What are the offerings in the Bible?

Here’s a primer on the offerings found in the Bible. Check out these two studies that explores why God devotes so much space in the Torah to explaining them and why they’re very relevant for believers in Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus).

Vital vocabulary

offering, gift = קָרְבָּן qorban (H7133a) = what approaches

• Meaning: “that which approaches,” i.e., an offering

Qorban doesn’t remove sin; God allows it to approach the Presence because it is tahor.

holy = קֹדֶשׁ qodesh (H6944) = set apart for…

• Meanings: “apartness, sacredness”
• “an original verb קדשׁ, which can only with difficulty be traced back to a root קד ‘to cut’; if this is the case the basic meaning of קדשׁ would be ‘to set apart’” (HALOT lexicon)
• Sanctify = Make holy, make set apart

clean = טָהוֹר tahor (H2889) = fit to approach

• Meaning: “clean”

Tahor doesn’t block entry toward the Presence. In other words, what is tahor is fit to to be qorban, that which approaches.

Tahor doesn’t make one qadosh — set apart by God — but it does keep one qadosh.

unclean = טָמֵא tamé (H2931) = unfit to approach

Tamé doesn’t make one sinful or wicked. It makes one unfit to enter the Tabernacle to approach the Presence.

The realm of God is about life; the realm outside of God’s presence is about death. “Before Adam and Eve sinned, there was no ritual unfitness, because humans had never experienced death.”

However, trying to enter God’s Presence while tamé is rebellion, trying to equate the fallen creation with the perfect Creator.

Primary offerings

עוֹלָה ’olah (Lev. 1:1–17; 6:8–13): Burnt offering of bulls, sheep, goats, doves, or pigeons

מִנְחָה minkhah (Lev. 2:1–16: 6:14–23): Grain offering of cakes or wafers of fine flour

שְׁלָמִים shelamim (Lev. 3:1–17; 7:11–36): Peace offering of a goat or lamb, consumed that day

חַטָּאת khattat (Lev. 4:1–5:13; 6:24–30; Num. 15:1–24): Sin offering of a bull or lamb

אָשָׁם ’asham (Lev. 5:1–6; 7:1–17): Guilt/trespass offering

Other offerings

זֶבַח zebakh: slaughtered animal

זֶבַח הַתּוֹדָה zebakh todah: thank

זֶבַח נְדָבָה zebakh nedavah: freewill

זֶבַח נֶדֶר zebakh neder: votive

תְּנוּפָה tenufah: wave

תְּרוּמָה tenumah: heave, lifted up

קָרְבָּן qorban: oblation, a thing offered (from קָרַב qorav, “to approach”)

אִשֶּׁה isheh: fire

נֶסֶךְ nesekh: drink

כָּלִיל kolil: whole burnt

מֶלַח melakh: salt