Leviticus 17:13 · Bible study
Leviticus 17:13 Commentary: The Command to Cover Blood After Hunting
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God command hunters to pour out blood and cover it with dust? This study explores Leviticus 17:13 and its connection to the sanctity of life.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Hunters must pour out the blood of edible game and cover it with dust, treating the life-blood with reverence even outside the sacrificial system.
- Key words: “Pour out” (שָׁפַךְ, shaphakh), used for shedding blood; “cover” (כָּסָה, kasah), to hide or conceal; “dust” (עָפָר, aphar), earth, the material of human creation.
- Main debate: Whether the primary reason for covering the blood is to prevent pagan practices (JFB, Gill) or to reinforce the theological truth that blood belongs to God alone (Keil & Delitzsch, Barnes). These are complementary rather than contradictory.
- Theological theme: The sanctity of life, symbolized by blood, demands respect in every context, not only in worship but also in daily activities like hunting.
- Best use: A sermon on the sacredness of life; a small-group study on Old Testament ethics; a personal devotion to cultivate reverence for God’s gift of life.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
And if any Israelite or foreigner living among them hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, he must drain its blood and cover it with dirt.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“‘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.
KJV King James Version 1769
And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who taketh in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and any man of the sons of Israel, or of the sojourners, who is sojourning in your midst, who hunteth venison, beast or fowl, which is eaten--hath even poured out its blood, and hath covered it with dust;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And every one of the children of Israel, and of the strangers who sojourn among them, that catcheth in the hunt a beast or fowl that may be eaten, he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with earth;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Any man whosoever of the children of Israel, and of the strangers that sojourn among you, if by hunting or fowling, he take a wild beast or a bird, which is lawful to eat, let him pour out its blood, and cover it with earth.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y cualquier varón de los hijos de Israel, ó de los extranjeros que peregrinan entre ellos, que cogiere caza de animal ó de ave que sea de comer, derramará su sangre y cubrirála con tierra:
E qualquer homem dos filhos de Israel, ou dos estrangeiros que peregrinam entre eles, que recolher caça de animal ou de ave que seja de comer, derramará seu sangue e o cobrirá com terra:
Si quelqu’ un des enfants d’ Israël ou des étrangers qui séjournent au milieu d’ eux prend à la chasse un animal ou un oiseau qui se mange, il en versera le sang et le couvrira de poussière.
Und welcher Mensch, er sei vom Haus Israel oder ein Fremdling unter euch, ein Tier oder einen Vogel fängt auf der Jagd, das man ißt, der soll desselben Blut hingießen und mit Erde zuscharren.
Een ieder ook van de kinderen Israels en van de vreemdelingen, die als vreemdelingen in het midden van hen verkeren, die enig wild gedierte, of gevogelte, dat gegeten wordt, in de jacht gevangen zal hebben; die zal deszelfs bloed vergieten, en zal dat met stof bedekken.
E se uno qualunque de’ figliuoli d’Israele o degli stranieri che soggiornano fra loro prende alla caccia un quadrupede o un uccello che si può mangiare, ne spargerà il sangue e lo coprirà di polvere;
I ktobykolwiek z synów Izraelskich, albo z przychodniów, którzy są gośćmi między wami, goniąc ułowił jakie zwierzę albo ptaka, co się godzi jeść, tedy krew z niego wypuści, i zasypie ją piaskiem.
