Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces,
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy to overlook that the offerer himself, not just the priests, was involved in flaying and cutting the animal. This demonstrates that approaching God requires personal engagement, not just handing the task over to someone else. The skin, which was the priest's portion, subtly reminds us of the righteousness we receive through Christ, a covering that enables us to stand before God.
Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces,
English Standard Version (ESV)
After the animal is presented and its blood sprinkled, the next step in the burnt offering ritual is for the animal to be skinned and cut into pieces. This preparation allows the priests to then arrange the parts on the altar for complete burning as an offering to the Lord.
Imagine bringing your prized animal to the altar. Who then takes over, and what does that tell us about approaching God?
The text uses the singular "he shall flay," which scholars debate. Some think it's the offerer, others the priest. Regardless, the action of preparing the sacrifice, even after the blood has been sprinkled, highlights a transition.
The sacrifice isn't just thrown whole onto the fire. It's deliberately taken apart. What does this dismemberment reveal about God's requirements?
The instruction to "cut it into his pieces" wasn't random. It meant dividing the animal into its natural parts (head, legs, inwards, etc.).
Ask a follow-up
The skin of the sacrifice had a special destiny. What does this one part, set aside, symbolize?
While the flesh of the burnt offering was consumed on the altar, the skin was the perquisite of the priest (Leviticus 7:8).
Understand the original words
arah · Hebrew Verb
The act of removing the skin from an animal, often associated with preparation for sacrifice, symbolizing the total exposure and submission of the offering before God.
olah · Hebrew Noun
A voluntary or prescribed sacrifice, often consumed entirely by fire, symbolizing complete dedication, surrender, and atonement for the worshipper before God.
This passage describes Jesus' tunic being seamless, contrasting with the flaying and division of the sacrificial animal, highlighting Jesus' completeness and intactness as the ultimate sacrifice.
Hebrews 10:5This verse speaks of Christ's body being prepared, directly linking the physical preparation of the sacrifice (flaying and cutting) to Jesus' own willing offering of His body.
Romans 12:1Paul exhorts believers to present their bodies as a 'living sacrifice,' drawing a parallel between the physical dismemberment of the animal and the complete self-offering required of believers in devotion to God.
Genesis 3:21God making garments of skin for Adam and Eve foreshadows the covering provided by Christ's sacrifice, where the 'skin' of the sacrifice, often given to the priest, can symbolize the righteousness that covers us.
gillLeviticus 1:6: "And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces."
And he shall flay the burnt offering,.... Take off its skin; this was the only part of it that was not burnt, and was the property of the priest, Leviticus 7:8 but who this was done by is not so manifest, since it is in the singular number "he", and seems to be the bringer of the offering; for Aaron's sons, the priests that sprinkled the blood, are spoken of plurally; and agreeably, Gersom observes, that the flay…
clarkeLeviticus 1:6: "And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces."
He shall flay - Probably meaning the person who brought the sacrifice, who, according to some of the rabbins, killed, flayed, cut up, and washed the sacrifice, and then presented the parts and the blood to the priest, that he might burn the one, and sprinkle the other upon the altar. But it is certain that the priests also, and the Levites, flayed the victims, and the priest had the skin to himself; see Leviticus…
It's easy to overlook that the offerer himself, not just the priests, was involved in flaying and cutting the animal. This demonstrates that approaching God requires personal engagement, not just handing the task over to someone else. The skin, which was the priest's portion, subtly reminds us of the righteousness we receive through Christ, a covering that enables us to stand before God.
After the animal is presented and its blood sprinkled, the next step in the burnt offering ritual is for the animal to be skinned and cut into pieces. This preparation allows the priests to then arrange the parts on the altar for complete burning as an offering to the Lord.
After the animal is presented and its blood sprinkled, the next step in the burnt offering ritual is for the animal to be skinned and cut into pieces. This preparation allows the priests to then arrange the parts on the altar for complete burning as an offering to the Lord.
"Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces," — It's easy to overlook that the offerer himself, not just the priests, was involved in flaying and cutting the animal. This demonstrates that approaching God requires personal engagement, not just h…
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Last reviewed October 2026