Lexical Summary
qorban: Offering, Sacrifice, Gift
Original Word: קָרְבָּן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qorban
Pronunciation: kor-BAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (kor-bawn')
KJV: oblation, that is offered, offering
Word Origin: [from H7126 (קָרַב - offer)]
1. something brought near the altar, i.e. a sacrificial present
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
oblation, that is offered, offering
Or qurban {koor-bawn'}; from qarab; something brought near the altar, i.e. A sacrificial present -- oblation, that is offered, offering.
see HEBREW qarab
Brown-Driver-Briggs
80 Lev 6:13 (Assyrian
kurbannu, id., apparently always with Dl
HWB 351); — absolute
Leviticus 1:2 +; construct
Leviticus 2:1 +; Sf.
Numbers 28:2 plural suffix
Leviticus 7:38; —
offering, oblation, General term for all kinds of offering (only Ezekiel Leviticus Numbers [H P]): animal
Leviticus 1:2,3,10 +, vegetable
Leviticus 2:1 (twice in verse);
Leviticus 2:5 +, articles of gold
Numbers 31:50, silver
Numbers 7:13 +, etc., as accusative of congnate meaning with verb after
Leviticus 1:2 (twice in verse);
Leviticus 3:14;
Numbers 6:14 + (see √ (5)); cstr
Leviticus 2:1,4,13
Leviticus 2:12 Leviticus 22:27;
Numbers 9:7,13 (compareNumbers 31:50).
[] ; — construct wood-offering for second temple Nehemiah 10:35; Nehemiah 13:31.
II. (√ of following; compare Assyrian kirbu, midst; Late Hebrew [] plural entrails (rare); MI23,24 in the midst of the city; perhaps also Arabic 👁 Image
heart).
Topical Lexicon
Essential Concept קָרְבָּן (qorban) describes any gift presented to the LORD at His sanctuary. Unlike terms that specify type (burnt, grain, sin, etc.), qorban stresses the act of drawing near to God with something dedicated to Him. At its heart stands the principle that access to the Holy One requires a divinely-appointed offering, whether for atonement, thanksgiving, fellowship, or consecration.
Occurrences and Distribution
Approximately eighty-two instances appear almost entirely in Leviticus (forty-two) and Numbers (thirty-four), with a small cluster in Ezekiel’s temple vision (six). The concentration in priestly literature underlines its technical liturgical character. Typical formula: “If anyone presents a qorban to the LORD…” (Leviticus 1:2).
Categories of Offerings Referred to as Qorban
1. Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1:2-17).
2. Grain Offering (Leviticus 2:1-16).
3. Fellowship/Peace Offering (Leviticus 3:1-17).
4. Sin Offering (Leviticus 4:23-32).
5. Guilt/Reparation Offering (Leviticus 5:15-18).
6. Dedication Gifts for Tabernacle service (Numbers 7:3-88).
7. Voluntary tribute on special occasions, e.g., the officers’ jewels after war (Numbers 31:50).
All five principal sacrifices could be termed “qorban,” demonstrating that every approach to God—voluntary or obligatory—was grounded in His ordained means.
Function in Covenant Worship
1. Mediation of Atonement
“Then the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven” (Leviticus 4:31). Qorban therefore safeguarded the covenant relationship by satisfying divine justice.
2. Fellowship and Communion
The peace offering was “the food of the LORD’s offering by fire” (Leviticus 3:11), a shared meal symbolizing harmony between worshiper, priest, and God.
3. Thanksgiving and Praise
Freewill grain offerings (Leviticus 2:1) expressed gratitude for daily provision; inclusion of salt (Leviticus 2:13) signified covenant permanence.
4. Consecration of Persons and Things
Nazirite completion offerings (Numbers 6:14) and Levitical ordination (Numbers 8:11-12) employed qorban to set servants apart for holy duty.
5. Sanctification of Sacred Space
Tribal leaders’ gifts (Numbers 7) equipped the altar before regular service began, illustrating communal responsibility for corporate worship.
Holiness and Atonement
Qorban theology intertwines God’s holiness and mercy. Sin alienates; sacrifice restores. The repeated refrain “an aroma pleasing to the LORD” (e.g., Leviticus 1:9) signifies divine acceptance, not because of intrinsic animal value, but by obedient faith in God’s provision. Blood applied “on the horns of the altar” (Leviticus 4:25) dramatized substitutionary death, prefiguring ultimate redemption.
