Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 17:13
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.
13. of the children of Israel ] The Samaritan text and certain of Kennicott’s Heb. MSS. read ‘house’ here, as in Lev 17:3 ; Lev 17:5 ; Lev 17:10. The LXX. (see above) have ‘sons’ in all four places, but the Vulg. follows MT.
the strangers that sojourn among them ] Foreigners are here made to be subject to the same law in the matter as the home born. On the other hand, in Deut. (Deu 14:21) that which dieth of itself may be given to ‘the stranger’ or sold to ‘a foreigner.’ According to Dillm. the contradiction arises from a difference in standpoint, the direction in Deut. basing itself on real and practical life, while that of P has in mind an ideal theocracy. More probably, the greater strictness of P is the product of a time (later than Deut.) when emphasis was laid on the binding character of Israel’s laws upon the resident of foreign extraction, who desired to share the advantages afforded him. So Driver.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
13, 14. Directions how the blood of beasts or fowls taken in hunting is to be dealt with.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Any beast; he instanceth in this kind, either because persons much given to that exercise are commonly too licentious, and being in haste might easily transgress; or because some might think the former prohibition did reach only to the blood of such creatures as were offered to God in sacrifice. Cover it with dust; partly, to beget an honourable respect unto the blood even of beasts, and much more of men; partly, lest the beasts should lick it up, and by tasting the sweetness of it be made more fierce and cruel to devour and destroy others; and partly, as a license from God upon this condition giving them a right to kill and eat such creatures, without any fear of the blood being imputed to them; for as the not covering of the blood portends the punishment which the sin of bloodshedding calls for, Job 16:18; Eze 24:7,8, so covering it notes impunity.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13, 14. whatsoever man . . .huntethIt was customary with heathen sportsmen, when theykilled any game or venison, to pour out the blood as a libation tothe god of the chase. The Israelites, on the contrary, were enjoined,instead of leaving it exposed, to cover it with dust and, by thismeans, were effectually debarred from all the superstitious uses towhich the heathen applied it.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And whatsoever man [there be] of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you,…. This form of speaking, which is often used in this chapter, is still observed to point out the persons on whom the law is obligatory, Israelites and proselytes of righteousness:
which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; that is, clean beasts and fowls, such as by a former law are observed; and this excepts unclean ones, as Jarchi, but includes all clean ones, whether wild or tame, that may be taken and killed though not taken in hunting; but such are particularly mentioned, because not only hunting beasts and fowl were common, but because such persons were more rustic and brutish and, being hungry, were in haste for their food, and not so careful about the slaying of the creatures, and of, taking care about their blood:
he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust; that it might not be eaten by men, nor licked up by beasts and that there might be kept up a reverend esteem of blood, being the life of the creature; and this covering of it, as Maimonides l tells us, was accompanied with a benediction in this form,
“Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, the King of the world, who hath sanctified us by his precepts, and hath given commandment to us concerning covering of the blood:”
and the same writer elsewhere m gives us another reason of this law, that the Israelites might not meet and feast about the blood, as the Zabians did, who, when they slew a beast, took its blood and put it into a vessel, or into a hole dug by them, and sat and feasted around it: see Le 19:26.
l Hilchot Shechitah, c. 4. sect. 1. m Moreh Nevochim, p. 3. c. 46.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(13) And whatsoever man.Better, what man soever (see Lev. 17:3). Hitherto the law mainly discussed the blood of sacrificial animals, or those quadrupeds which were slaughtered at home. In this and the following verses the statute is extended to all other creatures which, though wild, are legally clean and used as food.
Which hunteth and catcheth.Hunting, which was an amusement with other nations of antiquity, was with the serious Hebrew a matter of necessity. It was resorted to as a matter of necessity to exterminate dangerous beasts (Exo. 23:29), but more especially to procure food (Gen. 25:27; Pro. 12:27). Besides the numerous pitfalls, snares, traps, &c, which are so frequently mentioned in the Bible, the Hebrews also employed arms in catching game (Gen. 27:3). When wounded, or when the game had to be killed to facilitate its being carried home, the hunters were liable to become careless about the blood, as is evident from the practice which obtained among some of the ancients. Thus we are told that the Zabians, when they slew a beast, put the blood into a vessel or into a hole which they dug in the ground, and then sat round and feasted on it. It is to prevent such outrages on the sacred blood, which the hunters were especially liable to commit when hungry, that the law is here enacted. An instance of the hungry army flying upon the spoil, killing the cattle in the field, and eating the flesh with the blood, is recorded in 1Sa. 14:32-34. (Comp. also Eze. 33:25.)
