WG: Sacrifice (OT Offering System)
Overview
The Mosaic sacrificial system uses seven core Hebrew words that form an interconnected offering taxonomy. Each word designates a distinct offering type with specific animals, procedures, and purposes. Leviticus 7:37 lists them together: "the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings." These words co-occur heavily in Leviticus and Numbers, with 67 verses containing three or more members simultaneously.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| H5930 |
עֹלָה |
olah |
f. noun |
262 |
Whole burnt offering — entirely consumed, total dedication |
H5930-olah.md |
| H8002 |
שֶׁלֶם |
shelem |
m. noun |
84 |
Peace/fellowship offering — shared meal, thanksgiving, vow |
H8002-shelem.md |
| H2077 |
זֶבַח |
zebach |
m. noun |
153 |
General slaughter-sacrifice — the act and flesh of sacrifice |
H2077-zebach.md |
| H7133 |
קׇרְבָּן |
qorban |
m. noun |
78 |
Oblation/offering brought near — generic presentation term |
TODO(need H7133 study) |
| H4503 |
מִנְחָה |
minchah |
f. noun |
194 |
Grain/meat offering — non-blood offering, tribute |
H4503-minchah.md |
| H2403 |
חַטָּאָה |
chattaah |
f. noun |
270 |
Sin offering — addresses defilement and purification |
H2403-chattaah.md |
| H817 |
אָשָׁם |
asham |
m. noun |
41 |
Trespass/guilt offering — addresses liability requiring restitution |
H817-asham.md |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- shelem (H8002) derives from shalam (H7999) "to be complete, make restitution" — the same root as shalom
- chattaah (H2403) derives from chata (H2398) "to miss, sin"
- asham (H817) derives from asham verb (H816) "to be guilty, offend"
- zebach (H2077) derives from zabach (H2076) "to slaughter"
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| shelem (H8002) |
zebach (H2077) |
51 |
zebach shelamim — the standard construct pair "sacrifice of peace offerings" |
| olah (H5930) |
chattaah (H2403) |
47 |
"burnt offering and sin offering" — paired in purification rituals |
| olah (H5930) |
zebach (H2077) |
43 |
"sacrifices and burnt offerings" — general worship summary |
| olah (H5930) |
minchah (H4503) |
43 |
"burnt offering and meat offering" — daily-offering pair |
| shelem (H8002) |
olah (H5930) |
37 |
"burnt offerings and peace offerings" — complete worship pair |
| minchah (H4503) |
chattaah (H2403) |
23 |
Grain offering alongside sin offering in combined rituals |
| qorban (H7133) |
minchah (H4503) |
21 |
"his offering... a meat offering" — qorban introduces minchah |
| shelem (H8002) |
qorban (H7133) |
19 |
"his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering" |
| chattaah (H2403) |
asham (H817) |
13 |
"sin offering and trespass offering" — the two expiatory types |
LXX Overlaps
| Hebrew Words |
Shared Greek |
Notes |
| zebach + shelem + olah + minchah + qorban |
θυσία (G2378) |
Greek collapses multiple Hebrew distinctions into one generic "sacrifice" |
| shelem + zebach |
σωτήριον (G4992) |
LXX renders peace offering as "salvation offering" |
| olah |
ὁλοκαύτωμα (G3646) |
Precise equivalent — "whole-burnt" |
| chattaah + asham |
ἁμαρτία (G266) |
Greek conflates sin offering and guilt offering under "sin" |
| qorban + minchah |
δῶρον (G1435) |
Both → "gift" in Greek |
Roles in the Concept
- Total dedication: olah (עֹלָה) — entirely consumed by fire, nothing returned to offerer; represents complete surrender to God
- Fellowship/thanksgiving: shelem (שֶׁלֶם) — offerer eats a portion, the only offering involving a communal meal; represents restored relationship and gratitude
- General sacrifice: zebach (זֶבַח) — the slaughter-act itself; often paired with shelem in the construct zebach shelamim
- Presentation/approach: qorban (קׇרְבָּן) — generic term for anything "brought near" to God; an umbrella category
- Grain tribute: minchah (מִנְחָה) — non-blood offering of flour, oil, and frankincense; the only bloodless offering type
- Purification from defilement: chattaah (חַטָּאָה) — addresses sin-contamination and ritual impurity; blood applied to purify sacred spaces
- Restitution for violation: asham (אָשָׁם) — addresses specific trespass with measurable damage; uniquely requires repayment plus 20% surcharge
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Lev 7:37 — [olah + minchah + chattaah + asham + shelem + zebach] — "This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings" (all six named in one verse)
- Num 6:14 — [olah + chattaah + shelem + qorban] — Nazirite completion requires four offering types
- Lev 9:22 — [olah + chattaah + shelem] — Aaron's inaugural three-offering sequence
- Exo 24:5 — [olah + shelem + zebach] — Sinai covenant ratification
- 2 Chr 29:35 — [olah + shelem] — Hezekiah's temple rededication
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py, co-occurrence queries
Last updated: 2026-05-03