Bible Strands
Leviticus 7:18
If any of the meat from his peace offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who presented it; it shall be an abomination, and the one who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses instructs the priests and Israelite community on the ritual handling of peace offering meat during the tabernacle service. The directive establishes a strict timeframe for consumption and disposal of sacred food.
The words — The Hebrew הֵאָכֹל (he.'a.Khol) and יֵ֠אָכֵל (Ye.'a.khel) both derive from the root for eating, emphasizing the passive action of consuming the sacrificial meat. The phrase מִ/בְּשַׂר־ זֶ֨בַח שְׁלָמָ֜י/ו (mi./be.sar Ze.vach she.la.Ma/v) literally identifies the specific portion of the peace offering sacrifice subject to this restriction.
The thread — The prohibition against eating sacrificial meat on the third day recurs in Leviticus 19:7, which labels such consumption as tainted and unacceptable. Similar concerns about ritual purity and unacceptable offerings appear in Leviticus 11:41 and Leviticus 22:25.
Why it lands — The text commands immediate consumption of peace offering meat to prevent ritual defilement and requires the prompt disposal of leftovers by fire. It demands strict obedience to prescribed boundaries, treating unauthorized delay as an act that incurs personal guilt rather than divine favor.
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 if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 19:7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is tainted and will not be accepted.
- Leviticus 11:41 Every creature that moves along the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten.
- Leviticus 22:25 Neither you nor a foreigner shall present food to your God from any such animal. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and flawed.’”
- Numbers 18:27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress.
- Leviticus 5:17 If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
- Leviticus 10:17 “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement for them before the LORD.
- Leviticus 10:19 But Aaron replied to Moses, “Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of the LORD?”
- Leviticus 11:10 But the following among all the teeming life and creatures in the water are detestable to you: everything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales.
- Leviticus 17:16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, then he shall bear his iniquity.”
- Leviticus 20:17 If a man marries his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he shall bear his iniquity.