In regard to the meaning and import of the burnt offering, there is much that is common to it with sacrifices in general, and somewhat also peculiar to itself. A discussion of the former will be found in the article SACRIFICE; the latter must be briefly indicated here. Being a bloody sacrifice, it falls under the head of expiatory, as distinguished from eucharistical offerings. This is evident, not only from the general principle stated in Lev. xvii. but because, in the special directions given for the burnt-offering, an expiatory nature is expressly ascribed to it (Lev. i. 4). With regard to its dis tinction from other kinds of expiatory sacrifice, various opinions have been maintained. The Jewish Rabbins for the most part ascribe to it a special re ference to sins of thought, the name being derived from the verb to ascend, and, therefore, referring to what ascends, i. e., in the heart. Other explana tions refer them to other special classes of sins. Philo and many of the moderns explain the total burning of the animal as symbolical of the wor shipper's entire dedication of himself to God ; and this is not improbably a part of the symbolical import of the burnt-offering. But its true and leading characteristic seems to have been its general and comprehensive character. This is indicated by its early use, by the position assigned to it in rela tion to the other sacrifices in the Mosaic ritual, and also by the use made of the blood in the ceremony which was the most general of all, consisting simply in sprinkling the altar, and not any more peculiarly sacred places, as the veil or the horns of the altar, as was the case with some other sacrifices. It had not, like the sin-offering and the trespass-offering, reference to any special and definite offences to be atoned for. It was not, in any case, the appointed
means of restoration to the covenant standing of the Jews, for those who had, by a breach of the ceremonial law, forfeited this standing. It was rather the offering of those who were in this cove nant relation ; and as the morning and evening sacrifice, it was the continual expression of the devout feelings of the worshippers. Its expiatory nature thus had respect to the continual sinfulness and shortcomings, even of those who are in a state of reconciliation with God ; and it presented to the mind of the spiritual Israelite the great truth that no man can acceptably approach to God, except as a sinner trusting in his mercy; and that without shedding of blood there is no remission of s'ns. And thus, like all the other sacrifices of the law, it was a type of that true sacrifice which was to be offered in the fulness of time. We cannot doubt, however, that in the entire burning of the victim on the altar there was also shadowed forth the entire surrender of the worshipper's whole person to the service of God. This self-dedication on the part of the believer is in the N. T. closely connected with the sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor. v. 14, ; Rom. xii. I ; xiv. 7-9). But this idea does not seem to have formed the only or even the chief significance of the ancient burnt-offering. (See Outram, De Sacrifici is, lib. i., c. to ; Bithr's Syni bolik,vol. ii., pp. 361-8; Hofmann's Schriftbeweis, vol. ii., p. 139 foil. ; Fairbairn's 7)Vologv, vol. ii., pp. 352-5 ; Winer's Realworterb., s. v., etc.) J. S. C.