Tredje MosebokenKapitel 17

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The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites, and say to them: This is what the LORD has commanded:

Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat inside the camp, or slaughters it outside the camp,

instead of bringing it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before the LORD's dwelling—that man shall be held guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood, and he shall be cut off from among his people.

This is so that the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they have been offering out in the open field. They must bring them to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as peace offerings to the LORD.

The priest shall splash the blood against the altar of the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons, after whom they prostitute themselves. This shall be a lasting statute for them through all their generations.

Say to them: Anyone from the house of Israel, or any foreigner residing among them, who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice

and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD—that man shall be cut off from his people.

If anyone from the house of Israel, or any foreigner residing among them, eats any blood, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from among his people.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives; for it is the blood that makes atonement by means of the life.

That is why I have said to the Israelites: None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.

Anyone among the Israelites, or any foreigner residing among them, who hunts and catches an animal or a bird that may be eaten must drain out its blood and cover it with earth.

For the life of every creature is in its blood. Therefore I said to the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.

Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats an animal found dead or torn by wild beasts must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and he will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean.

But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will bear his guilt.

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Kapitel 17

Main Theme: Sanctification of blood – regulations for sacrifices and the prohibition against eating blood.

Content: All slaughter offerings must be brought to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to be sacrificed to the Lord, so that the Israelites no longer sacrifice to goat demons. The prohibition against eating blood is grounded in the fact that blood carries life and has been given by God for atonement on the altar. When hunting, the blood must be covered with earth. These laws apply to both Israelites and foreigners, and violation results in being cut off from the people.

Key Words/Images:

Blood (הַדָּם): Represents life and is designated for atonement on the altar; therefore, it is forbidden to eat.
Entrance of the Tent of Meeting: All sacrifices must be brought here to ensure proper worship and prevent idolatry.
Atonement (לְכַפֵּר): Blood covers sin and restores the relationship between humanity and God.
Goat demons (שְׂעִירִם): Idols that the Israelites previously sacrificed to; centralized sacrifice prevents this practice.

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Leviticus 17

Events and Customs

Chapter 17 addresses the centralization of all slaughter to the tent of meeting, which was a radical break from common practice in ancient times. In surrounding cultures, it was normal to slaughter animals anywhere, often with religious overtones. This legislation aimed to eliminate unauthorized sacrifices, prevent idolatry, and ensure that all blood was handled correctly at the altar. The verse concerning "the hairy ones/goats" (שְׂעִירִם, se'irim) in verse 7 refers to a form of idolatry that the Israelites had practiced, possibly influenced by Egyptian religion or beliefs about desert demons in goat form. The expression "whoring after them" (זֹנִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם) uses a marriage metaphor to describe spiritual unfaithfulness toward YHWH.

The prohibition against eating blood (verses 10–14) was absolute and applied to both Israelites and foreigners. This stood in sharp contrast to surrounding cultures where blood rituals were common. In Canaanite and Mesopotamian religion, blood was often drunk as part of religious ceremonies to gain contact with deities or the spirits of the dead. The command to cover the blood with dust/earth (עָפָר) after hunting wild animals and birds (verse 13) shows reverence for the life force that belongs to God alone.

Verses 15–16 deal with those who eat animals that died naturally (נְבֵלָה, nevelah) or were torn apart by predators (טְרֵפָה, terefah). Such animals had not been properly slaughtered and their blood had not been drained. Anyone who ate such food became unclean until evening and had to wash their clothes and bathe in water to become clean again.

Key Terms

The Hebrew word נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) in verses 11 and 14 is often translated as "life" or "soul", but here it means the life principle or life force. The expression "כִּי נֶפֶשׁ הַבָּשָׂר בַּדָּם הִוא" ("for the life of the flesh is in the blood") expresses a fundamental biblical anthropology in which blood is seen as the carrier of life itself. The word כַּפֵּר (kipper, "atone") in verse 11 is central to the entire theology of sacrifice and means to cover, cleanse, or make atonement. This verse provides the theological basis for the whole sacrificial system: blood is given by God for atoning purposes and therefore must not be consumed.

The terms נְבֵלָה (nevelah) and טְרֵפָה (terefah) in verse 15 describe respectively animals that died of natural causes and animals killed by predators. Both categories lacked proper blood drainage and made the one who ate them ritually unclean.

The term גֵּר (ger, "foreigner/sojourner") mentioned in verses 8, 10, 12, 13, and 15 describes non-Israelites who lived permanently among the people. They were bound by the same laws concerning blood, showing that these rules had universal validity within the community.

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Sacrifice — Ritual actions where animals, food, or other gifts are given to God as a form of worship and gratitude.
Blood — The fluid that circulates in the bodies of humans and animals, symbolizing life. In Leviticus 17, blood holds special significance in connection with sacrifices.
Tabernacle — A temporary holy place where the Israelites worshipped God during their wilderness journey after leaving Egypt.
Sin — An action or thought that breaks God's laws and commands, leading to spiritual separation from God.
Atonement sacrifice — A sacrifice performed to make atonement for sins and cleanse the guilty person, so that he or she could restore a good relationship with God.
Foreigners — People who were not part of Israelite society but lived among them. They also had to follow certain rules and regulations concerning sacrifices and blood.