What was the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving (Todah)?

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving, also called the Todah offering, was an important part of Old Testament worship. At its heart, it was a public declaration that God had shown mercy, rescued His people, and deserved their grateful praise.

The Hebrew word todah means “thanksgiving” or “praise given to God.” The term appears often in the Psalms as a call to worship. But in Leviticus 7:11–15, Todah describes a specific type of peace offering:

“If you present your peace offering as an expression of thanksgiving, the usual animal sacrifice must be accompanied by various kinds of bread made without yeast—thin cakes mixed with olive oil, wafers spread with oil, and cakes made of choice flour mixed with olive oil. This peace offering of thanksgiving must also be accompanied by loaves of bread made with yeast. One of each kind of bread must be presented as a gift to the LORD” (verses 7:12–14, NLT).

Unlike the burnt offering, which was entirely burned up, the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving was a shared offering: part was given to God, part to the priest, and part was eaten by the worshiper with his community. Thus, the Old Testament thanksgiving sacrifice was a communal celebration of God’s deliverance.

The unleavened cakes, unleavened wafers, and leavened bread symbolized both purity and abundance. The bread had to be eaten on the same day it was offered, with nothing left over (Leviticus 7:15), emphasizing immediacy. God’s people should never wait to give thanks. Their gratitude publicly testified that the Lord had rescued them, and the shared meal reinforced the truth that thanksgiving should be expressed in community rather than kept private.

A person might bring a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving after experiencing God’s help, such as healing, protection, or an answered prayer. The psalmist commanded Israel: “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High” (Psalm 50:14, ESV). Other Old Testament passages also connect thanksgiving with faithful obedience to God. (see Psalm 50:23; 56:12; 61:8; 116:17–18; Jonah 2:9). Psalm 107 gives examples of people redeemed from danger, imprisonment, hunger, thirst, sickness, storms, and sin. Repeatedly, the psalmist calls them to “offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and announce His works with shouts of joy” (verse 22, HCSB).

The Todah also carried a prophetic dimension. Jewish tradition taught that this sacrifice would endure into the age of the Messiah and beyond, for all eternity, because it was rooted not in atonement for sin but in praise for redemption (Hahn, S., “Lord’s Supper, Theological Issues,” The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. Barry, J. D., et al., Lexham Press, 2016). This expectation prepared the way for its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. According to The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Greek-speaking Jews often translated the Hebrew term todah as eucharisteō, which helps explain why Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper resonated so powerfully with Jewish believers.

In Luke 22:17 and 19, when Jesus instituted Communion or the Lord’s Supper, He “gave thanks” (eucharisteō in Greek). The early church immediately understood this meal as a shared celebration of thanksgiving for Christ’s saving work. In this way, the Todah reaches its fullest meaning in the church’s worship of the risen Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the end, the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving pointed to Jesus. His perfect “once for all” sacrifice fulfills the purpose of all Old Testament offerings (Hebrews 10:10; see also Hebrews 7:27; 9:12–14). Under the New Covenant, Jesus is the center of all worship. God no longer requires sacrifices and offerings. Because Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system, thanksgiving is now part of our daily spiritual worship instead of a ritual offering. The author of Hebrews links the Todah to Christian worship: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:15–16).

The apostle Paul also teaches that thanksgiving is central to the Christian life. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, he tells believers to “give thanks in all circumstances.” In Colossians 3:17, he says that everything we do and say should be offered to God with thanksgiving through Jesus Christ. For believers today, the sacrifice of thanksgiving is not just one religious act of worship. It is a way of life (Romans 12:1; Ephesians 5:20; Philippians 4:6).