Leviticus 3:15

Summary

The verse lists the specific fatty parts of an animal that must be separated for the offering: both kelayot ("kidneys", H3629), the chelev ("fat", H2459) covering them near the loins, and the yoteret ("lobe", H3508) attached to the liver. The clause ends with a single verb stating that this material "he will remove."

Key words

• kelayot ("kidneys", H3629) — feminine plural noun, appearing twice (vv. 3-4 and again at the end), marking the anatomical reference point for the fat portions.
• chelev ("fat", H2459) — masculine singular noun, the general term for the internal fat layer that must be excised.
• yoteret ("lobe", H3508) — feminine singular noun, naming a specific anatomical appendage attached to the liver.
• 'asher ("which", H0834A) — relative particle used twice, each time introducing a clause that locates the fat ("which is on them," "which is on the loins").
• yesirennah ("he will remove it", H5493G) — hiphil (causative) imperfect verb with a 3rd person feminine singular object suffix (-nah, H9034), closing the sentence after four separate direct objects have been named.

What the text says

The sentence is built as a chain of direct objects, each introduced by the marker 'et (H0853): the two kelayot, the chelev that is on them, and the yoteret that is on the kaved ("liver", H3516) which is itself located near the kelayot. Two relative clauses with 'asher (H0834A) specify location rather than identity: the fat is "on them" (on the kidneys) and "on the loins" (kesalim, H3689). This layering means the text does not simply name three items but nests them by physical position, with the kelayot serving as the anchoring landmark mentioned at both the beginning and the end of the verse.

The verb yesirennah (H5493G) appears only once, at the very end, governing all the previously listed objects. Its suffix -nah (H9034) is feminine singular, agreeing grammatically with the closest preceding feminine singular noun, yoteret ("lobe", H3508), even though the action logically applies to the whole set of fat parts named earlier. This is a feature of Hebrew syntax where a single verb with one grammatical antecedent stands for the removal of multiple items described in the sentence.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew yoteret (H3508) denotes a "lobe" or appendage on the liver. The LXX renders this with λοβὸν τοῦ ἥπατος ("lobe of the liver"), matching the Hebrew term closely. The Vulgate, however, renders it as arvinam jecoris ("fat of the liver"), describing the item as fatty tissue rather than as a distinct lobe-shaped structure, a divergence in how the anatomical term is understood.