CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0;"/><title>Leviticus 17 Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/commentaries/expositors/leviticus/17.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/5001com.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 4800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 4800px)" href="/4801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1550px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1550px)" href="/1551.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1250px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1250px)" href="/1251.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1050px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1050px)" href="/1051.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 900px), only screen and (max-device-width: 900px)" href="/901.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 800px)" href="/801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 575px), only screen and (max-device-width: 575px)" href="/501.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-height: 450px), only screen and (max-device-height: 450px)" href="/h451.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/leviticus/17.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/bmcom/leviticus/17-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="/commentaries/">Commentary</a> > <a href="../">Ellicott</a> > <a href="../leviticus/">Leviticus</a></div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../leviticus/16.htm" title="Leviticus 16">◄</a> Leviticus 17 <a href="../leviticus/18.htm" title="Leviticus 18">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</div><div class="chap"> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-1.htm">Leviticus 17:1</a></div><div class="verse">And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,</div>XVII.</span><p>(1) <span class= "bld">And the Lord spake unto Moses.</span>—The Day of Atonement was instituted to purge, in an especial manner, the whole community from all their sins, and present them a holy nation before the Lord once a year. Hence it is now followed by regulations concerning every-day life, the observance of which is to foster the holiness secured on that particular day.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-2.htm">Leviticus 17:2</a></div><div class="verse">Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This <i>is</i> the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying,</div>(2) <span class= "bld">And unto all the children of Israel.</span>—To understand the import of this phrase, and its bearing upon the injunction in question, it is necessary to notice that the words “and unto all the children of Israel” are here used for the first time. Hitherto the Divine communications were made to (1) Moses alone, without his being ordered to speak to any one else (<a href="/leviticus/5-14.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,">Leviticus 5:14</a>, <a href="/leviticus/6-12.htm" title="And the fire on the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.">Leviticus 6:12</a>, <a href="/leviticus/8-1.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,">Leviticus 8:1</a>, (<a href="/leviticus/14-1.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,">Leviticus 14:1</a>); (2) to Moses, with the command to speak to Aaron (<a href="/leviticus/16-1.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;">Leviticus 16:1</a>); (3) to Moses, with the command to speak to Aaron and his sons (<a href="/leviticus/6-1.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,">Leviticus 6:1</a>; <a href="/leviticus/6-17.htm" title="It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it to them for their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering.">Leviticus 6:17</a>); (4) to Moses, with a command to speak to the children of Israel (<a href="/leviticus/1-1.htm" title="And the LORD called to Moses, and spoke to him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,">Leviticus 1:1</a>; <a href="/leviticus/4-1.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,">Leviticus 4:1</a>; <a href="/leviticus/7-28.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,">Leviticus 7:28</a>; <a href="/leviticus/12-1.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,">Leviticus 12:1</a>); (5) to Moses and Aaron conjointly, without being ordered to speak to the children of Israel (<a href="/leviticus/13-1.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,">Leviticus 13:1</a>; <a href="/leviticus/14-33.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,">Leviticus 14:33</a>); (6) to Moses and Aaron conjointly, who <span class= "bld">are </span>ordered to speak to the children of Israel (<a href="/leviticus/11-1.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,">Leviticus 11:1</a>; <a href="/leviticus/15-1.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,">Leviticus 15:1</a>); and (7) Aaron alone is addressed (<a href="/leviticus/10-8.htm" title="And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying,">Leviticus 10:8</a>). In the chapter before us, however, the communication is made to Moses alone, and he is commanded not only to impart its contents to Aaron and his sons—<span class= "ital">i.e., </span>the priesthood—but “unto all the children of Israel,” or their representatives, at the same time. The pontiff and the priests are thus put on a level with the ordinary Israelite or the laity, as far as this regulation is concerned. There are only two other occasions on which this phrase is used again, viz., <a href="/leviticus/21-24.htm" title="And Moses told it to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.">Leviticus 21:24</a>; <a href="/leviticus/22-18.htm" title="Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, Whatever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer to the LORD for a burnt offering;">Leviticus 22:18</a>.