About this Bible Study........The King James Version of the Bible is written in a beautiful form of the English language. It can be hard for modern English readers to understand.  In this study, you will find notes and summaries in brown just above the the verses from the Bible. We recommend that you read the notes and summaries first, and then read the verses in their KJV form. 

The book of Leviticus

This book was written by Moses. It covers the time from when the tabernacle was finished until the Israelites left Sinai (about 50 days). The purpose of this book was to give the laws and guidelines to live a moral and pure life. God would live there with the Israelites if they were clean and pure. They made sacrifices to give valuable things to God. They made sacrifices to give valuable things to God. Before they learned these laws, the Israelites only knew about worship from the Egyptians. The Egyptians worshipped idols;  they did not worship the one true God. 

Leviticus 1-4
Rules for sin offerings and peace offerings

Leviticus 1

Rules about sacrifices

Burned meat sacrifices

The Lord God was in the tent of the tabernacle, and He talked to Moses. God told Moses to tell the Israelites what He said. God talked about making offerings (bringing valuable things to give to God). One offering would be a burned offering. The Israelites would bring a bull, sheep, or goat. It should be a male animal in perfect condition with nothing wrong with it.  They would bring it to the door of the tent to see if it was acceptable to the Lord. 
[1] And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
[2] Speak 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.
[3] If 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.

The owner of the animal would put his hand on the head of the animal.  Then he could use to animal to make atonement  for his sins (give the animal to God so that God would forgive his sins). 
[4] And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

They would kill the bull while God was there. The priests would take some of the animal's blood and sprinkle the blood around the sides of the altar (the altar for burnt sacrifices which was outside).
[5] And 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.

Then they would take the skin off the sacrificed animal and cut it into pieces.
[6] And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.

Aaron's sons would put wood on the altar to make a fire. Then they would put parts of the animal on the fire. They put the head, the fat, and other parts on the fire to burn.
[7] And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:
[8] And 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:

They should wash the inside parts and the legs and burn them on the altar.  The burning meat will make a smell that God likes.
[9] But 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.

If an Israelite was offering a sheep or goat, he should bring a male that was perfect.  The priest should kill the offering on the north side of the altar in God's presence. Then the priests should sprinkle some of the blood on the sides of the altar. 
[10] And 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.
[11] And 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.

They should cut the offering into pieces. Then they should wash the insides and the legs with water. They should put all of the pieces on the fire. God will smell the meat burning, and He will like the smell.
[12] And 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:
[13] But 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.

The Israelites will also bring birds to sacrifice. They should bring pigeons or turtledoves.  The priest will take the bird offering and twist off its head. Then the priest will burn the bird's head on the altar. Then they will drain the blood on the other side of the altar.
[14] And 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.
[15] And 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:

Then they will pull the feathers off and take out the crop. The crop of the bird is the place where the food goes when the bird swallows. The priest will throw away the crop and the food in it. He will throw it on the ashes that are on the east side of the altar.
[16] And 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:

Then the priest should open the bird down the middle. But he should not divide it into pieces. He should not takes the wings off. He should put the bird on the fire to burn. God will smell the meat burning, and He will like the smell. 
[17] And 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.

Leviticus 2

Some sacrifices are meat. Other sacrifices are grain. There are three kinds of grain offerings: 

1.  Uncooked flour

2.  Baked flour

3.  Roasted firstfruit grain at harvest time.  

Uncooked flour offerings.

The flour should be good quality flour. The person offering the flour should pour oil and frankincense (a spice) on it. 
[1] And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

The Israelite who is making the sacrifice should bring the flour with the oil and incense to the priest. The priest will burn just a small part of the mixture. He will take a handful of the flour, some of the oil, and all of the incense. He will put this on the altar to burn. Some of the flour offering will be leftover. The priests will keep the  leftover part to eat.  
[2] And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
[3] And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

Baked flour offerings.

They could be baked in an oven, baked in an uncovered pan over the heat, or baked in a covered pan over the heat. 

Bread baked in an oven--it should be unleavened (flat, without yeast). They could bring cakes with oil mixed in, or they could bring thin wafers with oil brushed on.
[4] And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.

Bread baked in an uncovered pan over the heat--the bread should be made with fine flour with oil mixed in. Then they should break the bread into pieces and pour oil on the pieces.
[5] And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
[6] Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering.

Bread baked in a covered pan over the heat--the bread should also be made with fine flour with oil mixed in.
[7] And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

They should bring these baked flour offerings to the priest. The priest will burn part of it. It will make a smell that God likes.  Then the priests will be able to eat the leftover part.
[8] And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar.
[9] And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
[10] And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

None of the flour offerings could have yeast or honey in them.  Yeast and honey caused fermentation which was a symbol of sin.
[11] No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

They should bring a special offering when their grain was ripe enough to harvest.  They should bring some of the first grain that was harvested.  But this offering should not be burned on the altar.
[12] As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.

They should put salt on their grain offerings. Salt was a symbol of the covenant promise between God and the Israelites. They should put salt on all of their offerings.
[13] And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

When they bring their offering of the firstfruits (the first grain to be harvested), they should bring roasted corn or corn that had been ground (crushed) to make meal.
[14] And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.

They should put oil and frankincense on it.  The priest will burn part of the mixture (some of the grain, some of the oil, and all of the frankincense) on the altar.
[15] And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering.
[16] And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Leviticus 3

Peace offerings--these offerings are symbols of the peace between God and the person making the offering.

Peace offerings of cattle

An animal could be used as a peace offering. The animal could be a male or a female.  It should be perfect with nothing wrong with it.
[1] And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.

