The Law · Chapter 3 of 27
Leviticus 3
The peace offering, or fellowship offering, may be male or female, from the herd or the flock. The worshipper lays a hand on its head, and the priests sprinkle its blood on the altar. The fat and inner organs are burned as God's portion, a sweet savour. Uniquely, this sacrifice was shared as a meal, though a lasting statute forbids eating fat or blood.
What happens in Leviticus 3
God gives the law of the peace offering, a sacrifice of fellowship and thanksgiving. The animal may come from the herd or the flock and, unlike the burnt offering, may be male or female, though still without blemish. The worshipper lays a hand on its head and it is slaughtered at the door of the tent, its blood sprinkled around the altar by Aaron's sons. The chapter then specifies God's portion in careful detail: the fat covering the inner parts, the two kidneys with their fat, and the lobe of the liver are all burned on the altar as an offering by fire, a pleasing aroma.
This is called the food of the offering. The chapter closes with a perpetual statute binding on all generations and dwellings: Israel is never to eat the fat or the blood, for these belong to the LORD alone.
Leviticus 3 in context
The peace offering completes the trio of voluntary, sweet savour sacrifices. Its distinctive feature, described more fully later, is that the worshipper, priest, and God all share in it; much of the meat was eaten in a joyful communal meal.
Here the focus falls on God's portion, the fat and blood reserved for Him, teaching that even in celebration the LORD receives the best and the life.
Main themes of Leviticus 3
Leviticus 3 (KJV)
1And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD. 2And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. 3And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 4And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 5And Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 6And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. 7If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD. 8And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar. 9And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 10And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 11And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD. 12And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD. 13And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about. 14And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 15And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 16And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD’s. 17It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.
Verses to carry from Leviticus 3
“And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.”Leviticus 3:1
“And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD.”Leviticus 3:11
“It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.”Leviticus 3:17
Christian typology
How Leviticus 3 points to Jesus
The peace offering, alone among these sacrifices in being shared as a meal, pictures the fellowship God makes possible with His people. The New Testament announces that Christ made peace through the blood of his cross and reconciled us to God, so that the peace this offering celebrated is fulfilled in Him. Where Israel feasted on the sacrifice as a sign of restored friendship, believers are invited to a table of communion with God through Christ.
The shared meal foreshadows the fellowship of the Lord's Supper and the marriage feast to come. This is a typological connection drawn out by Christian reading; Leviticus 3 does not predict a messiah. Yet its heart, peace with God sealed by blood and enjoyed in a common meal, finds its answer in the one Paul calls our peace.
Questions about Leviticus 3
What is the peace offering in Leviticus 3?
The peace offering, also called the fellowship offering, was a voluntary sacrifice expressing gratitude and communion with God. The worshipper brought an unblemished animal from herd or flock, and its fat and inner organs were burned as God's portion. Unlike other sacrifices, much of its meat was later eaten in a joyful shared meal, making it a celebration of peace and covenant friendship with the LORD.
Why were Israelites forbidden to eat fat and blood?
The fat was regarded as the richest part and belonged to God as His portion on the altar. The blood was forbidden because the life is in the blood, and life belonged to God alone as the sacred means of atonement. Eating either would treat as common what God had set apart. The statute taught reverence, reserving the best and the life itself for the LORD.
Reflection
Peace with God is not a distant treaty but a shared table. This offering imagines worship as a feast where fellowship is enjoyed, yet the best is still given to God. It invites us to hold together joy and reverence, to celebrate God's friendship while never forgetting that the peace we enjoy was bought at the cost of life.
A prayer from Leviticus 3
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