The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible

Leviticus17:1–9

The Place of Sacrifice

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Generated by AI. It can be wrong, and it has no authority. Every note here is fallible commentary — never the Word itself. Public-domain sources are quoted and named; machine synthesis is marked and meant to be checked. Weigh all of it against Scripture. “They received the word with all readiness… and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” — Acts 17:11
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Leviticus 17:1–9 — The Place of Sacrifice. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

1“Then the LORD said to Moses,”+

1Then the LORD said to Moses,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh way·ḏab·bêr ’el- mō·šeh lê·mōr

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-spoke Yahweh unto Moses, saying:

Where the English smooths the original

  • וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר BSB reads the bare past said; the Hebrew way·ḏab·bêr (H1696) is the formal, weighty verb dâbar — to speak/arrange — not the lighter ʼâmar that follows. Leviticus opens a fresh legal section with the heavier word.
  • יְהוָ֖ה English the LORD is a reverent substitution. The text writes the unpronounced divine name Yahweh (H3068) — a covenant name, not a title; the speaker of the law is the God who bound Himself to Israel.
  • לֵּאמֹֽר׃ The trailing lê·mōr (H559), literally to say, is left untranslated in BSB. It is a Hebrew quotation-marker — a colon made of a verb — signaling that direct speech follows.
Word by word5 · parsed+
יְהוָ֖הYah·wehThen the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
Yahweh stands first in the clause for emphasis: it is not Moses who innovates this law but the covenant LORD Himself who speaks it.
וַיְדַבֵּ֥רway·ḏab·bêrsaidH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeConjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
The waw-consecutive imperfect way·ḏab·bêr is the standard narrative seam of the Pentateuch; here it stitches chapter 17 onto the Day of Atonement (ch. 16) without a break, so that the holiness purchased there now governs everyday slaughter.
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
מֹשֶׁ֥הmō·šehMosesH4872
√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular
Moses (H4872) is named as sole recipient — the mediating prophet — though verse 2 will widen the audience to Aaron, the priests, and all Israel.
לֵּאמֹֽר׃lê·mōr. . .H559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
Function word: the infinitive lê·mōr introduces the speech that follows, a fixed formula.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
The Day of Atonement was instituted to purge, in an especial manner, the whole community from all their sins, and present them a holy nation before the Lord once a year. Hence it is now followed by regulations concerning every-day life, the observance of which is to foster the holiness secured on that particular day.
✦Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834
This chapter, in its immediate bearing on the daily life of the Israelites, stands as the first of four Leviticus 17-20 which set forth practical duties, directing the Israelites to walk, not in the way of the pagan, but according to the ordinances of Yahweh.
✦Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871
Sacrifices to be offered only in the temple, Leviticus 17:1-6 , and not to devils, Leviticus 17:7 , on pain of death, Leviticus 17:8 ,9 . Blood not to be eat, on the same pain; the life being in the blood, and it given for an atonement, Leviticus 17:10-14
JFB's chapter-head outline — it maps the whole of ch. 17 and previews the blood-atonement rationale (v.11) that lies just beyond this nine-verse unit.
2““Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them …”+

2“Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them this is what the LORD has commanded:

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

dab·bêr ’el- ’a·hă·rōn wə·’el- bā·nāw wə·’el kāl- bə·nê yiś·rā·’êl wə·’ā·mar·tā ’ă·lê·hem zeh had·dā·ḇār ’ă·šer- Yah·weh lê·mōr ṣiw·wāh

Literal — word-for-word from the original

Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons and unto all the sons of Israel, and you-shall-say unto them: This is the word which Yahweh has commanded, saying —

