Topical Bible: Blood: Eating of, Forbidden to The Israelites Under the Law

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The prohibition against the consumption of blood is a significant aspect of the dietary laws given to the Israelites in the Old Testament. This commandment underscores the sanctity of life and the symbolic representation of blood as life itself. The directive is rooted in the covenantal relationship between God and His people, emphasizing obedience and reverence for divine ordinances.

Biblical Foundation

The initial prohibition against consuming blood is found in the covenant God established with Noah after the flood. In Genesis 9:4 , God commands, "But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it." This universal decree predates the Mosaic Law and applies to all humanity, establishing a foundational principle regarding the sanctity of life.

Under the Mosaic Law, the prohibition is reiterated and expanded upon. Leviticus 17:10-14 provides a detailed command: "If anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, 'None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood.'"

This passage highlights two key reasons for the prohibition: the life-giving essence of blood and its role in atonement. Blood is seen as the life force of the creature, and its sacred use in sacrificial rituals underscores its importance in the atonement process.

Ritual and Symbolism

The sacrificial system established in the Law of Moses required the use of blood for atonement, symbolizing purification and reconciliation with God. The blood of sacrificial animals was to be offered on the altar, signifying the substitutionary death required for the forgiveness of sins. This ritual use of blood further reinforced the prohibition against its consumption, as it was set apart for a holy purpose.

Deuteronomy 12:23-25 reiterates the command: "But be sure that you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD."

Cultural and Theological Implications

The prohibition against eating blood distinguished the Israelites from surrounding nations, many of whom engaged in practices that included the consumption of blood in their rituals. By adhering to this command, the Israelites demonstrated their commitment to God's covenant and their separation from pagan customs.

Theologically, the prohibition underscores the belief that life is sacred and belongs to God. By forbidding the consumption of blood, the Israelites were reminded of the sanctity of life and their dependence on God for atonement and forgiveness.

New Testament Perspective

While the New Testament does not impose the dietary laws of the Old Testament on Gentile believers, the prohibition against consuming blood is reaffirmed in the early church. In Acts 15:28-29 , the apostles and elders, guided by the Holy Spirit, instruct Gentile converts to abstain from blood: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond these essential requirements: You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality."

This directive reflects the continuity of the principle that life is sacred and that believers are called to live in a manner that honors God's commandments.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 3:17
It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that you eat neither fat nor blood.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 17:10,12
And whatever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eats any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Whether There was any Reasonable Cause for the Ceremonial ...
... that they can leap: whereas those were forbidden which cling ... By the prohibition of
blood, fat and nerves, we are ... of a simple life; whereas the eating of flesh ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether there was any reasonable.htm

The Lord's Supper
... God says, Eat not of this forbidden fruit;' then ... in an undue manner, and is like
eating the passover ... mystery, to represent Christ's body and blood; what should ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/4 5 the lords supper.htm

Of a Private Fast.
... Adam to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit. ... face to shine before men, when
idolatrous eating and drinking ... to forgive thee thy sins; and the blood of Jesus ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bayly/the practice of piety/i of a private fast.htm

Of the Discipline of the Church, and Its Principal Use in Censures ...
... Assuredly I will sooner give up my body to death, and allow my blood to be shed,
than be a partaker of that ... The eating of flesh was forbidden, as if a ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 12 of the discipline.htm

Faustus Denies that the Prophets Predicted Christ. Augustin Proves ...
... in the end the fatal stroke was forbidden, lest the ... it is added, "and His clothes
in the blood of the ... giving relief to an inanimate melon by eating it, instead ...
/.../faustus denies that the prophets.htm

Repentance
... righteousness is indeed as filthy rags, and that the blood of Christ ... persuaded
themselves that in so small a matter as eating of the forbidden fruit there ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 3 repentance.htm

Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... And by unlawful is meant what is forbidden by the law ... of the Virgin Mary, but all
the blood relations of ... who spring from the law, and are placed under the law ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm

Concerning Salutations and Recreations, &C.
... thing so loved; yea, in his eating, drinking, and ... things are commanded because good,
and forbidden because evil. ... was typified, and that the Israelites ought to ...
/.../proposition xv concerning salutations and.htm

Faustus Willing to Believe not Only that the Jewish but that all ...
... as it is written, "Flesh and blood shall not ... it unnecessary that any food should
be forbidden or unclean ... Himself with John, who came neither eating nor drinking ...
/.../faustus willing to believe not.htm

Ancestors of the Blessed virgin
... the sleeping places, the prayer alcove, the eating and working ... in the Garden of Eden
which bore the forbidden fruit ... and wheat and of the flesh and blood of the ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/i ancestors of the blessed.htm