Bible Dictionary
Burnt offering
A burnt offering was an animal sacrifice wholly consumed on the altar, except for the ashes. It symbolized complete dedication and surrender to God and was offered daily, on Sabbaths and festivals, and on special occasions.
Definition
A burnt offering was an animal sacrifice wholly consumed by fire on the altar, apart from the ashes. Its Hebrew name means “ascending,” because the offering was regarded as ascending to God in the smoke.
Biblical Usage
Burnt offerings were offered by Abel, Noah, Abraham, and the Hebrews, and later regulated by the law of Moses. They included daily, Sabbath, monthly, festival, dedication, consecration, and free-will offerings. They signified the complete dedication of the offerer to God.
Historical Background
The ceremonies for burnt offerings are detailed in Leviticus. The offering was a “whole burnt offering,” distinguishing it from sacrifices in which only part was consumed.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Hebrew olah; i.e., “ascending,” the whole being consumed by fire, and regarded as ascending to God while being consumed. Part of every offering was burnt in the sacred fire, but this was wholly burnt, a “whole burnt offering.” It was the most frequent form of sacrifice, and apparently the only one mentioned in the book of Genesis. Such were the sacrifices offered by Abel (Gen. 4:3, 4, here called minhah; i.e., “a gift”), Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (Gen. 22:2, 7, 8, 13), and by the Hebrews in Egypt (Ex. 10:25). The law of Moses afterwards prescribed the occasions and the manner in which burnt sacrifices were to be offered. There were “the continual burnt offering” (Ex. 29:38-42; Lev. 6:9-13), “the burnt offering of every sabbath,” which was double the daily one (Num. 28:9, 10), “the burnt offering of every month” (28:11-15), the offerings at the Passover (19-23), at Pentecost (Lev. 23:16), the feast of Trumpets (23:23-25), and on the day of Atonement (Lev. 16). On other occasions special sacrifices were offered, as at the consecration of Aaron (Ex. 29) and the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:5, 62-64). Free-will burnt offerings were also permitted (Lev. 1:13), and were offered at the accession of Solomon to the throne (1 Chr. 29:21), and at the reformation brought about by Hezekiah (2 Chr. 29: 31-35). These offerings signified the complete dedication of the offerers unto God. This is referred to in Rom. 12:1. (See ALTAR, SACRIFICE.)
Smith's Bible Dictionary
The word is applied to the offering which was wholly consumed by fire on the altar, and the whole of which, except the refuse ashes “ascended” in the smoke to God. The meaning of the whole burnt offering was that which is the original idea of all sacrifice, the offering by the sacrificer of himself, soul and body, to God—the submission of his will to the will of the Lord. The ceremonies of the burnt offering are given in detail in the book of Leviticus. [Sacrifice]