We must discuss the animal sacrifices and what has taken place in scripture in regard to these sacrifices.
First, let’s consider the word Zebach.
Zebach (זֶבַח) (Strong's H2077): from H2076; properly, a slaughter, i.e. the flesh of an animal; by implication, a sacrifice (the victim or the act):—offer(-ing), sacrifice.
Zabach (זָבַח) (Strong's H2076): a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay.
We see that Zebach and Zabach – when ignoring the nikkud (the Masoretic vowel sounds) – are spelled exactly the same; and that the word Zebach is the creation of these vowels sounds from its primitive root Zabach, which does not mean fundamentally to slaughter an animal, but rather to make an offering.
Bere’shiyth (Genesis) 31:54
Then Ya`aqov offered sacrifice an offering upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
What is the exegesis of this passage? Ya`aqov offered an offering (in both cases, the word is zabach), and then they ate bread. Is it logical to conclude that it was an animal sacrifice? The remainder of the verse does not justify it.
There is also a second witness:
Shemoth (Exodus) 18:12
And Yithro, Mosheh’s father in law, took a burnt offering rising smoke (olah) and sacrifices offerings (zabach) for ELOHIYM: and Aharon came, and all the elders of Yashar’el, to eat bread with Mosheh’s father in law before ELOHIYM.
As we look closer at the use of this word zabach, we find a most important prophecy buried among the Masoretic language of animal sacrifice:
Shemoth (Exodus) 23:18
You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with chamets; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice (chag) remain until the morning.
We see here the context is the blood of YAH’S sacrifice(!) which shall not be offered with leaven (chamets); and then includes the fat of the offering. Is this right?
Exo 23:18 לא (Lo – no) תזבח (ha’zabach – the offering) על (al – upon) חמץ (chamets – leaven) דם (dam – blood) זבחי (zabachi – my offering) ולא (v’lo – and no) ילין (y’lin – remain) חלב (cheleb - fat) חגי (chagi – my feast) עד (ad - till) בקר (boqer –morning).
Lo ha’zebach al chamets dam zabachi u’lo y’lin chelev chagi ad boqer.
What actually appears here is a Messianic prophecy:
No chamets shall be upon my offering of blood; and no fat of my feast shall remain till morning.
This is a prophecy concerning the offering of Mashiach’s blood which is going to be on that feast where there is no chamets (Pecach/Matstsah), and all that is improper for the offering (the fat) will be gone by the morning.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 17:11
For the soul of the flesh is in the blood: he and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood of him that makes an atonement in the soul.
Now let us consider the word Olah.
Olah (עֹלָה) (H5930): feminine active participle of H5927; a step or (collectively, stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke):—ascent, burnt offering (sacrifice), go up to. See also H5766.
But its root is Alah!
Alah (עָלָה) (Strong's H5927): a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative:—arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, × mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.
We see here that in the root word Alah – which is spelled exactly the same as the Masoretic derivative Olah - , there is no holocaust, no sacrifice, no burnt offering. Instead, it is merely something which ascends.
Bere’shiyth (Genesis) 22:2
And he said, Take now את eth-your son, your את eth-yachiyd את eth-Yitschaq, whom you love, and get you into the land of Moriyah; and offer him there for a burnt offering rising smoke (olah) upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of.
Now let us consider the word Qorban.
Qorban (קׇרְבָּן) (Strong's H7133): from H7126; something brought near the altar, i.e. a sacrificial present:—oblation, that is offered, offering.
Qorab (Strong's H7126) (קָרַב): a primitive root; to approach (causatively, bring near) for whatever purpose:—(cause to) approach, (cause to) bring (forth, near), (cause to) come (near, nigh), (cause to) draw near (nigh), go (near), be at hand, join, be near, offer, present, produce, make ready, stand, take.
The Masoretic construction infers that it is something brought near the altar, but there is nothing in the root word which points in this direction.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 1:2-3
Speak unto the children of Yashar’el, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering (Qorban) unto YAHUAH, ye shall bring your offering (Qorban) of the cattle, even of את eth-the herd, and of the flock. 3 If his offering (Qorban) be a burnt sacrifice rising smoke (olah) of the herd, let him offer (karab) a male without blemish: he shall offer (karab) it of his own voluntary will at the door of the Tabernacle of the assembly before YAHUAH.
