1 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, 3 Whatever 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, 4 and hasn't brought it to the door of the Tent of Meeting, to offer it as an offering to Yahweh before the tabernacle of Yahweh: blood shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5 This 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. 6 The priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of Yahweh at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and burn the fat for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. 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.' 8 "You shall say to them, 'Any man there is of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9 and 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. 11 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 souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life. 12 Therefore I have said to the children of Israel, "No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who lives as a foreigner among you eat blood." 13 "'Whatever man there is of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who takes in hunting any animal or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out its blood, and cover it with dust. 14 For as to the life of all flesh, its blood is with its life: therefore I said to the children of Israel, "You shall not eat the blood of any kind of flesh; 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. 16 But if he doesn't wash them, or bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity.'"
The people are commanded to bring all the cattle they intend to kill to the door of the tabernacle, where they are to be made an offering to the Lord; and those who disobey are to be cut off, Leviticus 17:1-5. The priest is to sprinkle the blood, Leviticus 17:6. They are forbidden to offer sacrifices to devils, Leviticus 17:7. The injunction to bring their offerings to the door of the tabernacle is repeated, Leviticus 17:8, Leviticus 17:9. The eating of blood is solemnly forbidden, Leviticus 17:10. It is the life of the beast, and is given to make an atonement for their souls, Leviticus 17:11, Leviticus 17:12. If a bird or beast be taken in hunting, its blood must be poured out and covered with dust, for the reasons before assigned, Leviticus 17:13, Leviticus 17:14. None shall eat an animal that dies of itself, or is torn by beasts; if any act otherwise he must bathe his clothes and his flesh, or bear his iniquity, Leviticus 17:15, Leviticus 17:16.
INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 17
In this chapter a law is given, ordering all sorts of persons, Israelites and sojourners, to bring their sacrifices to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, on pain of being cut off, cf11Lev_17:1; and a special and particular prohibition of sacrificing to devils is delivered out, Leviticus 17:7; and the eating of blood, and of everything that dies of itself, or is torn with beasts, is forbidden under the above penalty, cf11Lev_17:10.
(Leviticus 17:1-9) All sacrifices to be offered at the tabernacle.
(Leviticus 17:10-16) Eating of blood, or of animals which died a natural death, forbidden.
II. Laws for the Sanctification of Israel in the Covenant - Fellowship of Its God - Leviticus 17-25
Holiness of Conduct on the Part of the Israelites - Leviticus 17-20
The contents of these four chapters have been very fittingly summed up by Baumgarten in the following heading: "Israel is not to walk in the way of the heathen and of the Canaanites, but in the ordinances of Jehovah," as all the commandments contained in them relate to holiness of life.
Holiness of Food. - The Israelites were not to slaughter domestic animals as food either within or outside the camp, but before the door of the tabernacle, and as slain-offerings, that the blood and fat might be offered to Jehovah. They were not to sacrifice any more to field-devils (Leviticus 17:3-7), and were to offer all their burnt-offerings or slain-offerings before the door of the tabernacle (Leviticus 17:8,_ 9); and they were not to eat either blood or carrion (Leviticus 17:10-16). These laws are not intended simply as supplements to the food laws in ch. 11; but they place the eating of food on the part of the Israelites in the closest relation with their calling as the holy nation of Jehovah, on the one hand to oppose an effectual barrier to the inclination of the people to idolatrous sacrificial meals, on the other hand to give a consecrated character to the food of the people in harmony with their calling, that it might be received with thanksgiving and sanctified with prayer (1-Timothy 4:4-5).
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.