God’s Sense of Smell

Q: What does the phrase “sweet aroma” (Lev. 1:9) mean in the context of sacrifices?

A: The language of Leviticus is often difficult to understand and interpret, and the phrase you are quoting illustrates the point. What, perhaps, complicates things a little more is that God is described as smelling the sweet aroma of a sacrifice. I am not too sure that burning up an animal would produce a sweet aroma. Let me suggest to you a possible interpretation.

Translation Problem

The Hebrew phrase reakhḥ nikhoakh is formed by two nouns, reakh, meaning “odor, smell,” and nikhoakh, “soothing, pleasant” or “appeasing, pleasing.” When reakh is used in conjunction with nikhoakh, the phrase could mean “a pleasant/sweet aroma,” meaning perhaps that the offering is pleasing to God. The second option is to translate it as “a soothing/appeasing aroma,” indicating that the goal of the offering is to propitiate God’s anger; to appease Him. Some have argued that only the verb is associated with divine wrath (Eze. 5:13), but not the noun nikhoakh (“sweet aroma”). Whatever translation one is willing to accept it would have to be contextually supported.

When it is said that God smelled the “pleasing/sweet odor,” it simply means that He accepted the offering.

Figurative Meaning

The image of God smelling the odor of a sacrifice is strange, and it is commonly taken to be anthropomorphic language, that is to say, applying to God language humans use to describe what they do—we smell things. When applied to God, this type of language is used figuratively; it is not to be taken in a literal sense. This is obviously the case in Ezekiel, when the Lord, announcing the return of the people from exile, declares: “I will accept [ratsah, “be favorable to”] you as a sweet aroma” (Eze. 20:41). Language from the sacrificial system is employed to express God’s acceptance of the people. The conjunction of the verb “to accept” with the phrase “sweet aroma” suggests that the reference is to an acceptable offering. The people are described as a pleasing offering, acceptable to God.

Figurative Meaning in the Sacrifices

The figurative meaning is also found in Leviticus 26:31, and appears to provide the meaning of the phrase “pleasing odor” in the sanctuary setting. The context is a discussion of God’s punishment against the violators of the covenant: “I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell [riakh] the fragrance of your sweet aromas [reakhḥ nikhoakh, “pleasant odors”].” In this particular case God is unwilling to smell a “pleasing odor.” Most scholars would interpret this to mean that God is not accepting the offerings. The implication is that when it is said that God “smells” an offering, it means that He accepts it. Therefore, the language is being used in a figurative sense; it is not about the divine olfactory capacity. Notice that God does not reject an offering because He smelled it and it smelled bad. Neither does it say that God accepts the offerings because when He smelled them they released a pleasing odor. It is clear that the verb “to smell” is used here figuratively in the sense of accepting an offering. This is also the case in Amos 5:21, 22: “I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor [riakh, “to smell; accept”] your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.” The images are accumulated one after the other to convey His intense rejection of the Israelite cultic services. When it is said that God smelled the “pleasing/sweet odor,” it simply means that He accepted the offering. One should perhaps consider it an idiomatic expression.