Leviticus 17:3

3 Any and every man who slaughters an ox or lamb or goat inside or outside the camp

Leviticus 17:3 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 17:3

What man soever [there be] of the house of Israel
Whether high or low, rich or poor:

that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat in the camp;
which are particularly mentioned, as Gersom observes, because of these the offerings were; for the law respects the killing of them not for common food, but for sacrifice, as appears from the following verses; for this law was to be a statute for ever, whereas in that sense it was not, and could not be observed, especially when they were come into the land of Canaan; nor would it have been decent or convenient to have brought such vast numbers of cattle every day to be killed at the door of the tabernacle, and must have made the service of the priests extremely laborious to kill them, or even to see that they were killed aright:

or that killeth [it] out of the camp;
which furnishes out another reason against the same notion, since it was not usual to kill for common food without the camp, but in their own tents within it; whereas to sacrifice without the camp was commonly done.

Leviticus 17:3 In-Context

1 God spoke to Moses,

2 "Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites. Tell them, This is what God commands:

3 Any and every man who slaughters an ox or lamb or goat inside or outside the camp

4 instead of bringing it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to offer it to God in front of The Dwelling of God - that man is considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people.

5 This is so the Israelites will bring to God the sacrifices that they're in the habit of sacrificing out in the open fields. They must bring them to God and the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as Peace-Offerings to God.