UTN uW Translation Notes:

Leviticus 1 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

In Hebrew, this chapter begins with the word “And,” indicating a connection with the previous book (Exodus). This connection not only implies that the first five books of the Bible should be seen as a single unit, but it also situates Leviticus in the narrative setting of the book of Exodus, during the thirteenth month of the Israelite’s wandering in the wilderness of Sinai.The first chapter of Leviticus is comprised of two hypothetical scenarios representing three variations of the burnt offering:The Burnt offering (1:1–17)1) a livestock animal (1:2–13) a) a bovine (1:3–9) b) a sheep or goat (1:10–13)2) a bird (1:14–17)As such, the initial heading verse of each section begins with “If” and is followed by the prescribed steps of the sacrifice. Presumably, they are the same for each burnt offering, but more prescriptions are explicit for the first type of burnt offering, the bovine, probably because they are implied for the other two possible burnt offerings. The steps of the sacrificial process for burnt offerings are:1) Selecting a perfect, unblemished, and otherwise completely healthy animal (1:3–14)2) Presenting the animal at the entrance to the tent of meeting (1:3)3) Laying hands on the head of the animal (1:4)4) Killing the animal (1:5–15)5) Presenting and sprinkling the animal’s blood on the altar (1:5–15)6) Skinning the animal (1:6)7) Butchering the animal into its appropriate pieces, usually the head, fat, intestines, and legs (1:6–17)8) Putting fire on the altar and arranging the wood (1:7)9) Arranging the pieces, specifically the head and the fat, of the sacrifice over the burning wood of the altar (1:8–12)10) Washing the legs and the intestines (1:9–13)11) Burning the entire animal in a way that causes smoke to go up (1:9–17

Special Concepts in This Chapter

Several concepts are crucial for understanding the laws in this chapter. They include: 1) technical sacrificial terminology, 2) atonement, 3) the importance of blood, and 4) the nature of ritual action.

Technical sacrificial terminology

Throughout the book of Leviticus, the author employs several terms that have a specialized technical meaning in the context of sacrifices or that are only used in this context. In this chapter, such terms are 1) the “burnt offering” and 2) the “gift.”1) The burnt offeringThe burnt offering was a particular sacrifice that could be offered by anyone for a variety of reasons. Its name is related to a verb that means “to go up” or ”to ascend,” suggesting that the sacrifice was to be converted into smoke by the fire and ascend to Yahweh in heaven, as the discussion on the verb phrase “to cause to become smoke” will suggest. Its function was to provide a sacrifice intended to bring about forgiveness for a wide variety of sins and unintentional mistakes that were not specifically covered by the other sacrifices discussed in the first seven chapters of Leviticus. The sacrifice required a perfect male animal that would be completely burned on the altar over a fire that was to be kept burning continually. (See 6:9–13 for more details.) The sacrifice, when accepted by Yahweh, would provide atonement for the individual who offered it. See the book introduction for more information.2) The gift or offering made by fireThe word translated as “gift” in 1:9, 1:13, and 1:17 and throughout the book of Leviticus is variously translated in modern English versions, usually with reference to an offering made by fire, based on the word’s presumed relationship with the word for fire. However, some of the sacrifices referred to by this word are not burned on the altar (like the portions of the sacrifices that belonged to the priests in 7:30 and 7:35–36), and many sacrifices, such as the purification offering, that are burned on the altar are not referred to by this term. Instead, this term simply refers to a gift offered to Yahweh that consists of food items. While you may see the phrase “fire offering” or “offering made by fire” in modern English translations, we suggest that you retain translation of the word as “gift.”

Atonement

The word translated as “atone” in the ULT is a technical term expressing the act of atonement that was carried out by the priest but always accomplished by Yahweh. Traditionally, it has been understood as a metaphor with the basic meaning of “to cover,” but more recently, some scholars have understood it to express the image of “to wipe.” If the former is correct, then the metaphor pictures the blood of the sacrifice as covering up the defiling impurity caused by sin. If the latter is correct, then the metaphor pictures the blood of the animal as a sort of ritual detergent that cleanses the person or object from the defiling presence of sin’s impurity. Either way, the sacrifice offered by the priest on behalf of the individual or community is accepted in order to restore the relationship between the individual or community and Yahweh, a relationship that has been damaged or defiled because of sin. This is why so many of the laws concerning sacrifice end with the mention of the forgiveness of sins, which was the means by which the relationship with Yahweh could be restored. (See: atonement and priest)

The importance of blood

In Leviticus 1, the blood of the animal is collected and applied, via sprinkling or splattering, to the sides of the altar upon which the burnt offering is placed. (See 1:5–15.) This act, as explained above, has been variously understood, but it pictures the blood as cleansing the altar from the effects of sin. Blood was able to cleanse sacred space and God’s people from the impurities of sin because of its ability to accomplish atonement by means of the life of the animal. (See 17:10–12.) Because the blood contained the life of the animal, Yahweh forbade the eating of any animal blood. (See 7:26–27, 17:10–14, and 19:26.)

