.…

Cross References
Exodus 29:20
Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the remaining blood on all sides of the altar.

Leviticus 5:8
He is to bring them to the priest, who shall first present the one for the sin offering. He is to twist its head at the front of its neck without severing it;

Leviticus 14:25
And after he slaughters the lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

Leviticus 14:14
The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

Leviticus 8:23-24
Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. / Moses also presented Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he splattered the blood on all sides of the altar.

Numbers 6:9-10
If someone suddenly dies in his presence and defiles his consecrated head of hair, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing—the seventh day. / On the eighth day he must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

Numbers 8:12
And the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer to the LORD one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.

2 Chronicles 29:22
So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splattered it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and splattered the blood on the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs and splattered the blood on the altar.

Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

Ezekiel 43:18
Then He said to me: “Son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is constructed, so that burnt offerings may be sacrificed on it and blood may be splattered on it:

Hebrews 9:22
According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Hebrews 10:4
because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Hebrews 9:12
He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 10:10
And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.


Treasury of Scripture

And the priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:

wring off his head.

Leviticus 5:8
And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder:

Psalm 22:1,21
To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? …

Psalm 69:1-21
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, A Psalm of David. Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul…

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Altar Blood Burn Drained Head Offer Perfume Pinch Pressed Priest Side Smoke Thereof Twisted Wring Wrung
Leviticus 1
1. The law of burnt offerings
3. of the herd
10. of the flocks
14. of the fowls














Then the priest
The role of the priest in ancient Israel was central to the sacrificial system. The Hebrew word for priest, "kohen," signifies one who is set apart to perform sacred duties. Priests acted as mediators between God and the people, highlighting the necessity of a divinely appointed intermediary in the process of atonement. This foreshadows the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ, who mediates the new covenant.

shall bring it to the altar
The altar, or "mizbeach" in Hebrew, was a sacred place where offerings were made to God. It symbolizes the meeting point between the divine and the human, a place of sacrifice and worship. The act of bringing the offering to the altar signifies the worshiper's intent to draw near to God, acknowledging His holiness and their own need for purification.

wring off its head
This phrase describes a specific method of sacrifice for birds, which were often offered by those who could not afford larger animals. The act of wringing off the head was a swift and humane method of killing, ensuring the sacrifice was made with respect and care. It underscores the seriousness of sin and the costliness of atonement, pointing to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, who gave His life willingly.

and burn it on the altar
Burning the offering on the altar was an act of consecration, transforming the physical into a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The Hebrew word "olah," often translated as "burnt offering," implies that the offering ascends to God. This symbolizes the complete surrender and dedication of the worshiper to God, a theme echoed in Romans 12:1, where believers are urged to offer themselves as living sacrifices.

and its blood shall be drained out
Blood, or "dam" in Hebrew, is a powerful symbol of life and atonement in the Bible. The draining of the blood signifies the life given in place of the sinner, a vivid reminder of the seriousness of sin and the necessity of a substitute. This prefigures the shedding of Christ's blood, which brings about the ultimate atonement for humanity's sins.

on the side of the altar
The specific instruction to drain the blood on the side of the altar emphasizes the order and precision required in worship. It reflects God's holiness and the need for purity in approaching Him. This detail also points to the meticulous fulfillment of the law by Christ, who perfectly accomplished all that was required for our redemption.

(15) And the priest.--It was probably out of consideration for the feelings of the poor offerer, and to increase the importance of the otherwise small offering, that the priest himself brought the victim to the altar and slew it instead of the worshipper performing these acts, as in the case of quadrupeds. The imposition of hands upon the victim was dispensed with, both because the bird was too small for this ceremony, and because the offerer brought it in his hands to the place of sacrifice, thus conveying by this act the idea involved in the imposition of hands.

And wring off his head.--When the bird is handed to him, the priest is not to use any knife, but is to nip off its head with his nails, throw the severed head on the altar fire, and thus cause it to ascend in the sweet smelling savour. As the small quantity of blood could not be caught in a bowl, and would not suffice for throwing it or pouring it on the four walls, as was the case in the offering of quadrupeds, he pressed it out from the headless body, and let it run on the walls.

Verse 15. - The priest shall bring it unto the altar. The difference in the ritual for the burnt sacrifice of fowls is:

1. That the offerer is not commanded to lay his hand on the bird.

2. That the altar is the place of maciation, instead of the space on the north side of the altar.

3. That the priest slays it instead of the offerer. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the priest
הַכֹּהֵן֙ (hak·kō·hên)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

shall bring
וְהִקְרִיב֤וֹ (wə·hiq·rî·ḇōw)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7126: To come near, approach

it to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the altar,
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ (ham·miz·bê·aḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

twist off
וּמָלַק֙ (ū·mā·laq)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4454: To crack a, joint, to wring the neck of a, fowl

its head,
רֹאשׁ֔וֹ (rō·šōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

and burn
וְהִקְטִ֖יר (wə·hiq·ṭîr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6999: To smoke, turn into fragrance by fire

it on the altar;
הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חָה (ham·miz·bê·ḥāh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

its blood
דָמ֔וֹ (ḏā·mōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

should be drained out
וְנִמְצָ֣ה (wə·nim·ṣāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4680: To suck out, to drain, to squeeze out

on
עַ֖ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the side
קִ֥יר (qîr)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7023: A wall

of the altar.
הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃ (ham·miz·bê·aḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar


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OT Law: Leviticus 1:15 The priest shall bring it to (Le Lv Lev.)
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