Leviticus 3:4
וְאֵת שְׁתֵּי הַכְּלָיֹת וְאֶת־הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עֲלֵהֶן אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַכְּסָלִים וְאֶת־הַיֹּתֶרֶת עַל־הַכָּבֵד עַל־הַכְּלָיוֹת יְסִירֶֽנָּה׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
וְאֵת֙ שְׁתֵּ֣י הַכְּלָיֹ֔ת וְאֶת־הַחֵ֙לֶב֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עֲלֵהֶ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־הַכְּסָלִ֑ים וְאֶת־הַיֹּתֶ֙רֶת֙ עַל־הַכָּבֵ֔ד עַל־הַכְּלָי֖וֹת יְסִירֶֽנָּה׃
καὶ τοὺς δύο νεφροὺς καὶ τὸ στέαρ τὸ ἐπ’ αὐτῶν, τὸ ἐπὶ τῶν μηρίων, καὶ τὸν λοβὸν τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἥπατος σὺν τοῖς νεφροῖς περιελεῖ.
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
duos renes cum adipe quo teguntur ilia, et reticulum jecoris cum renunculis.
los dos riñones con la grasa que los cubre cerca de los lomos, y la parte superior del hígado, que quitará junto con los riñones.
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
Y los dos riñones, y el sebo que está sobre ellos, y sobre los ijares, y con los riñones quitará el redaño que está sobre el hígado.
both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys.
✦ What the text says
Summary
The verse specifies which internal organs and fat portions must be removed from the sacrificial animal: the two kidneys, the fat surrounding them near the loins, and the lobe attached to the liver. All these parts are objects of a single verb at the end of the sentence, indicating they are removed together as part of the same ritual action.
Key words
- kelayot ("kidneys", H3629) — feminine plural noun, appearing twice (dual referent "the two kidneys," then again near the end as the point of reference for removing the liver lobe).
- chelev ("fat", H2459) — masculine singular noun marked with the object marker 'et (H0853), identifying it as fat specifically located "on them" (the kidneys).
- yoteret ("lobe", H3508) — feminine singular noun, referring to the appendage attached "on the liver" (kaved, H3516).
- yasir ("he will remove", H5493G) — hiphil (causative) imperfect verb, third person masculine singular; the causative stem indicates an intentional act of "causing to turn aside/removing," and the imperfect aspect marks it as an action to be carried out.
- 'asher ("which", H0834A) — relative particle used twice to introduce descriptive clauses ("which is on them," "which is on the loins"), linking the fat to its precise location.
What the text says
The Hebrew sentence places three objects — marked successively by the object marker 'et (H0853) — before the verb that governs them all: she.Tei ha.Ke.la.Yot ("the two kidneys"), ha.Che.lev 'a.Sher 'a.le.Hen 'a.Sher 'al-ha.Ke.sa.Lim ("the fat that is on them, that is on the loins"), and ha.Yo.Te.ret 'al-ha.Ka.Ved 'al-ha.Ke.la.Yot ("the lobe on the liver, on the kidneys"). This object-first, verb-last structure is common in Hebrew ritual instruction, listing the components before stating the single action that applies to all of them.
The verb yesirennah (H5493G + H9034) closes the sentence, carrying a feminine singular suffix ("it/her") that grammatically refers back to yoteret ("lobe"), the closest preceding feminine singular noun, even though the action encompasses all listed items. The relative clauses with 'asher (H0834A) function to pinpoint locations precisely — first anchoring the fat to the kidneys, then to the loins — showing how Hebrew uses layered relative clauses rather than compound adjectives to build spatial description.
Differences between versions
The Hebrew yoteret ("lobe", H3508) is rendered by the LXX as λοβός ("lobe"), matching the Hebrew image of a distinct appendage. The Vulgate instead uses reticulum jecoris ("the netting/covering of the liver"), presenting a different anatomical image — a covering rather than a lobe. The RV1909 follows this alternate tradition with redaño ("caul, membrane"), while the BSB and SBLIBRE retain "lobe" (BSB) or "parte superior" ("upper part," SBLIBRE), closer to the Hebrew term.
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.