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Bring It Near

Exodus ends with a finished tent that Moses cannot enter, because the cloud has filled it. Leviticus opens with God calling to him out of that tent, and the book that follows is largely an answer to the problem the last chapter created. The Hebrew word for what you bring is qorban — from the verb to draw near — and YLT is the only one of the four translations that keeps the verb visible: not “offer an offering” but “bring near.” This first chapter covers the olah, the offering that goes up: an unblemished male from the herd, the flock, or — for someone who can afford neither — a pigeon, entirely consumed on the altar with nothing returned to anyone. The worshipper leans a hand on its head and kills it; the priests handle the blood and the fire.

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1And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,

2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.^↗

3If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.

4And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.^↗

5And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

6And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.

7And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:

8And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:

9But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.^↗

10And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.

11And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.

12And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:

13But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.

14And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.

15And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:

16And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:

17And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.

1Yahweh called to Moses, and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying,

2"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When anyone of you offers an offering to Yahweh, you shall offer your offering of the livestock, from the herd and from the flock.^↗

3"'If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without defect. He shall offer it at the door of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before Yahweh.

4He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.^↗

5He shall kill the bull before Yahweh. Aaron's sons, the priests, shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

6He shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.

7The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay wood in order on the fire;

8and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire which is on the altar;

9but he shall wash its innards and its legs with water. The priest shall burn all of it on the altar, for a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.^↗

10"'If his offering is from the flock, from the sheep or from the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall offer a male without defect.

11He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before Yahweh. Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

12He shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat. The priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is on the altar,

13but the innards and the legs he shall wash with water. The priest shall offer the whole, and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.

14"'If his offering to Yahweh is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall offer his offering from turtledoves or of young pigeons.

15The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar;

16and he shall take away its crop and its feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the ashes.

17He shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it apart. The priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.

1And Jehovah called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying,

2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man of you offereth an oblation unto Jehovah, ye shall offer your oblation of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock.^↗

3If his oblation be a burnt-offering of the herd, he shall offer it a male without blemish: he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Jehovah.

4And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.^↗

5And he shall kill the bullock before Jehovah: and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall present the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting.

6And he shall flay the burnt-offering, and cut it into its pieces.

7And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay wood in order upon the fire;

8and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:

9but its inwards and its legs shall he wash with water. And the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, for a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.^↗

10And if his oblation be of the flock, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt-offering; he shall offer it a male without blemish.

11And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before Jehovah: and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood upon the altar round about.

12And he shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat; and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:

13but the inwards and the legs shall he wash with water. And the priest shall offer the whole, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

14And if his oblation to Jehovah be a burnt-offering of birds, then he shall offer his oblation of turtle-doves, or of young pigeons.

15And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of the altar;

16and he shall take away its crop with the filth thereof, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the ashes:

17and he shall rend it by the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder. And the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

1And Jehovah calleth unto Moses, and speaketh unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying,

2`Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, Any man of you when he doth bring near an offering to Jehovah, out of the cattle--out of the herd, or out of the flock--ye do bring near your offering.^↗

3`If his offering is a burnt-offering out of the herd--a male, a perfect one, he doth bring near, unto the opening of the tent of meeting he doth bring it near, at his pleasure, before Jehovah;

4and he hath laid his hand on the head of the burnt-offering, and it hath been accepted for him to make atonement for him;^↗

5and he hath slaughtered the son of the herd before Jehovah; and sons of Aaron, the priests, have brought the blood near, and sprinkled the blood on the altar round about, which is at the opening of the tent of meeting.

6`And he hath stripped the burnt-offering, and hath cut it into its pieces;

7and the sons of Aaron the priest have put fire on the altar, and arranged wood on the fire;

8and sons of Aaron, the priests, have arranged the pieces, with the head and the fat, on the wood, which is on the fire, which is on the altar;

9and its inwards and its legs he doth wash with water; and the priest hath made perfume with the whole on the altar, a burnt-offering, a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah.^↗

10`And if his offering is out of the flock--out of the sheep or out of the goats--for a burnt-offering, a male, a perfect one, he doth bring near,

11and he hath slaughtered it by the side of the altar northward, before Jehovah; and sons of Aaron, the priests, have sprinkled its blood on the altar round about;

12and he hath cut it into its pieces, and its head and its fat, and the priest hath arranged them on the wood, which is on the fire, which is on the altar;

13and the inwards and the legs he doth wash with water, and the priest hath brought the whole near, and hath made perfume on the altar; it is a burnt-offering, a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah.

