Leviticus 17:14

14 Indeed, [the] life of all flesh, its blood, [is] in its life, so I said to the {Israelites}, 'You may not eat [the] blood of any flesh, because [the] life of all flesh [is] its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.'

Leviticus 17:14 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 17:14

For [it is] the life of all flesh
Of every animal:

the blood of it [is] for the life thereof;
for the production, preservation, and continuance of life; that on which life depends, as Jarchi observes:

therefore I said unto the children of Israel, ye shall eat the blood
of no manner of flesh;
of beasts or birds, whose flesh was fit for food; but their blood was not to be eaten, for the reasons before given:

for the life of all flesh [is] the blood thereof;
which is repeated, that it might be observed and taken notice of, as that in which the force of the reason lay for giving this law:

whosoever eateth it shall be cut off;
by death, whether he be an Israelite or a proselyte of righteousness; wherefore if this law was now in force, its penalty also would be continued, whereas it is not, and which shows the abrogation of it. Also (See Gill on Leviticus 17:4).

Leviticus 17:14 In-Context

12 {Therefore} I said to the {Israelites}, '{None of you} may eat blood, nor may the alien who is dwelling in your midst eat blood.'

13 "And [if there is] {anyone} from the {Israelites} or from the alien who is dwelling in their midst who hunts a wild game animal or a bird that may be eaten, then he shall pour out its blood, and he shall cover it with the soil.

14 Indeed, [the] life of all flesh, its blood, [is] in its life, so I said to the {Israelites}, 'You may not eat [the] blood of any flesh, because [the] life of all flesh [is] its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.'

15 "And [if there is] any person who eats a dead body or a mangled carcass, [whether] among the native or among the alien, then he shall wash his garments, and he shall wash [himself] with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening, and he shall be clean.

16 But if he does not wash [his garments] and he does not wash his body, then he shall bear his guilt."

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "Because"
• [b]. Or "and"
• [c]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"