Liver
“Heavy (the liver being the heaviest of the viscera)”
Summary
The heaviest internal organ, significant in Israelite sacrifices and ancient pagan divination practices.
☩Sacrificial Significance
The liver appears prominently in Levitical legislation regarding sacrifices. The 'caul above the liver' (or the great lobe of the liver itself) was burned upon the altar and not eaten as sacrificial food (Exodus 29:13, 22; Leviticus 3:4, 10, 15; 4:9; 7:4; 8:16, 25; 9:10, 19). This portion, along with the fat, represented the choicest part offered to God.
☩Symbol of Life and Emotion
The liver was considered by ancient peoples, including Greeks and Romans, as the seat of passions such as love and pride. Wounds to the liver were considered mortal; thus 'a dart through his liver' (Proverbs 7:23) and 'my liver is poured out upon the earth' (Lamentations 2:11) are expressions signifying death itself or overwhelming grief.
☩Pagan Divination
Ezekiel 21:21 references the Babylonian practice of hepatoscopy—divination by examining the liver of sacrificed animals. The king of Babylon 'looked upon the liver' to determine whether to attack Jerusalem. The liver was considered 'the prophesying tripod of all divination' by ancient practitioners, and this practice was widespread among Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans. Scripture condemns such divination as pagan superstition.
Related Verses14 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Liver," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Liver," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.John Kitto, "Liver," in A Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, vol. II (Mark H. Newman, 1845).