What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,
Parallel translations
- WEB Whatever man there is of the house of Israel, who kills a bull, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp,
- BSB ‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it
- NKJV “Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp,
- NASB “Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp, or slaughters it outside the camp,
- NLT “If any native Israelite sacrifices a bull or a lamb or a goat anywhere inside or outside the camp
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
Anyone who slaughters an animal for sacrifice, whether inside or outside the camp, is in view.
Overview
This sets up a regulation requiring sacrificial animals to be brought to the sanctuary rather than offered anywhere a person chose. It curbed the temptation to set up rival, unsanctioned worship sites. The law centralizes sacrifice around God's appointed place, foreshadowing the truth that access to God comes only on his terms, ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Deut 12:11–15Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:
- Deut 12:26–27Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose:
- Lev 17:15And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.
- Lev 17:12–13Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
- Deut 12:20–22When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
- Lev 17:8And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice,
- Deut 12:5–7But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 17:3 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.