14`And if his offering is a burnt-offering out of the fowl to Jehovah, than he hath brought near his offering out of the turtle-doves or out of the young pigeons,

15and the priest hath brought it near unto the altar, and hath wrung off its head, and hath made perfume on the altar, and its blood hath been wrung out by the side of the altar;

16and he hath turned aside its crop with its feathers, and hath cast it near the altar, eastward, unto the place of ashes;

17and he hath cleaved it with its wings (he doth not separate it ), and the priest hath made it a perfume on the altar, on the wood, which is on the fire; it is a burnt-offering, a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah.

Scripture text public domain: KJV (1611) · WEB (2020) · ASV (1901) · YLT (1862).

Dead Sea Scrolls

Leviticus is well represented at Qumran — more than a dozen Hebrew manuscripts, several in paleo-Hebrew script, plus copies recovered from Masada. But the major ones do not reach this chapter. 11Q1 (11QpaleoLev^a), the most substantial, preserves passages beginning in chapter 4; 4Q23 (4QLev-Num^a) begins at 13:32.

The manuscript that does preserve Leviticus 1 is in Greek. 4Q120 (4QpapLXX Lev^b), a first-century BC papyrus, carries a Septuagint text running from Leviticus 1:11 through 5:25 — though only about a third of its ninety-seven fragments can be reconstructed. A Greek Bible was being copied and kept at Qumran alongside the Hebrew ones.

And it writes the divine name in a way no later manuscript does. Where Christian Greek Bibles put Kyrios, Lord, 4Q120 transliterates: ΙΑΩ — Iaō — surviving at Leviticus 3:12 and 4:27. It is generally taken as more original than the Kyrios substitution, which means the practice of replacing the name with a title in Greek was not there from the beginning. For a book about approach, it is a small piece of evidence about how the name itself was handled.

In the Quran

Sacrifice is in the Quran, and the verse that governs it says what it is not for. al-Hajj 22:37: their flesh will not reach God, nor their blood, but what reaches Him is your taqwa — God-consciousness. 22:34 adds that for every community God appointed a rite of sacrifice, so that they might mention His name over the livestock He provided; 22:36 instructs that the animals be eaten and the poor be fed from them.

That last instruction is the sharpest difference from this chapter. The olah of Leviticus 1 is burnt entire: the worshipper receives nothing, the priest gets only the hide. The Quranic udhiyah, still practised at Eid al-Adha, is distributed — a share for the household, a share for neighbours, a share for the poor. One rite is defined by total loss; the other by division.

The narrative behind it is Abraham. al-Saffat 37:100-107 tells of the vision, the son’s consent, and the ransom by a momentous sacrifice. The Quran does not name the son; Muslim tradition predominantly identifies him as Ishmael, where Genesis 22 names Isaac.

Two more points of contact. al-Kawthar 108:2 pairs prayer with sacrifice in a single line. And al-Ma’ida 5:27 tells of the two sons of Adam who each offered a sacrifice, one accepted and one not — the Quranic form of Genesis 4, and the earliest offering in either scripture. There is no priesthood, no altar and no burnt offering in the Quran; what carries over is the act and the question of whether it is accepted.

Leviticus 1:1 places this at the door of the tent of meeting, and the book’s last verse (27:34) places the whole of it at mount Sinai. The pin marks Jebel Musa, the traditional identification — held since late antiquity, never confirmed by inscription or excavation, and disputed against Mount Serbal, Har Karkom and peaks in northwest Arabia. Israel does not move in this book; the geography is entirely the tent and the camp around it. Pin color follows evidence tier.

Ancient Near Eastern Parallels (ANE) How surrounding cultures handled the same themes and events