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Leviticus 17

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Centralization of Worship and Slaughter 1–9

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And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them: This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded, saying,
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What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it without the camp, ​
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and hath not brought it unto the door of the tent of meeting, to offer it as an oblation unto Jehovah before the tabernacle of Jehovah: blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: ​
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to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they sacrifice in the open field, even that they may bring them unto Jehovah, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest, and sacrifice them for sacrifices of peace-offerings unto Jehovah. ​
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And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of Jehovah at the door of the tent of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
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And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the he-goats, after which they play the harlot. This shall be a statute forever unto them throughout their generations. ​
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And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that offereth a burnt-offering or sacrifice,
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and bringeth it not unto the door of the tent of meeting, to sacrifice it unto Jehovah; that man shall be cut off from his people.

The Sacred Prohibition Against Eating Blood 10–14

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And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood, I will set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. ​
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For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. ​
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Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
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And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who taketh in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. ​
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For as to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with 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.

Purity Laws for Eating Carrion 15–16

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And every soul that eateth that which dieth of itself, or that which is torn of beasts, whether he be home-born or a sojourner, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean. ​
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But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Leviticus 17

Verse 3

an ox, or lamb, or goat — These are the three animals of the altar (Lev 1–3). Every slaying of one, 'in the camp, or … out of the camp', was to be brought to the door of the tabernacle as an offering (vv.4–5). Deut 12:20–21 later allows eating flesh 'in thy gates' where the place of worship is too far, and still without the blood (Deut 12:16).

Verse 4

blood shall be imputed unto that man — 'Imputed' is chashab, to reckon, the verb of Lev 7:18, where an offering eaten on the third day 'neither shall it be imputed' to the offerer. Here the slaying outside is reckoned as bloodshed: 'he hath shed blood'. The penalty is to be 'cut off from among his people'; v.9 states the same for an offering made elsewhere.

Verse 5

the open field — The purpose is that sacrifices which Israel offered 'in the open field' are to be brought to the priest at the tabernacle door and offered as peace offerings (shelem, Lev 7:11). Ezek 20:28 says that after entering the land the people 'saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices'.

Verse 7

unto devils — Sair is a he-goat, shaggy; the KJV renders it 'devils' only here and in 2 Chr 11:15, where Jeroboam 'ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves'. Paul says the Gentiles 'sacrifice to devils, and not to God' (1 Cor 10:20). The same figure, going 'a whoring' after other gods, is used in Ex 34:15.

Verse 10

I will even set my face against that soul — The ban on blood binds the stranger as well as the Israelite (vv.10, 12, 13, 15). The LORD's own judgment is announced, 'set my face against', the phrase used against the worship of Molech (Lev 20:3). The command is older than the law: 'flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat' (Gen 9:4).

Verse 11

the life of the flesh is in the blood — 'Life' and 'soul' are one Hebrew word, nephesh, which occurs three times in this verse: 'the life of the flesh', 'for your souls', 'for the soul'. The blood is given 'upon the altar to make an atonement'. Hebrews draws the conclusion: 'without shedding of blood is no remission' (Heb 9:22).

Verse 13

pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust — The rule reaches game taken in hunting, 'any beast or fowl that may be eaten'. Its blood is poured out and covered with dust, as Deut 12:16 says, 'pour it upon the earth as water'. Ezek 24:7 shows the opposite: a city whose blood was set 'upon the top of a rock', for it 'poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust'.

Verse 15

died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts — Such flesh makes the eater unclean until evening, after washing his clothes and bathing, whether native or stranger. It is not made a cut-off offence here. Israel is called to be 'holy men' who do not eat what is torn (Ex 22:31), and the priests are forbidden it outright (Lev 22:8; Ezek 44:31).

Verse 16

then he shall bear his iniquity — Nasa avon, to carry iniquity: the man who neglects the washing carries the consequence himself. The phrase is used of the one who hears a swearing and does not speak (Lev 5:1). Peter says of Christ that he 'bare our sins in his own body on the tree' (1 Pet 2:24).