Where the English smooths the original

  • דַּבֵּ֨ר BSB's Speak renders dab·bêr (H1696), a Piel imperative — an intensive, authoritative command to Moses, the same root as way·ḏab·bêr in v.1; the LORD's speaking commissions Moses' speaking.
  • בְּנֵ֣י BSB's the Israelites flattens bə·nê yiś·rā·’êl (H1121 + H3478), literally sons of Israel — the patriarchal, covenantal idiom that frames the whole nation as one family-house under Jacob's renamed identity.
  • צִוָּ֥ה ṣiw·wāh (H6680, Piel perfect) is stronger than English commanded: it means to constitute, enjoin, lay down as binding statute — this is legislation, not advice.
Word by word17 · parsed+
דַּבֵּ֨רdab·bêrSpeakH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielImperativemasculine singular
The imperative dab·bêr opens the address; that Moses must speak it to priests and laity alike levels the whole nation under one rule.
אֶֽל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
אַהֲרֹ֜ן’a·hă·rōnAaronH175
√ ʼAhărôwn — Aharon, the brother of MosesNounpropermasculine singular
וְאֶל־wə·’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongConjunctive wawPreposition
בָּנָ֗יוbā·nāwhis sonsH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
his sons (H1121) — the Aaronic priesthood named alongside the laity; the law binds the officiants too, not only the people.
וְאֶל֙wə·’el. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongConjunctive wawPreposition
כָּל־kāl-and allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
בְּנֵ֣יbə·nêthe IsraelitesH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine plural construct
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לyiś·rā·’êl. . .H3478
√ Yisrâʼêl — Jisrael, a symbolical name of JacobNounpropermasculine singular
וְאָמַרְתָּ֖wə·’ā·mar·tāand tellH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular
אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם’ă·lê·hemthemH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionthird person masculine plural
זֶ֣הzehthisH2088
√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatPronounmasculine singular
הַדָּבָ֔רhad·dā·ḇār. . .H1697
√ dâbâr — a wordArticleNounmasculine singular
had·dā·ḇār (H1697), the word/the thing — the same root as the verb to speak; the spoken word becomes the legal matter commanded.
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-is whatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יְהוָ֖הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
לֵאמֹֽר׃lê·mōr. . .H559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
צִוָּ֥הṣiw·wāhhas commandedH6680
√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singular
ṣiw·wāh stands last for emphasis: the sentence ends on the fact of divine command, lending the statute its full authority.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
the communication is made to Moses alone, and he is commanded not only to impart its contents to Aaron and his sons— i.e., the priesthood—but “unto all the children of Israel,” or their representatives, at the same time. The pontiff and the priests are thus put on a level with the ordinary Israelite or the laity, as far as this regulation is concerned.
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
The directions are given to "Aaron and his sons, and all the children of Israel," because they were not only binding upon the nation generally, but upon the priesthood also; whereas the instructions in ch. 18-20 are addressed to "the children of Israel," or "the whole congregation"
✦Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599
Lest they should practice the idolatry they had learned among the Egyptians.
Geneva's marginal gloss (a) on "commanded" — naming the law's purpose before the text states it.
3“‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, o…”+

3‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’îš ’îš mib·bêṯ yiś·rā·’êl ’ă·šer yiš·ḥaṭ šō·wr ḵe·śeḇ ’ōw- ‘êz bam·ma·ḥă·neh ’ōw ’ă·šer ’ōw- yiš·ḥaṭ mi·ḥūṣ lam·ma·ḥă·neh

Literal — word-for-word from the original

Any-man, any-man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or who slaughters it outside the camp —