Ritual actions

Three actions in this chapter and throughout Leviticus are ritual in nature and picture important theological realities.1) The language of “presenting” throughout this chapter means not only bringing the sacrifice to the altar or the priest but also displaying the sacrifice “to the face of Yahweh,” that is, to Yahweh himself. This expression pictures the reality that these sacrifices were performed in the presence of Yahweh, literally in the vicinity of the sacred area where Yahweh lived among the Israelites while they were in the wilderness.2) This chapter features the ritual act of laying one’s hands on the head of the sacrificial animal. This action is linked to the acceptance of the animal as an appropriate sacrifice on the individual’s behalf. (See 1:4.) As a symbolic act, the laying of hands identifies the individual with the animal he is offering. The implication seems to be that the person is ritually placing his sins on the sacrificial animal so that God will forgive the sins when the animal is sacrificed.3) The language of “causing the sacrifice to become smoke on the altar” (see 1:9) pictures the sacrifice as being converted to smoke by the fire of the altar and arising to Yahweh in heaven, where he would smell the pleasant aroma of the burning sacrifice. As such, the pleasant smell was either a sign that Yahweh approved the sacrifice and would atone for the individual’s sins and forgive him, or it functioned as a necessary requirement for the acceptance of the individual’s offering.

Important Figures of Speech in This Chapter

This chapter includes three primary figures of speech that may prove difficult to translate but are important to understanding the chapter. These include 1) the phrase, “to the face of Yahweh,” 2) the phrase, “a pleasing smell to Yahweh,” and 3) the way of referring to the priests as “the sons of Aaron.”

”To the face of Yahweh”

Throughout this chapter and the book as a whole, the author of Leviticus uses the expression “to the face of Yahweh” to mean “where Yahweh sees” or “in the sight of Yahweh” or “in the presence of Yahweh,” so that “to the face of” is similar to the English preposition “before.” In this position, the person or object receives Yahweh’s attention, perspective, and judgment. In the context of Leviticus, being “to the face of Yahweh” means to be within the sacred area of the tent of meeting, either in the sense of the location directly in front of the tent in which Yahweh resided, or in the sense of being in the presence of Yahweh within the tent of meeting. (See 1:3–12.) You can translate either sense of this expression as “in the presence of Yahweh” or simply as “before Yahweh.”

“Pleasing smell to Yahweh”

As mentioned previously, throughout this chapter, the priest is instructed to “cause the sacrifice to become smoke on the altar.” This refers to burning the sacrifice in a way that causes smoke to go up, picturing the sacrifice as being converted to pleasant-smelling smoke by the fire and arising to Yahweh in heaven, where he would smell the smoke and be pleased. That the sacrifice was accompanied by the gift of the pleasant-smelling smoke of the sacrifice was apparently crucial to the acceptance of the offering as an appropriate sacrifice on the individual’s behalf, as it is mentioned several times in this chapter. (See 1:9–17.)

“The sons of Aaron”

Throughout Leviticus, but especially in this chapter, the priests are referred to by the expression “the sons of Aaron.” Occasionally, the expression is “the sons of Aaron, the priests” (as in 1:5–11). Once in this chapter the expression is altered to emphasize that it is Aaron who is the original priest, through the phrase “the sons of Aaron.” (See 1:7.) As the General Introduction to Leviticus discusses, at the time when Yahweh spoke to Moses from the tent of meeting, the priests literally were the sons of Aaron, as it was Aaron who was the first high priest. But the instructions in the book also applied to future generations, when the term “sons” would be a way of referring to the priests as Aaron’s descendants (with the exception of Leviticus chapters 8–10). Here and throughout the book, if it would be clearer in your language, in your translation you could generally use the term “descendants,” which would apply to both the original priests and to their successors.

Other Possible Translation Difficulties in This Chapter

In addition to these important figures of speech, this chapter features several translation difficulties, including 1) the unclear referent of pronouns, 2) the switching between second and third-person address, 3) the use of a verb and a related noun (cognate-accusatives), 4) the use of a future form to indicate a request or command, and 5) the use of specific, technical sacrificial language.

The referent of the pronouns

Throughout this chapter, the author of Leviticus uses a third-person pronoun to refer to both the individual who offers the sacrifices and to the priest who performs the sacrifice. As such, it is often difficult (but not impossible) to infer which party performs which actions. In general, the sacrifice is presented to the priest, but the individual who presents the sacrifice is responsible for killing, properly butchering, and presenting the portions of the sacrificial animal to the priest, who will then arrange them on the altar’s fire. The only exception to this pattern can be found in the instruction for offering a bird (1:14–17), which specifies that it is the priest who brings the bird to the altar (1:14) before, presumably, completing the preparation for its being burned on the altar as a burnt offering. The UST will indicate which party is the apparent referent of the pronoun.

Second and third-person address

Chapters 1 through 7 in their entirety are written as direct addresses to the people of God through Moses. As mentioned previously, Chapter 1 describes two hypothetical scenarios when an individual might offer three variations of the burnt offering. However, the form of the verb used to refer to the individual in this chapter varies in the second verse (1:2). Initially, Yahweh addresses “a man from you” in the third-person, but then switches to a second-person address (“you shall offer”) to indicate the imperatival force of the statement. The ensuing string of third-person verbs (1:3–17) carry the same imperatival weight as the initial second-person verb. Thus, because in this chapter the pronouns “his” and “he” refer to the person bringing an offering to Yahweh, they can be translated in the second person as is done in 1:2 and as modeled by the UST. The pronoun used to refer to the individual who offers the sacrifice switches as follows:- Third-person: “When a man from you, when he presents” (1:2)- Second-person: “you shall present” (1:2)- Third-person: “If his offering” (1:3–17)As previously discussed, if the switch from third-person forms to second-person and back would not be natural in your language, consider using either the second or third-person forms throughout. The UST models use of second-person forms for the entirety of this chapter, but the notes will often offer translation possibilities with third-person alternatives.

The use of a verb with a related noun (Cognate-accusatives)

For emphasis, the author of Leviticus often uses a verb with a related noun. In this chapter, the verb “to present” is related to the noun translated as “offering.” If your language can repeat words for emphasis, it would be appropriate in this context to repeat these words in a similar manner.