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Bible Encyclopedias
Free-Will Offering
The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia
or A term applied to gifts presented out of the benevolence or religious impulse of heart of the giver, and not in fulfilment of any obligation, promise, or vow. It is used as the term for the contributions of Israel to the construction and furnishings of the Tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 35:29, 36:3); for the materials presented for the building of the First Temple (1 Chronicles 29:5b-9, 14); for the gifts for the support of the Temple service under King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:14); for the contributions toward the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, mentioned in the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1:4); for the gifts of Israel in its own land toward religious services (Ezra 3:5); and for the material wealth carried back by Ezra (8:28).
A free-will offering may be a burnt offering or a peace-offering (Ezekiel 46:12; Leviticus 22:18,21); the term is also used of promises or vows made by theworshiper (compare Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Psalms 119:108).
A further classification is made (Leviticus 7:11 et seq.) wherein the PEACE-OFFERING includes the praise-offering ("zebaḥ ha-todah"), the votive offering ("zebaḥ, neder"), and the free-will offering ("zebaḥ nedabah"). The ceremonial of these offerings (Leviticus 7:29,30,34) provided that the fat parts should be burned as in the regulations of the BURNT OFFERING, but that the breast should be Aaron's and his sons' (verse 31), and the other flesh should be eaten only on the day of sacrifice in the case of the praise-offering, but also on the second day in the case of the votive and free-will offerings (Leviticus 7:16; 19:5,6). According to the general statement (Leviticus 22:21,22) the animal presented must be perfect, with no blemish. But in the next verse (23) an exception is made in favor of the free-will offering, which may have "anything superfluous or lacking" in its parts. In Leviticus 22:18-21 there seem to be but two divisions of the peace-offering, namely, (1) the votive and (2) the free-will offering; while in Numbers 15:8 "peace-offerings" is apparently used as synonymous with "free-will offering" (compare verse 3).
Free-will offerings were made especially on great feast-days: (1) the Feast of Unleavened Bread (2 Chronicles 35:7-9; compare 30:24), (2) the Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:10; compare 26:1-11), (3) the Feast of Tabernacles (Ezra 3:4,5; compare Numbers 29:39; Leviticus 23:37,38).
- Nowack, Handbuch der Hebräischen Archäologie, 1894, 2:238 et seq.;
- Benzinger, Hebräische Archäologie, 1892, pp. 445 et seq.
These files are public domain.
Singer, Isidore, Ph.D, Projector and Managing Editor. Entry for 'Free-Will Offering'. 1901 The Jewish Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tje/f/free-will-offering.html. 1901.