Where the English smooths the original

  • אִ֥ישׁ BSB's Anyone smooths the doubled Hebrew ’îš ’îš (H376, literally a man, a man) — an emphatic distributive idiom meaning each and every man without exception; the repetition is deliberate legal weight, not redundancy.
  • יִשְׁחַ֜ט The verb is yiš·ḥaṭ (H7819, shâchaṭ — to slaughter in sacrifice or massacre), not the cultic zâbach. The commentators divide sharply over whether this means ordinary butchering or sacrificial killing — the verse turns on this single word.
  • עֵ֖ז ‘êz (H5795, she-goat) is the common Hebrew word for a goat (74 vv) — the permitted, altar-bound animal of v.3. It is not the same lexeme as the seirim (sâʻîyr, H8163, shaggy/hairy ones) of v.7: the two are distinct words from distinct roots. But the chapter's irony is conceptual — the very kind of beast Israel may bring to the one door is the goat-shape under which the field-demons are worshipped; the same creature stands on both sides of the law.
Word by word17 · parsed+
אִ֥ישׁ’îšAnyoneH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
The repetition ’îš ’îš is a formula of universal scope, recurring at vv. 8, 10, 13 — every person, native or stranger, is bound.
אִישׁ֙’îš. . .H376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
מִבֵּ֣יתmib·bêṯfrom the houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לyiś·rā·’êlof IsraelH3478
√ Yisrâʼêl — Jisrael, a symbolical name of JacobNounpropermasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֨ר’ă·šerwhoH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יִשְׁחַ֜טyiš·ḥaṭslaughtersH7819
√ shâchaṭ — to slaughter (in sacrifice or massacre)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yiš·ḥaṭ (H7819): the whole interpretive crux. Cambridge notes the verb is used both of sacrificial slaughter (Lev 1:5; 9:8) and of ordinary killing for food; the Pulpit Commentary argues the non-sacrificial word is chosen precisely because the field-offerings were less sacred. The reading of the entire pericope hangs on which sense governs here.
שׁ֥וֹרšō·wran oxH7794
√ shôwr — a bullock (as a traveller)Nounmasculine singular
כֶ֛שֶׂבḵe·śeḇa lambH3775
√ keseb — a young sheepNounmasculine singular
אוֹ־’ōw-orH176
√ ʼôw — desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4)Conjunction
עֵ֖ז‘êza goatH5795
√ ʻêz — a she-goat (as strong), but masculine in plural (which also is used elliptically for goat's hair)Nounfeminine singular
בַּֽמַּחֲנֶ֑הbam·ma·ḥă·nehin the campH4264
√ machăneh — an encampment (of travellers or troops)Preposition-b, ArticleNouncommon singular
bam·ma·ḥă·neh (H4264), in the camp — the wilderness setting that makes the law temporary; once Israel scatters across Canaan, bringing every animal to one door becomes impossible (cf. Deut 12:15).
א֚וֹ’ōw. . .H176
√ ʼôw — desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4)Conjunction
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
אוֹ־’ōw-H176
√ ʼôw — desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4)Conjunction
יִשְׁחַ֔טyiš·ḥaṭH7819
√ shâchaṭ — to slaughter (in sacrifice or massacre)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
מִח֖וּץmi·ḥūṣor outsideH2351
√ chûwts — properly, separate by awall, iPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
לַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃lam·ma·ḥă·nehof [it]H4264
√ machăneh — an encampment (of travellers or troops)Preposition-l, ArticleNouncommon singular
lam·ma·ḥă·neh: the matching phrase outside the camp closes the bracket — inside or outside, the prohibition is total.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
That the injunction here refers to the domestic animals in question, and not to the ordinary sacrifices, is not only evident from the expression “killeth,” instead of “sacrificeth,” but more especially from a comparison of Leviticus 17:3-4 with Leviticus 17:8-9 .
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
The animals mentioned are those which are suitable for sacrifice, ‘of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord’ ( Leviticus 7:25 ), and the verb, though used of sacrificial slaughter ( Leviticus 1:5 , Leviticus 9:8 , etc.), also has the sense of ordinary killing for food. This is its meaning here.
Cambridge reads shâchaṭ as ordinary butchering — the opposite of the Pulpit Commentary's verdict on the same word.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
The use of the word killeth , instead of sacrificeth , is one of the chief causes of the error referred to above, which represents this command as applying to the slaughter of domestic animals. But it is always permissible to use a generic in place of a specific term, and its use proves nothing.
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
Whoever of the house of Israel slaughtered an ox, sheep, or goat, either within or outside the camp, without bringing the animal to the tabernacle, to offer a sacrifice therefrom to the Lord, "blood was to be reckoned to him;"
4“instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to…”+

4instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before His tabernacle—that man shall incur bloodguilt. He has shed blood and must be cut off from among his people.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lō hĕ·ḇî·’ōw wə·’el- pe·ṯaḥ ’ō·hel mō·w·‘êḏ lə·haq·rîḇ qār·bān Yah·weh lip̄·nê Yah·weh miš·kan ha·hū lā·’îš yê·ḥā·šêḇ dām šā·p̄āḵ dām wə·niḵ·raṯ hā·’îš ha·hū miq·qe·reḇ ‘am·mōw

Literal — word-for-word from the original

and to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting he has not brought it, to bring-near an offering to Yahweh before the dwelling-place of Yahweh — blood shall be reckoned to that man; blood he-has-shed, and cut off shall that man be from the midst of his people.

