NET Bible Text
17:1 The Lord spoke to Moses:
17:2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites, and tell them: ‘This is the word that the Lord has commanded:
17:3 “Blood guilt will be accounted to any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp,
17:4 but has not brought it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to present it as an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord. He has shed blood, so that man will be cut off from the midst of his people.
17:5 This is so that the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent to the priest and sacrifice them there as peace offering sacrifices to the Lord.
17:6 The priest is to splash the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and offer the fat up in smoke for a soothing aroma to the Lord.
17:7 So they must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons, acting like prostitutes by going after them. This is to be a perpetual statute for them throughout their generations.
17:8 “You are to say to them: ‘Any man from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside in their midst, who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice
17:9 but does not bring it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it to the Lord ”“ that person will be cut off from his people.
17:10 “‘Any man from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside in their midst who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people,
17:11 for the life of every living thing is in the blood. So I myself have assigned it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life.
17:12 Therefore, I have said to the Israelites: No person among you is to eat blood, and no resident foreigner who lives among you is to eat blood.
17:13 “‘Any man from the Israelites or from the foreigners who reside in their midst who hunts a wild animal or a bird that may be eaten must pour out its blood and cover it with soil,
17:14 for the life of all flesh is its blood. So I have said to the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any living thing because the life of every living thing is its blood ”“ all who eat it will be cut off.
17:15 “‘Any person who eats an animal that has died of natural causes or an animal torn by beasts, whether a native citizen or a foreigner, must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening; then he becomes clean.
17:16 But if he does not wash his clothes and does not bathe his body, he will bear his punishment for iniquity.’”
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Simple Summary
The Lord told Israel to bring sacrifices only to the tabernacle, not to any place they chose. He also forbade eating blood, because life is in the blood and he had set it apart for atonement. This chapter protects the holiness of worship and the sacredness of life.
What This Passage Means
God gave this command to Moses for Aaron, his sons, and all Israel. If a man killed a sacrificial animal without bringing it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, he was guilty of bloodshed and would be cut off from his people. Israel had to bring sacrifices to the tabernacle, where the priest would splash the blood on the altar and burn the fat to the Lord.
This law also rejected false worship. Israel was not to offer sacrifices to goat demons, but only to the Lord. The same rule applied to Israelites and to foreigners living among them. Any offering had to be brought to the tabernacle.
The chapter then forbids eating blood. God said he would set his face against anyone who ate it and cut that person off, because the life of the flesh is in the blood. He had given the blood on the altar as a means of atonement. When hunting animals for food, the blood was to be poured out and covered with soil. If a person ate an animal that died naturally or was torn by beasts, he had to wash, bathe, and remain unclean until evening.
Important Truths
- God sets the terms of acceptable worship.
- Blood is sacred because life belongs to God.
- The blood on the altar was given for atonement.
- Israel was forbidden to join false worship with the worship of the Lord.
- The same covenant rule applied to Israelites and resident foreigners.
- Some cases brought ritual uncleanness, and cleansing was required.
Warnings, Promises, or Commands
- Warnings: Anyone who offered sacrifice outside the appointed place, ate blood, or turned to false worship faced being cut off from the people. God said he would set his face against the one who ate blood.
- Commands: Bring sacrifices to the tabernacle. Do not eat blood. Drain hunted animals' blood and cover it with soil. Wash and bathe after contact with an animal that died naturally or was torn.
- Promise/grounding: God himself appointed blood for atonement because the life of the flesh is in the blood.
How This Fits in God's Plan
This law belongs to the Mosaic covenant and the tabernacle system. It teaches that God provides atonement and that life is holy before him. It also points ahead in the Bible’s story to the need for God-appointed sacrifice, while keeping Israel’s own covenant setting in view.
Simple Application
Do not treat worship as something you can invent for yourself. Take sin, life, and cleansing seriously, and receive God’s provision with reverence and obedience.