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(
, 2076), “to slaughter, sacrifice.” This word is a common Semitic term
for sacrifice in general, although there are a number of other terms used in the Old
Testament for specific sacrificial rituals. There is no question that this is one of the most
important terms in the Old Testament;
is found more than 130 times in its verbal
forms and its noun forms occur over 500 times. The first time the verb occurs is in Gen.
31:54, where “Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount.” In Exod. 20:24 the word is used
in relation to the kinds of sacrifices to be made.
While there were grain and incense offerings prescribed as part of the Mosaic laws
dealing with sacrifice (see Lev. 2), the primary kind of sacrifice was the blood offering
which required the slaughter of an animal (cf. Deut. 17:1; 1 Chron. 15:26). This blood
was poured around the altar, for the blood contained the life, as stated in Lev. 17:11: “For
the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it for you upon the altar to make
atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life”
(
RSV
). Since the blood was the vehicle of life, it belonged to God alone. Because the
blood is the life, and became it is given to God in the process of pouring it about the altar,
it becomes the means of expiating sin, as an offering for sin and not because it becomes a
substitute for the sinner.
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is also used as a term for “slaughter for eating.” This usage is closely linked
with “slaughter for sacrifice” since all eating of flesh was sacrificial among ancient
Hebrews. The word carries this meaning in 1 Kings 19:21: “And he returned back from
him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh … and gave unto the
people, and they did eat.”
B. Nouns.
(
&
, 2077), “sacrifice.” This noun occurs more than 160 times in biblical
Hebrew. The “sacrifice” which was part of a covenant ritual involved the sprinkling of
the blood on the people and upon the altar, which presumably symbolized God as the
covenant partner (see Exod. 24:6-8). Another special “sacrifice” was “the sacrifice of the
feast of the passover” (Exod. 34:25). In this case the sacrificial lamb provided the main
food for the passover meal, and its blood was sprinkled on the doorposts of the Israelite
homes as a sign to the death angel.
The “sacrifice” of animals was in no way unique to Israelite religion, for sacrificial
rituals generally are part of all ancient religious cults. Indeed, the mechanics of the ritual
were quite similar, especially between Israelite and Canaanite religions. However, the
differences are very clear in the meanings which the rituals had as they were performed
either to capricious Canaanite gods or for the one true God who kept His covenant with
Israel.
The noun
is used of “sacrifices” to the one true God in Gen. 46:1: “And Israel
took his journey with all that he had … and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father
Isaac” (cf. Exod. 10:25; Neh. 12:43). The noun refers to “sacrifices” to other deities in
Exod. 34:15: “Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a
whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat
of his sacrifice” (cf. Num. 25:2; 2 Kings 10:19).
The idea of “sacrifice” certainly is taken over into the New Testament, for Christ
became “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29,
RSV
). The