Topical Bible: Blood: The Life of Animals

◄ Blood: The Life of Animals ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical narrative, blood holds profound significance as the essence of life, particularly in the context of animals. The concept of blood as life is deeply rooted in the Scriptures, where it is often associated with the soul and vitality of living creatures.

Biblical Foundation

The foundational understanding of blood as the life of animals is established in the early chapters of Genesis. After the flood, God makes a covenant with Noah, emphasizing the sanctity of life and the importance of blood: "But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it" (Genesis 9:4). This command underscores the belief that blood represents the life force of an animal, and consuming it would be tantamount to consuming life itself.

Levitical Law

The Levitical laws further elaborate on the significance of blood. Leviticus 17:11 states, "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" . Here, blood is not only seen as the life of the flesh but also as a means of atonement, highlighting its sacred role in the sacrificial system. The prohibition against consuming blood is reiterated in Leviticus 17:14: "For the life of all flesh is its blood. Therefore I have said to the Israelites, 'You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off'" .

Symbolism and Sacrifice

Blood's symbolic role extends beyond the physical to the spiritual realm. In the sacrificial system, the shedding of animal blood was a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose blood would bring redemption and eternal life to humanity. The sacrificial blood of animals served as a temporary covering for sin, pointing to the necessity of a perfect and final atonement.

New Testament Perspective

In the New Testament, the concept of blood as life is transformed through the sacrifice of Christ. Hebrews 9:22 states, "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" . This passage reaffirms the Old Testament understanding of blood as essential for atonement and forgiveness, now fulfilled in the blood of Christ.

Ethical and Dietary Implications

The biblical injunctions regarding the consumption of blood have influenced dietary practices and ethical considerations among believers. The early church addressed this issue in Acts 15:29, advising Gentile converts to abstain from blood, among other things, as a matter of conscience and respect for Jewish customs: "You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things" .

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible, blood is consistently portrayed as the life force of animals, carrying both physical and spiritual significance. Its role in the sacrificial system and its ultimate fulfillment in the sacrifice of Christ underscore its importance in the biblical worldview. The reverence for blood as life continues to shape theological and ethical perspectives within the Christian tradition.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 9:4
But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall you not eat.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 17:11,14
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Sixth Commandment
... is no more sacred than the life of animals; even in ... of God every event is alike
important; and the life of a ... he asked, "of turning a few ounces of blood out of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/weighed and wanting/sixth commandment.htm

Now after the Flood God Made a Covenant with all the World...
... thing of animals and upon all the fowls of the air; and they shall be to you for
meat, even as the green herb: but the flesh with the blood of life ye shall ...
/.../the demonstration of the apostolic preaching/chapter 22 now after the.htm

Life on the Top Floor
... A breakdown to the moral life is just as natural, and ... had to some extent the minds
of animals and the ... predilections of the savage nature be still in my blood? ...
/.../stones rolled away and other addresses to young men/v life on the top.htm

The Creation of Fowl and Water Animals.
... flesh to the blood, from the blood to the ... abundantly the moving creature that hath
life and fowl ... passed to the examination of terrestrial animals; between the ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily viii the creation of.htm

The Promise.
... He required abstinence from eating the blood of animals, and from shedding the blood
of man, putting, as it were, a mark of sacredness upon life-blood, so as ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson i the promise.htm

Whether a Suitable Cause Can be Assigned for the Ceremonies which ...
... are those which are necessary for sustaining human life: such as certain animals
and certain ... Or shall I drink the blood of goats?" Therefore such sacrifices ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether a suitable cause can.htm

Empedocles Increased the Absurdity of Pythagoras by Developing the ...
... So, again, such creatures are opposed to blood which have ... according to the properties
of various animals, and be adapted to their life, notwithstanding its ...
/.../a treatise on the soul/chapter xxxii empedocles increased the absurdity.htm

The Disciple, -- Master, in These Days Some Learned Men and their ...
... men were forbidden to drink the blood of animals, or to ... But now "My flesh is meat
indeed and My blood is drink ... John 6:55), for they give spiritual life, and by ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/singh/at the masters feet/section ii the disciple 2.htm

Give us Today Our Needful Bread
... He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in ... considering the needful bread
and the tree of life and the ... law of Moses in terms of various animals bear an ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter xvii give us today.htm

The Struggle for the Life of Others
... borrowing the imperfect creed, pictured Nature only as a blood-red fang. ... that Nature
has succeeded in continuing the Ascent of Life in Animals without any ...
/.../the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter vii the struggle for.htm