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英文原文
This book begins with the laws concerning sacrifices, of which the most ancient were the burnt-offerings, about which God gives Moses instructions in this chapter. Orders are here given how that sort of sacrifice must be managed. I. If it was a bullock out of the herd, Le 1:3-9. II. If it was a sheep or goat, a lamb or kid, out of the flock, Le 1:10-13. III. If it was a turtle-dove or a young pigeon, Le 1:14-17. And whether the offering was more or less valuable in itself, if it was offered with an upright heart, according to these laws, it was accepted of God.
1-2
The Law Concerning Offerings (1490 BC)
論獻祭的律法（主前1490年）
¹ 耶和華從會幕中呼叫摩西，對他說，
² 「你曉諭以色列人說：你們中間若有人獻供物給耶和華，要從牛群羊群中獻牲畜為供物。
請注意此處：1. 這裡以百姓樂意將供物獻給耶和華為前提。天然的光本身就引導人以這樣或那樣的方式來尊榮造物主，並向祂這位主獻上臣服之禮。特殊的啟示以自然啟示為古老的早期制度為前提——自從人墮落以後，自然啟示便引導人以獻祭來榮耀神；獻祭是一種含蓄的承認，承認他們作為受造之物，一切都是從神領受的；作為罪人，一切都已喪失歸於神。徹底深信自己既倚靠又有罪的良心，會樂意帶著千千的公羊來到神面前，Mic 6:6,7。2. 神作了安排，使人不致放縱自己的想像，也不致在獻祭的事上以虛妄的構想和發明為自誇，免得他們表面上是尊榮神，實際上卻是羞辱祂，行了不配的事。因此一切都規定要按適當的規矩、憑一定的規則而行，使祭物能最充分地預表基督到了時候滿足時所要獻上的偉大贖罪祭，以及信徒每日當獻上屬靈的頌讚之祭。3. 神藉著摩西將這些律法賜給以色列人；沒有甚麼比耶和華對摩西說：你曉諭以色列人這句話更頻繁出現了。神本可以親自向以色列人說這些話，正如祂頒布十誡時所做的那樣；但祂選擇藉摩西傳給他們，因為他們曾求神不要再親自向他們說話，而且神早已定意要使摩西在眾先知中尤為預表基督——在這末世，神要藉著基督對我們說話，Heb 1:2。神藉其他先知差遣信息給祂的百姓，但藉摩西賜給他們律法；因此他適合預表那被父神將一切審判都交託給祂的那位。此外，神聖啟示的寶藏總是要放在瓦器裡，好叫我們的信心經過試驗，也使這極大的能力屬乎神。4. 神從會幕中對他說話。耶和華的榮光一旦進入了新的居所，作為悅納所行之禮的記號，神便從施恩座上與摩西說話——摩西在幔子外，或更確切地說在門口，只聽見聲音；他很可能將當時所聽見的寫了下來，以免在複述時有任何錯誤或記憶上的疏漏。會幕的設立是為了神與以色列之間交通的所在；在那裡，他們向神獻上事奉，神也向他們啟示祂的旨意。照樣，如今我們藉著道和禱告，與父並祂兒子耶穌基督相交，Ac 6:4。當我們向神說話時，我們必須渴望聽見祂的回應，並當視祂樂意對我們說話為極大的恩惠。耶和華呼叫摩西，不是叫他近前來（在那個時代，連摩西也必須保持距離），而是叫他注意聆聽所要說的話。猶太學者告訴我們，希伯來文中呼叫一詞比平常少了一個字母，暗示神是用微小的聲音說話。道德律是帶著威嚴、從燃燒的山上在雷轟閃電中頒布的；但獻祭這補救性的律法，卻更為溫和地從施恩座上賜下，因為它預表了福音的恩典——那是生命與平安的職事。
英文原文
The Law Concerning Offerings (1490 BC)
¹ And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
² Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
Observe here, 1. It is taken for granted that people would be inclined to bring offerings to the Lord. The very light of nature directs man, some way or other, to do honour to his Maker, and pay him homage as his Lord. Revealed religion supposes natural religion to be an ancient and early institution, since the fall had directed men to glorify God by sacrifice, which was an implicit acknowledgment of their having received all from God as creatures, and their having forfeited all to him as sinners. A conscience thoroughly convinced of dependence and guilt would be willing to come before God with thousands of rams, Mic 6:6,7. 2. Provision is made that men should not indulge their own fancies, nor become vain in their imaginations and inventions about their sacrifices, lest, while they pretended to honour God, they should really dishonour him, and do that which was unworthy of him. Every thing therefore is directed to be done with due decorum, by a certain rule, and so as that the sacrifices might be most significant both of the great sacrifice of atonement which Christ was to offer in the fulness of time and of the spiritual sacrifices of acknowledgment which believers should offer daily. 3. God gave those laws to Israel by Moses; nothing is more frequently repeated than this, The Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel. God could have spoken it to the children of Israel himself, as he did the ten commandments; but he chose to deliver it to them by Moses, because they had desired he would no more speak to them himself, and he had designed that Moses should, above all the prophets, be a type of Christ, by whom God would in these last days speak to us, Heb 1:2. By other prophets God sent messages to his people, but by Moses he gave them laws; and therefore he was fit to typify him to whom the Father has given all judgment. And, besides, the treasure of divine revelation was always to be put into earthen vessels, that our faith might be tried, and that the excellency of the power might be of God. 4. God spoke to him out of the tabernacle. As soon as ever the shechinah had taken possession of its new habitation, in token of the acceptance of what was done, God talked with Moses from the mercy-seat, while he attended without the veil, or rather at the door, hearing a voice only; and it is probable that he wrote what he heard at that time, to prevent any mistake, or a slip of memory, in