Leviticus 17 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter contains Yahweh’s laws about proper sacrifice and handling of blood. The structure of this chapter is as follows:1. Laws about where to sacrifice ([17:1–9](../17/01.md)) 1. Sacrifices must be brought to the tabernacle ([17:1–7](../17/01.md)) 2. Punishment for sacrificing elsewhere ([17:8–9](../17/08.md))2. Laws about blood ([17:10–16](../17/10.md)) 1. Prohibition against eating blood ([17:10–12](../17/10.md)) 2. Proper handling of blood from hunted animals ([17:13–14](../17/13.md)) 3. Rules about eating animals found dead ([17:15–16](../17/15.md))

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

The Day of Atonement

This was the most important holy day for Israel because: - It happened only once a year. - Only the high priest could perform the rituals. - It was when sins were dealt with for the whole nation. - Special rules had to be followed exactly.

Symbolic Actions

The chapter includes actions that had special meaning: - Putting hands on the goat’s head showed the transfer of sin. - Sprinkling blood showed cleansing. - Sending away the scapegoat showed removing sin from the people.

Holy Places and Things

The chapter talks about different sacred areas: - the most holy place (where only the high priest could go) - the holy place (where regular priests could go) - the altar in the courtyard - special clothes for the high priest

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Metaphors about being “cut off”

The chapter often uses the phrase “cut off from his people” as a picture of punishment. This means the person: - Cannot live with their community anymore - Is separated like a branch cut from a tree - Must leave their peopleYour language might need a different way to express this idea of being forced to leave the community.

Idioms and figures of speech

The chapter uses several word pictures that might be hard to translate: - “Set my face against” means “firmly decide to oppose” - “Prostituting themselves” means “being unfaithful to Yahweh” - “Carry his iniquity” means “be responsible for his sin”

Important terms about blood

The chapter talks about blood in special ways: - “The life is in the blood” means blood keeps creatures alive - “Blood makes atonement” means God uses blood to forgive sins - “Eat blood” means eat meat that still has blood in it(See: holy, highpriest, atonement, and sin)