Ye shall not eat [anything] with the blood
Or upon, over, or by the blood F19, for this law seems
different from that in ( Genesis 9:4 ) , and
from those in ( Leviticus
3:17 ) ( 7:26 ) (
17:10 ) ; and is
variously interpreted by the Jewish writers; some of not eating
flesh, the blood not being rightly let out of it, as not being
thoroughly cleared of it {t}, and so comes under the notion of
things strangled; others of not eating of sacrifices until the
blood stands in the basin F21; and others of not eating
any flesh whose blood is not sprinkled on the altar, if near the
holy place F23: some think it refers to the custom
of murderers who eat over the person slain, that the avengers of
the slain may not take vengeance on them, supposing something
superstitious in it, because of what follows F24;
though it rather has respect to an idolatrous practice of the
Zabians, as Maimonides F25 informs us, who took blood to be
the food of devils, and who used to take the blood of a slain
beast and put it in a vessel, or in a hole dug in the earth, and
eat the flesh sitting round about the blood; fancying by this
means they had communion with devils, and contracted friendship
and familiarity with them, whereby they might get knowledge of
future things; (See Gill on Ezekiel
33:25): neither shall ye use
enchantment;
soothsaying or divination by various creatures, as by the weasel,
birds, or fishes, as the Talmudists F26; or rather by serpents,
as the word used is thought to have the signification of; or by
any odd accidents, as a man's food falling out of his mouth, or
his staff out of his hand, or his son calling after him behind,
or a crow cawing to him, or a hart passing by him, or a serpent
on his right hand and a fox on his left, or one says, do not
begin (any work) tomorrow, it is the new moon, or the going out
of the sabbath F1: nor observe
times;
saying, such a day is a lucky day to begin any business, or such
an hour an unlucky hour to go out in, as Jarchi, taking the word
to have the signification of times, days, and hours, as our
version and others; but Aben Ezra derives it from a word which
signifies a cloud, and it is well known, he says, that
soothsayers view and consult the clouds, their likeness and
motion; but some of the ancient writers, as Gersom observes,
derive it from a word which signifies an eye, and suppose that
such persons are intended who hold the eyes of people, cast a
mist before them, or use some juggling tricks whereby they
deceive their sight.