Leviticus 17 Footnotes

17:1 Here begins a section of Leviticus that many scholars refer to as the Holiness Code, continuing through chap. 26. It is especially concerned with the holiness of the Lord’s people as a reflection of his holiness.

17:11 Blood is considered efficacious because it represents life. Creatures cannot live without it, and killing is expressed as shedding blood (Gn 9:4). The blood of the sacrificial victim offered on the altar is its “life” and can stand in place of human life. Blood essentially signifies the life given up in death.