“And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.”
If someone's offering is a fellowship offering, and they offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, they are to present before the Lord an animal without defect. The fellowship offering — shelem, from the root shalom, peace or wholeness — is the offering of covenant communion: the animal is partly burned on the altar for God, partly given to the priests, and partly eaten by the offerer and their household. Unlike the burnt offering that is entirely consumed, the fellowship offering creates a shared meal. The male-or-female specification (unlike the burnt offering's male-only requirement) and the without defect standard establish the range and the quality of what is acceptable for covenant communion.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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Sarah OkaforNote2mo agoThe Fellowship Offering Brings Joy
The fellowship offering, or peace offering, was fundamentally different from the burnt offering. Here, the worshipper brought an animal, offered parts to God, gave parts to the priest, and kept portio...
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Adam Smith 2Note1mo agoThe Peace Offering, a Meal Shared
The peace offering is different from the burnt offering - parts are burned on the altar, but parts are eaten by the priests and the one making the offering. It's not total consumption by fire. It's sh...
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