Leviticus 7:20

Hebrew Bible

18 If some of the meat of his peace-offering sacrifice is ever eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted; it will not be accounted to the one who presented it since it is spoiled, and the person who eats from it will bear his punishment for iniquity. 19 The meat which touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up in the fire. As for ceremonially clean meat, everyone who is ceremonially clean may eat the meat. 20 The person who eats meat from the peace-offering sacrifice which belongs to the Lord while that person’s uncleanness persists will be cut off from his people. 21 When a person touches anything unclean (whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or an unclean detestable creature) and eats some of the meat of the peace-offering sacrifice which belongs to the Lord, that person will be cut off from his people.’” 22 Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

Deuteronomy 12:22

Hebrew Bible

20 When the Lord your God extends your borders as he said he would do and you say, “I want to eat meat just as I please,” you may do so as you wish. 21 If the place he chooses to locate his name is too far for you, you may slaughter any of your herd and flock he has given you just as I have stipulated; you may eat them in your villages just as you wish. 22 As you eat the gazelle or ibex, so you may eat these; the ritually impure and pure alike may eat them. 23 However, by no means eat the blood, for the blood is life itself—you must not eat the life with the meat. 24 You must not eat it! You must pour it out on the ground like water.

 Notes and References

"... In Genesis 9:4 the prohibition against ingesting blood is given to Noah as the sole restriction on the control of the animal kingdom granted to him and his heirs. It is thus defined as binding on the whole human race, unlike all the other dietary laws, which serve to distinguish Israel from the nations. It is repeated for Israel in the context of the sacrificial rituals (Leviticus 3:17; 7:26-27) and for Israel and resident aliens (Leviticus 17:10-14). This latter passage applies the rule to game as well as domestic animals, including birds (Leviticus 17:13), and offers explanations. Leviticus 7:27 and 17:10, 14 ordain a sanction: Yahweh will “cut off anyone who eats blood.” Leviticus 19:26 is frequently read as speaking of “eating with the blood,” but the literal translation is “on the blood,” and a different practice may be in view (compare 1 Samuel 14:31-34; Ezekiel 33:25). The rule is also found in Deuteronomy 12:16, 23-25; 15:23, where permission is given (as against Leviticus 17) for the secular slaughter of animals. In sacrificial slaughter the blood would have been poured against the altar as the divine portion; its mention here ensures that in the less-controlled secular environment the animal’s blood still does not pass human lips. The texts all speak of eating blood, not drinking it; this probably shows that the issue is one of eating blood as part of the meat ..."

Alexander, T. Desmond, and David W. Baker Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (pp. 330-331) InterVarsity Press, 2003

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