Если кто из сынов Израилевых и из пришельцев, живущих между вами, на ловле поймает зверя или птицу, которую можно есть, то он должен дать вытечь крови ее и покрыть ее землею,
凡 以色列 人，或是寄居 在他們中間 的外人，若 打獵 得了 可吃 的 禽 獸，必放出 牠的血來，用土 掩蓋。
And any man of Israel, or any other living among them, who gets with his bow any beast or bird used for food, is to see that its blood is covered with earth.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 17:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse extends the prohibition against eating blood to the everyday practice of hunting. The blood of game animals is just as sacred as that of sacrificial animals because it contains the life of the creature. Barnes and Keil & Delitzsch both emphasize that God gave blood for the altar to make atonement; therefore no blood, even from a wild animal killed in the field, may be treated as ordinary. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown and Gill note that covering the blood with dust prevented pagan practices of pouring blood as a libation to the gods or feasting on blood. The law applies equally to Israelites and to foreigners living among them, showing that the sanctity of blood was not limited to those within the covenant community. The shared core is this: blood deserves reverence because it is the vehicle of life, and the hunter’s act of covering it acknowledges that truth.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Blood of any edible creature must be treated with respect because it represents the life that belongs to God, and the act of covering it is an expression of that respect.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Prohibition of eating blood | All traditions agree that the Old Testament forbids eating blood and that this command is grounded in blood being the life of the creature, given for atonement. | Christians disagree on whether the apostolic decree in Acts 15 still binds believers to abstain from blood, or whether it was a temporary concession for Jewish-Gentile unity. |
| Reason for covering blood with dust | There is broad agreement that the act shows reverence for blood as the life and prevents misuse. | Some commentators (e.g., Gill) emphasize the anti-pagan context, preventing feasts or libations on blood. Others (e.g., Keil & Delitzsch) focus on the theological truth that blood belongs to God alone for atonement. Both are present in the text. |
| Inclusion of foreigners | The law applies to both native Israelites and resident aliens, showing that the sanctity of blood is not limited to the covenant community. | Interpreters differ on whether this implies a universal moral law (binding on all people) or a theocratic requirement for those living in Israel’s land. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Hunting in ancient Israel was a practical necessity for food, especially in wilderness regions. But hunters were often far from the tabernacle, so they could not bring game to the altar for the blood to be poured out properly. The command in Leviticus 17:13 addresses this situation directly.
The surrounding pagan cultures treated blood very differently. Ellicott’s Commentary describes how idolaters would dig a hole, collect the blood of a slain beast, and then sit around it to feast. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown adds that hunters in other nations commonly poured out blood as a libation to the god of the chase. Israel’s law breaks with these customs: the blood is not consumed, not offered to a deity, and not left exposed. Instead it is poured out and covered with dust, a burial-like act that acknowledges the blood as the life that belongs to God alone.
The literary context of Leviticus 17 reinforces this. Verses 10, 12 have already forbidden eating any blood because “the life of the flesh is in the blood” and God has given it for atonement on the altar. Verse 13 now extends that logic to animals killed in hunting. The word for “pour out” (שָׁפַךְ, shaphakh) is the same verb used for shedding blood in violence (Genesis 9:6), which underscores that even the blood of a clean animal is precious. The dust (עָפָר, aphar) is common earth, the same element from which Adam was formed, a reminder of human mortality and creaturely dependence on God.
Also notable is the inclusion of “the strangers who live as foreigners among them.” Foreigners who settled in Israel were expected to honor the same laws regarding blood. This prevented any loophole where outsiders might treat blood casually. The verse thus forms part of a broader effort to teach Israel and its guests that life itself is sacred and not to be treated lightly.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Leviticus 17:13 itself. The surrounding verses show some differences in the Samaritan and Septuagint (e.g., adding “house of Israel” in v.3 and v.5, and expanding v.4 with harmonizing language), but these do not affect verse 13. The Hebrew text is stable across traditions.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this verse became the basis for the rabbinic requirement to cover the blood of slaughtered game and fowl before consumption (kashrut). A blessing was attached to the act: “Blessed are You … who has sanctified us by His commandments and commanded us concerning covering the blood.” Early Christians encountered the blood prohibition in the apostolic council of Acts 15, where they required Gentile converts to abstain from blood, a decision that continued to be discussed in the patristic period. Some church fathers such as Tertullian and Origen saw in the command a spiritual lesson: the blood of Christ, like the animal’s blood, is poured out and covered (in burial), but unlike it, Christ’s blood speaks of redemption. Reformation-era commentators like Calvin and Matthew Henry read the verse as a reminder of the sacredness of life and a warning against treating God’s gifts carelessly. In modern application, the verse is often used to teach respect for animal life and the environment.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Blood is life, and life is sacred. The command to pour out and cover the blood reminds us that all life comes from God. Hunters, like all who take animal life, must act with reverence.
- Everyday actions reflect worship. Even without an altar, the hunter performs a ritual that honors God. Covering the blood is a small act of obedience that shapes the heart.
- God’s law includes everyone. The repeated phrase “or of the strangers” shows that God’s concern for the sanctity of life extends beyond national borders. It is a principle for all people.
Five-point outline
- The prohibition of eating blood (vv.10, 12) sets the stage for this specific rule about game.
- Hunting is not exempt from the sacred treatment of blood.
- Pouring out the blood is an act of confession: the life belongs to God.
- Covering with dust prevents misuse and shows finality, the blood goes back to the ground.
- This law applies to native and foreigner alike, making it a universal moral marker.
Illustration hooks
- A hunter field-dressing a deer in the woods. In the rush of the catch, the instinct is to wipe the blood away and move on. This command says: stop. Acknowledge the life given. Cover the blood as a quiet act of gratitude.
