You must not eat the blood of any bird or animal in any of your dwellings.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings.
- KJV Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
- ESV Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places.
- NKJV Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast.
- NASB And you are not to eat any blood, either of bird or animal, in any of your dwellings.
- NLT No matter where you live, you must never consume the blood of any bird or animal.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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 never eat blood, whether from birds or animals, anywhere they live. The prohibition against blood applied universally in their homes.
Overview
Blood was understood as the seat of life and was reserved for atonement on the altar (Leviticus 17:11). This ban predated the law and bound all Israel everywhere. It points forward to the precious blood of Christ, which alone cleanses from sin, and which believers honor rather than treat as common.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Gen 9:4But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.
- Lev 3:17This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”
- Lev 17:10–14If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people.
- Acts 15:20Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.
- 1 Tim 4:4For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
- 1 Sam 14:33–34Then someone reported to Saul: “Look, the troops are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.” “You have broken faith,” said Saul. “Roll a large stone over here at once.”
- Ezek 33:25Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?
- Acts 15:29You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
- John 6:53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you.
- Eph 1:7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 7:26 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.