Now it is Qorban that is found in 78 places in the Tanakh and generally refers to an animal sacrifice. Let us consider the words of Mashiach on this subject:
Marqus (Mark) 7:9b-13
Full well ye reject the commandment of YAHUAH, that ye may guard your own tradition. 10 For Mosheh said, Honour את eth-your father and את eth-your mother; and, Whoso curses father or mother, let him die the death: 11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Qorban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever you might be profited by me; he shall be free. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the Word of YAHUAH of no effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Here, we see several important points:
- The voluntary offering called Qorban does not excuse the duties of the Torah, but the traditions attempted to allow it to do so;
- Qorban was a voluntary animal sacrifice – not a priestly obligation or feast requirement;
- Qorban was the animal sacrifice offering which the traditionalists were willing to convert to other purposes.
How much more were the people willing to construe as being accomplished in these voluntary blood sacrifices? And did such willingness to embrace this create a corruption in the text?
Next, let’s consider the word Ishshah.
Ishshah (אִשָּׁה) (Strong’s H801); the same as H800, but used in a liturgical sense; properly, a burnt-offering; but occasionally of any sacrifice:—(offering, sacrifice), (made) by fire.
Eshshah (אֶשָּׁה) (Strong's H800) feminine of H784; fire:—fire.
Here we see that Strong’s readily admits that H801 is the same as H800, which means fire. Only with the addition of some kind of contrivance do we get burnt offering or sacrifice.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 10:13
And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is your due, and your sons' due, of the sacrifices of YAHUAH made by fire: for so I am commanded.
Lev 10:13 ואכלתם (v’akal’tem And you shall eat) אתה (atah) במקום (b’makiym – in a place) קדושׁ (Qodesh-holy) כי (kee-for) חקך (choq’en appointed to you) וחק (v’choq and appointed) בניך (beni’ak to your sons) הוא (hu – this ) מאשׁי (m’ish’i from my fire) יהוה YAHUAH כי (kee-for) כן (ken-set) צויתי׃ (tsava’yahi – I am commanded)
But, without the excess construction, we have the following:
And you shall eat in a holy place, for it is appointed to you and appointed to your sons, this from the fire of YAHUAH, for I am commanded.
As we look at these words, with the exception of the voluntary sacrifice of Qorban, we see that the idea of burning or sacrificing an animal is not really present, but the language was expanded to reach such a system.
No sooner, of course, then the discussion above is given, that the issue of the slaughter of the Pecach (Passover) lamb arises. Wasn’t an animal sacrifice called for?
Shemoth (Exodus) 12:21-27
Then Mosheh called for all the elders of Yashar’el, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill slaughter (שָׁחַט shâchaṭ) the Pecach. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it (טָבַל ṭâbal) in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts (מְזוּזָה metsutsah) with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23 For YAHUAH will pass through to smite את eth-the Mitsriym; and when he sees את eth-the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, YAHUAH will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer slaughter (שָׁחַט shâchaṭ) to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24 And ye shall guard את eth-this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever. 25 And it shall come to pass, when ye are come to the land which YAHUAH will give you, according as he has promised, that ye shall guard את eth-this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice offering (zebach) of YAHUAH’S Pecach, who passed over the houses of the children of Yashar’el in Mitsrayim, when he smote את eth-the Mitsriym, and את eth-delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
The answer is yes – however we note that this particular slaughter of the lamb was called a zebach (offering) and was of course the prophetic statement of the Mashiach zebach to come. Importantly, we see the predecessor of baptism set forth here – not a mikvah which is more of a ritual bath, but rather the immersion (tabal) of the hyssop in the blood of the lamb. It is this offering that was fully satisfied with the death of Mashiach:
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 17:11
For the soul of the flesh is in the blood: he and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood of him that makes an atonement in the soul.
We conclude with this review:
Husha (Hosea) 6:6-7
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of ELOHIYM more than burnt offerings. 7 But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
Tehilliym (Psalm) 40:6
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire; but a body you have prepared me: burnt offering and sin offering have you not required.
Ivriym (Hebrew) 10:4-6
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he came into the world, he said, In sacrifice and offering you would have no delight, but a body have you prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have had no pleasure.
Tehilliym (Psalm) 51:14-19a
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O ELOHIYM, ELOHAI of my yeshu`ah: and my tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O ADONAI, open my lips; and my mouth shall show forth your praise. 16 For you desire not sacrifice; else would I give it: you delight not in burnt offering (olah). 17 The sacrifices (zebach) of ELOHIYM are a broken ruach: a broken and a contrite heart, O ELOHIYM, you will not despise. 18 Do good in your good pleasure unto את eth-Tsiyon: build the walls of Yerushalayim. 19 Then shall you be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, . . .
Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 7:21-23
Thus says YAHUAH TSEVA’OTH, the ELOHAI of Yashar’el; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. 22 For I spoke not את eth-unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: 23 But את eth-this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your ELOHIYM, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.