The Bible Biblical Concepts Offerings or Sacrifices

Offerings or Sacrifices

An offering or sacrifice is to voluntarily (Leviticus 1:) given up something valuable with the purpose to:

make a declaration of devotion (allegiance) or
make a vow (covenant) or
make a special prayer request or
show gratitude for favour received or
to honour (Malachi 1:6-8) or
to worship to God.

According to Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Dictionaries:

H4503 מִנחָה minchah (min-chaw') n-f.

a donation.

(euphemistically) tribute.

(specifically) a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary).
[from an unused root meaning to apportion, i.e. bestow]
KJV: gift, oblation, offering, present.

For example:

A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master:

if then I be a Father, where is Mine honour? and if I be a Master, where is My fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise My name.

And ye say, "Wherein have we despised thy name?" "Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine altar"; and ye say, "Wherein have we polluted thee?" In that ye say, "The table of the LORD is contemptible."

And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

-- Malachi 1:6-8 (KJV)

Purpose of an offering

If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and

perform your vows to the Most High, and

call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

-- Psalm 50:12-15 (ESV)

Therefore, it could be considered a form of devotion, for example:

You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before Me empty-handed. -- Exodus 23:15 (ESV)

and

The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying speak to the people of Israel and say to them,

When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.

“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish.

He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD.

He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and

Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, and

the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.

And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as:

a burnt offering,

a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

-- Leviticus 1:1-9 (ESV)

Burnt Offering

A burnt offering or burnt sacrifice is a type of offering which involve blood, which is the life from someone or some animal. The flesh of the sacrifice has to be burned after the ceremony to avoid decay.

According to Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Dictionaries:

H2077 זֶבַח zebach (zeh'-ɓach) n-m.

(properly) a slaughter, i.e. the flesh of an animal.

(by implication) a sacrifice (the victim or the act).
[from H2076]
KJV: burnt offer(- ing), sacrifice.
Root(s): H2076

Purpose of a burnt offering

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. -- Leviticus 17:11 (ESV)

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites. -- Hebrews 9:22-23 (ESV)

It is also a form of devotion, for example:

And after these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!"
And he said, "Here I am."
Then He said, "Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will tell you of."

...

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

-- Genesis 22:1-2,9-12 (ESV)

(Note: Abraham was not offering his son to an angel, but instead he was obeying God's command as seen in the first verses. Some argue that this was 2 different sentences that got mixed up by translation: One from the angel and one from God. Perhaps the translation is correct and the angel meant that he was ready to collection Isaac's soul on behalf of God, but that God intervened.)

Sin Offering

A sin offering or atonement sacrifice is a type of "burnt offering" with the purpose to atone for sin which requires very specific cleansing, a holy altar, and rituals (Leviticus 1:1-9) to symbolize the cleansing of sin (forgiveness).