Meal Offering
The meal offering was an Old Testament grain offering presented to the Lord, often with oil and frankincense. It expressed worship, thanksgiving, and dedication rather than atonement for specific sin.
At a Glance
The meal offering was an Old Testament grain offering presented to the Lord, often with oil and frankincense. It expressed worship, thanksgiving, and dedication rather than atonement for specific sin.
Description
The meal offering, often identified with the grain offering in English Bible translations, was an offering of fine flour, cakes, or firstfruits presented to the Lord, typically with oil and frankincense and without leaven or honey in its regular form (Lev. 2). A memorial portion was burned on the altar, and the remainder was given to the priests as most holy food. In context, the offering expressed worship, gratitude, and dedication to God’s provision, and it often accompanied other sacrifices. Interpreters sometimes draw typological connections between the offering’s purity and wholehearted devotion and the perfect obedience of Christ, but Scripture most clearly presents it as a real covenantal offering within Israel’s worship under the Mosaic law.