Leviticus 17

Lev. 22 17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whosoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that offereth his oblation, whether it be any of their vows, or any of their freewill offerings, which they offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering; that ye may be accepted, ye shall offer a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats. But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish a vow, or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD. Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. That which hath its stones bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut, ye shall not offer unto the LORD; neither shall ye do thus in your land. Neither from the hand of a foreigner shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them: they shall not be accepted for you.

De. 17 1 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God an ox, or a sheep, wherein is a blemish, or any evil-favouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

Lev. 22 26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for the oblation of an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day. And when ye sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, ye shall sacrifice it that ye may be accepted. On the same day it shall be eaten; ye shall leave none of it until the morning: I am the LORD. Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD. And ye shall not profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you, that brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD.

Lev. 17 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying, What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it without the camp, and hath not brought it unto the door of the tent of meeting, to offer it as an oblation 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: to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they sacrifice in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest, and sacrifice them for sacrifices of peace offerings unto the LORD. And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD. And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the he-goats, after whom they go a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.

8. And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the 9 strangers that sojourn among them, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, and bringeth it not unto the door of the tent of meeting, to sacrifice it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from his people. 10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood; I will set my face against that soul that eateth blood, 11 and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that 12 maketh atonement by reason of the life. 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. 13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, which taketh in hunting any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall pour out 14 the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For as to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with 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 is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall 15 be cut off. And every soul that eateth that which dieth of itself, or that which is torn of beasts, whether he be homeborn or a stranger, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in 16 water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean. But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity.

NOTE.—In accordance with our plan of arrangement, we set the distinctively Ritual Legislation in a natural and orderly way, avoiding any refinement of classification that might seem artificial. Our selected comment (as throughout the work) touches only such facts and truths as are intrinsically valuable, because essentially helpful to a more thorough and impressive apprehension of the Old Testament teaching. B.

Animals to be Offered (Lev. 22: 17-19, 29-33).

Of living creatures, the Hebrews offered only these five kinds: bullocks, goats, sheep, turtles, pigeons. B.—Of the herd, a young bullock, of not less than one nor more than three years, generally of the third year. Of the flock, a lamb or kid, a male of the like age, but generally of the first year. Of birds, turtle-doves or young pigeons, without distinction of sex. P. S.—It is worthy of notice that these were all offered by Abraham in the great sacrifice of the covenant. The Divine command was, “Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove and a young pigeon.” Clark.

In cases of extreme poverty, when the worshipper could not afford a proper sacrifice, the Law permitted him to bring pigeons or turtle-doves, the blood of which was to be brought to the altar as that of the animal victim. These doves were with them the tame, domesticated fowls, and in the feathered tribe corresponded to sheep and oxen among animals. No mention whatever is made of home-bred fowls or chickens in Old Testament Scripture. P. F.—The Jews say this sacrifice of birds was one of the most difficult services the priests had to do. The priest would need to take as much care in offering this sacrifice as in any of the others; to teach those that minister in holy things to be as solicitous for the salvation of the souls of the poor as of the rich. The poor man’s turtle-doves or young pigeons are here said to be an offering of a sweet savor, as much as those of an ox or a bullock, that hath horns and hoofs. H.—It is observable that the eagle and the lion were not offered in sacrifice unto God, but the lamb and dove, to denote that God regards not high and lofty spirits; but meek, poor spirits God will accept. Brooks.

This central truth of the sacrificial ritual is here disclosed in connection with a prohibition of blood as food (verse 10). Two reasons are given for the prohibition: First, that the blood is the vital element, “the life of all flesh;” secondly, that “it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul” (verse 11). The prohibition is repeated (verses 12, 13), and the first reason is twice stated (verse 14), with threatening of penalty. To this is added an injunction against eating that which died naturally or by violence (verses 15, 16). And the prohibition of blood as food is strongly emphasized in the parting address of Moses (De. 12:16, 23-26; 15:23). B.

