Leviticus 1 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

10 11the animal(s), from the herd and from the flock, they shall bring near their offerings.7(...continued)certainly means the whole person, including his inner being, emotions, etc.8Levine notes that the noun !B'Þr>q', qorban, “is a generic term for anything presented toGod when one approaches (br;q', qarabh) His sanctuary. A qorban could consist of artifacts[‘an object produced or shaped by human workmanship’] and vessels, votive objects [thingsgiven in fulfillment of a vow], or sacrificial victims, as the case is here. Archaeologicalexcavations at various sites, including Jerusalem and its environs, have turned up objectsinscribed with the word qorban, indicating that they were used to prepare of present offerings.”(P. 5) We translate !B'Þr>q', qorban, by “near-gift,” that is, a gift that is brought near.9The Latin Vulgate interpolates the phrase id est, “that is,” at this point in the text.10We understand the first word of the three, hm'ªheB.h;, habbehemah, to be a generalterm meaning “the animal(s),” and the next two words, rq'B'h;, habbaqar, and !aCoêh;,hatsts)on, to be referring to “the herd” (of larger animals) and “the flock” (of smaller animals,such as goats and sheep. The threefold description is meant to include all animals used inIsrael’s sacrificial system besides birds. Levine notes that “Wild animals (hY"x;, chayyah, inthe plural, tAYx;, chayyoth, ‘beasts’) are unsuitable for sacrifice, as they are not of thecategory of hm'ªheB.h;, habbehemah.” (P. 5)11The Samaritan Pentateuch along with the Greek and Syriac translations read “yournear-gifts” instead of our text’s “your near-gift.”Tanakh translates by “When any of you presents an offering of cattle to the Lord, heshall choose his offering from the herd or from the flock.” The phrase “he shall choose” is aninterpolation into the text.Levine notes that “Chapters 1-3 outline the three principal types of sacrifices that wereoffered regularly by individual Israelites and their families, by kings and other leaders, andoften by the entire community...Chapter 1 deals with the sacrifice called hl'Û[o, (olah, whichwas burned to ashes on the altar of burnt offerings. No part of it was eaten, either by priestsor donors.” (P. 3)8