<p><span class= "bld">This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded.</span>—To emphasize the importance of the following law Moses is ordered by God to use this additional formula; whilst in other instances where it is used, when important statutes are enacted, Moses uses it of his own accord. (Comp. <a href="/exodus/16-16.htm" title="This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take you every man for them which are in his tents.">Exodus 16:16</a>; <a href="/exodus/35-4.htm" title="And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,">Exodus 35:4</a>; <a href="/leviticus/8-5.htm" title="And Moses said to the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done.">Leviticus 8:5</a>; <a href="/leviticus/9-6.htm" title="And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that you should do: and the glory of the LORD shall appear to you.">Leviticus 9:6</a>; <a href="/numbers/30-2.htm" title="If a man vow a vow to the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.">Numbers 30:2</a>; <a href="/numbers/36-6.htm" title="This is the thing which the LORD does command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.">Numbers 36:6</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-3.htm">Leviticus 17:3</a></div><div class="verse">What man soever <i>there be</i> of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth <i>it</i> out of the camp,</div>(3) <span class= "bld">That killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat.</span>—The law which is thus solemnly laid down is that when one of the three kinds of the sacrificial quadrupeds (see <a href="/leviticus/7-23.htm" title="Speak to the children of Israel, saying, You shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.">Leviticus 7:23</a>) are intended for private use, they must not be slaughtered within or outside the camp. That the injunction here refers to the domestic animals in question, and not to the ordinary sacrifices, is not only evident from the expression “killeth,” instead of “sacrificeth,” but more especially from a comparison of <a href="/context/leviticus/17-3.htm" title="What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that kills an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that kills it out of the camp,">Leviticus 17:3-4</a> with <a href="/context/leviticus/17-8.htm" title="And you shall say to them, Whatever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,">Leviticus 17:8-9</a>.<span class= "bld"><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-4.htm">Leviticus 17:4</a></div><div class="verse">And 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:</div>(4) <span class= "bld">And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">and bringeth it not to the entrance of the tent of meeting; </span>that is, if he does not bring it to the place where the sacrifices are killed, and offer it first as a peace offering to Jehovah, he is to be regarded as wantonly shedding blood, and will be visited with the penalty of excision.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-5.htm">Leviticus 17:5</a></div><div class="verse">To 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 <i>for</i> peace offerings unto the LORD.</div>(5) <span class= "bld">To the end that the children of Israel may bring.</span>—The reason why these three kinds of animals, when intended for private food, are to be brought to the precincts of the sanctuary, and are there to be offered first as a peace offering to the Lord, is to prevent the Israelites sacrificing them to the demons in the open fields.<p><span class= "bld">Which they offer in the open field.</span>—The first part of this verse is better rendered, <span class= "ital">In order that the children of Israel may bring in [i.e., </span>within the precincts of the sanctuary] <span class= "ital">their sacrifices which they are sacrificing on the face of the field; </span>that is, which they have heretofore been in the habit of offering in the open fields to heathen deities, and which, in future, they might be inclined to do again. The phrase “open field “denotes the space outside the encampment, in contradistinction to the enclosed place where the Israelites sojourned. (See <a href="/leviticus/14-7.htm" title="And he shall sprinkle on him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.">Leviticus 14:7</a>; <a href="/leviticus/14-53.htm" title="But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.">Leviticus 14:53</a>, &c.)<p><span class= "bld">Even that they may bring them . . . unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">and bring them . </span>. . <span class= "ital">to the entrance of the tent of meeting.</span><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-6.htm">Leviticus 17:6</a></div><div class="verse">And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD <i>at</i> the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD.</div>(6) <span class= "bld">And the priest shall sprinkle.</span>—After the animals in question had been duly slaughtered by those who brought them, the officiating priest who caught the blood in a bowl is to throw it upon the walls of the altar of burnt offering. (See <a href="/leviticus/1-5.htm" title="And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.">Leviticus 1:5</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">At the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">at the entrance of the tent of meeting.</span><p><span class= "bld">And burn the fat.