Leviticus 17:15,16

PROHIBITION OF EATING ANIMALS NOT KILLED BY MAN 17:15-16
TEXT 17:15-16

15

And every soul that eateth that which dieth of itself, or that which is torn of beasts, whether he be home-born or a sojourner, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.

16

But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 17:15-16

385.

It is just as important to wash and bathe as it is to not eat. Why?

386.

What is meant by bearing his own iniquity?

PARAPHRASE 17:15-16

And anyonenative born or foreignerwho eats the dead body of an animal that dies of itself, or is torn by wild animals, must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until evening; after that he shall be declared cleansed. But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe, he shall suffer the consequence.

COMMENT 17:15-16

Leviticus 17:15-16 Every possible circumstance in which man would be tempted to eat blood is covered. Supposing we find an animal in the forest who has just been killed by another animal? or has strangled itself? Since the blood has coagulated in its veins and arteries it is unclean and must not be eaten. Such a carcass could be and should be given to the dogs (Cf. Exodus 22:31). God is very serious about this regulation as can be observed in the following examples: 1 Samuel 14:32-35; Ezekiel 4:14.

We would imagine that the stranger here mentioned could have been in reference to the mixed multitude that came out of Egypt and joined the Jewish community.
The comment of Ginsburg is instructive inasmuch as much of his comments are based upon an extensive use of the documents used in the Temple service at the time of our Lord. He says: If he (i.e. the stranger) ate any of it unwittingly, he had not only to wash his garments, but immerse his whole body in water, and be excluded from the sanctuary till sundown. If he neglects those acts of purification, and enters the sanctuary in a defiled state, or partakes of the sacrificial meal, he is to incur the penalty of excision for the former act, and to be beaten with stripes for the latter, according to the interpretation of this law given in the time of Christ.

FACT QUESTIONS 17:15-16

392.

Eating of blood was a very serious offense. Cite examples to prove this point.

393.

Who was the stranger in the camp of Israel?

394.

Was immersion practiced in the time of Leviticus? Discuss.