Offal refers to the parts of an animal that are considered inedible or less desirable, often including organs and entrails. In biblical times, the treatment and disposal of offal were significant, particularly in the context of sacrificial practices and dietary laws.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the term "offal" is closely associated with the sacrificial system established by God for the Israelites. The Hebrew word often translated as "offal" is "pāršê," which can refer to the refuse or waste parts of a sacrificial animal. The handling of offal was an important aspect of maintaining ritual purity and obedience to God's commands.

In the sacrificial system, certain parts of the animal were designated for specific purposes. For instance, the fat and certain organs were often burned on the altar as offerings to the Lord, while other parts were given to the priests or disposed of outside the camp. Leviticus 4:11-12 provides an example: "But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, with its head and legs and its entrails and dung— all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place, to the ash heap, and burn it there on a wood fire. It is to be burned on the ash heap."

The disposal of offal outside the camp symbolized the removal of impurity and sin from the community, reflecting the holiness required by God. This practice underscored the separation between the sacred and the profane, a recurring theme in the Mosaic Law.

Dietary Laws

The dietary laws given to the Israelites also addressed the consumption of certain animal parts. While the Bible does not explicitly list offal as prohibited, the general guidelines for clean and unclean animals would have influenced which parts were considered acceptable for consumption. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 outline these dietary restrictions, emphasizing the importance of holiness and obedience in the daily lives of the Israelites.

Symbolic and Prophetic Usage

Offal is occasionally used symbolically in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. The prophets often employed vivid imagery to convey messages of judgment and purification. For example, in Ezekiel 24:10-13, the imagery of a pot filled with choice meat and offal is used to depict the impending judgment on Jerusalem: "Heap on the wood, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the bones be charred. Set the empty pot on the coals, so that it becomes hot and its copper glows, so that its impurities may be melted and its dross consumed."

This passage illustrates the purifying judgment of God, where the offal represents the impurities and sins of the people that must be purged.

New Testament Considerations

While the New Testament does not directly address the concept of offal, the principles of purity and holiness continue to be emphasized. The sacrificial system is fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is described as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Hebrews 13:11-12 draws a parallel between the Old Testament sacrifices and Christ's atoning work: "The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood."

In this context, the disposal of offal outside the camp prefigures the sacrifice of Christ, who bore the sins of humanity and was crucified outside the city, fulfilling the requirements of the Law and establishing a new covenant of grace.

Cultural and Historical Insights

Understanding the role of offal in biblical times provides insight into the daily life and religious practices of the Israelites. The meticulous attention to sacrificial details and dietary laws reflects a broader theological framework that emphasizes God's holiness and the call for His people to be set apart. The treatment of offal, therefore, is not merely a matter of ritual but a profound expression of the covenant relationship between God and His chosen people.1. (n.) The rejected or waste parts of a butchered animal.

2. (n.) A dead body; carrion.

3. (n.) That which is thrown away as worthless or unfit for use; refuse; rubbish.

5478. suchah -- offal
... 5477, 5478. suchah. 5479 . offal. Transliteration: suchah Phonetic Spelling:
(soo-khaw') Short Definition: refuse. Word Origin of ...
/hebrew/5478.htm - 6k

The Greatest Trial on Record
... Brethren, as the Lord gave commandment concerning even the ashes and offal of the
sacrifices, we ought to think no matter trivial which stands in connection ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 9 1863/the greatest trial on record.htm

Argument: the Religion of the Christians is Foolish, Inasmuch as ...
... of incestuous lust has grown hot with drunkenness, a dog that has been tied to the
chandelier is provoked, by throwing a small piece of offal beyond the length ...
/.../felix/the octavius of minucius felix/chapter ix argument the religion of.htm

The Sluggard's Reproof
... If you tell a Turk in Constantinople that his street is filthy" and it certainly
is for there the offal lies and is never swept away "he says sitting with ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the sluggards reproof.htm

The Fifth Word from the Cross
... his country with splendid editions of the ancient writers, he was literally starving,
and had sometimes to subsist on skins of apples and other offal picked up ...
/.../stalker/the trial and death of jesus christ/chapter xviii the fifth word.htm

The New Form of the Old Law
... We need but refer here to the Jewish courts and Sanhedrim, and to that valley of
Hinnom, where the offal of Jerusalem and the corpses of criminals were burned ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the new form of the.htm

A Faithful Friend
... Fawning hypocrites, insidious flatterers, are the sweepings and offal of
friendship. They are but the parasites upon that noble tree. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/a faithful friend.htm

A Faithful Friend
... Fawning hypocrites, insidious flatterers, are the sweepings and offal of
friendship. They are but the parasites upon that noble tree. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/a faithful friend.htm

Offenses
... of offense, who spares himself the keenest spiritual surgery, shall be cast forth
with everything that defileth, shall be ejected with the offal of the New ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 9 38-50 offenses.htm

The Symbols of the Republic.
... incompetent men, whose fitness is not in their capacity as functionaries, or
legislators, but as organ pipes; the snatching at the slices and offal of office ...
/.../chapin/humanity in the city/discourse iv the symbols of.htm

On the Road to Jerusalem
... frontiers of their little town, they met them with the convenient stones of their
rocky streets, with their savage, stark-ribbed dogs, with offal from kitchen ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the city of delight/chapter ii on the road.htm

Offal (6 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) A dead body; carrion. 3. (n.) That which is thrown away as worthless or
unfit for use; refuse; rubbish. Multi-Version Concordance Offal (6 Occurrences). ...
/o/offal.htm - 8k

Eagle (27 Occurrences)
... There were many large birds and carrion eaters flocking over Palestine, attracted
by the offal from animals slaughtered for tribal feasts and continuous ...
/e/eagle.htm - 28k

Off (5363 Occurrences)

/o/off.htm - 8k

Vulture (16 Occurrences)
... that killed each other, ate putrid fish under the nests of pelican and cormorant,
followed caravans across the desert, and were ready for offal thrown from ...
/v/vulture.htm - 14k

Offscouring (2 Occurrences)
... The favored people, whose city lies in heaps and is patrolled by the heathen, are
hailed and held up as the scrapings, the offscouring, the offal of the earth. ...
/o/offscouring.htm - 8k

Gehenna (12 Occurrences)
... The fact, also, that the city's offal was collected there may have helped
to render the name synonymous with extreme defilement. ...
/g/gehenna.htm - 15k

Gier-eagle (4 Occurrences)
... They nested on a solid base, lived in pairs, and not only flocked over carrion as
larger species permitted, but also ate the vilest offal of all sorts, for ...
/g/gier-eagle.htm - 8k

Giereagle
... They nested on a solid base, lived in pairs, and not only flocked over carrion as
larger species permitted, but also ate the vilest offal of all sorts, for ...
/g/giereagle.htm - 7k

Raven (7 Occurrences)
... It is partially a carrion feeder, if offal or bodies are fresh; it also eats the
young of other birds and very small animals and seeds, berries and fruit ...
/r/raven.htm - 14k

Draught-house (1 Occurrence)
... (2 Kings 10:27). Jehu ordered the temple of Baal to be destroyed, and the place
to be converted to the vile use of receiving offal or ordure. (Comp. ...
/d/draught-house.htm - 7k

Offal: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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