Bible Strands
Leviticus 17:6
The priest will then splatter the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God instructs the Israelites to centralize their sacrificial worship by directing them to bring offerings from the open fields to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. This command immediately follows the directive to cease offering sacrifices to goat demons.
The words — The Hebrew verb זָרַק (za.Rak) literally means "to sprinkle" or "splatter," describing the priest's action of applying the sacrificial blood. The noun דָּם (Dam) simply denotes "blood," which is the substance being placed on the altar.
The thread — The ritual of splattering blood at the Tent of Meeting entrance appears in Leviticus 3:2 and Numbers 18:17, while the burning of fat as a pleasing aroma parallels Exodus 29:13. This practice establishes a consistent pattern for handling sacrificial elements at the designated sanctuary location.
Why it lands — Readers must recognize that worship requires centralized, priest-mediated offerings rather than independent or syncretistic practices. The text demands strict adherence to the prescribed location and method for handling blood and fat.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the Lord.
Cross-references
- Numbers 18:17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to splatter their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
- Leviticus 3:2 He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splatter the blood on all sides of the altar.
- Exodus 29:13 Take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar.
- Exodus 29:18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.
- Leviticus 3:5 Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar atop the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
- Leviticus 3:8 He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.
- Leviticus 3:11 Then the priest is to burn them on the altar as food, a food offering to the LORD.
- Leviticus 3:13 He must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.
- Leviticus 3:16 Then the priest is to burn the food on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’s.
- Leviticus 4:31 Then 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.