Bible Study Leviticus 17
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Leviticus 17 · WEB

The Sanctity of Blood and Centralized Sacrifice

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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2"Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them: 'This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded:
3Whatever man there is of the house of Israel who kills a bull, or lamb, or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp,
4and hasn't brought it to the door of the Tent of Meeting to offer it as an offering to Yahweh before Yahweh's tabernacle— blood shall be reckoned to that man. He has shed blood. That man shall be cut off from among his people.
5This is to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to Yahweh, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, to the priest, and sacrifice them for sacrifices of peace offerings to Yahweh.
6The priest shall sprinkle the blood on Yahweh's altar at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and burn the fat for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
7They shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat idols, after which they play the prostitute. This shall be a statute forever to them throughout their generations.'
8"You shall say to them, 'Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,
9and doesn't bring it to the door of the Tent of Meeting, to sacrifice it to Yahweh, that man shall be cut off from his people.
10"'Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who eats any kind of blood, I will set my face against that soul who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
11For the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.
12Therefore I have said to the children of Israel, "No person among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who lives as a foreigner among you eat blood."
13"'Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out its blood, and cover it with dust.
14For the life of every creature is in the blood of it. Therefore I commanded the children of Israel: "You shall not eat the blood of any creature; 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, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. Then he shall be clean.
16But if he doesn't wash them or bathe his body, then he shall bear his iniquity.'"
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Summary

Chapter 17 opens the "Holiness Code" (chapters 17-26), beginning with two laws: all sacrificial slaughter must occur at the Tabernacle (no unauthorized altar elsewhere), and blood must never be consumed. The rationale for the first law is to prevent sacrifice to "goat idols" (demons) in the field. The rationale for the blood prohibition is given explicitly in verse 11 — the most theologically significant statement in Leviticus: "the life of the flesh is in the blood... it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life." Blood belongs to God because life belongs to God, and God appointed blood as the means of atonement.

Themes

  • Centralized worship protects Israel from syncretism and idolatry
  • The sacredness of life — blood represents life and belongs to God
  • Atonement requires blood because it involves the transfer of life
  • The prohibition on blood applies equally to native Israelites and resident foreigners

Key verses

  • Lev 17:11 — “For the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.”
  • Lev 17:14 — “For the life of every creature is in the blood of it. Therefore I commanded the children of Israel: 'You shall not eat the blood of any creature; for the life of all flesh is its blood.'”
  • Lev 17:7 — “They shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat idols, after which they play the prostitute. This shall be a statute forever to them throughout their generations.”

Context & background

Chapter 17 marks a major structural transition in Leviticus, beginning the section often called the "Holiness Code" (17-26). The law of centralized sacrifice was particularly relevant to Israel's time in the Sinai wilderness (modern Egypt), where the Tabernacle was the only legitimate place of sacrifice. The "goat idols" (*seirim*, literally "hairy ones" or "goat-demons") mentioned in verse 7 reflect real cultic dangers Israel faced, as evidenced by later lapses in Canaanite and Israelite religion. Verse 11 is foundational for all New Testament theology of the atonement: Christ's blood shed on the cross is the ultimate enactment of this principle — life given to make atonement for life.

Cross-references

  • Acts 15:20, 29 — The Jerusalem Council specifically includes abstaining from blood in its instructions to Gentile Christians
  • Deut 12:15-16, 23-27 — Reaffirms the blood prohibition when Israel is given permission for non-sacrificial slaughter in the land
  • Gen 9:4 — God's original prohibition on eating blood, given to Noah after the flood
  • Heb 9:22 — "Apart from shedding of blood there is no remission" — the direct theological principle of Lev 17:11
  • John 6:53-56 — Jesus' "eat my flesh, drink my blood" language evokes and transforms the blood symbolism of Leviticus

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    Where were sacrifices required to be offered during this period, and what was the penalty for offering elsewhere?

  2. Observe

    What theological reason does God give for the prohibition on eating blood (v. 11)?

  3. Interpret

    Why did God require all sacrifices at one central location (the Tabernacle)?

  4. Interpret

    Why does substitutionary sacrifice "work" — what is happening in atonement according to verse 11?

  5. Apply

    How does Leviticus 17:11 deepen appreciation for Christ's sacrifice?

  6. Apply

    The prohibition on blood extended to resident foreigners (vv. 10, 12). What does this suggest about God's moral standards?

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