The Bible

The Bible › Leviticus

Leviticus 17

1Yahweh spoke to Moses: 2“Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the sons of Israel, and tell them: This is what Yahweh has commanded: 3Any person from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a sheep, or a goat in the camp, or slaughters it outside the camp, 4but does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to present an offering to Yahweh before Yahweh’s dwelling—bloodguilt will be charged to that person. They have shed blood, and that person must be cut off from among their people. 5This is so that the sons of Israel will bring the sacrifices they now slaughter in the open field to Yahweh, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and slaughter them as peace sacrifices to Yahweh. 6The priest must splash the blood against Yahweh’s altar at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an offering, a pleasing aroma to Yahweh. 7They must no longer slaughter their sacrifices for the goat-demons after which they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting statute for them throughout their generations.

8“You must also tell them: Any person from the house of Israel or from the resident foreigners living among them who presents a burnt offering or sacrifice 9but does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to Yahweh—that person must be cut off from their people. 10If any person from the house of Israel or from the resident foreigners living among them eats any blood, I will set my face against the person who eats the blood and cut them off from among their people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I myself have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, because the blood makes atonement by means of the life. 12Therefore I have told the sons of Israel: No person among you may eat blood, and the resident foreigner living among you may not eat blood.

13“Any person from the sons of Israel or from the resident foreigners living among them who hunts an animal or bird that may be eaten must pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 14For the life of all flesh is its blood, bound up with its life. So I have told the sons of Israel: You must not eat the blood of any flesh, because the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it must be cut off. 15Any person who eats an animal that has died or been torn by wild animals, whether native-born or a resident foreigner, must wash their clothes and bathe in water. They will be unclean until evening, and then be clean. 16But if they do not wash their clothes or bathe their body, they will bear their guilt.”

Translation notes 6

17:3–5 — Slaughter; bloodguilt. The Hebrew speaks broadly of slaughtering these domestic animals, not only of an animal already designated for sacrifice. It treats unauthorized shedding of their blood as a liability. “Bloodguilt” expresses that sense of the word “blood” here. The hunting provision in verse 13 concerns other edible game and does not require bringing its blood to the altar.

17:4, 9–10 — Cut off. The phrase is a severe penalty whose mechanism is not fully specified. Interpretations include death, loss of descendants, or exclusion from the community. Verse 10 expressly names Yahweh as the one who will act. “Set my face against” preserves the image of deliberate opposition.

17:7 — Goat-demons; prostitution. The Hebrew designation can name goats or goatlike beings; the sacrificial setting here favors the latter. The language of prostitution depicts the people’s unfaithfulness in pursuing them. The draft preserves that image rather than inserting a particular historical cult or an account of its ceremonies.

17:10–14 — Person; life; blood. The same Hebrew word can mean a person, a life, or a soul. Its repeated uses connect the human lives in need of atonement with the animal life associated with blood. In verse 11 the draft takes “by means of the life” as the blood’s life-bearing function; “in exchange for a life” and a ransom-price interpretation are substantial alternatives. The verse does not by itself state an entire theory of atonement.

17:14 — Blood bound up with life. This first clause is unusually compressed: literally, “the life of all flesh—its blood with its life is it.” The draft makes the association intelligible without dropping the second mention of life. The next clause states the identification more directly.

17:15–16 — Washing and guilt. These instructions apply to eating an animal that died without slaughter or was torn by another animal. The resulting uncleanness requires washing and waiting until evening. “Bear their guilt” includes accountability and consequences, rather than only an emotion. “Clothes” is repeated in verse 16 for clarity; the Hebrew only repeats “wash.”