Where the English smooths the original

  • יֵחָשֵׁ֞ב BSB's shall incur bloodguilt renders yê·ḥā·šêḇ (H2803, Niphal of châshab, to reckon/impute) — an accounting term. The man does not merely become guilty; the blood is charged to his account, the very verb used of righteousness imputed to Abraham (Gen 15:6).
  • מִשְׁכַּ֣ן BSB's tabernacle is miš·kan (H4908), the dwelling-place — from the root shakan, to dwell. It is not a generic tent but the place where Yahweh resides among His people; sacrifice happens before the face of the indwelling God.
  • וְנִכְרַ֛ת wə·niḵ·raṯ (H3772, kârath — to cut off/down/asunder) names the dread karet penalty. The same verb is used to cut a covenant; the offender who severs himself from the altar is himself severed from the people.
Word by word23 · parsed+
לֹ֣אlōinstead ofH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
הֱבִיאוֹ֒hĕ·ḇî·’ōwbringingH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbHifilPerfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
וְאֶל־wə·’el-it toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongConjunctive wawPreposition
פֶּ֜תַחpe·ṯaḥthe entranceH6607
√ pethach — an opening (literally), iNounmasculine singular construct
אֹ֣הֶל’ō·helto the TentH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Nounmasculine singular
מוֹעֵד֮mō·w·‘êḏof MeetingH4150
√ môwʻêd — properly, an appointment, iNounmasculine singular
לְהַקְרִ֤יבlə·haq·rîḇto presentH7126
√ qârab — to approach (causatively, bring near) for whatever purposePreposition-lVerbHifilInfinitive construct
lə·haq·rîḇ (H7126, qârab, to bring near): the technical verb of approach — the entire law exists to channel every approach to God through one appointed door.
קָרְבָּן֙qār·bānit as an offeringH7133
√ qorbân — something brought near the altar, iNounmasculine singular
לַֽיהוָ֔הYah·wehto the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
לִפְנֵ֖יlip̄·nêbeforeH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Preposition-lNouncommon plural construct
יְהוָ֑הYah·wehHisH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
מִשְׁכַּ֣ןmiš·kantabernacleH4908
√ mishkân — a residence (including a shepherd's hut, the lair of animals, figuratively, the graveNounmasculine singular construct
הַהוּא֙ha·hūthatH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)ArticlePronounthird person masculine singular
לָאִ֤ישׁlā·’îšmanH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personPreposition-l, ArticleNounmasculine singular
יֵחָשֵׁ֞בyê·ḥā·šêḇshall incurH2803
√ châshab — properly, to plait or interpenetrate, iVerbNifalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yê·ḥā·šêḇ (H2803): the forensic heart of the verse. Blood improperly shed is imputed to the slayer as though he had murdered. Geneva paraphrases the divine voice: "I abhor it as much as if he had killed a man" (cf. Isa 66:3).
דָּ֣םdāmbloodguiltH1818
√ dâm — blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animalNounmasculine singular
dām (H1818), blood, repeated twice (vv. 4a, 4b) for grim emphasis: he sheds blood, blood is charged to him. The doubling presses the equation of unlawful slaughter with bloodshed.
שָׁפָ֔ךְšā·p̄āḵHe has shedH8210
√ shâphak — to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metalVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
דָּ֣םdāmbloodH1818
√ dâm — blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animalNounmasculine singular
וְנִכְרַ֛תwə·niḵ·raṯand must be cut offH3772
√ kârath — to cut (off, down or asunder)Conjunctive wawVerbNifalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
wə·niḵ·raṯ (H3772): the karet formula. Commentators dispute whether this is excommunication, judicial death, or a premature death by God's own hand (Gill, Poole) — the ambiguity is in the text, not the translation.
הָאִ֥ישׁhā·’îš. . .H376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personArticleNounmasculine singular
הַה֖וּאha·hū. . .H1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)ArticlePronounthird person masculine singular
מִקֶּ֥רֶבmiq·qe·reḇfrom amongH7130
√ qereb — properly, the nearest part, iPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
עַמּֽוֹ׃‘am·mōwhis peopleH5971
√ ʻam — a people (as a congregated unit)Nounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834
Blood shall be imputed unto that man - i. e. he has incurred guilt in shedding blood in an unlawful manner.
✦Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685
This was appointed, partly, in opposition to the heathens, who sacrificed in all places; partly, to cut off occasions of idolatry; partly, to prevent the people’s usurpation of the priest’s office; and partly, to signify that God would accept of no sacrifices but through Christ and in the church, (of both which the tabernacle was a type: see Hebrews 9:11 )
✦Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599
I abhor it as much as if he had killed a man as in Is 66:3.
Geneva's gloss (c) on "blood shall be imputed" — voicing God in the first person.
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
He shall be punished as a murderer. The reason is, because he shed that blood, which, though not man’s blood, yet was precious, being sacred and appropriated to God, and typically the price by which men’s lives were ransomed.
5“For this reason the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrif…”+