the rehearsal of it. The tabernacle was set up to be a place of communion between God and Israel; there, where they performed their services to God, God revealed his will to them. Thus, by the word and by prayer, we now have fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, Ac 6:4. When we speak to God we must desire to hear from him, and reckon it a great favour that he is pleased to speak to us. The Lord called to Moses, not to come near (under that dispensation, even Moses must keep his distance), but to attend and hearken to what should be said. A letter less than ordinary in the Hebrew word for called, the Jewish critics tell us, intimates that God spoke in a still small voice. The moral law was given with terror from a burning mountain in thunder and lightning; but the remedial law of sacrifice was given more gently from a mercy-seat, because that was typical of the grace of the gospel, which is the ministration of life and peace.
3-17
Law of the Burnt-Offering (1490 BC)
燔祭的律例（主前1490年）
³ 「他的供物若以牛為燔祭，就要在會幕門口獻一隻沒有殘疾的公牛，可以在耶和華面前蒙悅納。
⁴ 他要按手在燔祭牲的頭上，燔祭牲便蒙悅納，為他贖罪。
⁵ 他要在耶和華面前宰公牛；亞倫子孫作祭司的，要奉上血，把血灑在會幕門口壇的周圍。
⁶ 那人要剝去燔祭牲的皮，把燔祭牲切成塊子。
⁷ 祭司亞倫的子孫要把火放在壇上，把木柴擺在火上。
⁸ 亞倫子孫作祭司的，要把肉塊和頭並脂油擺在壇上火的木柴上。
⁹ 但臟腑與腿要用水洗。祭司就要把一切全燒在壇上，當作燔祭，就是獻給耶和華為馨香的火祭。
若有人富足、力所能及，據推測他會從牛群中取一隻牛作燔祭，用以尊榮神。人若想到神是最好的，就會決定將自己最好的獻給他，否則就沒有將當得的榮耀歸給他的名。如今若有人決定宰一頭公牛——不是為家人朋友設宴，而是獻祭給他的神——就當嚴格遵守這些規則：1. 所獻的牲畜必須是公的，沒有殘疾，是牧場中最好的。既然純粹為着那無限完全之神的尊榮而設，就當是同類中最完全的。這象徵着那受死的祭牲基督裏面完全的力量和純潔，也象徵着基督徒——他們作為活祭獻給神——心中應有的真誠和生活中應有的無可指摘。但按字面說，在基督耶穌裏不分男女；身體上的任何天然缺陷也不能妨礙我們蒙神悅納，唯有罪在靈魂中造成的道德缺陷和扭曲才會。2. 牲畜的主人必須甘心獻上。在宗教上所做的，要蒙神喜悅，就必須不受任何約束，唯有愛的約束。神悅納甘心樂意的百姓和捐得樂意的人。安斯沃斯等人不把它讀作原則，而讀作獻祭的目的：「他要獻上為在耶和華面前蒙悅納。他獻祭時要以這為目標，並要定睛於此目標——使他可以蒙耶和華悅納。」唯有在一切宗教事奉中真誠渴望並以此為目標的人，才能蒙悅納（林後5:9）。3. 必須在會幕門口獻上——那裏有銅的燔祭壇，使禮物成聖——而不是別處。他要在門口獻上，作為一個不配進入的人，並承認罪人唯有藉着祭物才能進入與神的盟約和相交；但他要在會幕——全會眾聚集之處獻上，標誌着即使在這個人的事奉中，他也與全以色列教會相交。4. 獻祭者必須按手在他的供物頭上（Le 1:4）。猶太教師說：「他要用全力將兩手按在牲畜的兩角之間」，以此表明：(1.) 他將自己對這牲畜的一切權利和利益轉移給神——以實際的、親手交付的方式將它獻給神的事奉。(2.) 承認自己該死——若神要求，他情願受死——為要事奉他的尊榮、得着他的恩惠。(3.) 信靠這祭物，因它是指定的預表——預表那要擔當我們眾人罪孽的偉大祭物。獻祭——尤其是這個禮儀——的屬靈意義，有人認為使徒所說按手之禮的教訓（來6:2）就是指此，預表了福音的信心。獻祭者按手在祭物頭上，是要表明他的渴望和盼望：願它為他蒙悅納，為他贖罪。