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.”
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.’ ”
Even in daily provision, God’s people must honor the sanctity of life represented in the blood.
This passage instructs Israelites and foreigners on how to properly handle the blood of hunted animals, requiring its draining and covering, and establishes consequences for consuming what dies naturally or is torn by beasts.
This unit concludes Leviticus 17's blood regulations. Verses 1-9 regulated slaughter and offerings at the tent of meeting; verses 10-12 gave the theological reason blood must not be eaten; verses 13-16 apply that theology to hunted animals and to carcass-related impurity. The chapter therefore moves from centralized sacrifice to household food practice, showing that Israel's daily life was to be ordered by the holiness of the LORD who dwelt among them.
Leviticus 17 belongs to the Holiness Code's threshold section, tightening Israel's practice around sacrifice, slaughter, blood, and access to the LORD. The regulations assume Israel as a covenant people living around the tabernacle, with priests responsible for distinguishing clean and unclean and with both native Israelites and resident foreigners subject to certain holiness requirements.
Blood, Life, Sacrifice, and the LORD's Exclusive Altar
Because life belongs to the LORD and blood has been given by Him for atonement, Israel must bring sacrifice to His appointed altar, reject false worship, and never treat blood as common food.