But never consume the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the lifeblood with the meat.
Parallel translations
- WEB Only be sure that you don’t eat the blood; for the blood is the life. You shall not eat the life with the meat.
- KJV Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.
- BSB Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.
- NKJV Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat.
- NASB Only be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel must be firmly resolved not to eat blood, for the blood is the life. Life belongs to God and must not be consumed with the meat.
Overview
The prohibition against eating blood is grounded in the principle that the life is in the blood, a truth central to the sacrificial system. Pouring out the blood acknowledges that life belongs to God alone. This points directly to the blood of Christ, his life poured out, which alone atones for sin and gives eternal life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Lev 17:11For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.
- Gen 9:4But flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat.
- Lev 17:13–14“‘Whatever man there is of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who takes in hunting any animal or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out its blood, and cover it with dust.
- Deut 12:16Only you shall not eat the blood. You shall pour it out on the earth like water.
- Lev 3:16–17The priest shall burn them on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma; all the fat is Yahweh’s.
- Matt 20:28even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- Rev 5:9They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 12:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.