Fat

Fat (heleb in Hebrew) denoted the richest and choicest portion of an animal. In Israelite sacrificial law, the fat of animals sacrificed — specifically the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys, and the liver — was reserved exclusively for God and was never to be eaten: "All the fat is the LORD's" (Leviticus 3:16). This prohibition applied to oxen, sheep, and goats offered in sacrifice, though fat from other contexts (e.g., animals that died naturally or were torn) had different regulations.

The dedication of the fat to God appears already in Abel's offering: he brought the "fat portions" (Genesis 4:4) from the firstlings of his flock, which the LORD regarded with favor. The fat's identification with the best and richest portion also gives the term a transferred sense: "the fat of the land" (Genesis 45:18) means its finest produce, and "the fat of wheat" (Psalm 81:16) signifies its finest grain. The priestly burning of the fat on the altar thus symbolized the dedication of the best to God.