Leviticus 7:37

With Lev 7:37 and Lev 7:38 the whole of the sacrificial law (ch. 1-7) is brought to a close. Among the sacrifices appointed, the fill-offering (המּלּוּאים) is also mentioned here; though it is not first instituted in these chapters, but in Exo 29:19-20 (Exo 29:22, Exo 29:26, Exo 29:27, Exo 29:31). The name may be explained from the phrase to "fill the hand," which is not used in the sense of installing a man, or giving him authority, like בּיד נתן "commit into his hand" in Isa 22:21 (Knobel), but was applied primarily to the ceremony of consecrating the priests, as described in Lev 8:25., and was restricted to the idea of investiture with the priesthood (cf. Lev 8:33; Lev 16:32; Exo 28:41; Exo 29:9, Exo 29:29, Exo 29:33, Exo 29:35; Num 3:3; Jdg 17:5, Jdg 17:12). This gave rise to the expression "to fill the hand for Jehovah," i.e., to provide something to offer to Jehovah (Ch1 29:5; Ch2 29:31, cf. Exo 32:29). Hence מלּוּאים denotes the filling of the hand with sacrificial gifts to be offered to Jehovah, and as used primarily of the particular sacrifice through which the priests were symbolically invested at their consecration with the gifts they were to offer, and were empowered, by virtue of this investiture, to officiate at the sacrifices; and secondly, in a less restricted sense, of priestly consecration generally (Lev 8:33, "the days of your consecration"). The allusion to the place in Lev 7:38, viz., "in the wilderness of Sinai," points on the one hand back to Exo 19:1, and on the other hand forward to Num 26:63-64, and Num 36:13, "in the plains of Moab" (cf. Num 1:1, Num 1:19, etc.). The sacrificial law, therefore, with the five species of sacrifices which it enjoins, embraces every aspect in which Israel was to manifest its true relation to the Lord its God. Whil…

Here is, I. The law of the trespass-offering (Lev 7:1-7), with some further directions concerning the burnt-offering and the meat-offering (Lev 7:8-10). II. The law of the peace-offering. The eating of it (Lev 7:11-21), on which occasion the prohibition of eating fat or blood is repeated (Lev 7:22-27), and the priests' share of it (Lev 7:28-34). III. The conclusion of those institutions (Lev 7:35, etc.).