Leviticus 17

Blood, Life, Sacrifice, and the LORD's Exclusive Altar

The LORD commands that slaughtered sacrificial animals be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, forbids sacrifice in the open fields or to goat demons, applies the command to Israelites and foreigners, prohibits eating blood because life is in the blood and blood is given for atonement, requires hunters to drain and cover blood, and gives washing instructions for eating animals found dead or torn.

World English Bible, Public Domain

Israel must not slaughter sacrificial animals apart from the entrance of the tent of meeting, because unauthorized slaughter becomes bloodguilt.

Leviticus 17:1-7

God regulates where and how sacrifice is offered to preserve holy worship and prevent idolatry.

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded:

3 Whatever man there is of the house of Israel who kills a bull, or lamb, or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp,

4 and hasn’t brought it to the door of the Tent of Meeting to offer it as an offering to Yahweh before Yahweh’s tabernacle: blood shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood. That man shall be cut off from among his people.

Sacrifices are to be brought as fellowship offerings to the priest, with blood and fat handled at the LORD's altar, and Israel must no longer sacrifice to goat demons.

5 This is to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to Yahweh, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, to the priest, and sacrifice them for sacrifices of peace offerings to Yahweh.

6 The priest shall sprinkle the blood on Yahweh’s altar at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and burn the fat for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.

7 They shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat idols, after which they play the prostitute. This shall be a statute forever to them throughout their generations.’

Anyone in the covenant community's sphere who offers sacrifice must bring it to the tent of meeting or be cut off.

Leviticus 17:8-9

God requires all who dwell among His people to worship Him according to His appointed means and place.

8 “You shall say to them, ‘Any man there is of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,

9 and doesn’t bring it to the door of the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to Yahweh, that man shall be cut off from his people.

The LORD forbids eating blood because the life of the creature is in the blood, and blood has been given on the altar to make atonement.

Leviticus 17:10-12

Because life is in the blood and it is given for atonement, it must be honored as sacred and not consumed.

10 “ ‘Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who eats any kind of blood, I will set my face against that soul who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.

12 Therefore I have said to the children of Israel, “No person among you may eat blood, nor may any stranger who lives as a foreigner among you eat blood.”

Blood from hunted edible animals must be drained and covered because the blood is the creature's life.

Leviticus 17:13-16

Even in daily provision, God’s people must honor the sanctity of life represented in the blood.

13 “ ‘Whatever man there is of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who takes in hunting any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood, and cover it with dust.

14 For as to the life of all flesh, its blood is with its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, “You shall not eat the blood of any kind of flesh; for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.”

Eating animals found dead or torn requires washing and bathing; failure to cleanse leaves guilt-bearing responsibility.

15 “ ‘Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. Then he shall be clean.

16 But if he doesn’t wash them, or bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity.’ ”

Key Terms

דָּבַר dabar H1696
צָוָה tsavah H6680
אַהֲרֹן Aharon H175
בֵּן ben H1121
אִישׁ ish H376
בַּיִת bayit H1004
שָׁחַט shachat H7819
שׁוֹר shor H7794
כֶּשֶׂב kesev H3775
עֵז ez H5795
מַחֲנֶה machaneh H4264
חוּץ chutz H2351

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