What Does Leviticus 1:3 Mean?

(3) **If his offering be a burnt sacrifice.**—Having stated what is meant by animals, the directions now treat upon the different kinds of the offerings them-selves. First in order comes the burnt offering, which is divided into burnt offering from the beeves (Leviticus 1:3-9), and burnt offering from the flock (Leviticus 1:10-13). The ox takes precedence because it is the more costly and more important sacrifice. It had to be without disease or blemish of any kind. To offer a defective sacrifice was an insult and a deception. Hence the exclamation of the prophet, “cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing” (*i.e., *an animal with a blemish), Malachi 1:14. The offerer is to bring the animal to *the entrance of the tent of meeting, *as it should be rendered, that is, to the front of the Tabernacle where the brazen altar stood (Exodus 40:6). **Of his own voluntary will.**—The whole passage is better rendered, *at the entrance of the tent of meeting shall he offer it, that he may be accepted before the Lord. *(Comp. Exodus 28:38; Leviticus 19:5; Leviticus 22:19-20; Leviticus 22:29; Leviticus 23:11.) This meaning is unmistakably set forth in Leviticus 22:19-21, where it is explicitly declared, “ye shall offer for your acceptance a male without blemish of the beeves, of the sheep or of the goats, but whatsoever hath a blemish that ye shall not offer, for *it *shall not be acceptable for you.” It is to be remarked that the phrase “for your acceptance,” or “acceptable for you,” is only used in connection with burnt offerings and peace offerings, but never with sin offerings.