WG: Fat / Best Portion
Overview
This cluster covers cheleb (fat/best portion) in its sacrificial setting: the fat parts are removed, handled with kidneys/caul, burned on the altar, and repeatedly paired with blood. The same Hebrew word also extends figuratively to the "best" or richest portion, so the group distinguishes ritual fat from blood, meat/flesh, and general clean/unclean food categories.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| H2459 |
חֶלֶב |
cheleb |
masculine noun |
69 |
Core term: sacrificial fat, animal fat, or figurative best/choice part |
H2459-cheleb.md |
| H6309 |
פֶּדֶר |
peder |
masculine noun |
3 |
Narrow term for suet/fat in burnt-offering handling |
TODO(need H6309 study) |
| H6999 |
קָטַר |
qatar |
verb |
112 |
Ritual action: burn/make smoke on the altar |
H6999-qatar.md |
| H4196 |
מִזְבֵּחַ |
mizbeach |
masculine noun |
338 |
Ritual location: altar where the fat is burned |
H4196-mizbeach.md |
| H1818 |
דָּם |
dam |
masculine noun |
295 |
Paired sacrificial substance: blood, distinct from fat |
H1818-dam.md |
| H3629 |
כִּלְיָה |
kilyah |
feminine noun |
26 |
Body part regularly removed with surrounding fat |
TODO(need H3629 study) |
| H3508 |
יֹתֶרֶת |
yothereth |
feminine noun |
11 |
Caul/lobe above the liver, always in fat-removal passages |
TODO(need H3508 study) |
| H2077 |
זֶבַח |
zebach |
masculine noun |
153 |
Sacrificial act/flesh to which fat portions belong |
H2077-zebach.md |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- The gatherer reported no shared Hebrew root across the group. Cheleb derives from an unused root meaning "to be fat"; peder derives from an unused root meaning "to be greasy."
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| qatar (H6999) |
mizbeach (H4196) |
48 |
burning sacrificial material on the altar |
| mizbeach (H4196) |
dam (H1818) |
36 |
blood handled/sprinkled at the altar |
| cheleb (H2459) |
mizbeach (H4196) |
17 |
fat burned upon the altar |
| cheleb (H2459) |
qatar (H6999) |
16 |
priestly burning/smoking of fat portions |
| cheleb (H2459) |
dam (H1818) |
13 |
fat and blood paired as distinct sacrificial substances |
| cheleb (H2459) |
kilyah (H3629) |
13 |
fat upon/around the kidneys |
| cheleb (H2459) |
zebach (H2077) |
12 |
"fat of the sacrifice" |
| cheleb (H2459) |
yothereth (H3508) |
11 |
caul/lobe removed with fat and kidneys |
| kilyah (H3629) |
yothereth (H3508) |
11 |
fixed anatomical removal formula |
| dam (H1818) |
zebach (H2077) |
10 |
blood of the sacrifice |
LXX Overlaps
| Hebrew Words |
Shared Greek |
Notes |
| mizbeach + qatar + cheleb + dam |
θυσιαστήριον (G2379) |
Altar is the central LXX bridge for the sacrificial cluster |
| kilyah + yothereth + cheleb |
νεφρός (G3510) |
Kidney/fat-removal context binds the anatomical terms |
| qatar + mizbeach + cheleb |
ἀναφέρω (G399) |
Offering-up language overlaps with altar/fat handling |
| cheleb + yothereth + kilyah |
περιαιρέω (G4014) |
Removal/stripping language for fat and adjacent parts |
| dam + cheleb |
αἷμα (G129) |
Blood pairing helps distinguish substances rather than equate them |
Roles in the Concept
- Core substance / quality: cheleb (חֶלֶב) — fat itself and, by extension, the best or choice part
- Narrow fat term: peder (פֶּדֶר) — suet/fat in a small number of burnt-offering texts
- Ritual action: qatar (קָטַר) — make smoke/burn sacrificial material
- Ritual place: mizbeach (מִזְבֵּחַ) — altar where fat is burned
- Paired but distinct substance: dam (דָּם) — blood, often named beside fat but not identical with it
- Anatomical removal terms: kilyah (כִּלְיָה) and yothereth (יֹתֶרֶת) — kidneys and caul/lobe repeatedly handled with the fat portions
- Sacrificial frame: zebach (זֶבַח) — sacrifice/slaughter to which these fat portions belong
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Exo 23:18 — [cheleb + dam + zebach] "the blood of my sacrifice... the fat of my sacrifice"
- Exo 29:13 — [cheleb + qatar + mizbeach + kilyah + yothereth] fat, kidneys, caul/liver portion burned on altar
- Lev 3:16-17 — [cheleb + qatar + mizbeach + dam] fat burned to YHWH; fat and blood not eaten
- Lev 7:23-25 — [cheleb + akal concept] no eating fat of ox, sheep, or goat; sacrificial-fat restriction
- Lev 17:6 — [dam + mizbeach + cheleb + qatar] blood sprinkled at altar; fat burned for sweet savour
- Eze 44:15 — [cheleb + dam] Zadokite priests offer "the fat and the blood"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, gather_word_data.py
Last updated: 2026-05-16