“And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.”
My Notes
What Does Leviticus 4:31 Mean?
In the individual sin offering, the fat is removed and burned on the altar as a "sweet savour unto the LORD" — and the priest makes atonement for the individual. The same two-result pattern: atonement made, forgiveness granted. "It shall be forgiven him" — singular, personal, specific.
The "sweet savour" (reach nichoach — a soothing aroma, a smell of rest/satisfaction) describes God's reception of the sacrifice. The burning fat produces an aroma that God finds satisfying. The sacrifice doesn't just cover sin; it pleases God. The atonement isn't grudging transaction — it's something God finds genuinely satisfying.
The shift from plural (verse 20 — "it shall be forgiven them") to singular ("it shall be forgiven him") makes the atonement personal. The system doesn't just work for communities; it works for individuals. Your sin — specifically yours — is covered. Your forgiveness — specifically yours — is guaranteed.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does God finding the sacrifice a 'sweet savour' change your view of atonement from grudging transaction to satisfying exchange?
- 2.What does the shift from plural (them) to singular (him) mean for your personal confidence in forgiveness?
- 3.Where do you need the assurance that the atonement works at the individual level — for your specific sin?
- 4.How does Leviticus personalizing forgiveness (him, not just them) preview Paul's 'loved me, gave himself for me'?
Devotional
It shall be forgiven him. Singular. Personal. The same guarantee that covers the community (verse 20) covers the individual. Your sin. Your atonement. Your forgiveness.
The "sweet savour" detail adds something unexpected: God enjoys the sacrifice. The aroma rising from the altar isn't endured by God as a necessary evil. It's received as a pleasing fragrance — a soothing smell that satisfies something in God's nature. The sacrifice that covers your sin also delights the God who designed the system.
This changes how you approach the atonement. It's not a grim transaction where God reluctantly accepts the payment and grudgingly issues the pardon. It's a satisfying exchange where the sacrifice itself — the offering given in faith, the blood applied in obedience — produces something God finds genuinely pleasing. The sweet savour says: this is good. I designed this. It works the way I intended. And I'm satisfied.
The personal pronoun — him, not them — is the verse's quiet miracle. The system that atones for nations also atones for you. The God who forgives communities also forgives individuals. The same blood that covers the congregation covers the person sitting alone with guilt at 3 AM. The atonement is as personal as it is communal. As specific as it is universal.
When Paul says Christ "loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20), he's personalizing what Leviticus already established: the atonement is for him. Singular. The system works at the individual level because the God behind the system cares at the individual level.
It shall be forgiven you. Specifically you.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
I. Here is the law of the sin-offering for a common person, which differs from that for a ruler only in this, that a…
for a sweet savour unto the Lord This expression occurs only here in connexion with Sin-Offerings.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture