Bible Strands
Leviticus 3:15
both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Leviticus 3:15 occurs within the peace offering protocol, where the worshiper hands over the animal carcass to the priest for ritual preparation. The verse specifies the exact moment when the priest must separate the kidneys and liver lobe from the entrails.
The words — כְּלָיֹת (ke-layot) translates directly as "kidneys," and חֵלֶב (che-leiv) means "fat." These terms identify the precise organs and their attached fatty tissue that the text commands to be removed together.
The thread — This verse continues the sequential listing of sacrificial portions in Leviticus 3:14 and Leviticus 3:16 that must be designated for the altar. The instruction to extract the kidneys with their fat and the liver lobe maintains the chapter's pattern of isolating specific fatty parts for burning.
Why it lands — The text requires the priest to physically separate the kidneys, their attached fat, and the liver lobe from the rest of the entrails. It establishes a clear boundary between the portions reserved for the altar and the remainder of the animal.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And 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.