Lev. 17:11. Life is in the blood. There are three words relating to the constitution of man in the Old Testament, and three corresponding ones in the New Testament: (1) chay, ζωή, vita, denoting life, as opposed to death; (2) nephesh, ψυχή, anima, the soul, as distinguished from the body; the individual life either in man or beast, whether united to the body during life (chay), or separated from the body after death; observe the expression “living soul” (Gen. 2:7); (3) ruach, πνεύμα, spiritus, the spirit, that which is opposed to the flesh, and is distinguished from the life of the flesh; the highest element in man, that which, in its true condition, holds communion with God (Rom. 8:4, 5, 6). The soul (nephesh) has its abode in the blood as long as life lasts. In verse 14 the soul is identified with the blood, as it is in Gen. 9:4; De. 12:23. That the blood is rightly thus distinguished from all other constituents of the body is acknowledged by the highest authorities in physiology. “It is the fountain of life (says Harvey), the first to live, and the last to die, and the primary seat of the animal soul; it lives and is nourished of itself, and by no other part of the human body.” John Hunter inferred that it is the seat of life, because all the parts of the frame are formed and nourished from it. “And if (says he) it has not life previous to this operation, it must then acquire it in the act of forming; for we all give our assent to the existence of life in the parts when once formed.” Milne Edwards observes that, “if an animal be bled till it falls into a state of syncope, and the further loss of blood is not prevented, all muscular motion quickly ceases, respiration is suspended, the heart pauses from its action, life is no longer manifested by any outward sign, and death soon becomes inevitable; but if, in this state, the blood of another animal of the same species be injected into the veins of the one to all appearance dead, we see with amazement this inanimate body return to life, gaining accessions of vitality with each new quantity of blood that is introduced, by and by beginning to breathe freely, moving with ease, and finally walking as it was wont to do, and recovering completely.” The knowledge of the ancients on the subject may indeed have been based on the mere observation that an animal loses its life when it loses its blood. But it may deepen our sense of the wisdom and significance of the Law of Moses to know that the fact which it sets forth so distinctly and consistently, and in such pregnant connection, is so clearly recognized by modern scientific research. Clark.—It was a fundamental axiom: “The life of the flesh is in the blood;” or, “The blood is the soul;” soul and blood were correlative notions. Hence dying was expressed by “pouring out the soul;” to “shed blood” meant to destroy life; the blood and the soul of the murdered were said alike to cry to heaven for vengeance; “pure blood” became synonymous with “a pure soul,” and even the combination, “the soul of pure blood,” was formed to denote a guiltless person. Kalisch.

I have given it to you upon the altar. These words preclude any superstitious notion that there was atoning virtue in the blood itself. It had a natural fitness to express a truth and was therefore the symbol chosen by Divine wisdom for use upon the altar. Clark.—In this declaration, first, God appears as the Author of the atoning ordinance. If there be not in this statement an express intimation of the Divine origin of sacrifice, there is at least a full confirmation of the arguments deducible from the nature of the case, which would preclude any other supposition. The words, “I have given it to you,” are parallel as far as the Divine ordination is concerned with the first promise of redemption (Gen. 3), only that now there is a fuller disclosure of the plan by which that purpose shall be accomplished. D. M.

It is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. The grand reason of the singular place which, in the handwriting of Moses, is assigned to sacrifice by blood, is that expressed in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where it is said, that “without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins,” consequently no peace or fellowship with God for the sinner. It is not the matter of the blood that atones, but the soul or life which resides in it; so that the soul of the offered victim atones for the soul of the man who offers it. This passage is intended simply to provide an answer to two questions: Why they should not eat blood?—viz., because the blood was appointed by God for making an atonement. And, why should blood have been appointed for this purpose?—viz., because the soul or life is there, and hence is most suitably taken for the soul or life of man forfeited by sin. This is also the only sense of the passage that can be grammatically justified. In the institution of sacrifice, God mercifully appoints a substitute—the soul or life of a beast, for the soul or life of the transgressor; and as the seat of life is in the blood, so the blood of the beast, its life-blood, was given to be shed in death, and served up on the altar of God, in the room of that other and higher but guilty life, which had become due to Divine justice. When this was done, when the blood of the slain victim was poured out or sprinkled upon the altar, and thereby given up to God, the sinner’s guilt was atoned (covered); a screen, as it were, was thrown between the eye of God and his guilt, or between his own soul and the penalty due to his transgression. In other words, a life that had not been forfeited was accepted in the room of the sinner’s that was forfeited; and this was yielded back to him as now again a life in peace and fellowship with God—a life out of death. P. F.

