What Does Leviticus 9:13 Mean?
And they handed him the rising offering, piece by piece, and the head; and he sent them up in smoke upon the altar.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And they presented the burnt offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head: and he burnt them upon the altar.THE KEY
The burnt offering is an olah, “what rises”, so its Hebrew name carries the offering’s upward movement through fire.
THE MEANING
The offering reaches the altar in distinct pieces, with its head, and is made smoke there. Its Hebrew name carries the motion of rising: the scene joins division with ascent.
THE ROOT
עֹלָה
ʿōlāh
GROWS FROM
עלה
to go up, rise, ascend
“rising offering” in this verse is ʿōlāh. The Hebrew name carries a motion that the English phrase leaves beneath its focus on fire: ascent. The separated pieces are the concrete offering, while its name describes the movement of what is given.
ALSO GROWS
ʿālāh: to go up, rise, ascend
עָלָה
This verb makes the upward motion within the name explicit.
ʿaliyyah: ascent, going up
עֲלִיָּה
This noun carries the same root motion named by the burnt offering.
לִנְתָחֶיהָ
linetacheha
GROWS FROM
נתח
to cut or divide into pieces
The word for “pieces” comes from a root of cutting and division. Beside olah, it holds two motions in one scene: the offering is divided, then rises as smoke.
ALSO GROWS
nētaḥ: a piece or segment
נֵתַח
This is the singular form behind the portions named in the verse.
netaḥim: pieces or portions
נְתָחִים
The plural shows the offering presented as distinct parts.
וַיַּקְטֵר
wayyaqter
GROWS FROM
קטר
to make smoke, burn incense
“sent up in smoke” in this verse is wayyaqter. The verb translated “burnt” belongs to the same root family as incense and smoke. The fire is not only an ending for the offering; the root evokes its becoming smoke on the altar.
ALSO GROWS
qetoret: incense
קְטֹרֶת
Incense is the smoke-producing substance named by this root family.
hiqṭîr: to burn incense or make smoke rise
הִקְטִיר
This related verb makes the smoke-making action explicit.
THE PATTERN
An offering is made visible as something given over to God, through altar fire or self-giving.
And Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean beast and of every clean bird, and sent up rising offerings on the altar.And its inward parts and its legs he shall wash in water, and the priest shall send all of it up in smoke upon the altar, a rising offering, an offering of fire, a fragrance that settles to the LORD.And walk in love, as the Anointed One also loved us and handed himself over for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, a fragrance that settles sweetly.THE THREAD
And Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean beast and of every clean bird, and sent up rising offerings on the altar.The Hebrew word translated “burnt offerings” here is עֹלוֹת (ʿolot), the plural of עֹלָה (ʿōlāh), from עלה, “to rise.” The shared root gives both scenes the same motion: an offering is something that goes up.
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