- A child who accidentally steps on a bird. The parent could just toss it aside. Instead, they take a moment to bury it. That small gesture teaches reverence for life.
- In modern food production, meat arrives wrapped and sanitized. We are far from the blood. This verse invites us to remember that a life was exchanged for our meal.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God still require us to cover blood today, or was this only for ancient Israel?
- If Jesus’ blood fulfilled the sacrificial system, why should we still care about the blood of animals?
- What does this obscure law teach me about respecting life in my everyday choices, like what I eat and how I treat animals?
Leading a Discussion
This short verse appears in a section of Leviticus that calls Israel to treat blood with extreme care. God gave blood for the altar to make atonement, so no blood, even from a wild animal killed far from the tabernacle, may be treated as ordinary. The command to pour it out and cover it with dust is a practical way of honoring the life that blood represents. As your group studies this passage, think about how we show reverence for life in a world that often treats it cheaply.
Discussion questions
- Read Leviticus 17:10, 14. What reasons does God give for not eating blood? How do those reasons shape the command in verse 13?
- The verse applies to both Israelites and foreigners. What does that tell you about God’s expectations for people outside the covenant community?
- Why do you think the blood had to be covered with dust specifically? What does “dust” remind you of elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Genesis 2:7, Ecclesiastes 3:20)?
- How would the act of pouring out and covering blood affect a hunter’s attitude toward the animal and toward God?
- In what ways might we “eat blood” today, not literally, but by treating life or death carelessly?
- The early church wrestled with applying blood prohibitions to Gentile believers (Acts 15:20, 29). How do you understand that decision? Is it binding on Christians now?
- What is one small practice you could adopt to honor the life that God gives, whether in your eating, your work, or your relationships?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 7:26 | You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings. |
| Deuteronomy 12:16 | Only you shall not eat the blood. You shall pour it out on the earth like water. |
| Deuteronomy 12:24 | You shall not eat it. You shall pour it out on the earth like water. |
| Deuteronomy 15:23 | Only you shall not eat its blood. You shall pour it out on the ground like water. |
| I Samuel 14:32 | and the people pounced on the plunder, and took sheep, cattle, and calves, and killed them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood. |
| I Samuel 14:34 | Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and tell them, ‘Every man bring me here his ox, and every man his sheep, and kill them here, and eat; and don’t sin against Yahweh in eating meat with the blood.’” All the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and killed them there. |
| Job 16:18 | “Earth, don’t cover my blood. Let my cry have no place to rest. |
| Ezekiel 24:7 | “‘“For the blood she shed is in the middle of her. She set it on the bare rock. She didn’t pour it on the ground, to cover it with dust. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes two distinct grounds for the blood prohibition: its nature as the vital fluid of life, and its ordained use for atonement on the altar. He then reinforces the biblical claim with modern physiological authorities, showing that scientific discovery confirms the ancient recognition of blood as the seat and vehicle of life.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary points out that Leviticus requires even foreigners living among Israel to follow the blood prohibition, while Deuteronomy permits giving meat from an animal that died naturally to a stranger. The writer explains this as a later Priestly development: any foreigner who wanted to share Israel's privileges had to also keep its laws.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that this command applies equally to Israelites and foreigners living among them. When hunting for food, the blood must be poured out and covered with dust, underscoring that blood is sacred and must not be treated carelessly, even in ordinary daily activities.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that the command to pour out blood and cover it with dust applied to all clean animals, whether hunted or not. The practice prevented eating blood, preserved reverence for blood as the life of the creature, and stopped Israelites from imitating pagan feasts around blood.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the instruction to cover slaughtered game's blood with dust directly countered the heathen custom of pouring it as an offering to the god of hunting. This simple act protected Israel from participating in such superstitious practices by removing the blood entirely from ritual use.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch explains that the law against eating blood rests on blood being the vehicle of the animal's soul, which God appointed for atonement on the altar as a substitute for the human soul. Pouring out blood and covering it with earth returns it to the ground from which God brought animals forth.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees every slaughter of a clean animal for food as a sacrificial act that must be consecrated at the tabernacle. He emphasizes that blood is the vehicle of the soul, belonging to God for atonement. Reckless killing or consumption of blood profanes life itself and blurs the distinction between human and animal.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that God repeated the blood prohibition multiple times to impress its seriousness. The command is not new but a restatement of earlier laws, and the repeated emphasis underscores that blood is sacred because God appointed it for atonement on the altar.