Leviticus 3:17 kjv
It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.
Leviticus 3:17 nkjv
'This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.' "
Leviticus 3:17 niv
"?'This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.'?"
Leviticus 3:17 esv
It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood."
Leviticus 3:17 nlt
"You must never eat any fat or blood. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation, wherever you live."
Leviticus 3 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 9:4 | "Only flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat." | Early covenant blood prohibition to Noah. |
| Lev 7:23-25 | "You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat... any fat of an animal that dies... the fat of the beast offered... you shall eat none of it." | Reiteration of fat prohibition for specific animals. |
| Lev 7:26-27 | "Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwellings... whoever eats any blood... cut off from his people." | Strict and general blood prohibition, consequence for disobedience. |
| Lev 17:10-12 | "Any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person... For the life of the flesh is in the blood..." | Strong prohibition, rationale (life is in blood). |
| Lev 17:13-14 | "So I have said to the people of Israel, 'You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood.'" | Reinforces life-blood connection and general prohibition. |
| Deut 12:23-25 | "Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life... you shall not eat it, that it may go well with you and with your children after you." | Blood as life, welfare linked to obedience. |
| 1 Sam 2:15-16 | (Sons of Eli) "Also before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say... ‘give meat for the roast’" | Eli's sons profaning God's portion (fat). |
| 1 Sam 14:32-34 | "the people flew upon the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground and ate them with the blood." | People sinned by eating meat with blood. |
| Ezek 33:25 | "You eat blood and lift up your eyes to your idols and shed blood; should you then possess the land?" | Eating blood linked with idolatry and violence. |
| Mark 7:19 | (Jesus declared) "Thus he declared all foods clean." | Jesus' teaching on inner purity over external food laws. |
| Acts 10:13-15 | (Peter's vision) "What God has made clean, do not call common." | Abolition of certain ritual dietary distinctions for food itself. |
| Acts 15:20 | "but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood." | Apostolic decree for Gentile believers regarding specific prohibitions, including blood. |
| Acts 15:29 | "that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality." | Reinforcement of the Jerusalem Council's decision. |
| Rom 14:17 | "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." | Spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God supersedes food rules. |
| Col 2:16-17 | "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink... These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." | Ceremonial food laws were shadows, fulfilled in Christ. |
| 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." | The crucial role of blood for atonement. |
| Exod 12:14 | "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a perpetual statute..." | Example of "perpetual statute" for Passover. |
| Lev 6:18 | "It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, for anyone among the people of the Lord who touches them shall be holy." | "Perpetual statute" for handling consecrated things. |
| Lev 7:36 | "which the Lord commanded to be given to them... throughout their generations, as a perpetual statute." | "Perpetual statute" regarding priests' portion. |
| Lev 10:9 | "Drink no wine or strong drink... It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations." | "Perpetual statute" for priests regarding alcohol. |
| Num 18:23 | "This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations..." | "Perpetual statute" for Levites' service. |
| Eph 2:14-16 | "abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace." | Christ fulfilled and ended the ritual law's divisiveness. |
Leviticus 3 verses
Leviticus 3 17 Meaning
Leviticus 3:17 declares a divine, everlasting statute for all generations of Israel, regardless of their dwelling place: the strict prohibition against consuming both the fat specifically designated for God's altar and the blood of animals. This commandment reinforces the sanctity of God's portion from sacrifices and the sacredness of life, which is represented by the blood.
Leviticus 3 17 Context
Leviticus chapter 3 details the regulations for the peace offering (zevah sh'lamim), a voluntary sacrifice expressing fellowship and gratitude towards God. This offering uniquely allowed the worshiper to partake of the meat, creating a communion meal. Before consuming their portion, however, certain parts had to be consecrated to the Lord by burning them on the altar. Specifically, the designated internal fat portions and the entire blood were God's exclusive share. This verse (Lev 3:17) concludes the instructions for the peace offering by broadening the prohibition of consuming fat and blood from a ritual context to a universal and permanent law for all Israel, applicable wherever they lived and for all future generations. It underscores foundational principles of Israelite worship and life: God's supreme claim over the "best" and over life itself. This also served as a clear distinction from surrounding pagan practices that often involved eating blood or parts dedicated to idols.
