WORD STUDY – SACRIFICAL OFFERING – קבנ

Leviticus 1:2: “If his offering (qarban) be a burnt offering (olah) of the herd, let him offer (qarban) a male without blemish, he shall offer (qarban) it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.”

Mark 7:11: “But if a man shall say to his father and mother, it is corban, that is a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me.”

There are a number of different Greek words for offering. You have prosphora (gift), anesu (thanksgiving offering), anathema (consecrated offering), thou (sacrifice) or dorn (gift to the temple treasury). Yet even in the Greek text in Mark 7:11 the Aramaic word qorban is used which is a direct parallel to the Hebrew word corban. The reason that even our English text uses the Semitic word is because there no Greek word that parallels the Semitic word. Just as there is no real good word English word for qorban.

In Leviticus 1:2 the word qarban is used for an offering three times and just one time is the word olah used for burnt offering in this verse. An offering is an offering right? Well, not exactly in the Hebrew. Qorban (Aramaic) or qarban (Hebrew) is a word used by the Semitic people to express a deep affection and reverence. There is a Semitic expression, Qorbani which means “you are my sacrifice” or qorbanekh which means I am your sacrifice. The word qorban is often used between two lovers to express their loyalty to each other such that they are willing to die for each other. They are telling each other: “You are worthy of whatever sacrifice I must make, even my own life.” However, like any terms of affection, to use it repeatedly, the term tends to loss much of its punch and merely becomes a conventional phrase like a quick “luv ya” which, when said out of habit without thinking and not from the heart means nothing.

Semitic people in Jesus’s day began to use the word qorban deceptively to avoid actual duties and responsibilities. Not unlike some people who will verbally tear another person apart and remark: “But I say this in love.” Yeah, right.

Qorban also has another meaning as a gift and pledge to God. The idea of using such a strong, affectionate word to mean a gift to God is to express the idea that the offering is meant as a way of telling God, “You are worthy of this sacrifice that I am making.” Qorban is a special offering and in its Semitic root form means to draw near. This is an offering you give when you feel a need to draw near to God. It is a voluntary offering. There is no commandment to give such an offering. There is no reward for giving a Qorban, other than an opportunity to merely express your love for God.

The context of the passage in Mark has Jesus being accused of avoiding tradition. The Pharisees ask why his disciples do not wash their hands. Now the washing of hands had little to do with sanitization and much more to do with religious arrogance. To wash you hands meant that you were washing off any contact with anything related to Gentiles. This was not Mosaic Law but simply the tradition of the Fathers which often had little to do with Mosaic Law. In fact the tradition taught that when you sleep demons enter you body and then move to your hands when you awaken and as demons hate water you wash your hands to wash away the demons. Probably someone observed that when you did not wash your hands you got sick and since they knew nothing of microbes they attributed the sickness to demons.

Jesus was turning the tables around by quoting Isaiah who said: “You honor me with your lips but your heart is far from me.? In other word you elevated tradition above the law to serve your own purpose. The law says to “Honor your parents.” The word “honor” means more than respect, it also means to care and provide for them in their old age. Yet, when the time comes to shell out, they say: “Oh, sorry that money has been designated as a qorban and the idea of qorban is that once it is committed you can not take it back.” The Pharisees made the use of qorban so legalistic that it gave them an excuse to avoid the law. A qorban, however, is more than just an offering, it is an offering to draw near to God. It is more than just money, it could be your time, personal freedoms, or even your life as well.

There is a shadow side to qorban which the Pharisees most likely picked up on. Jesus was showing that even our attempts to draw close to him could be for our benefit alone. The word is spelled: Qof – unholiness, Resh – self-righteousness, Beth – feeling spiritually superior to others, and Nun- coolness as in avoidance of personal relationships. With your lips you may give a qorban, an offering to God to draw closer to Him, when in your heart you are really giving that offering out of unholiness, self righteousness, feeling of superiority and to avoid your personal responsibility to others (I gave at the office).

People expect great reward in a qorban. Qorban may bring you special favor with God so you get that prayer answered and get special blessings. Qorban can bring you honor and respect from others. Ultimately this why Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites, they used Qorban for their own benefit and gain. True Qorban is not throwing ten dollars in the offering plate and expecting to get $100.00 in return. True corban is throwing $10.00 in the offering plate and expecting to feel closer to God. Corban is not throwing $10.00 in the offering plate to buy God’s affection, true corban is throwing $10.00 in the offering plate as a way to express your affection to God.

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