Leviticus 4:31
in Leviticus 4Then he is to remove all the fat, just as it is removed from the peace offering, and the priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor unto Jehovah; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.
KJV
And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the Lord; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.
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This verse in Leviticus 4
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering
on Leviticus 4:29-31
Verse 31 calls this offering a pleasing aroma to the LORD, and it is the only sin offering in Leviticus that carries the phrase. It carries it over the smallest animal brought by the least of the four offerers named here.
This site's exposition
the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven
The priest burns the fat and makes atonement, and the man is forgiven. Matthew Henry draws the lesson that sin must be a very bad thing if so many innocent creatures die to atone for it.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
That is certainly a very bad thing to make atonement for which so many innocent and useful creatures must be slain and mangled thus. To value Christ, the great and true sin-offering, whose blood cleanses from all sin, which it was not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away. Now, if any man sin, Christ is the propitiation ( 1 John ii.
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The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
In these two latter instances, the blood of the sin offering was applied to the altar of burnt offering--the place where bloody sacrifices were appointed to be immolated.
VERY much of interesting truth clusters around the sin-offering. The type is well worthy of the most careful consideration and I regret that we shall not have time, this morning, to enter into all its details. The reader of the chapter will perceive that it gives us four forms of the same sacrifice. These may be regarded as four views of the same thing, probably views taken by four classes of Believers according to their standing in the Divine life. Although all men who are saved have the same Savior, they have not the same apprehensions of Him. We are all cleansed, if cleansed at all, by the same blood, but we have not all the same knowledge of the manner in which it is effectual for cleansing. The devout Hebrew had but one sin-offering, but that was set forth to him under varying symbols. The following remarks may aid you in understanding the type before us. The chapter begins with the sin-offering for the anointed priest, and describes it with the fullest detail. It then proceeds, in the 13th verse and onwards, to give the sin-offering for the whole congregation, and it is most notable that the sin-offering for the anointed priest is almost in every circumstance identical with the sin-offering for the whole congregation. Is not this designed to show to us that when Christ, our anointed Priest, took upon Himself the sin of all the congregation of God's chosen as His own there was demanded of Him the same expiation and atonement as would have been demanded of His people had they been reckoned with in their own persons? His Atonement for sins which were not His own, but which were laid upon Him by the Lord on our behalf, is equivalent to the penalty which would have been required of all the congregation of Believers for whom His blood was especially shed. This is a memorable lesson which ought not to be forgotten.
VERY much of interesting truth clusters around the sin-offering. The type is well worthy of the most careful consideration and I regret that we shall not have time, this morning, to enter into all its details. The reader of the chapter will perceive that it gives us four forms of the same sacrifice. These may be regarded as four views of the same thing, probably views taken by four classes of Believers according to their standing in the Divine life. Although all men who are saved have the same Savior, they have not the same apprehensions of Him.
The words behind it
21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| חֶלְבָּ֣הּ | chelbah | fat its | H2459 → | 92 times |
| יָסִ֗יר | yasir | he will remove | H5493 → | 299 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| הוּסַ֣ר | husar | it was removed | H5493 → | 299 times |
| חֵלֶב֮ | chelev | [the] fat | H2459 → | 92 times |
| מֵעַ֣ל | meal | from on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| זֶ֣בַח | zevach | [the] sacrifice of | H2077 → | 162 times |
| הַשְּׁלָמִים֒ | hashelamim | the peace offering<s> | H8002 → | 87 times |
| וְהִקְטִ֤יר | vehiktir | and he will make [it] smoke | H6999 → | 116 times |
| הַכֹּהֵן֙ | hakohen | the priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה | hamizbechah | the altar towards | H4196 → | 401 times |
| לְרֵ֥יחַ | lereiach | to an odor of | H7381 → | 58 times |
| נִיחֹ֖חַ | nichoach | soothing | H5207 → | 43 times |
| לַיהוָ֑ה | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְכִפֶּ֥ר | vekhiper | and he will make atonement | H3722 → | 102 times |
| עָלָ֛יו | ʾalav | on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַכֹּהֵ֖ן | hakohen | the priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| וְנִסְלַ֥ח | venislach | and it will be forgiven | H5545 → | 46 times |
| לֽוֹ׃ פ | lo | to <the> him |
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
חֶלְבָּ֣הּfat its
chelbahH2459 →92 times
יָסִ֗ירhe will remove
yasirH5493 →299 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֨רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
הוּסַ֣רit was removed
husarH5493 →299 times
חֵלֶב֮[the] fat
chelevH2459 →92 times
מֵעַ֣לfrom on
mealH5921 →5755 times
זֶ֣בַח[the] sacrifice of
zevachH2077 →162 times
הַשְּׁלָמִים֒the peace offering<s>
hashelamimH8002 →87 times
וְהִקְטִ֤ירand he will make [it] smoke
vehiktirH6999 →116 times
הַכֹּהֵן֙the priest
hakohenH3548 →750 times
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָהthe altar towards
hamizbechahH4196 →401 times
לְרֵ֥יחַto an odor of
lereiachH7381 →58 times
נִיחֹ֖חַsoothing
nichoachH5207 →43 times
לַיהוָ֑הto Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְכִפֶּ֥רand he will make atonement
vekhiperH3722 →102 times
עָלָ֛יוon him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
הַכֹּהֵ֖ןthe priest
hakohenH3548 →750 times
וְנִסְלַ֥חand it will be forgiven
venislachH5545 →46 times
לֽוֹ׃ פto <the> him
lo
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
Genesis 8:21When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth.…
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 2:15
For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ephesians 5:2
and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 6:5
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.
- Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
- Isaiah 54:9–10
“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry…
- 2 Corinthians 2:15
Through
Leviticus 1:9The entrails and legs must be washed with water, and the priest shall burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the…
it leads to
- Genesis 8:21
When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth.…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 8:21
Through
Leviticus 4:26He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the peace offerings; thus the priest will make atonement for that man’s sin, and he will be forgiven.
it leads to
- Leviticus 4:20
He shall offer this bull just as he did the bull for the sin offering; in this way the priest will make atonement on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 4:20
Through
Leviticus 4:35And he shall remove all the fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the peace offerings, and he shall burn it on the altar along with the offerings made by…
it leads to
- Leviticus 4:26
He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the peace offerings; thus the priest will make atonement for that man’s sin, and he will be forgiven.
- Leviticus 4:26
Where this verse is studied
About Leviticus
This page draws on Andrew Bonar, A Commentary on Leviticus; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1048: “The Sin-Offering for the Common People” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.