燔祭雖不像贖罪祭那樣針對某個特定的罪，卻要為一般的罪贖罪；按手在燔祭牲頭上的人要承認他作了不當作的、漏了當作的，並祈求——雖然他自己該死——他的祭牲之死可以蒙悅納以贖他的罪。5. 祭牲要由利未人的祭司在耶和華面前宰殺，就是以虔誠的宗教態度、着眼於神和他的尊榮來宰殺。這象徵我們的主耶穌要將他的靈魂——就是他的生命——獻為贖罪祭。彌賽亞君王必被剪除，好像祭物一樣，卻不是為自己（但9:26）。這也象徵在基督徒——他們是活祭——裏面，那屬獸性的部分必須被治死或殺滅，肉體連同其邪情的私慾和一切純屬動物生命的食慾都要釘十字架。6. 祭司要把血灑在壇上（Le 1:5）；因為血就是生命，正是這個為靈魂贖罪。這象徵我們的主耶穌在流血時，直接而實際地顧念了滿足他父神的公義、保障他被冒犯的尊榮；他藉着永遠的靈，將自己無瑕無疵獻給神。這也象徵我們的良心因信靠耶穌基督的血灑在上面而得着平安和潔淨（彼前1:2；來10:22）。7. 牲畜要被剝皮、合宜地切塊、分成各個部分，照着屠夫的手藝；然後所有的部分，連同頭和脂油（腿和臟腑先要用水洗），都要一同在壇上焚燒（Le 1:6-9）。但這樣做有甚麼用處呢？有人會說：為何如此浪費？為何這一切好肉——可以給窮人、可以供應他們飢餓的家人長久食用——要一同燒成灰燼？這是神的旨意；我們不可反對或挑毛病。當它為尊榮神、順服他的命令而被焚燒，並用以預表屬靈的福氣時，它實際上比用作人的食物被使用得更好，也更符合它受造的目的。我們絕不可算為損失那為神而花的。祭物的焚燒象徵基督劇烈的受苦，也象徵基督徒當以虔誠的情感——如同聖潔的火——將自己的全人——靈、魂、體——獻給神。8. 這被說是獻給耶和華為馨香的火祭，或安息之香的火祭。焚燒肉本身是不好聞的；但這作為順服神命令的行為和基督的預表，是神所喜悅的：他與獻祭者和好，並親自在這和好中得着滿足。他因他恩典的這些設立而得着安息和舒暢，正如起初因他創造之工一樣（出31:17），在其中歡樂（詩104:31）。基督將自己獻給神被稱為馨香的供物和祭物（弗5:2），而基督徒的屬靈祭物被稱為藉着耶穌基督蒙神悅納（彼前2:5）。
¹⁰ 「人的供物若以綿羊或山羊為燔祭，就要獻上沒有殘疾的公羊。
¹¹ 要把羊宰於壇的北邊、耶和華面前；亞倫子孫作祭司的，要把羊血灑在壇的周圍。
¹² 要把燔祭牲切成塊子，連頭和脂油；祭司要把這些擺在壇上火的木柴上。
¹³ 但臟腑與腿要用水洗；祭司就要全然奉上，燒在壇上。這是燔祭，是獻給耶和華為馨香的火祭。
¹⁴ 「人獻給耶和華的鳥類燔祭，就要獻斑鳩或是雛鴿為供物。
¹⁵ 祭司要把鳥帶到壇前，揪下頭來，把鳥燒在壇上；鳥的血要流在壇的旁邊。
¹⁶ 又要把鳥的嗉子和羽毛除掉，丟在壇的東邊倒灰的地方。
¹⁷ 要拿着鳥的兩個翅膀，把鳥撕開，只是不可撕斷。祭司要把它燒在壇上、壇上的火的木柴上。這是燔祭，是獻給耶和華為馨香的火祭。」
我們在這裏看到關於羊群或鳥類燔祭的律法。中等階層的人——出不起一頭公牛——可以獻一隻綿羊或山羊；連那也出不起的，若帶一對斑鳩或雛鴿，神也必悅納。因為神在他的律法中、在他的福音中、以及在他的旨意中，都顧念窮人。值得注意的是，那些被選作祭物的牲畜都是最溫和、柔順、無害、不傷人的，預表基督裏面的無辜和溫柔，也教導基督徒當有的無辜和溫柔。此處給予指示：1. 關於羊群的燔祭（Le 1:10）。處理方法與公牛大致相同；只是這裏規定祭牲要在壇的北邊宰殺——雖然只在這裏提到，但大概對前者和其他祭物也要同樣遵守。也許壇的那邊空地最大，有足夠的空間讓祭司轉身。古人觀察到好天氣從北方來，北風驅散雨水；而藉着這些祭物，神烈怒的風暴得以驅散，神臉上的光得以獲得——那光比最好的天氣更為令人愉悅。2. 關於鳥類的祭物。必須是斑鳩（猶太人說「必須是老斑鳩」）或雛鴿（猶太人說「必須是幼雛鴿」）。人席上最蒙悅納的也當獻在神的壇上。在獻這些鳥時：(1.) 要揪下頭來——有人說「完全揪下」；也有人認為只是掐住，使鳥致死，卻仍讓頭掛在身上。但看來更可能是完全分離，因為頭要先燒。(2.) 血要流在壇的旁邊。(3.) 嗉子連羽毛要扔在垃圾堆上。(4.) 身體要剖開，撒上鹽，然後燒在壇上。猶太人說「這獻鳥的祭是祭司所要做的最困難的事奉之一」，為要教導在聖事上事奉的人：當像關心富人的救恩一樣關心窮人的救恩；窮人的事奉若出於正直的心，就與富人的事奉一樣蒙神悅納，因為他照人所有的悅納，不照人所無的（林後8:12）。窮人的斑鳩或雛鴿在這裏被稱為獻給耶和華為馨香的火祭，與有角有蹄的公牛之祭毫無二致。然而歸根究底，盡心愛神，並愛人如己，比一切燔祭和各樣祭物更好（可12:33）。
英文原文
Law of the Burnt-Offering (1490 BC)
³ If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
⁴ And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
⁵ And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
⁶ And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.
