NOTES for Lev 17:1-16

¹And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

²Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying,

³What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,

⁴And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:

⁵To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD.

⁶And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

⁷And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.

⁸And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering of sacrifice,

⁹And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.

¹⁰And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

¹¹For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

¹²Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.

¹³And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.

¹⁴For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

¹⁵And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.

¹⁶But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.

One of the traditional Jewish ritual prohibitions, known both in Yahwistic and in Jewish religious practice, is the prohibition against eating meat with blood. One might ask why blood should be forbidden when the animal has already been killed and is intended for food. In any case, that blood will end up on the ground; the slaughtered animal cannot be brought back to life. The simplest answer would be to point out that human beings were allowed to eat animal flesh after the fall, when the covenant with Noah was made.

Blood poured out on the ground serves as a reminder that this is something extraordinary, something that under normal circumstances, had the fall not happened, should not have existed at all. There is also a deeper explanation. It concerns blood as the symbol and vessel of life.

According to the biblical understanding, the "soul," or life, of both an animal and fallen humanity is in the blood and is bound precisely to the blood. Blood is used during sacrifice for the sanctification of a person, together with the sacrificial meat, of course; but a sacrificial meal does not take place at every sacrifice, while sprinkling with blood always does.

A sacrifice can be offered only at the Tabernacle; any other sacrifice is considered pagan. This is understandable: God marked the place of His presence where He chose to mark it, and it is not for human beings to establish meeting places with Him. Yet people need to eat everywhere, not only where the Tabernacle is, and God does not forbid a person to eat meat wherever he has to live.

Blood is another matter: it is God's, whether the blood in question is an animal's or a human being's. It is not for nourishment; it is for sanctification, and only for sanctification. To consume it as food in the same way as meat is an attack on what is holy, on what belongs and must belong only to God. That is why the Book of Leviticus commands that blood be poured out on the ground: the earth is God's, and what falls there returns to God. So too must every life return to Him, life whose symbol and vessel in the Bible is blood.

Other notes

For Lev 17:1-16