Leviticus 17:9 kjv
And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
Leviticus 17:9 nkjv
and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer it to the LORD, that man shall be cut off from among his people.
Leviticus 17:9 niv
and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD must be cut off from the people of Israel.
Leviticus 17:9 esv
and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man shall be cut off from his people.
Leviticus 17:9 nlt
but does not bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle to offer it to the LORD, that person will be cut off from the community.
Leviticus 17 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 17:3-7 | If anyone of the house of Israel slaughters an ox... at the tent of meeting, it shall be accounted to him as bloodguilt. He has shed blood... | Immediate context, prohibition of external sacrifices. |
| Deut 12:5-14 | But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose... to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall come... | Command to centralize worship in one designated place. |
| Lev 7:20-21 | If anyone eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the LORD’s peace offerings when he is unclean... that person shall be cut off from his people. | Penalty for profaning sacred offerings by uncleanness. |
| Lev 7:25 | If anyone eats the fat of the animal of which an offering... that person shall be cut off from his people. | Penalty for disregarding specific dietary commands related to offerings. |
| Lev 7:27 | Whoever eats any blood... that person shall be cut off from his people. | Prohibition against eating blood, core theme of Lev 17. |
| Exo 12:15 | Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread... Whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. | Penalty for failure to obey specific cultic requirements. |
| Gen 17:14 | Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant. | "Cut off" for fundamental covenant breaking (sign of covenant). |
| Num 9:13 | But if anyone who is clean... fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the LORD’s offering at its appointed time. | Penalty for neglecting an appointed festival/offering. |
| Num 15:30-31 | But the person who does anything with a high hand... that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the LORD... | Defines the gravity of "cut off" as rebellious, deliberate sin against God’s commands. |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice... | Emphasizes the underlying principle: obedience to God's commands in worship. |
| Jer 7:21-23 | Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the flesh. For when I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak..." | Sacrifice without obedience to God's whole instruction is meaningless. |
| Isa 1:11-17 | "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?... I have had enough of burnt offerings... your new moons and your appointed feasts I hate..." | God's rejection of ritual performed without true heart, justice, or proper conduct. |
| Hos 6:6 | For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. | God prioritizes righteousness and genuine relationship over mere external ritual. |
| 1 Kgs 8:29 | that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer... | Solomon's dedication of the Temple as the singular, chosen place of worship in Jerusalem. |
| Psa 50:7-15 | "Hear, O my people, and I will speak... I will not reprove you for your sacrifices... I do not need a bull from your house..." | God's ownership of all, seeking genuine thanksgiving and prayer, not just ritual. |
| Deut 17:1-7 | If there is found among you... a man or woman who... has gone and served other gods and worshiped them... you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman... and stone them to death. | Illustrates the severity of idolatry, similar offense addressed by Lev 17. |
| Heb 9:22 | Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. | Reinforces the importance of blood atonement, linking to why sanctioned sacrifice was critical. |
| Heb 10:1-18 | For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never... make perfect those who draw near... | The temporary nature and fulfillment of Levitical sacrifices in Christ. |
| Jn 4:23-24 | But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. | New Covenant "place" of worship shifts from physical locations to spiritual authenticity. |
| Rom 12:1 | I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. | The Christian's call to offer oneself as a continuous "sacrifice" of life and obedience. |
| Acts 7:48 | Yet the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands... | Understanding the non-physical nature of God's presence, relevant to the "tent of meeting" evolving concept. |
Leviticus 17 verses
Leviticus 17 9 Meaning
Leviticus 17:9 prescribes a severe penalty for any Israelite or sojourner who slaughters an animal suitable for sacrifice but fails to bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting (Tabernacle) to offer it properly to the LORD. This mandate served to prevent unsanctioned animal slaughter, deter pagan practices, ensure the centralization of legitimate worship, and guarantee that atonement occurred solely through God's ordained means at His designated sanctuary. The punishment of being "cut off from his people" indicates excommunication, signifying removal from the covenant community and potentially divine judgment.
Leviticus 17 9 Context
Leviticus chapter 17 is a pivotal chapter establishing the sanctity of blood and the necessity of centralizing all sacrificial slaughter at the Tabernacle's entrance. The verses immediately preceding verse 9 (vv. 3-7) explicitly prohibit slaughtering animals in the camp or outside, specifying that doing so is an act of "bloodguilt," meaning shedding blood for an illicit purpose or as if offering to "goat demons" (se'irim). Verse 8 extends this prohibition from Israelites to foreigners dwelling among them. Thus, verse 9 defines the consequence for violating this command, emphasizing the grave nature of unauthorized worship. Historically and culturally, this law was critical to differentiate Israel's worship of the One True God from the prevalent pagan practices of the surrounding Canaanite nations, which involved offering sacrifices in various local high places to numerous deities or even malevolent spirits. It was a direct polemic against syncretism and polytheism, aiming to purify Israel's worship and ensure their distinctness as God's chosen people who followed His exact ordinances for holy living and acceptable approach to Him.
