---
title: "Clarke"
description: "Verse Leviticus 3:1. Peace-offering — שלמים shelamim, an offering to make peace between God and man; Leviticus 7:38, and Genesis 14:18. Verse Leviticus 3:"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3"
---

Verse [Leviticus 3:1](../../../kjv/leviticus/3/1). ***Peace-offering*** — שלמים *shelamim*, an offering to make peace between God and man; [Leviticus 7:38](../../../kjv/leviticus/7/38), and [Genesis 14:18](../../../kjv/genesis/14/18).

Verse [Leviticus 3:2](../../../kjv/leviticus/3/2). ***Lay his hand upon the head of his offering*** — See this rite explained, [Exodus 29:10](../../../kjv/exodus/29/10); [Exodus 29:10](../../../kjv/exodus/29/10), and *"*[Leviticus 1:4](../../../kjv/leviticus/1/4)*"*. "As the *burnt-offering*, (chap. i.,)" says Mr. Ainsworth, "figured our reconciliation to God by the death of Christ, and the *meat-offering*, (chap. ii.,) our sanctification in him before God, so this *peace-offering* signified both Christ's oblation of himself whereby he became our *peace* and salvation, ([Ephesians 2:14-16](../../../kjv/ephesians/2/14-16); [Acts 13:47](../../../kjv/acts/13/47); [Hebrews 5:9](../../../kjv/hebrews/5/9); [Hebrews 9:28](../../../kjv/hebrews/9/28),) and our oblation of praise, thanksgiving, and prayer unto God."

Verse [Leviticus 3:3](../../../kjv/leviticus/3/3). ***The fat that covereth the inwards*** — The *omentum*, caul or *web*, as some term it. *The fat that is upon the inwards*; probably the *mesentery* or fatty part of the substance which connects the convolutions of the alimentary canal or small intestines.

Verse [Leviticus 3:5](../../../kjv/leviticus/3/5). ***Aaron's sons shall burn it*** — As the *fat* was deemed the most *valuable* part of the animal, it was offered in preference to all other parts; and the heathens probably borrowed this custom from the Jews, for they burnt the *omentum* or *caul* in honour of their gods.

Verse [Leviticus 3:9](../../../kjv/leviticus/3/9). ***The whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the**********backbone*** — To what has already been said on the *tails* of the eastern sheep, in the note on [Exodus 29:22](../../../kjv/exodus/29/22), we may add the following observation from Dr. Russel concerning the sheep at Aleppo. "Their *tails*," says he, "are of a substance between *fat* and *marrow*, and are not eaten separately, but mixed with the lean meat in many of their dishes, and also often used instead of butter." He states also that a common sheep of this kind, without the head, fat, skin, and entrails, weighs from *sixty* to *seventy* English pounds, of which the tail usually weighs *fifteen* pounds and upwards; but that those of the largest breed, when fattened will weigh *one hundred and fifty* pounds, and their tails *fifty*, which corresponds with the account given by *Ludolf* in the note referred to above. The sheep about *Jerusalem* are the same with those in *Abyssinia* mentioned by *Ludolf*, and those of *Syria* mentioned by Dr. *Russel*.

Verse [Leviticus 3:11](../../../kjv/leviticus/3/11). **It is*****the food of the offering*** — We have already remarked that God is frequently represented as *feasting with his* *people* on the sacrifices they offered; and because these sacrifices were consumed by that fire which was kindled from heaven, therefore they were considered as *the food of that fire*, or rather of the Divine Being who was represented by it. "In the same idiom of speech," says Dodd, "the gods of the heathens are said, [Deuteronomy 32:38](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/32/38), to eat the fat and drink,,the wine which were consumed on their altars.

Verse [Leviticus 3:12](../../../kjv/leviticus/3/12). ***A goat*** — Implying the whole species, *he-goat*, *she-goat*, and *kid*, as we have already seen.

Verse [Leviticus 3:17](../../../kjv/leviticus/3/17). ***That ye eat neither fat nor blood.*** — It is not likely that the *fat* should be forbidden in the same manner and in the same latitude as the *blood*. The blood was the *life* of the beast, and that was offered to make an atonement for their souls; consequently, this was never eaten in all their generations: but it was impossible to separate the fat from the flesh, which in many parts is so intimately intermixed with the muscular fibres; but the blood, being contained in separate vessels, the *arteries* and *veins*, might with great ease be entirely removed by cutting the throat of the animal, which was the Jewish method. By the *fat* therefore mentioned here and in the preceding verse, we may understand any fat that exists in a *separate* or *unmixed* state, such as the *omentum* or *caul*, the fat of the *mesentery*, the fat on the *kidneys*, and whatever else of the internal fat was easily separable, together with the whole of the *tail* already described. And probably it was the fat of such animals only as were offered to God in sacrifice, that was unlawful to be eaten.
As all temporal as well as spiritual blessings come from God, he has a right to require that such of them should be dedicated to his service as he may think proper to demand. He required the most perfect of all the animals, and the best parts of these perfect animals. This he did, not that he needed any thing, but to show the perfection of his nature and the purity of his service. Had he condescended to receive the *meanest animals* and the *meanest parts* of animals as his offerings, what opinion could his worshippers have entertained of the perfection of his nature? If such imperfect offerings were worthy of this God, then his nature must be only worthy of such offerings. It is necessary that every thing employed in the worship of God should be the most perfect of its kind that the time and circumstances can afford. As sensible things are generally the medium through which spiritual impressions are made, and the impression usually partakes of the nature of the medium through which these impressions are communicated; hence every thing should not only be *decent*, but as far as circumstances will admit *dignified*, in the worship of God: the *object* of religious worship, the *place* in which he is worshipped, and the worship itself, should have the strongest and most impressive correspondence possible.

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Clarke's Commentary -  Leviticus 3"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3","name":"Clarke's Commentary -  Leviticus 3","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Verse Leviticus 3:1. Peace-offering — שלמים shelamim, an offering to make peace between God and man; Leviticus 7:38, and Genesis 14:18. Verse Leviticus 3:","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","name":"Clarke's Commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus","name":"Leviticus"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/leviticus/3","name":"3"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]}
```