Voluntary Devotion and Thankfulness
While some qorbanot were mandatory, many were spontaneous. “If someone brings a freewill offering to the LORD…” (Leviticus 22:18). Such liberty safeguarded the heart of worship from mere ritualism, teaching Israel that the covenant God delights in cheerful givers (compare 2 Corinthians 9:7).
Prophetic and Eschatological Outlook
Ezekiel’s temple vision reaffirms qorban in the future order: “You shall provide a lamb a year old without blemish as a daily burnt offering to the LORD” (Ezekiel 46:13). The language intentionally recalls the Torah, assuring exiles of restored worship and foreshadowing Messianic fulfillment rather than instituting an alternate means of salvation.
Christological and New Covenant Fulfillment
All qorbanot converge in Jesus Christ:
• He is the once-for-all sin offering—“Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
• He embodies the grain offering—unleavened, anointed, wholly pleasing.
• He is our peace—“having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20).
The tearing of the veil (Matthew 27:51) proclaims that the goal of qorban, access to God, is permanently achieved in the Messiah.
Practical Ministry Implications Today
1. Preaching the Gospel: Old Testament qorban provides rich imagery for expounding substitutionary atonement.
2. Worship: Though animal sacrifice is obsolete, the principle of coming to God on His terms endures (Hebrews 10:19-22).
3. Stewardship: Voluntary offerings encourage believers to present “your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1).
4. Corporate Unity: Israel’s communal presentations (Numbers 7) model collective responsibility for the house of God.
Thus קָרְבָּן unfolds the storyline of Scripture: sinners draw near through a divinely appointed offering, culminating in the supreme self-offering of Jesus Christ, by whom “we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place” (Hebrews 10:19).
Forms and Transliterations
הַקָּרְבָֽן׃ הקרבן׃ וְקָרְבָּנ֞וֹ וּלְקֻרְבַּ֧ן ולקרבן וקרבנו לְקָרְבַּ֥ן לקרבן קָ֠רְבָּנָם קָרְבְּנֵיהֶ֛ם קָרְבַּ֖ן קָרְבַּ֣ן קָרְבַּ֤ן קָרְבַּ֥ן קָרְבַּן֩ קָרְבַּנְכֶֽם׃ קָרְבָּ֔ן קָרְבָּ֖ן קָרְבָּן֙ קָרְבָּנ֑וֹ קָרְבָּנ֔וֹ קָרְבָּנ֖וֹ קָרְבָּנ֛וֹ קָרְבָּנ֜וֹ קָרְבָּנ֞וֹ קָרְבָּנ֣וֹ קָרְבָּנ֤וֹ קָרְבָּנ֧וֹ קָרְבָּנְךָ֖ קָרְבָּנִ֨י קָרְבָּנֶ֑ךָ קָרְבָּנָ֔ם קָרְבָּנָ֖ם קָרְבָּנָ֜ם קָרְבָּנָהּ֙ קָרְבָּנֽוֹ׃ קָרְבָּנוֹ֙ קֻרְבַּ֣ן קרבן קרבנה קרבנו קרבנו׃ קרבני קרבניהם קרבנך קרבנכם׃ קרבנם hakkareVan haq·qā·rə·ḇān haqqārəḇān karBan kareBan karebaNah karebaNam karebanChem karebaNecha karebaNi karebaNo Karebanom karebeneiHem korban kurBan lə·qā·rə·ban lekarBan ləqārəban qā·rə·bā·nāh qā·rə·bā·nām qā·rə·bā·ne·ḵā qā·rə·bā·nə·ḵā qā·rə·bā·nî qā·rə·bā·nōw qā·rə·ban qā·rə·ban·ḵem qā·rə·bə·nê·hem qār·bān qārbān qārəban qārəbānāh qārəbānām qārəbāneḵā qārəbānəḵā qārəbānî qārəbanḵem qārəbānōw qārəbənêhem qur·ban qurban ū·lə·qur·ban ulekurBan ūləqurban vekarebaNo wə·qā·rə·bā·nōw wəqārəbānōw
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