Leviticus 17:13
in Leviticus 17And if any Israelite or foreigner living among them hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, he must drain its blood and cover it with dirt.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who taketh in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
KJV
And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
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This verse in Leviticus 17
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Therefore I say to the Israelites
on Leviticus 17:12-14
The prohibition is stated three times in five verses, at 10, 12 and 14, which is how Leviticus marks weight. Acts 15:20 and 15:29 carry the blood rule into the church's first council.
This site's exposition
cover it with dirt
Matthew Henry reports that Jewish practice attached a blessing to the covering. The one who covered the blood blessed God for sanctifying Israel by his precepts and commanding them to cover blood. A field kill received a small act of reverence.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The Jews look upon this as a very weighty precept and appoint that the blood should be covered with these words, Blessed be he that hath sanctified us by his precepts, and commanded us to cover blood. They must not eat that which died of itself or was torn of beasts (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
כל נפש מכם NO SOUL OF YOU [SHALL EAT BLOOD] — This is stated in addition to v. 10 to admonish the adults about their young children (that they should not permit them blood to eat — for “no soul” shall eat blood) (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Section 7; Yevamot 114a).
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
THE BLOOD THEREOF IS ‘B’NAFSHO’ (ALL ONE WITH THE LIFE THEREOF). “Its blood represents its life, since life is dependent upon the blood.” This is Rashi’s language. But it is not correct.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִ֨ישׁ | veish | and a person | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אִ֜ישׁ | ʾish | a person | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מִבְּנֵ֣י | mibenei | from [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וּמִן־ | umin- | and of | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הַגֵּר֙ | hager | the sojourner[s] | H1616 → | 92 times |
| הַגָּ֣ר | hagar | who sojourns | H1481 → | 97 times |
| בְּתוֹכָ֔ם | betokham | in midst of them | H8432 → | 418 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יָצ֜וּד | yatzud | he will hunt | H6679 → | |
| צֵ֥יד | tzeid | hunted game of | H6718 → | |
| חַיָּ֛ה | chaiyah | an animal | H2416 → | 498 times |
| אוֹ־ | ʾov- | or | H176 → | 321 times |
| ע֖וֹף | of | a bird | H5775 → | 71 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יֵאָכֵ֑ל | yeakhel | it will be eaten | H398 → | 810 times |
| וְשָׁפַךְ֙ | veshafakh | and he will pour out | H8210 → | 114 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דָּמ֔וֹ | damo | blood its | H1818 → | 360 times |
| וְכִסָּ֖הוּ | vekhisahu | and he will cover it | H3680 → | 152 times |
| בֶּעָפָֽר׃ | beafar | with <the> dust | H6083 → | 110 times |
וְאִ֨ישׁand a person
veishH376 →1663 times
אִ֜ישׁa person
ʾishH376 →1663 times
מִבְּנֵ֣יfrom [the] people of
mibeneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וּמִן־and of
umin-H4480 →1188 times
הַגֵּר֙the sojourner[s]
hagerH1616 →92 times
הַגָּ֣רwho sojourns
hagarH1481 →97 times
בְּתוֹכָ֔םin midst of them
betokhamH8432 →418 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwho
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יָצ֜וּדhe will hunt
yatzudH6679 →
צֵ֥ידhunted game of
tzeidH6718 →
חַיָּ֛הan animal
chaiyahH2416 →498 times
אוֹ־or
ʾov-H176 →321 times
ע֖וֹףa bird
ofH5775 →71 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יֵאָכֵ֑לit will be eaten
yeakhelH398 →810 times
וְשָׁפַךְ֙and he will pour out
veshafakhH8210 →114 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
דָּמ֔וֹblood its
damoH1818 →360 times
וְכִסָּ֖הוּand he will cover it
vekhisahuH3680 →152 times
בֶּעָפָֽר׃with <the> dust
beafarH6083 →110 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ezekiel 24:7For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 12:16
but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 12:16
Through
Leviticus 7:26You must not eat the blood of any bird or animal in any of your dwellings.
it leads to
- Genesis 9:4
But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 17:10–14
If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people.
- Acts 15:20
Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.
- Genesis 9:4
Through
Deuteronomy 12:16but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 15:23
But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 12:23–24
Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.
- Acts 15:29
You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
- Deuteronomy 15:23
Through
Deuteronomy 15:23But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.
it leads to
- Leviticus 7:26
You must not eat the blood of any bird or animal in any of your dwellings.
- Leviticus 7:26
Where this verse is studied
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About Leviticus

This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
