Leviticus 3:3

And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) And he shall offer.—That is, he who brings the sacrifices, not the priest.

The fat.—That is, the best or choicest part. Hence the expression is also used for the best produce of the ground (Genesis 45:18; Numbers 18:12). As the most valuable part of the animal, the fat belonged to God, and hence had a peculiar sanctity, for which reason it was not allowed to be eaten (Leviticus 3:17; Leviticus 7:23).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

3:1-5 The peace-offerings had regard to God as the giver of all good things. These were divided between the altar, the priest, and the owner. They were called peace-offering, because in them God and his people did, as it were, feast together, in token of friendship. The peace-offerings were offered by way of supplication. If a man were in pursuit of any mercy, he would add a peace-offering to his prayer for it. Christ is our Peace, our Peace-offering; for through him alone it is that we can obtain an answer of peace to our prayers. Or, the peace-offering was offered by way of thanksgiving for some mercy received. We must offer to God the sacrifice of praise continually, by Christ our Peace; and then this shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

"The fat that covereth the inwards" refers to the caul or transparent membrane which has upon it a network of fatty tissue: "the fat upon the inwards" refers to the small lumps of suet found upon the intestines of healthy animals.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering—The peace offering differed from the oblations formerly mentioned in this respect: while the burnt offering was wholly consumed on the altar, and the freewill offering was partly consumed and partly assigned to the priests; in this offering the fat alone was burnt; only a small part was allotted to the priests while the rest was granted to the offerer and his friends, thus forming a sacred feast of which the Lord, His priests, and people conjointly partook, and which was symbolical of the spiritual feast, the sacred communion which, through Christ, the great peace offering, believers enjoy. (See further on Le 19:5-8; 22:21).

the fat that covereth the inwards—that is, the web work that presents itself first to the eye on opening the belly of a cow.

the fat … upon the inwards—adhering to the intestines, but easily removable from them; or, according to some, that which was next the ventricle.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering,.... That is, the priest, not all of it, but some of it, even what is after mentioned:

an offering made by fire unto the Lord; for what was offered to the Lord was burnt, and is that part of it which is next mentioned in this and the following verse:

the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards; both that which covered them, and that which stuck to them; and the fat being the best, it was the Lord's, and offered to him, and denoted Christ the fatted calf, whose sacrifice is best and most excellent; and which was typified by that which Abel offered up, and which being of the fat of the flock, and offered up by faith in Christ's sacrifice, was more excellent than Cain's, Genesis 4:4.

Geneva Study Bible

And he shall {b} offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

(b) One part was burnt, another was to the priests, and the third to him that offered.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. The portions of the Peace-Offering taken for sacrifice are described in Leviticus 3:3-4; Leviticus 3:9-10; Leviticus 3:14-15 in almost identical words. In the case of the lamb the fat tail entire was also burnt (Leviticus 3:9). The sheep of Palestine have a broad fatty excrescence on the tail, used now in cooking instead of butter. This was not to be eaten but taken away hard by the backbone and offered. The Heb. word (’alyah) occurs Leviticus 3:9 (see note), and Leviticus 7:3, Leviticus 8:25, Leviticus 9:19; Exodus 29:22 only in MT. But (see on Leviticus 3:9) it should also be read in 1 Samuel 9:24. The A.V. has rump in all these places. As the parts sacrificed were different for the lamb and the goat, it was necessary to treat each case separately; hence the subdivision is not exactly the same as in ch. 1.

the fat that covereth the inwards] By this is probably meant the membrane which covers the intestines, and is called the great omentum. Thick pieces of fat are found adhering to it, if the animal is healthy and well fed. Pieces of fat are also found on the intestines, and these are described as the fat that is upon the inwards.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 3, 4. - "There were four parts to be burned upon the altar:

(1) the fat that covereth the inwards, i.e., the large net, omentum, ἐπίπλους, caul, or adipose membrane found in mammals, attached to the stomach and spreading over the bowels, and which in the ruminants abounds with fat;

(2) all the fat which is upon the inwards, i.e., the fat attached to the intestines, and which could be peeled off;

(3) the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, or loins, i.e., the kidneys and all the fat connected with them; the kidneys are the only thing to be burnt except the fat;

(4) the smaller net, omentum minus, or caul above the liver, which stretches on one side to the region of the kidneys, hence on the kidneys; עַל = by them, not with them' (Gardiner). Leviticus 3:3

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The person presenting the sacrifice was to offer as a firing for Jehovah, first, "the fat which covered the entrails" (Leviticus 1:9), i.e., the large net which stretches from the stomach over the bowels and completely envelopes the latter, and which is only met with in the case of men and the mammalia generally, and in the ruminant animals abounds with fat; secondly, "all the fat on the entrails," i.e., the fat attached to the intestines, which could easily be peeled off; thirdly, "the two kidneys, and the fat upon them (and) that upon the loins (הכּסלים), i.e., upon the inner muscles of the loins, or in the region of the kidneys; and fourthly, "the net upon the liver." The net (היּתרת) upon (על Leviticus 3:4, Leviticus 3:10, Leviticus 3:15; Leviticus 4:9; Leviticus 7:4; Exodus 29:13), or from (מן Leviticus 9:10), or of the liver (Leviticus 8:16, Leviticus 8:25; Leviticus 9:19; Exodus 29:22), cannot be the large lobe of the liver, ὁ λοβὸς τοῦ ἥπατος (lxx), because this is part of the liver itself, and does not lie על־כּבד over (upon) the liver; nor is it simply a portion of fat, but the small net (omentum minus), the liver-net, or stomach-net (recticulum jecoris; Vulg., Luth., De Wette, and Knobel), which commences at the division between the right and left lobes of the liver, and stretches on the one side across the stomach, and on the other to the region of the kidneys. Hence the clause, "on the kidneys (i.e., by them, as far as it reaches) shall he take it away." This smaller net is delicate, but not so fat as the larger net; though it still forms part of the fat portions. The word יתרת, which only occurs in the passages quoted, is to be explained from the Arabic and Ethiopic (to stretch over, to stretch out), whence also the words יתר a cord (Judges 16:7; Psalm 11:2), and מיתר the bow-string (Psalm 21:13) or extended tent-ropes (Exodus 35:18), are derived. The four portions mentioned comprehended all the separable fat in the inside of the sacrificial animal. Hence they were also designated "all the fat" of the sacrifice (Leviticus 3:16; Leviticus 4:8, Leviticus 4:19, Leviticus 4:26, Leviticus 4:31, Leviticus 4:35; Leviticus 7:3), or briefly "the fat" (החלב Leviticus 3:9; Leviticus 7:33; Leviticus 16:25; Leviticus 17:6; Numbers 18:17), "the fat portions" (החלבים Leviticus 6:5; Leviticus 8:26; Leviticus 9:19-20, Leviticus 9:24; Leviticus 10:15).