5For this reason the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they have been offering in the open fields. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and offer them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lə·ma·‘an ’ă·šer bə·nê yiś·rā·’êl ’eṯ- yā·ḇî·’ū Yah·weh ziḇ·ḥê·hem ’ă·šer hêm zō·ḇə·ḥîm ‘al- pə·nê haś·śā·ḏeh we·hĕ·ḇî·’um ’el- hak·kō·hên ’el- pe·ṯaḥ ’ō·hel mō·w·‘êḏ wə·zā·ḇə·ḥū ’ō·w·ṯām ziḇ·ḥê šə·lā·mîm Yah·weh

Literal — word-for-word from the original

so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they are sacrificing on the face of the field, and bring them to Yahweh, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace-offerings to Yahweh.

Where the English smooths the original

  • פְּנֵ֣י BSB's the open fields renders pə·nê haś·śā·ḏeh (H6440 + H7704), literally the face of the field — an idiom for the unenclosed wild, set deliberately against lip̄·nê Yahweh (the face of the LORD) in v.4. The contrast is face-to-face: the open field versus the presence of God.
  • זִבְחֵ֧י BSB's sacrifices of peace offerings compresses the construct chain ziḇ·ḥê šə·lā·mîm (H2077 + H8002). Shelem (H8002) carries the sense of requital, completeness, peace — the offering that restores wholeness between God and worshipper, eaten in fellowship.
  • זֹבְחִים֮ The participle zō·ḇə·ḥîm (H2076, zâbach) is the cultic to sacrifice — distinct from shâchaṭ in v.3. The Pulpit Commentary seizes on this: zabach always means sacral slaughter in the Pentateuch, proving the law concerns sacrifice, not mere meals.
Word by word26 · parsed+
לְמַעַן֩lə·ma·‘anFor this reasonH4616
√ maʻan — properly, heed, iConjunction
אֲשֶׁ֨ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
בְּנֵ֣יbə·nêthe IsraelitesH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine plural construct
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לyiś·rā·’êl. . .H3478
√ Yisrâʼêl — Jisrael, a symbolical name of JacobNounpropermasculine singular
אֶֽת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
יָבִ֜יאוּyā·ḇî·’ūwill bringH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine plural
yā·ḇî·’ū (H935, bôwʼ Hifil, cause to come): the verb of bringing-in that gathers all worship to one center; what was scattered across the field is now brought to the door.
לַֽיהוָ֗הYah·wehto the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
זִבְחֵיהֶם֮ziḇ·ḥê·hemthe sacrificesH2077
√ zebach — properly, a slaughter, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הֵ֣םhêmtheyH1992
√ hêm — they (only used when emphatic)Pronounthird person masculine plural
זֹבְחִים֮zō·ḇə·ḥîmhave been offeringH2076
√ zâbach — to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice)VerbQalParticiplemasculine plural
zō·ḇə·ḥîm (H2076): a participle of habitual action — which they have been sacrificing. The law presupposes an existing field-cult to be redirected, not a hypothetical one.
עַל־‘al-inH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
פְּנֵ֣יpə·nêthe openH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Nouncommon plural construct
pə·nê (H6440), face — same word as before (the face of) Yahweh in v.4; the wordplay pits the face of the field against the face of God.
הַשָּׂדֶה֒haś·śā·ḏehfieldsH7704
√ sâdeh — a field (as flat)ArticleNounmasculine singular
וֶֽהֱבִיאֻ֣םwe·hĕ·ḇî·’umThey are to bring themH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person common pluralthird person masculine plural
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הַכֹּהֵ֑ןhak·kō·hênthe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
אֶל־’el-atH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
פֶּ֛תַחpe·ṯaḥthe entranceH6607
√ pethach — an opening (literally), iNounmasculine singular construct
אֹ֥הֶל’ō·helto the TentH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Nounmasculine singular
מוֹעֵ֖דmō·w·‘êḏof MeetingH4150
√ môwʻêd — properly, an appointment, iNounmasculine singular
וְזָ֨בְח֜וּwə·zā·ḇə·ḥūand offerH2076
√ zâbach — to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
אוֹתָֽם׃’ō·w·ṯāmthemH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person masculine plural
זִבְחֵ֧יziḇ·ḥêas sacrificesH2077
√ zebach — properly, a slaughter, iNounmasculine plural construct
שְׁלָמִ֛יםšə·lā·mîmof peace offeringsH8002
√ shelem — properly, requital, iNounmasculine plural
šə·lā·mîm (H8002), peace-offerings: the only sacrifice the worshipper shares in eating, which is why Benson and Poole note it was the most tempting to divert — part returned to the offerer, its holiness of a lower degree.
לַֽיהוָ֖הYah·wehto the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
In order that the children of Israel may bring in [i.e., within the precincts of the sanctuary] their sacrifices which they are sacrificing on the face of the field; that is, which they have heretofore been in the habit of offering in the open fields to heathen deities
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
He does not name these exclusively from others, as appears from the reason of the law, and from Leviticus 17:8-9 , but because in these the temptation was more common in regard of their frequency, and more powerful, because part of these belonged to the offerers
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
It follows that the command refers to sacrifice, not to mere slaughtering. Clark, taking the opposite view of the command, is obliged to change the translation, sacrifices which they offer in the open field , into "beasts for slaughter which they now slaughter in the open field" ('Speaker's Commentary'); but he has no authority for doing so. Zabach means always, in the Pentateuch, to slay in sacrifice.
6“The priest will then splatter the blood on the altar of the LORD…”+

