Burnt Offering

The Burnt Offering in Scripture

The burnt offering is one of the Old Testament sacrifices, in which the offering was burned whole on the altar. The Korean term beonje (燔祭) uses the character beon (燔), meaning "to burn." The procedure is described most fully in Leviticus 1.

• The offering: Depending on the worshiper's means, an unblemished bull, a ram or male goat, or a turtledove or young pigeon could be offered (Leviticus 1:3, 10, 14).
• The procedure: The worshiper laid a hand on the animal's head and then slaughtered it. The priest sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar of burnt offering and burned all the flesh.
• The priest's portion: Only the skin went to the priest (Leviticus 7:8).

Scripture calls the burnt offering "a sweet savour unto the LORD" (Leviticus 1:9).

Burnt offerings appear even before the giving of the Law. Noah offered burnt offerings after the Flood (Genesis 8:20), and Job offered them on behalf of his children (Job 1:5). Abraham was commanded to offer Isaac as a burnt offering (Genesis 22; see the burnt offering on Mount Moriah).

The Law required a lamb to be offered as a burnt offering every morning and evening (Exodus 29:38–42; Numbers 28:3–8). This is known as the continual burnt offering. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:4). When Jephthah made his vow, saying, "I will offer it up for a burnt offering," he used the same word (Judges 11:31).

Terminology and Background

The Hebrew word olah (עֹלָה) derives from a verb meaning "to go up." It is understood to signify that the offering ascends to God as smoke. The Septuagint rendered it with the Greek holokautōma, meaning "that which is wholly burned."

In other sacrifices, part of the meat was eaten by the priest or by the worshiper. The burnt offering is distinguished from these in that the entire offering was burned. The fire on the altar was to be kept burning and never allowed to go out (Leviticus 6:12–13). After the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70, sacrificial worship in Judaism ceased.

Significance Across Scripture

The prophets rebuked burnt offerings offered without a right heart and obedience (1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm 51:16–17; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6–8).

This theme continues in the New Testament.

• A scribe said that loving God and one's neighbor "is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33).
• The Epistle to the Hebrews, quoting Psalm 40, explains that in place of burnt offerings and sin offerings repeated year after year, Christ offered his own body once for all (Hebrews 10:5–10).
• Paul urges believers to present their bodies "a living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1).

Interpretation and Debated Questions

• The meaning of the burnt offering: Leviticus 1:4 connects the burnt offering with atonement, so some interpret it as a sacrifice that covers sin. Others, noting that the entire offering was burned, see it as expressing complete devotion and worship. Many interpreters hold the two meanings together.
• Typology: Various Protestant traditions read the burnt offering, and especially the account of Isaac, as a picture (type) foreshadowing the cross of Christ. Interpreters differ, however, on how far the detailed regulations should be read typologically. Judaism teaches that since the destruction of the Temple, prayer takes the place of sacrifice.
• Jephthah's daughter: Some interpret the text to mean that Jephthah actually burned his daughter as an offering. Others hold that she was dedicated to God and remained unmarried for the rest of her life. The latter view rests on two points: the Law forbids human sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:31), and the daughter bewailed her virginity (Judges 11:37–39). The text does not state specifically what became of her.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, the burnt offering is frequently used as a metaphor for wholehearted devotion in which one gives oneself completely. Some churches are known to practice ilcheon beonje ("a thousand burnt offerings"), modeled on Solomon's thousand burnt offerings, in which members give offerings or pray a thousand times. Critics contend that this practice strays from the meaning of the text and is used to press members to give money.