Leviticus 3:16

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Leviticus 3:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savor; all the fat is Jehovah`s.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savor; all the fat is Jehovah`s.
Leviticus 3:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Leviticus 3

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
16And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savor; all the fat is Jehovah`s.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the priest shall burn them upon the altar, etc.] Which shows that not the fat only, but the inwards and the kidneys, were burnt also; so Maimonides says f82, that the priest salted the parts, and burned them upon the altar; and the priests might not have the breast and shoulder (which were what belonged to them) until the parts were burnt: [it is] the food of the offering made by fire; which the Lord ate of, or accepted of: for a sweet savour; as a type of the sweet smelling sacrifice of Christ, with which he is well pleased; all the fat is the Lord’s; that is, all that was upon the parts mentioned in the several sacrifices of peace offerings, which was to be taken off and burnt: though…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Rather, as food of an offering made by fire for a sweet savour, shall all the fat be for Yahweh. Our bodily taste and smell furnish figures of the satisfaction with which the Lord accepts the appointed symbols of the true worship of the heart. All that was sent up in the fire of the altar, including the parts of the sin-offering Leviticus 4:31, as well as the burnt-offering (Leviticus 1:9, etc.), was accepted for “a sweet savour”: but the word food may here have a special fitness in its application to the peace-offering, which served for food also to the priests and the offerer, and so symbolized communion between the Lord, His ministers, and His worshippers. The fat is the Lord’s - The…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Shall burn them - The parts mentioned, among which the tail is not one, as it was in the sheep. because that in goats is a refuse part. All the fat - This is to be limited, To those beasts, which were offered or offerable in sacrifice, as it is explained, Lev 7:23, Lev 7:25. To that kind of fat which is above - mentioned, and required to be offered, which was separated, or easily separable from the flesh for the fat which was here and there mixed with the flesh they might eat. Leviticus 3:17”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“it is the food: Lev 3:11 all the fat: Lev 3:3-5, Lev 3:9-11, Lev 3:14, Lev 3:15, Lev 4:8-19, Lev 4:26, Lev 4:31, Lev 7:23-25, Lev 8:25, Lev 9:24, Lev 17:6; Exo 29:13, Exo 29:22; Sa1 2:15, Sa1 2:16; Ch2 7:7; Isa 53:10; Mat 22:37 Leviticus 3:17”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification