Leviticus (2) Four Types of Offering

God revealed to Moses his plans for the Tabernacle, which would be the focus of worship for the children of Israel. Leviticus 1-7 describes the various offerings/sacrifices that would be offered on the altar at the entrance to the enclosed area surrounding the tent where God dwelt. Moses describes four different types of sacrifices that could be offered to God. The names used in many English translations are not very helpful. In subsequent sections, I analyse each offering to identify what it achieves and how it does that.

1. Ascending Offering (olah)
   Most translations use the expression “burnt offering” for the offering described in Leviticus 1. This is misleading because it focuses on the burning of the offering. People assume that the offering works because the animal is burnt, but that is the wrong focus.

   The Hebrew word “olah” means “step” or “stairs”. It comes from a verb for “ascending”. In this context, it refers to the smoke ascending to God. It could be called a “smoke offering”, but that would be misleading because it is the pleasing smell/odour that goes up to God, and the word smoke could indicate an unpleasant smell. Therefore, I have chosen to refer to it as an ascending offering, using the literal meaning of the Hebrew word “olah”.

   English translations usually refer to the offering described in Leviticus 2 as a “grain offering” because it is a product of grain (flour or bread) that is offered. However, the Hebrew word “minchah” literally refers to a “gift” or a “donation”, so I have chosen to refer to it as a “gift offering”. It is actually a different form of the Ascending Offering that provides a pleasant odour for God.

2. Wellbeing Offering (selamim)
   The offering described in Leviticus 3 is often referred to as a “peace offering”, but the Hebrew word is “shelem”. It is closely connected to the word “selamim”, which means peace, but takes a broader meaning that includes “wellbeing, safety, completeness”, so I have chosen to call it a “wellbeing offering” to capture this broader meaning.

3. Decontamination Offering (hattat)
   Leviticus 4 is often translated as describing a “sin offering”. The Hebrew word is “chattah”, which means sin or offence, but John Goldingay calls it the “decontamination offering” in his First Testament. Although this is a big word, it is a good label because it describes what the offering does, so I have decided to use it.

4. Reparation Offering (asam)
   The final offering is the Reparation Offering. This is possibly a different form of the Decontamination Offering. The Hebrew word used is “ashamaw”, which refers to an “offence”, but it can also mean “compensation” or “ransom”.

An offering is a process. It is not just the death of an animal. Each offering has several steps. Some are the same, but other steps vary according to the offering.