2:15 before the fat was burned. Since the time of Abel’s offering of the fat of the firstborn of his flock (Gen. 4:4), the fat portion was considered to be the best, and as such, to belong to the Lord. The priests had the duty of burning the fat on the altar as an offering to the Lord (Lev. 3:16; 7:31). Like blood, the fat was strictly forbidden for human consumption, and anyone who ate it would be expelled from the people (Lev. 3:17; 7:23–25).