If we represent to ourselves the whole work of redemption, in allusion to this rite, it will be as follows: The expiation of one and of all sin, the propitiation, was accomplished when Christ offered his blood to God on the altar of the accursed tree. That done, he went with his blood into the most holy place. Whosoever looks in faith to his blood has part in the atonement (Rom. 3:25); that is, he is justified on account of it, receiving the full pardon of all his sins (Rom 5:9). Thenceforth he can appear with the whole community of believers (1 John 1:7), full of boldness and confidence before the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16), in order that he may be purified by Christ, as high-priest, from every evil lust. Steiger.

In what conceivable light can we view this institution of sacrifice, but in relation to that great sacrifice which was to make atonement for sins; to that “blood of sprinkling” which was to speak “better things than that of Abel,” or that of the Law? The offering up of an animal cannot be imagined to have had any intrinsic efficacy in procuring pardon for the transgression of the offerer. Still less intelligible is the application of the blood of the victim to the purifying of the parts of the tabernacle, and the apparatus of ceremonial worship. All this can have had no other than an instituted meaning; and can be understood only in reference to some blood-shedding, which in an eminent degree possessed the power of purifying from pollution. In short, admit the sacrifice of Christ to be held in view in the institutions of the Law, and every part is plain and intelligible; reject that notion, and every theory devised by the ingenuity of man to explain the nature of the ceremonial worship becomes trifling and inconsistent. Magee.

We associate blood with death. But the Jews associated it with life. The idea of death was in the killing of the animal; and the sprinkling of the blood upon the altar meant the dedication to God of a life which had been reached through death. “Dead unto sin:” such was the idea connected with the slain animal. “Alive unto God:” such was the idea connected with the sprinkling of the blood upon the altar. Thus, while penitence is the prominent feature of the presentation and the killing, faith is prominent in the sprinkling of the blood. J. M. G.—No heathen nation had such ideas about human sin and Divine grace as had the people of Israel, so that it was only in this nation that the blood assumed this unique and exalted significance, and only there that it became the centre of the whole sacrificial procedure. Ewald.

At this point we encounter an objection which appears very strong to modern “culture.” We admit that there was much connected with the ritual of the altar of a revolting nature; but why? Do we not need to be taught that sin is a revolting thing? Greece had abundance of the finest culture. There was everything to please the eye in her temples and monuments; but think of the corruption in Greek hearts, think of the abominations of Greek society! In the Jewish worship there were plain truths plainly and even roughly taught; and what was the consequence? A nation, as Matthew Arnold so fully brings out, that stood alone among the nations of the earth as a witness for righteousness and purity in personal and social life. Intellectual and aesthetic culture, without the stern foundation of good morals, hatred of sin and love of holiness, produces mere “whited sepulchres, beautiful without, while within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” The true answer to the objection which a superficially refined taste brings against the barbarity of the Hebrew worship, is to be found in the outcome of it, first in the Hebrew character for morality and purity, in contrast with the heathen nations of the time; and next in the whole tone and tenor of the Hebrew literature, which we can with all appropriateness call “the holy writings.” J. M. G.—Nevermore shall we get rid of blood. There was a mystery about its being sprinkled on the doorposts in Egypt—a mystery about the paschal lamb—that mystery will follow us to the end, and reappear in a heavenly anthem. J. P.