</span>—See <a href="/leviticus/3-3.htm" title="And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire to the LORD; the fat that covers the inwards, and all the fat that is on the inwards,">Leviticus 3:3</a>; <a href="/leviticus/3-5.htm" title="And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt sacrifice, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet smell to the LORD.">Leviticus 3:5</a>.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-7.htm">Leviticus 17:7</a></div><div class="verse">And 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.</div>(7) <span class= "bld">And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils.</span>—The word (<span class= "ital">sēirim</span>) here translated “devils,” literally denotes <span class= "ital">hairy </span>or <span class= "ital">shaggy goats, </span>and then <span class= "ital">goat-like deities, </span>or <span class= "ital">demons. </span>The Egyptians, and other nations of antiquity, worshipped goats as gods. Not only was there a celebrated temple in Thmuis, the capital of the Mendesian Nomos in Lower Egypt, dedicated to the goat-image Pan, whom they called Mendes, and worshipped as the oracle, and as the fertilising principle in nature, but they erected statues of him everywhere. Hence the Pan, Silenus, satyrs, fauns, and the woodland gods among the Greeks and Romans; and hence, too, the goat-like form of the devil, with a tail, horns, and cloven feet, which obtain in medieval Christianity, and which may still be seen in some European cities. The terror which the devil, appearing in this Pan-like form, created among those who were thought to have seen him, has given rise to our expression <span class= "ital">panic. </span>This is the form of idolatrous worship which the Jews brought with them from Egypt, and to which reference is continually made. (See <a href="/joshua/24-14.htm" title="Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve you the LORD.">Joshua 24:14</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/20-7.htm" title="Then said I to them, Cast you away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.">Ezekiel 20:7</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/23-3.htm" title="And they committed prostitutions in Egypt; they committed prostitutions in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.">Ezekiel 23:3</a>, &c.; and especially <a href="/2_chronicles/11-15.htm" title="And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.">2Chronicles 11:15</a>.) The expression “and they shall <span class= "ital">no more </span>offer” shows that the Israelites were hitherto in the habit of first dedicating their ordinary food to these deities; whilst the words “gone a whoring” indicate the orgies connected with this form of idol worship, It has been urged that the demand to offer up, in so confined a space as the entrance of <span class= "ital">the </span>sanctuary, the domestic animals intended for the daily consumption of more than 600,000 people, imposed a task upon the people which it was impossible for them to carry out. Hence it has been urged that the injunction here (<a href="/context/leviticus/17-2.htm" title="Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them; This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying,">Leviticus 17:2-7</a>) must refer to sacrifices. But this difficulty arises from importing our modern notions into the ancient mode of living. The ancient Israelites, like the modem Orientals, especially the nomadic tribes, ate very little flesh meat apart from the seasons of sacrifice, which were the occasions of feasting. Besides, those who urge this difficulty ignore the fact that the injunction before us is restricted to the three kinds of animals; that none of the wild clean quadrupeds, as stags, roes, &c, nor any of the feathered tribes, as pigeons, turtle doves, &c, which formed an essential part of the daily diet, is here included; and that even the three kinds of sacrificial quadrupeds only come within this restriction when they are qualified by age, which was within two years, and by physical condition, which demanded that it should have no external defect, as blindness of one eye, lameness of one foot, &c., to be offered first to the Lord. Moreover, the injunction was only intended to operate temporarily, whilst the Jews sojourned and wandered about in the wilderness, where, besides the propensity to sacrifice these animals to idols, they would have been in danger of extirpating their most useful animals. The law was repealed when the Israelites entered the promised land. (Comp. <a href="/context/deuteronomy/12-13.htm" title="Take heed to yourself that you offer not your burnt offerings in every place that you see:">Deuteronomy 12:13-15</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-8.htm">Leviticus 17:8</a></div><div class="verse">And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man <i>there be</i> of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice,</div>(8, 9) <span class= "bld">Whatsoever man there be.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">what man soever there be, </span>as it is in the Authorised Version in <a href="/leviticus/17-3.htm" title="What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that kills an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that kills it out of the camp,">Leviticus 17:3</a>. Here again we have an instance of the same legislative phrase used four times in one short section (<a href="/leviticus/17-3.htm" title="What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that kills an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that kills it out of the camp,">Leviticus 17:3</a>; <a href="/leviticus/17-8.htm" title="And you shall say to them, Whatever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,">Leviticus 17:8</a>; <a href="/leviticus/17-10.htm" title="And whatever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eats