ALL SLAUGHTER MUST BE SACRIFICIAL, _i.e._ at the sanctuary (_cf._ Deuteronomy 12:2 ff., 2 Kings 23:8; Jeremiah 7:18). All slaughter had originally this sacrificial character, among the Hebrews, as among other pastoral and some agricultural peoples; animals were practically never killed except for sa... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS 17-26. THE HOLINESS CODE (see Introd. § 2). LEVITICUS 17. RESTRICTIONS ON SACRIFICE. The whole chapter recalls P, yet there are differences of phrase (_e.g._ what man soever, Leviticus 17:3) and of tone (_e.g._ the giving of a reason for a command, Leviticus 17:11) and of contents (_e.g.... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS 17:8 F. EXTENSION OF THE RULE TO RESIDENT ALIENS. Strangers, often referred to in H (_cf. Leviticus 19:34_), are men of alien race, frequently broken men from other countries, Jiving more or less permanently in Palestine, and therefore naturally expected to conform to many of its religious... [ Continue Reading ]
PROHIBITION OF EATING BLOOD, _ i.e._ of eating flesh not properly drained of blood (Genesis 9:4 *). The reason given, that the life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11), underlies the special importance of the blood in the earlier Chapter s and the whole sacrificial practice. The blood makes atonement,... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BLOOD OF NON-SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS. To these, of course, Leviticus 17:3 does not apply. But all blood, even theirs, is regarded as dangerous. Hence, it must be covered with dust, or it will cry from the ground (_cf._ Genesis 4:10 *). The whole class of non-sacrificial animals includes: (_a)_ wild... [ Continue Reading ]