The person making the offering should put his hand on the head of the animal. After the animal is killed, the priest will sprinkle some of its blood on the sides of the altar.
[2] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

They should put the fat and the fat from the insides on the altar to burn.  They should also burn the kidneys, the fat on the kidneys, and the caul (part of the liver).  The burning meat would make a smell that God enjoyed.
[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,
[4] And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
[5] And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Peace offerings of sheep

If an Israelite wanted to use a sheep for a peace offering, he could use a male or female sheep.  The sheep should be perfect with nothing wrong.
[6] And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
[7] If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD.


The person making the offering should put his hand on the head of the sheep. After they killed the animal, the priests would sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar.
[8] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar.


They should put parts of the animal on the altar to burn. They should burn the fat from the tail, the tailbone, and the insides.  They should also burn the kidneys, the fat on the kidneys, and the caul (part of the liver).  
[9] And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
[10] 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.

The priests will burn the pieces on the altar as a food offering made to God.
[11] And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Peace offerings of goats

The person making the offering should put his hand on the head of the goat. After they killed the animal, the priests would sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar.
[12] And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD.
[13] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.

They should put parts of the animal on the altar to burn. They should burn the fat from the insides.  They should also burn the kidneys, the fat on the kidneys, and the caul (part of the liver).  
[14] And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
[15] 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.

The priests will burn the pieces on the altar as a food offering made to God.
[16] And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD's.

From now on into the future, the Israelites and their descendants should never eat any fat or blood. This is the law even if they are in their own homes. 
[17] It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

Leviticus 4

Sin offerings--offered when an Israelite accidentally broke one of the laws. There are laws for sin offerings for priests, the whole community of Israelites, a leader, and individuals.

God gave this law to Moses. God talked about people who broke laws, but didn't mean to break them.  They should bring young bulls to make sin offerings. The bulls should be perfect without anything wrong with then.
[1] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
[2] Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:

Sin offerings made by priests

If the high priest sins, then everyone is guilty. The high priest must offer a bull as a sin offering.
[3] If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.
 

 The priest should take some of the bull's blood into the tabernacle tent. He will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle the blood 7 times near the curtain in front of the ark of the covenant.  In God's presence, the priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for burning incense. Then he will go outside and pour the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar for burning sacrifices. 
[5] And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation:
[6] And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary.
[7] And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation: and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

They should burn the fat from the insides.  They should also burn the kidneys, the fat on the kidneys, and the caul (part of the liver).  
[8] And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
[9] 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,
[10] As it was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of the burnt offering.


They should take the rest of the bull--the skin, the flesh, the head, the legs, the insides, and the food in its stomach--and burn it on a wood fire outside the tabernacle.
[11] And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung,
[12] Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.

Sin offerings made by the whole Israelite community

Sometimes, the whole Israelite community sinned, and they didn't mean to sin. When they learn that they have sinned, they must sacrifice a bull as a sin offering.   
[13] And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
[14] When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.

The elders (leaders) of the Israelites should put their hands on the bull's head and then kill the bull. This is done in the Lord's presence. The priest should take some of the bull's blood into the tabernacle tent. He will dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle the blood 7 times near the curtain in front of the ark of the covenant.  In God's presence, the priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for burning incense. Then he will go outside and pour the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar for burning sacrifices. 
[15] And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.
[16] And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:
[17] And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, even before the vail.
[18] And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

They should burn the fat from the insides.  They should also burn the kidneys, the fat on the kidneys, and the caul (part of the liver).  They should take the rest of the bull--the skin, the flesh, the head, the legs, the insides, and the food in its stomach--and burn it on a wood fire outside the tabernacle.
[19] And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar.
[20] And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
[21] And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.

Sin offerings made by leaders

If a leader sins, and he did not mean to sin, he must make a sin offering. He should bring a perfect male goat to the tabernacle. He should put his hand on its head and kill the goat in the Lord's presence.
[22] When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;
[23] Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
[24] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it is a sin offering.

The priest should put some of the goat's blood on his finger. He should put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings (outside the tent). He should pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar.
[25] And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.

Then the priest will burn the goat's fat on the altar, the same as the fat was burned in the peace offerings. Then the leader's sins will be forgiven.  
[26] And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

Sin offerings made by one person 

If one person sinned but he didn't mean to sin, he must make a sin offering. When he understands that he has sinned, he must make a sacrifice for a sin offering.  He must bring a perfect female goat. 
[27] And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;
[28] Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.

The person should put his hand on the head of the goat.  After the goat has been killed, the priest should put some of the goat's blood on his finger. He should put the blood on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. The priest should then pour the rest of the blood out on the bottom of the altar.
[29] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.
[30] And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.

Then the priest will burn all of the fat from the insides of the animal. This is the same as peace offerings. The  burning fat will make a smell that God likes.  After the person sacrifices this animal, God will forgive his sins. 
[31] And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

If the person brings a lamb for a sin offering, he should bring a perfect female lamb that has nothing wrong with it.  He should put his hand on the lamb's head.  After the lamb has been killed,  the priest will take some of the lamb's blood. He will put the blood on the horns of the altar for burned sacrifices.  The the priest will pour the rest of the lamb's blood out on the bottom of the altar. 
[32] And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.
[33] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering
[34] And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:

Then the priest will burn all of the fat from the insides of the animal. This is the same as peace offerings. The  burning fat will make a smell that God likes.  After the person sacrifices this animal, God will forgive his sins.  
[35] And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.