Fat; Fat Tail
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Exod. 29:22)—the fatty portions of a sacrificial animal, including the broad tail of fat-tailed sheep common in the Near East. In peace offerings the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys and their fat, the lobe of the liver, and the entire broad tail were burned upon the altar as the LORD’s food offering (Lev. 3:3-5, 9-11). The source repeats travelers’ reports that exceptionally heavy tails were supported on small carts. Such anecdotes describe particular husbandry claims and are not necessary to interpret the ritual text.