Encyclopedia entry
Fat
(Heb. heleb) denotes the richest part of the animal, or the fattest of the flock, in the account of Abel’s sacrifice (Gen. 4:4). It sometimes denotes the best of any production (Gen. 45:18; Num. 18:12; Ps. 81:16; 147:47). The fat of sacrifices was to be burned (Lev. 3:9-11; 4:8; 7:3; 8:25; Num. 18:17. Comp. Ex. 29:13-22; Lev. 3:3-5).
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
i.e. VAT, the word employed in the Authorized Version to translate the Hebrew term yekeb, in (Joel 2:24; 3:13) The word commonly used for yekeb is “winepress” or “winefat,” and once “pressfat.” (Haggai 2:16) The “vats” appear to have been excavated out of the native rock of the hills on which the vineyards lay.
The Hebrews distinguished between the suet or pure fat of an animal and the fat which was intermixed with the lean. (Nehemiah 8:10) Certain restrictions were imposed upon them in reference to the former; some parts of the suet, viz., about the stomach, the entrails, the kidneys, and the tail of a sheep, which grows to an excessive size in many eastern countries, and produces a large quantity of rich fat, were forbidden to be eaten in the case of animals offered to Jehovah in sacrifice. (Leviticus 3:3,9,17; 7:3,23) The ground of the prohibition was that the fat was the richest part of the animal, and therefore belonged to him. (Leviticus 3:16) The burning of the fat of sacrifices was particularly specified in each kind of offering.
In the Bible
108
Verses where Fat is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- 1 Chronicles 4:40
There they found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful, and quiet; for some Hamites had lived there formerly.
- 1 Kings 1:9
And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah who were servants of the king.
- 1 Kings 1:19
And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he has not invited your servant Solomon.
- 1 Kings 1:25
For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
- 1 Kings 4:23
ten fat oxen, twenty range oxen, and a hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened poultry.
- 1 Kings 8:64
On that same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to contain all these offerings.
+102 more verses naming Fat.
Scripture on Fat
68
See all 68 +−
- Ezekiel 34Exodus 29Numbers 18Deuteronomy 321 Samuel 21 Kings 1Genesis 4Genesis 41Genesis 45Leviticus 1Judges 31 Samuel 15Nehemiah 8Nehemiah 9Psalms 17Isaiah 28Isaiah 34Ezekiel 44Joel 2Haggai 2Genesis 49Exodus 23Leviticus 6Leviticus 10Leviticus 16Leviticus 17Numbers 13Deuteronomy 311 Samuel 282 Samuel 11 Kings 41 Kings 81 Chronicles 42 Chronicles 72 Chronicles 292 Chronicles 35Job 15Psalms 22Psalms 37Psalms 81Psalms 92Psalms 119Proverbs 11Proverbs 13Proverbs 15Proverbs 28Isaiah 1Isaiah 5Isaiah 6Isaiah 10Isaiah 17Isaiah 25Isaiah 30Isaiah 43Isaiah 58Isaiah 63Jeremiah 5Jeremiah 50Ezekiel 39Ezekiel 45Amos 5Habakkuk 1Zechariah 11
Entries that reference Fat
1
Voices on Fat
24
Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.
Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.