FAT (חֵ֫לֶב֒, H2693). 1. Fat is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 4:4, where it is said that Abel offered the fat of the firstlings of his flock to the Lord. According to the Mosaic law, all the fat of sacrificed animals belonged to the Lord, and was burned as an offering to Him, as a sweet savor to Him (Lev 3:14-16; 7:30). The fatty portions are specified in Leviticus 3-7 as the fat of the entrails, of the kidneys, and of the liver, and also the tail of the sheep. The fat had to be sacrificed on the day the animal was sacrificed (Exod 23:18). It is sometimes asserted that the eating of any fat was forbidden to the Israelites. Deuteronomy 12:15, 16, 21-24 show that the prohibition did not apply to animals slain solely for food, but only to specified parts of sacrificed animals. The word “fat” is sometimes used in a fig. sense to signify the best part of anything, e.g., “the fat of the land” (Gen 45:18), the “fat of the wheat” (Ps 81:16 ASVmg.).

2. The KJV uses “fat” for “vat” (RSV) in Joel 2:24; 3:13, and “winefat” for “wine press” (RSV) in Isaiah 63:2 and Mark 12:1.