Leviticus 3:13
in Leviticus 3He must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.
KJV
And 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.
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This verse in Leviticus 3
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
If one’s offering is a goat
on Leviticus 3:12-13
Birds are received for the burnt offering at 1:14 and from the poor for the sin offering at 5:7. No bird appears in this chapter. Commentators tie the omission to the meal that follows, since a bird furnishes no feast for a household.
This site's exposition
He must lay his hand on its head
The goat is handled as the bull and the lamb were, from the hand on its head to the blood on the altar. John Gill notes the right hand named by the Targum of Jonathan.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
It fed the holy fire; it was acceptable to God as our food is to us; and since in the tabernacle God did, as it were, keep house among them, by the offerings on the altar he kept a good table, as Solomon in his court, 1 Kings iv. Here is a general rule laid down, that all the fat is the Lord's (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it,.... His right hand, according to the Targum of Jonathan, as before; the same directions are given for the killing of it, and for the sprinkling of its blood, as in the offerings of the bullock and lamb.
Christ is our peace, our peace-offering; for through him alone it is that we can expect to obtain mercy, and an answer of peace to our prayers; and in him an upright prayer shall be acceptable and successful, though we bring not a peace-offering. The less costly our devotions are the more lively and serious they should be.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
He mentions here the species, thus meaning, “if of the species of goats is his offering,” [and thus includes male and female]. This is like the opinion of Onkelos who translated: “and if of the ‘ bnei ’ (species of) the goats is his offering.
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. 5 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
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְסָמַ֤ךְ | vesamakh | and he will lean | H5564 → | 48 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יָדוֹ֙ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| רֹאשׁ֔וֹ | rosho | head its | H7218 → | 599 times |
| וְשָׁחַ֣ט | veshachat | and he will cut [the] throat of | H7819 → | 81 times |
| אֹת֔וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לִפְנֵ֖י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| אֹ֣הֶל | ʾohel | [the] tent of | H168 → | 345 times |
| מוֹעֵ֑ד | moed | meeting | H4150 → | 223 times |
| וְ֠זָרְקוּ | vezareku | and they will sprinkle | H2236 → | 35 times |
| בְּנֵ֨י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אַהֲרֹ֧ן | ʾaharon | Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דָּמ֛וֹ | damo | blood its | H1818 → | 360 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ | hamizbeach | the altar | H4196 → | 401 times |
| סָבִֽיב׃ | saviv | all around | H5439 → | 336 times |
וְסָמַ֤ךְand he will lean
vesamakhH5564 →48 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יָדוֹ֙hand his
yadoH3027 →1618 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
רֹאשׁ֔וֹhead its
roshoH7218 →599 times
וְשָׁחַ֣טand he will cut [the] throat of
veshachatH7819 →81 times
אֹת֔וֹ<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
לִפְנֵ֖י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
אֹ֣הֶל[the] tent of
ʾohelH168 →345 times
מוֹעֵ֑דmeeting
moedH4150 →223 times
וְ֠זָרְקוּand they will sprinkle
vezarekuH2236 →35 times
בְּנֵ֨י[the] sons of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
אַהֲרֹ֧ןAaron
ʾaharonH175 →347 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
דָּמ֛וֹblood its
damoH1818 →360 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַthe altar
hamizbeachH4196 →401 times
סָבִֽיב׃all around
savivH5439 →336 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
2 Corinthians 5:21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 2:22–24
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
- 1 Peter 3:18
For 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,
- Romans 5:19
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
- Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:30
It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
- 1 Peter 2:22–24
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.
- Hebrews 9:28
Where this verse is studied
About Leviticus
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.