Any beast or fowl that may be eaten.That is, those wild beasts or fowl which, according to the dietary law, were usually eaten. During the second Temple this was interpreted strictly to apply to the clean wild beasts, but not to those not permitted to be eaten.
He shall even pour out the blood.The earth, from which all animals came forth at their creation (Gen. 1:24), is to receive back again the principle of their life. They proceeded from the womb of the earth, and their life-blood is to return to it. With such scrupulous care was this law observed during the second Temple, that the following Benediction was ordered to be recited when the blood was covered up: Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hath sanctified us by His precepts, and hath commanded us to cover up the blood.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Pour out the blood and cover This prescribes the manner of killing clean wild beasts and birds. Their blood must be treated as something sacred, lest the blood of atonement on their altars might come to be regarded as a common thing. The covering with dust is omitted in the outline in Deu 12:24. Even should the bird be killed by a blow or a shot, it would be unclean unless its throat was immediately cut.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Law Concerning The Eating of Hunted Down Wild Beasts And Birds ( Lev 17:13-14 ).
Lev 17:13
“And whatever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird which may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood, and cover it with dust.”
When a beast or bird ‘which may be eaten’ (compare Leviticus 11) is taken in hunting, and the main stress here is on the hunting of clean beasts and birds, their blood must be poured out on the ground and covered in dust. On no account must the blood be eaten. Again this applied to both Israelite and resident alien. All life belonged to God and He had the sole right to its disposal. The flesh of such animals could be eaten, but not their blood.
Lev 17:14
“For as to the life of all flesh, its blood is all one with its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, You shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.”
For the blood represents the life of the animal or bird. It is its life principle And no one was to seek to partake of an animal’s life principle. Men and women were made in the image of God, and were of a different nature to wild beasts. To seek to imbibe an animal’s life principle was therefore to seek to alter one’s nature, and to turn oneself into a beast (which indeed was what they saw as one of its purposes, to give them the ferocity and/or strength of the beast). It was an example of what would later be described as ‘confusion’ (Lev 18:23; Lev 20:12).
This teaching concerning the blood brings home the fact that we too can find life through blood shed, the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Joh 1:29). It is through His life given in death that we can find forgiveness and new life. Jesus even spoke of ‘drinking His blood’ (Joh 6:53-56), but the thought there also was of putting Him to death and benefiting by it (compare Isa 49:26; Zec 9:15 LXX; Mat 23:30; 2Sa 23:17). Men ‘drank His blood’ when they killed Him as they had the prophets (Mat 23:30). We ‘drink His blood’ when we claim and participate in the benefits of His death.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
What a precious consideration is it to a true believer in JESUS, that CHRIST hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Observe, what those two great apostles Peter and Paul, have said on this subject of the Mosaic law in general. Peter observes the heaviness of the yoke: Act 15:10-11 . And Paul the unprofitableness of it, Rom 14:14-17 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lev 17:13 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.
Ver. 13. Which hunteth. ] Though he be as hungry as a hunter. See 1Sa 14:32-34 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
which hunteth = which shall hunt any hunting. Figure of speech Polyptoton, a necessity with Israel, not sport; for extermination (Exo 23:29) and for food (Gen 25:27. Pro 12:27). Compare 1Sa 14:32-34 and Eze 33:25.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
which hunteth: Lev 7:26
hunteth: Heb. hunteth any hunting
pour out: Deu 12:16, Deu 12:24, Deu 15:23, 1Sa 14:32-34, Job 16:18, Eze 24:7
Reciprocal: Lev 17:3 – be of Lev 20:2 – Whosoever Lev 22:18 – Whatsoever
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 17:13-16. The Blood of Non-sacrificial Animals.To these, of course, Lev 17:3-7 does not apply. But all blood, even theirs, is regarded as dangerous. Hence, it must be covered with dust, or it will cry from the ground (cf. Gen 4:10*). The whole class of non-sacrificial animals includes: (a) wild animals, which may be eaten, if properly drained of blood; (b) animals not killed; and (c) animals killed by other animals; cf. Deu 14:21, where they are allowable for the alien and the foreigner, and Lev 11:39, where bathing is unmentioned. Evidently, such a light penalty would make it still possible for the poor to enjoy such a cheap class of food; cf. Exo 22:31, where, as in Dt., no provision for purification is mentioned. Thus to the later law, H and P, the general prohibition of blood has partly lost its terrors; but to the modern Jew, tripha (torn) is the opposite of kosher (drained).
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
17:13 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 {h} eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
(h) Which the law permits to be eaten, because it is clean.