In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar.

LEVITICUS 7:2KJV
Know the Bible

Leviticus 7:2 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 7:2 mean?

Leviticus 7:2 explains that the trespass offering, a specific kind of sacrifice for certain sins, must be killed in the same place as the burnt offering, and its blood is to be sprinkled all around the altar. This verse gives instructions for how the priests are to handle this offering in the tabernacle.

God is speaking to Moses, giving detailed rules for the priests about sacrifices in ancient Israel. The trespass offering was brought for particular offenses, and this verse clarifies both the location for killing the animal and what to do with its blood. The instructions show the importance of order and ritual in the sacrificial system.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 7:2

  • "Place" (מָקוֹם, maqom): This word means a specific location. Here, it points to the designated spot in the tabernacle courtyard where sacrifices were to be made, emphasizing that offerings were not done just anywhere.
  • "Kill" (שָׁחַט, shachat): This verb means to slaughter or kill, especially in a ritual sense. The repetition of this word for both offerings highlights that the process for the trespass offering matches that of the burnt offering.
  • "Offering" (עֹלָה, olah and אָשָׁם, asham): Olah refers to the burnt offering, and asham to the trespass (or guilt) offering. The distinction shows that while the offerings had different purposes, their rituals overlapped.
  • "Blood" (דָּם, dam): The blood was a central part of the ritual, symbolizing life and atonement. Sprinkling it "round about" the altar marked the offering as accepted and set apart.
  • "Sprinkle" (זָרַק, zarach): This means to scatter or throw, describing how the priest would apply the blood to the altar, not just pour it out.
  • "Altar" (מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbeach): The altar was the main place of sacrifice, and the blood being sprinkled around it showed the seriousness and sacredness of the act.

Why Leviticus 7:2 matters

  • Leviticus 7:2 clears up that the trespass offering was not a lesser or separate ritual but was treated with the same seriousness as the burnt offering, using the same place and similar actions.
  • The verse highlights the importance of following God’s instructions exactly, showing that the details of worship mattered in Israel’s relationship with God.
  • This instruction connects the trespass offering to the wider system of sacrifices, helping readers see how different offerings fit together in the tabernacle’s daily life.

Where else these words appear

“sprinkle” Hebrew H2236 · used in 33 verses

  • Exodus 9:8 And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.
  • Leviticus 3:13 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.
  • 2 Kings 16:15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.

“offering” Hebrew H817 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 26:10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
  • Leviticus 14:12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:
  • Numbers 18:9 This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.

“kill” Hebrew H7819 · used in 70 verses

  • Genesis 22:10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
  • Leviticus 9:12 And he slew the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar.
  • 2 Kings 10:14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.