Leviticus 3 17 Word analysis
- "It shall be": Indicates a definitive divine decree, establishing an unchangeable command from the Lord.
- "a perpetual statute": Hebrew ḥuqqat 'olam (חֻקַּת עוֹלָם).
- Ḥuqqat: "Statute," "ordinance," "decree." Refers to an engraved or prescribed rule, carrying legal authority and permanence.
- Olam: "Perpetual," "everlasting," "forever." Emphasizes its enduring nature, not a temporary regulation but a fundamental, eternal commandment. This signifies its enduring theological significance beyond mere ritual.
- "throughout your generations": Applies to every subsequent generation of Israelites, signifying its intergenerational binding nature.
- "in all your dwellings": Extends the law beyond the Tabernacle or Temple setting to every home and wherever Israelites resided. This makes it a comprehensive lifestyle requirement, not just a cultic one.
- "that you eat neither fat nor blood": The core prohibitions.
- "fat": Hebrew ḥēlev (חֵלֶב). This refers specifically to the rich, internal suet and covering fat around the organs (like kidneys, entrails, the fatty tail of sheep). It is distinguished from muscle fat which was permissible. Ḥēlev was considered the richest and best part of the animal, signifying that the "best" belongs exclusively to God. Its combustion produced a pleasing aroma, representing total dedication to God.
- "blood": Hebrew dām (דָּם). Universally understood as the life-force of any creature ("for the life of the flesh is in the blood," Lev 17:11). Its consumption was strictly forbidden because:
- Life belongs to God: Eating it would be a presumptuous appropriation of what is fundamentally God's.
- Atonement: Blood was uniquely consecrated for atonement, applied on the altar to make propitiation for sins (Lev 17:11). Eating it would desecrate its sacred, redemptive purpose.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings": This phrase together underlines the immutable and universally applicable nature of the command for Israel. It establishes this rule as a core tenet of their identity and worship, transcending geographical location or specific sacrificial contexts.
- "neither fat nor blood": These two elements, linked by "neither...nor," form a distinct pair of prohibitions central to Levitical holiness. They represent giving God His due ("the best" in fat) and acknowledging the sanctity of life (in blood), while also prohibiting practices common among pagan neighbors, setting Israel apart as a holy nation.
Leviticus 3 17 Bonus section
The consistent emphasis on blood throughout the Old Testament culminates in the New Testament with the shedding of Christ's blood as the ultimate, once-for-all atonement for sin (Heb 9:12-14; 1 Pet 1:18-19). This establishes a profound theological trajectory from the physical blood of animals, forbidden for consumption but crucial for covering sins, to the spiritual reality of Christ's redemptive sacrifice. The act of abstaining from fat (God's portion) and blood (the life-giving atoning agent) prepared the Israelites to understand the cost and sacredness of atonement.
Leviticus 3 17 Commentary
Leviticus 3:17 functions as a summation and expansion of prior ritual commands concerning offerings, solidifying two critical prohibitions: abstaining from certain fats and from blood. The "fat" here (Hebrew ḥēlev) is not general adipose tissue but the richest internal fat parts, reserved for God to be burned on the altar, symbolizing God's absolute claim to the choicest and the best. The prohibition of "blood" (Hebrew dām) is even more profound, dating back to Noah (Gen 9:4) and reiterated multiple times in the Torah (e.g., Lev 17:11, Deut 12:23). Blood signifies the life (nefesh), and because life belongs solely to the Creator, and because blood serves a unique atoning purpose in the sacrificial system, it was absolutely forbidden for consumption. This commandment distinguished Israel from surrounding cultures that practiced blood consumption in pagan rituals, emphasizing their consecration and the unique relationship with their holy God. While the ceremonial aspects of the law are fulfilled in Christ, the underlying theological principle of life belonging to God and respecting His provision for atonement remains foundational. The Jerusalem Council's decision in Acts 15 regarding blood for Gentiles reflects, in part, respect for these foundational principles and sensitivity for Jewish believers.