Leviticus 1:17
in Leviticus 1He shall tear it open by its wings, without dividing the bird completely. And the priest is to burn it on the altar atop the burning wood. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and he shall rend it by the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder. And the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
KJV
And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
⋯
This verse in Leviticus 1
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
he is to remove the crop with its contents
on Leviticus 1:16-17
The bird is torn open by its wings, without dividing it completely, as Abram at Genesis 15:10 did not cut the birds in half. Verse 17 ends in the words that ended the bull at verse 9 and the sheep at verse 13. The formula holds whatever the price.
This site's exposition
He shall tear it open by its wings
John Wesley reads the torn bird as split lengthwise with the two sides left joined. He sets the pleasing aroma of the closing words beside the command to love God with all the heart and the neighbour as oneself. He calls that command better than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He shall cleave the bird through the whole length, yet so as not to separate the one side from the other. A sweet savour unto the Lord - Yet after all, to love God with all our hearts, and to love our neighbour as ourselves, is better than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices.
And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
if the burnt sacrifice . . . be of fowls--The gentle nature and cleanly habits of the dove led to its selection, while all other fowls were rejected, either for the fierceness of their disposition or the grossness of their taste; and in this case, there being from the smallness of the animal no blood for waste, the priest was directed to prepare it at the altar and sprinkle the blood.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
AND HE SHALL REMOVE ‘ETH MURATHO B’NOTZATHAH.’ “ Muratho refers to the place of the digested food, namely ‘its crop.’ B’notzathah means ‘together with its entrails.’ The word notzah is a term for anything which is loathsome.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשִׁסַּ֨ע | veshisa' | and he will tear apart | H8156 → | 9 times |
| אֹת֣וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בִכְנָפָיו֮ | vikhnafav | by wings its | H3671 → | |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יַבְדִּיל֒ | yavdil | he will separate [it] | H914 → | 42 times |
| וְהִקְטִ֨יר | vehiktir | and he will make smoke | H6999 → | 116 times |
| אֹת֤וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַכֹּהֵן֙ | hakohen | the priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה | hamizbechah | the altar towards | H4196 → | 401 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָעֵצִ֖ים | haetzim | the wood<s> | H6086 → | 328 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | [are] on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאֵ֑שׁ | haesh | the fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| עֹלָ֣ה | ʾolah | [is] a burnt offering | H5930 → | 287 times |
| ה֗וּא | hu' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| אִשֵּׁ֛ה | ʾisheh | a fire offering of | H801 → | 65 times |
| רֵ֥יחַ | reiach | an odor of | H7381 → | 58 times |
| נִיחֹ֖חַ | nichoach | soothing | H5207 → | 43 times |
| לַיהוָֽה׃ ס | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וְשִׁסַּ֨עand he will tear apart
veshisa'H8156 →9 times
אֹת֣וֹ<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
בִכְנָפָיו֮by wings its
vikhnafavH3671 →
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יַבְדִּיל֒he will separate [it]
yavdilH914 →42 times
וְהִקְטִ֨ירand he will make smoke
vehiktirH6999 →116 times
אֹת֤וֹ<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
הַכֹּהֵן֙the priest
hakohenH3548 →750 times
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָהthe altar towards
hamizbechahH4196 →401 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָעֵצִ֖יםthe wood<s>
haetzimH6086 →328 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
עַל־[are] on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָאֵ֑שׁthe fire
haeshH784 →378 times
עֹלָ֣ה[is] a burnt offering
ʾolahH5930 →287 times
ה֗וּאit
hu'H1931 →1879 times
אִשֵּׁ֛הa fire offering of
ʾishehH801 →65 times
רֵ֥יחַan odor of
reiachH7381 →58 times
נִיחֹ֖חַsoothing
nichoachH5207 →43 times
לַיהוָֽה׃ סto Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 16:10For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
it leads to
- Acts 2:27–31
because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
- Acts 13:35–38
So also, He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’
- Psalms 49:15
But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah
- Revelation 1:18
the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.
- Acts 2:27–31
Through
1 Peter 3:18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,
it leads to
- Hebrews 9:28
so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
- Hebrews 9:26
Otherwise, Christ would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by…
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
- 1 Peter 4:6
That is why the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
- Hebrews 9:28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
About Leviticus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Andrew Bonar, A Commentary on Leviticus; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.