Leviticus 17 9 Word analysis
- and has not brought it (וְלֹא הֱבִיאוֹ - ve-lo hevi'o): The Hebrew verb bo' means "to come" or "to bring." The Hifil form, hevi'o, indicates "causing to come" or "bringing." The negative particle lo makes it clear that the omission of this act is the offense. This emphasizes the deliberate nature of the omission and the accountability of the individual for failing to adhere to God's precise instruction regarding where sacrifices must be presented.
- to the entrance (אֶל-פֶּתַח - el-petach): The word petach specifically refers to an opening or doorway. It signifies a precise, rather than general, location. This specifies that sacrifices must not merely be "near" the Tabernacle but at its designated entrance, highlighting the strict requirement for orderly and sanctioned access to the holy space where atonement could properly occur.
- of the tent of meeting (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד - ohel mo'ed): This is the consecrated portable sanctuary where God covenanted to "meet" with Israel (Exo 25:22). Ohel means "tent" and mo'ed implies an appointed place, time, or assembly. It signifies the divinely appointed, unique place of true worship, the exclusive point of contact between God and His people, distinguishing their legitimate worship from any idolatrous practices.
- to offer it as an offering (לְהַקְרִיב אוֹתֹו קָרְבָּן - lehaqriv oto qorbān):
- lehaqriv is from the root qarab, meaning "to draw near," in the Hifil stem, signifying "to bring near" or "to present." It indicates the specific act of presenting the sacrifice to God.
- qorbān is a general term for a sacrifice or offering, literally "that which is brought near" to God. It highlights the purpose of the animal, not as mere food, but as a consecrated gift for worship and atonement. The repetition of the root (qarab and qorban) emphasizes the very act of bringing an offering for the purpose of it being an offering to God.
- to the LORD (לַיהוָה - laYHWH): This explicitly identifies the sole recipient of legitimate worship. The use of YHWH, the covenant name of God, underlines that these are His specific terms for interaction with His people, emphasizing monotheism against the polytheistic context of the ancient Near East.
- that man shall be cut off from his people (וְנִכְרַת הָאִישׁ הַהוּא מֵעַמָּיו - ve-nikhrat ha'ish hahu me'ammav):
- ve-nikhrat (from the root karat) means "to be cut off." It's in the Niphal (passive) stem, implying a divine or judicial cutting off.
- This is a severe punishment mentioned multiple times in the Pentateuch, signifying excommunication from the community of Israel and loss of all covenant privileges and blessings. In some cases, it also implied divine judgment unto death (e.g., if no human agency was specified for the execution). It represents a fundamental breach of the covenant, a separation from God's chosen people, denying the individual a share in Israel’s heritage and perhaps even future hope.
Leviticus 17 9 Bonus section
The strong emphasis on a single, centralized location for sacrifice in Leviticus 17 finds its ultimate theological expression in Deuteronomy 12 and the eventual establishment of the Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kgs 8:29). This concept, that God designates "the place" where His Name will dwell and where His people must worship Him, highlights the divine initiative in establishing the terms of approach to Him. It prevents the dilution of truth that occurs when individuals or communities establish their own modes or places of worship. In the New Covenant, the physical "tent of meeting" or Temple is fulfilled and superseded by the Person of Jesus Christ (Jn 2:19-21), who is the true sanctuary and the perfect, singular sacrifice (Heb 9-10). Believers are now called to worship "in spirit and truth" (Jn 4:23-24), signifying that true worship is not bound to a physical location but stems from a transformed heart in union with Christ. However, the underlying principle of approaching God on His terms, acknowledging His sole authority, and preventing idolatry, remains ever-relevant.
Leviticus 17 9 Commentary
Leviticus 17:9 serves as a crucial enforcement clause for the broader principle articulated in Leviticus 17:1-8: the centralization of all sacrificial slaughter. Its primary purpose was to prevent Israel from lapsing into idolatry and pagan worship, which often involved sacrificing animals outside of a divinely ordained sanctuary, perhaps to "goat demons" or other local deities. By demanding that every animal intended for sacrifice be brought exclusively to the Tabernacle's entrance for presentation to the LORD, God ensured proper atonement through the shedding of blood as His exclusive prerogative (Lev 17:11). This command fostered the distinctiveness and purity of Israelite worship, solidifying their allegiance to Yahweh alone and preventing syncretism with surrounding pagan practices. The dire consequence of being "cut off from his people" underscores the profound seriousness of disregarding God's specific instructions regarding His worship, as it constituted a direct affront to His sovereignty and the terms of the covenant. Obedience to God's method of worship was paramount, far outweighing mere ritual without divine authorization.