Sacrifice is commonly identified as a type of ritual. Many of the classic and influential definitions of ritual characterize it as symbolic action, which communicates meaning. Thus, sacrificial activity would, by definition, be symbolic in character. Influenced to various degrees by this basic theoretical proposition, many treatments of sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible use the language of symbolism to deal with issues of meaning. There is, however, considerable room for discussion about what it means to identify a cultural phenomenon as “symbolic,” and about whether the Israelite authors of the biblical texts thought of sacrificial activity in symbolic terms. Some key theoretical questions require close attention. What is a “symbol”? What is involved in identifying a cultural phenomenon as symbolic in character? In what ways do symbols communicate meaning? What types of meanings do they communicate? Addressing such questions will move scholars of the Hebrew Bible a considerable distance towards clarity and precision in their discussion of the nature and function of ancient Israelite sacrifice as it is represented in the Hebrew Bible.