any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.">Leviticus 17:10</a>; <a href="/leviticus/17-13.htm" title="And whatever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunts and catches any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.">Leviticus 17:13</a>), being translated differently in the Authorised Version. The law enacted in these two verses requires that all legitimate sacrifices should henceforth be presented in the appointed sanctuary, which was the centre of national unity, thus abolishing the liberty which, in accordance with patriarchal practice, had hitherto existed, that every head of a family could be his own priest, and offer up sacrifices wherever and whenever he liked. The commonwealth of Israel were now to acknowledge one altar, one high priest, and one sanctuary. This law was binding not only upon the Israelite by race, but upon strangers who took up their abode in and joined the Jewish community. For wilfully violating this law the offender incurred the penalty of excision.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-10.htm">Leviticus 17:10</a></div><div class="verse">And whatsoever man <i>there be</i> 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.</div>(10) <span class= "bld">And whatsoever man.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">and what man soever. </span>(See <a href="/leviticus/17-8.htm" title="And you shall say to them, Whatever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,">Leviticus 17:8</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">Eateth any manner of blood.</span>—This prohibition, which has already been mentioned twice in Leviticus, is in both instances joined to the prohibition of fat. (See <a href="/leviticus/3-17.htm" title="It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that you eat neither fat nor blood.">Leviticus 3:17</a>; <a href="/context/leviticus/7-26.htm" title="Moreover you shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.">Leviticus 7:26-27</a>.) Owing to its great importance, however, the law is enacted here <span class= "ital">separately, </span>where it naturally follows the order that the blood of all animals sacrificed in the sanctuary is to be offered to the Lord upon the altar. According to the canons which obtained during the second Temple, the blood of clean fishes, of locusts, and of permissible creeping things is exempted.<p><span class= "bld">I will even set my face against that soul.</span>—That is, make him feel my anger. Though this phrase only occurs twice more in this book, and only once in connection with legal enactments (see <a href="/leviticus/20-3.htm" title="And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he has given of his seed to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.">Leviticus 20:3</a>; <a href="/leviticus/20-6.htm" title="And the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.">Leviticus 20:6</a>; <a href="/leviticus/26-17.htm" title="And I will set my face against you, and you shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and you shall flee when none pursues you.">Leviticus 26:17</a>), yet from its usages in other passages it is clear that the expression “face” denotes anger, which shows itself in the countenance. Thus the phrase, which is translated in the Authorised Version, “I will appease him” (<a href="/genesis/30-20.htm" title="And Leah said, God has endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.">Genesis 30:20</a>), is in the original, “I will appease his face,” where it manifestly stands for <span class= "ital">anger. </span>Hence <a href="/lamentations/4-16.htm" title="The anger of the LORD has divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favored not the elders.">Lamentations 4:16</a>, which is in the original, “the face of the Lord hath divided them,” is properly rendered in the Authorised Version in the text by “the anger of the Lord.” (Comp. also <a href="/1_peter/3-12.htm" title="For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.">1Peter 3:12</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-11.htm">Leviticus 17:11</a></div><div class="verse">For the life of the flesh <i>is</i> in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it <i>is</i> the blood <i>that</i> maketh an atonement for the soul.</div>(11) <span class= "bld">For the life of the flesh is in the blood.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">for the soul of the flesh is in the blood. </span>The word here rendered “life” in the Authorised Version occurs twice more in this very verse, and is in both instances properly translated <span class= "ital">soul. </span>Though it is immaterial whether the word in question is translated <span class= "ital">life </span>or <span class= "ital">soul, </span>it is essential that it should be rendered uniformly throughout the passage. By translating it differently in the first clause, the Authorised Version has unnecessarily increased the difficulty of the verse. This clause assigns the reason why blood must not be eaten. It is the principle of vitality, it constitutes the soul of animal life. Hence blood and life are used interchangeably in the Scriptures. Thus, when the Psalmist exclaims, “what profit is there in my blood” (<a href="/psalms/30-9.htm" title="What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise you? shall it declare your truth?">Psalm 30:9</a>), he uses it for <span class= "ital">life.</span><p><span class= "bld">I have given it to you upon the altar.</span>—For the sake of emphasis, the words in the original denoting “upon the altar” are placed first in the Hebrew, and the Authorised Version follows this order. It is however better to translate this clause, <span class= "ital">For I have ordained it upon the altar to make atonement for your souls. </span>Because it is the principle of life, therefore God has ordained it to be offered upon the altar as an expiation for the offerer’s life.