⁷ And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:
⁸ And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
⁹ But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
If a man were rich and could afford it, it is supposed that he would bring his burnt-sacrifice, with which he designed to honour God, out of his herd of larger cattle. He that considers that God is the best that is will resolve to give him the best he has, else he gives him not the glory due unto his name. Now if a man determined to kill a bullock, not for an entertainment for his family and friends, but for a sacrifice to his God, these rules must be religiously observed:—1. The beast to be offered must be a male, and without blemish, and the best he had in his pasture. Being designed purely for the honour of him that is infinitely perfect, it ought to be the most perfect in its kind. This signified the complete strength and purity that were in Christ the dying sacrifice, and the sincerity of heart and unblamableness of life that should be in Christians, who are presented to God as living sacrifices. But, literally, in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female; nor is any natural blemish in the body a bar to our acceptance with God, but only the moral defects and deformities introduced by sin into the soul. 2. The owner must offer it voluntarily. What is done in religion, so as to please God, must be done by no other constraint than that of love. God accepts the willing people and the cheerful giver. Ainsworth and others read it, not as the principle, but as the end of offering: "Let him offer it for his favourable acceptation before the Lord. Let him propose this to himself as his end in bringing his sacrifice, and let his eye be fixed steadily upon that end—that he may be accepted of the Lord." Those only shall find acceptance who sincerely desire and design it in all their religious services, 2Co 5:9. 3. It must be offered at the door of the tabernacle, where the brazen altar of burnt-offerings stood, which sanctified the gift, and not elsewhere. He must offer it at the door, as one unworthy to enter, and acknowledging that there is no admission for a sinner into covenant and communion with God, but by sacrifice; but he must offer it at the tabernacle of the congregation, in token of his communion with the whole church of Israel even in this personal service. 4. The offerer must put his hand upon the head of his offering, Le 1:4. "He must put both his hands," say the Jewish doctors, "with all his might, between the horns of the beast," signifying thereby, (1.) The transfer of all his right to, and interest in, the beast, to God, actually, and by a manual delivery, resigning it to his service. (2.) An acknowledgment that he deserved to die, and would have been willing to die if God had required it, for the serving of his honour, and the obtaining of his favour. (3.) A dependence upon the sacrifice, as an instituted type of the great sacrifice on which the iniquity of us all was to be laid. The mystical signification of the sacrifices, and especially this rite, some think the apostle means by the doctrine of laying on of hands (Heb 6:2), which typified evangelical faith. The offerer's putting his hand on the head of the offering was to signify his desire and hope that it might be accepted from him to make atonement for him. Though the burnt-offerings had not respect to any particular sin, as the sin-offering had, yet they were to make atonement for sin in general; and he that laid his hand on the head of a burnt-offering was to confess that he had left undone what he ought to have done and had done that which he ought not to have done, and to pray that, though he deserved to die himself, the death of his sacrifice might be accepted for the expiating of his guilt. 5. The sacrifice was to be killed by the priests of Levites, before the Lord, that is, in a devout religious manner, and with an eye to God and his honour. This signified that our Lord Jesus was to make his soul, or life, an offering for sin. Messiah the prince must be cut off as a sacrifice, but not for himself, Da 9:26. It signified also that in Christians, who are living sacrifices, the brutal part must be mortified or killed, the flesh crucified with its corrupt affections and lusts and all the appetites of the mere animal life. 6. The priests were to sprinkle the blood upon the altar (Le 1:5); for, the blood being the life, it was this that made atonement for the soul. This signified the direct and actual regard which our Lord Jesus had to the satisfaction of his Father's justice, and the securing of his injured honour, in the shedding of his blood; he offered himself without spot to God. It also signified the pacifying and purifying of our consciences by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ upon them by faith, 1Pe 1:2, Heb 10:22. 7. The beast was to be flayed and decently cut up, and divided into its several joints or pieces, according to the art of the butcher; and then all the pieces, with the head and the fat (the legs and inwards being first washed), were to be burnt together upon the altar, Le 1:6-9. "But to what purpose," would some say, "was this waste? Why should all this good meat, which might have been given to the poor, and have served their hungry families for food a great while, be burnt together to ashes?" So was the will of God; and it is not for us to object or to find fault with it. When it was burnt for the honour of God, in obedience to his command, and to signify spiritual blessings, it was really better bestowed, and better answered the end of its creation, than when it was used as food for man. We must never reckon that lost which is laid out for God. The burning of the sacrifice signified the sharp sufferings of Christ, and the devout affections with which, as a holy fire, Christians must offer up themselves their whole spirit, soul, and body, unto God. 8. This is said to be an offering of a sweet savour, or savour of rest, unto the Lord. The burning of flesh is unsavoury in itself; but this, as an act of obedience to a divine command, and a type of Christ, was well pleasing to God: he was reconciled to the offerer, and did himself take a complacency in that reconciliation. He rested, and was refreshed with these institutions of his grace, as, at first, with his works of creation (Ex 31:17), rejoicing therein, Ps 104:31. Christ's offering of himself to God is said to be of a sweet-smelling savour (Eph 5:2), and the spiritual sacrifices of Christians are said to be acceptable to God, through Christ, 1Pe 2:5.
