And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before Yahweh:
- BSB If one’s offering is a goat, he is to present it before the LORD.
- ESV “If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD
- NKJV ‘And if his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord.
- NASB ‘Now if his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord,
- NLT “If you present a goat as your offering, bring it to the Lord,
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A goat may also be brought as a peace offering before the LORD. The fellowship offering may come from goats as well as sheep and cattle.
Overview
The law extends the peace offering to goats, broadening the options available to worshipers. The same procedures apply regardless of which animal is chosen. This flexibility within a fixed pattern shows God's gracious accommodation while preserving the offering's meaning, all pointing toward the fellowship with God now freely available through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Matt 25:32–33And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
- Lev 9:3And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering;
- Lev 22:19–27Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.
- Lev 10:16And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying,
- Lev 3:1And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.
- Lev 1:2Speak 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.
- Lev 1:10And 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.
- 2 Cor 5:21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
- Lev 9:15And he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first.
- Lev 1:6And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.
- Rom 8:3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
- Isa 53:2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
- Isa 53:6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
- Lev 3:7–17If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD.
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 3:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.