Burnt offering
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, Gen 4:4, here called minhah; i.e., “a gift”), Noah (Gen 8:20), Abraham (Gen 22:2, Gen 22:7, Gen 22:8, Gen 22:13), 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, Num 28:10), “the burnt offering of every month” (Num 28:11–15), the offerings at the Passover (19-23), at Pentecost (Lev 23:16), the feast of Trumpets (Lev 23:23–25), and on the day of Atonement (Lev 16:1–34).
On other occasions special sacrifices were offered, as at the consecration of Aaron (Ex 29:1–46) and the dedication of the temple (1 Kgs 8:5, 1 Kgs 8:62-64).
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 29:1–36: 31-35).
These offerings signified the complete dedication of the offerers unto God. This is referred to in Rom 12:1. (See Altar, Sacrifice.)
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), by Matthew George Easton.