¹⁰ And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.
¹¹ And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.
¹² And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
¹³ But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
¹⁴ And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.
¹⁵ And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:
¹⁶ And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:
¹⁷ And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Here we have the laws concerning the burnt-offerings, which were of the flock or of the fowls. Those of the middle rank, that could not well afford to offer a bullock, would bring a sheep or a goat; and those that were not able to do that should be accepted of God if they brought a turtle-dove or a pigeon. For God, in his law and in his gospel, as well as in his providence, considers the poor. It is observable that those creatures were chosen for sacrifice which were most mild and gentle, harmless and inoffensive, to typify the innocence and meekness that were in Christ, and to teach the innocence and meekness that should be in Christians. Directions are here given, 1. Concerning the burnt-offerings of the flock, Le 1:10. The method of managing these is much the same with that of the bullocks; only it is ordered here that the sacrifice should be killed on the side of the altar northward, which, though mentioned here only, was probably to be observed concerning the former, and other sacrifices. Perhaps on that side of the altar there was the largest vacant space, and room for the priests to turn them in. It was of old observed that fair weather comes out of the north, and that the north wind drives away rain; and by these sacrifices the storms of God's wrath are scattered, and the light of God's countenance is obtained, which is more pleasant than the brightest fairest weather. 2. Concerning those of the fowls. They must be either turtle-doves (and, if so, "they must be old turtles," say the Jews), or pigeons, and, if so, they must be young pigeons. What was most acceptable at men's tables must be brought to God's altar. In the offering of these fowls, (1.) The head must be wrung off, "quite off," say some; others think only pinched, so as to kill the bird, and yet leave the head hanging to the body. But it seems more likely that it was to be quite separated, for it was to be burnt first. (2.) The blood was to be wrung out at the side of the altar. (3.) The garbages with the feathers were to be thrown by upon the dunghill. (4.) The body was to be opened, sprinkled with salt, and then burnt upon the altar. "This sacrifice of birds," the Jews say, "was one of the most difficult services the priests had to do," to teach those that minister in holy things to be as solicitous for the salvation of the poor as for that of the rich, and that the services of the poor are as acceptable to God, if they come from an upright heart, as the services of the rich, for he accepts according to what a man hath, and not according to what he hath not, 2Co 8:12. The poor man's turtle-doves, or young pigeons, are here said to be an offering of a sweet-smelling savour, as much as that of an ox or bullock that hath horns or hoofs. Yet, after all, to love God with all our heart, and to love our neighbour as ourselves, is better than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices, Mk 12:33.
本書以獻祭的律法開始，其中最古老的便是燔祭。在本章中，神就這類祭物向摩西頒布指示，吩咐這種祭當如何辦理。一、若以牛群中的公牛為祭，Le 1:3-9。二、若以羊群中的綿羊或山羊、羊羔或小山羊為祭，Le 1:10-13。三、若以斑鳩或雛鴿為祭，Le 1:14-17。無論所獻的祭物本身貴重或微小，只要存正直的心，按照這些律例獻上，就必蒙神悅納。