The Hebrews had several kinds of offerings, which they presented at the temple. Some were free-will offerings, and others were of obligation. The first fruits, the tenths, the fin offerings, were of obligation; the peace offerings, vows, offerings of wine, oil, bread, salt, and other things, which were made to the temple or to the ministers of the Lord, were offerings of devotion. The Hebrews called all offerings in general corban. But the offerings of bread, salt, fruits, and liquors, as wine and oil, which were presented to the temple, they called mincha. The sacrifices are not properly offerings, and are not commonly included under that name. See Corban and Sacrifice.
The offerings of grain, meal, bread, cakes, fruits, wine, salt, and oil, were common in the temple. Sometimes these offerings were alone, and sometimes they accompanied the sacrifices. Honey was never offered with the sacrifices; but it might be offered alone in the quality of first fruits. Now these were the rules that were observed in the presenting of those offerings, called in Hebrew mincha, or kerbon mincha; in the Septuagint, offerings of sacrifice; and the same by St Jerome, oblationem sacrifici; but by our translators, meat offerings (Lev. ii. 1, &c.). There were five sorts of these offerings: 1. Fine flour or meal. 2. Cakes of several sorts, baked in an oven. 3. Cakes baked upon a plate. 4. Another sort of cakes, baked upon a gridiron, or plate with holes in it. 5. The first fruits of the new corn, which were offered either pure and without mixture, or roasted or parched in the ear or out of the ear.
The cakes were kneaded with oil olive, or fried with oil in a pan, or only dipped in oil after they were baked. The bread offered to be presented upon the altar, was to be without leaven; for leaven was never offered upon the altar, nor with the sacrifices. But they might make presents of common bread to the priests and ministers of the temple. See Cake, &c.
The offerings now mentioned were appointed on account count of the poorer sort, who could not go to the charge of sacrificing animals. And even those that offered living victims were not excused from giving meal, wine, and salt, which was to go along with the greater sacrifices. And also those that offered only oblations of bread or of meal, offered also oil, incense, salt, and wine, which were in a manner the seasoning of it. The priest in waiting received the offerings from the hand of him that offered them; laid a part of them upon the altar, and referred the rest for his own subsistence: that was his right as a minister of the Lord. Nothing was burnt quite up but the incense, of which the priest kept back nothing for his own share.
When an Israelite offered a loaf to the priest, or a whole cake, the priest broke the loaf or the cake into two parts, setting that part aside that he referred to himself, and broke the other into crumbs; poured oil upon it, salt, wine, and incense; and spread the whole upon the fire of the altar. If these offerings be accompanied by an animal for a sacrifice, it was all thrown upon the victim, to be consumed along with it.
If these offerings were the ears of new corn, either of wheat or barley, these ears were parched at the fire or in the flame, and rubbed in the hand, and then offered to the priest in a vessel; over which he put oil, incense, wine, and salt, and then burnt it upon the altar, first having taken as much of it as of right belonged to himself.
The greatest part of these offerings were voluntary, and of pure devotion. But when an animal was offered in sacrifice, they were not at liberty to omit these offerings. Every thing was to be supplied that was to accompany the sacrifice, and which served as a seasoning to the victim. There are some cases in which the law requires only offerings of corn, or bread: for example, when they offered the first fruits of their harvest, whether they were offered solemnly by the whole nation, or by the devotion of private persons.
As to the quantity of meal, oil, wine, or salt, which was to go along with the sacrifices, we cannot easily see that the law had determined it. Generally the priest threw an handful of meal or crumbs upon the fire of the altar, with wine, oil, and salt in proportion, and all the incense. All the rest belonged to him, the quantity depended upon the liberality of the offerer. We observe in more places than one, that Moses appoints an ephah, or the tenth part of an ephah of meal, for those that had not wherewithal to offer the appointed sin offerings (Lev. v. 11, xiv. 27.). In the solemn offerings of the first fruits for the whole nation, they offered an entire sheaf of corn, a lamb of a year old, two tenths or two ephahs of fine meal mixed with oil, and a quarter of a hin of wine for the libation. (Lev. xxiii. 10, 11, 12, &c.).
In the sacrifice of jealousy (Numb. v. 15.), when a jealous husband accused his wife of infidelity, the husband offered the tenth part of a fatum of barley-meal, without oil or incense, because, it was a sacrifice of jealousy, to discover whether his wife was guilty or not.
The offerings of the fruits of the earth, of bread, of wine, oil, and salt, are the most ancient of any that have come to our knowledge. Cain offered to the Lord of the fruits of the earth, the first fruits of his labour (Gen. iv. 3, 4.). Abel offered the firstlings of his flocks, and of their fat. The heathen have nothing more ancient in their religion, than these forts of offerings made to their gods. They offered clean wheat, flour, and bread.