<p><span class= "bld">For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">for it is the blood that maketh atonement by means of the soul. </span>As the blood of the victim is identical with its life, and represents the soul of the animal, hence God has appointed it as a substitute for the sinner’s life. Thus the life of the sacrifice atones for the life of the offerer. Hence the remark of the Apostle, “without shedding of blood there is no remission” (<a href="/hebrews/9-22.htm" title="And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.">Hebrews 9:22</a>).<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-12.htm">Leviticus 17:12</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(12) <span class= "bld">Therefore I said . . . —</span>Because it is the vehicle of life, and has been ordained by God to atone for life, the children of Israel are here forbidden to eat it. The strangers are also prohibited eating blood, because they have submitted to the law of the land, and because their eating it would not only infringe the law which they have voluntarily adopted, but would lessen the horror with which such indulgence was regarded by the Jews. Hence the enforcement of this prohibition by the Apostle (<a href="/acts/15-20.htm" title="But that we write to them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.">Acts 15:20</a>; <a href="/acts/15-29.htm" title="That you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Fare you well.">Acts 15:29</a>; <a href="/acts/21-25.htm" title="As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.">Acts 21:25</a>).<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-13.htm">Leviticus 17:13</a></div><div class="verse">And whatsoever man <i>there be</i> 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.</div>(13) <span class= "bld">And whatsoever man.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">what man soever </span>(see <a href="/leviticus/17-3.htm" title="What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that kills an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that kills it out of the camp,">Leviticus 17:3</a>). Hitherto the law mainly discussed the blood of sacrificial animals, or those quadrupeds which were slaughtered at home. In this and the following verses the statute is extended to all other creatures which, though wild, are legally clean and used as food.<p><span class= "bld">Which hunteth and catcheth.</span>—Hunting, which was an amusement with other nations of antiquity, was with the serious Hebrew a matter of necessity. It was resorted to as a matter of necessity to exterminate dangerous beasts (<a href="/exodus/23-29.htm" title="I will not drive them out from before you in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against you.">Exodus 23:29</a>), but more especially to procure food (<a href="/genesis/25-27.htm" title="And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.">Genesis 25:27</a>; <a href="/proverbs/12-27.htm" title="The slothful man roasts not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.">Proverbs 12:27</a>). Besides the numerous pitfalls, snares, traps, &c, which are so frequently mentioned in the Bible, the Hebrews also employed arms in catching game (<a href="/genesis/27-3.htm" title="Now therefore take, I pray you, your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;">Genesis 27:3</a>). When wounded, or when the game had to be killed to facilitate its being carried home, the hunters were liable to become careless about the blood, as is evident from the practice which obtained among some of the ancients. Thus we are told that the Zabians, when they slew a beast, put the blood into a vessel or into a hole which they dug in the ground, and then sat round and feasted on it. It is to prevent such outrages on the sacred blood, which the hunters were especially liable to commit when hungry, that the law is here enacted. An instance of the hungry army flying upon the spoil, killing the cattle in the field, and eating the flesh with the blood, is recorded in <a href="/context/1_samuel/14-32.htm" title="And the people flew on the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood.">1Samuel 14:32-34</a>. (Comp. also <a href="/ezekiel/33-25.htm" title="Why say to them, Thus said the Lord GOD; You eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall you possess the land?">Ezekiel 33:25</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">Any beast or fowl that may be eaten.</span>—That is, those wild beasts or fowl which, according to the dietary law, were usually eaten. During the second Temple this was interpreted strictly to apply to the clean wild beasts, but not to those not permitted to be eaten.<p><span class= "bld">He shall even pour out the blood.</span>—The earth, from which all animals came forth at their creation (<a href="/genesis/1-24.htm" title="And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.">Genesis 1:24</a>), is to receive back again the principle of their life. They proceeded from the womb of the earth, and their life-blood is to return to it. With such scrupulous care was this law observed during the second Temple, that the following Benediction was ordered to be recited when the blood was covered up: “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hath sanctified us by His precepts, and hath commanded us to cover up the blood.”<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-14.htm">Leviticus 17:14</a></div><div class="verse">For <i>it is</i> the life of all flesh; the blood of it <i>is</i> 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 <i>is</i> the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.