And it came to pass that he built an altar of
stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our
God. (1 Nephi 2:7)
While
reading the Book of Mormon today, it struck me that Nephi would use the verb
"to make" (Heb: עשׂה) with respect to the sacrifice Lehi offered. However, such
is part-and-parcel of the Hebrew Bible where "to make" is often used
in the sense of "to sacrifice."
In the Torah alone, עשׂה is coupled with the term for “sacrifice” (Hebrew: זֶבַח; sometimes מִנְחָה [“gift”/”offering”]). There are multitudinous examples of such in the Old Testament, in the Torah alone, we have the following instances: Exo 10:25; 29:41; Lev 2:7, 8, 11; 6;14; 7:9; 17:8; 23:19; Num 6:17; 15:3, 5, 6, 8, 24; 28:5, 8, 26, 31; 29:39; Deut 12:27.
Here we have the Hebrew and Greek of Exo 10:25 and 29:41 (emphasis added):
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה גַּם־אַתָּ֛ה תִּתֵּ֥ן בְּיָדֵ֖נוּ זְבָחִ֣ים וְעֹל֑וֹת וְעָשִׂ֖ינוּ לַיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃
And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God.
וְאֵת֙ הַכֶּ֣בֶשׂ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י תַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה בֵּ֣ין הָעַרְבָּ֑יִם כְּמִנְחַ֙ת הַבֹּ֤קֶר וּכְנִסְכָּהּ֙ תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֔הּ לְרֵ֣יחַ נִיחֹ֔חַ אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהוָֽה
And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.