</div>(14) <span class= "bld">For</span> <span class= "bld">it is the life of all flesh . . . —</span>Better, <span class= "ital">for the soul of all flesh is its blood, in, or through, its soul, </span>that is, the sacredness of the blood arises from the fact that it contains the vital principle of all animal life. Or this clause may be rendered, <span class= "ital">for the life of all flesh is its blood in, or during, its life, </span>that is, the life of all creatures consists in its blood; but only as long as the blood contains this life, for when it is dried up, or coagulated, the life has passed away from it.<p><span class= "bld">For the life of all flesh.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">for the soul of all flesh </span>(see <a href="/leviticus/17-11.htm" title="For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.">Leviticus 17:11</a>), that is, even of those wild animals which, in contradistinction to the sacrificial quadrupeds, must not be offered upon the altar, the blood constitutes the vital principle.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-15.htm">Leviticus 17:15</a></div><div class="verse">And every soul that eateth that which died <i>of itself</i>, or that which was torn <i>with beasts, whether it be</i> one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe <i>himself</i> in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.</div>(15) <span class= "bld">That which died of itself.—</span>The law enacted here is a natural sequel to the one immediately preceding, since it is still based upon the sacredness of blood. As the body of the animal which either died a natural death, or has been torn by a wild beast, retains a great portion of its blood, it is forbidden to be eaten. The carcases, in which the blood has thus been coagulated in the veins and arteries, were given to the dogs (<a href="/exodus/22-31.htm" title="And you shall be holy men to me: neither shall you eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; you shall cast it to the dogs.">Exodus 22:31</a>). The rigour with which this law was enforced may be seen from <a href="/context/1_samuel/14-32.htm" title="And the people flew on the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood.">1Samuel 14:32-35</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/4-14.htm" title="Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul has not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.">Ezekiel 4:14</a>, Ezek. 46:36. According to the canonical law which obtained during the second Temple, the carcase was forbidden when the animal died a natural death, or met with an accident, or was strangled to death, or was torn by a wild beast. This explains the apostolic decision, in the council at Jerusalem, about “things strangled” (<a href="/acts/15-20.htm" title="But that we write to them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.">Acts 15:20</a>).<p><span class= "bld">Whether it be one of your own country.</span>—The law was not only binding upon the native Israelite, but upon the proselyte. The mere stranger, in the strict sense of the word, who had not joined the Jewish community, was allowed to eat such carcases. (See <a href="/deuteronomy/14-21.htm" title="You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself: you shall give it to the stranger that is in your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to an alien: for you are an holy people to the LORD your God. You shall not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.">Deuteronomy 14:21</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">He shall both wash his clothes.</span>—If he ate any of it unwittingly, he had not only to wash his garments, but immerse his whole body in water, and be excluded from the sanctuary till sundown. The sin offering prescribed in <a href="/leviticus/5-2.htm" title="Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean beast, or a carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.">Leviticus 5:2</a> was not for inadvertently touching the carcase, but for neglecting the prescribed purification. (See <a href="/leviticus/5-2.htm" title="Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean beast, or a carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.">Leviticus 5:2</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/leviticus/17-16.htm">Leviticus 17:16</a></div><div class="verse">But if he wash <i>them</i> not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.</div>(16) <span class= "bld">Then he shall bear his iniquity.</span>—If he neglects these acts of purification, and enters the sanctuary in a defiled state, or partakes of the sacrificial meal, he is to incur the penalty of excision for the former act, and to be beaten with stripes for the latter, according to the interpretation given to this law in the time of Christ.<p><span class= "bld"><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers<br /><br />Text Courtesy of <a href="//biblesupport.com" target="_top">BibleSupport.com</a>. Used by Permission. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../leviticus/16.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Leviticus 16"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Leviticus 16" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../leviticus/18.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Leviticus 18"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Leviticus 18" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/leviticus/17-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="/commentaries/ellicott/sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><br /><br /><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchap.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></body></html>