6The priest will then splatter the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hak·kō·hên ’eṯ- wə·zā·raq had·dām ‘al- miz·baḥ Yah·weh pe·ṯaḥ ’ō·hel mō·w·‘êḏ wə·hiq·ṭîr ha·ḥê·leḇ nî·ḥō·aḥ lə·rê·aḥ Yah·weh

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And the priest shall splatter the blood upon the altar of Yahweh at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to Yahweh.

Where the English smooths the original

  • וְזָרַ֨ק BSB's splatter renders wə·zā·raq (H2236, zâraq — to scatter/dash in a wide throw), distinct from the priestly sprinkle (nâzâh) of finer rites. The blood is flung against the altar's sides — a vigorous, public act, exactly the priestly function the layman is forbidden to usurp.
  • וְהִקְטִ֣יר BSB's burn is wə·hiq·ṭîr (H6999, qâṭar — to make smoke, to turn into fragrant smoke), not ordinary burning (sâraph). The fat is vaporized into incense ascending to God — burning as worship, not destruction.
  • נִיחֹ֖חַ BSB's pleasing renders nî·ḥō·aḥ (H5207), from the root nûaḥ, to rest — literally a restful, soothing aroma. The smoke brings God's rest; the same root underlies Noah's name and his post-flood offering (Gen 8:21).
Word by word15 · parsed+
הַכֹּהֵ֤ןhak·kō·hênThe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
hak·kō·hên (H3548), the priest, stands first and emphatic: the verse exists to assert that these two acts — dashing the blood, burning the fat — belong to the Aaronic priesthood alone, displacing the patriarchal head of the house (Pulpit Commentary).
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וְזָרַ֨קwə·zā·raqwill then splatterH2236
√ zâraq — to sprinkle (fluid or solid particles)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
wə·zā·raq (H2236): the rare splatter-verb, here the one consecrated channel for blood that v.4 forbade the layman to shed.
הַדָּם֙had·dāmthe bloodH1818
√ dâm — blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animalArticleNounmasculine singular
עַל־‘al-onH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
מִזְבַּ֣חmiz·baḥthe altarH4196
√ mizbêach — an altarNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוָ֔הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
פֶּ֖תַחpe·ṯaḥat the entranceH6607
√ pethach — an opening (literally), iNounmasculine singular construct
אֹ֣הֶל’ō·helto the TentH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Nounmasculine singular construct
מוֹעֵ֑דmō·w·‘êḏof MeetingH4150
√ môwʻêd — properly, an appointment, iNounmasculine singular
וְהִקְטִ֣ירwə·hiq·ṭîrand burnH6999
√ qâṭar — to smoke, iConjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
הַחֵ֔לֶבha·ḥê·leḇthe fatH2459
√ cheleb — fat, whether literally or figurativelyArticleNounmasculine singular
ha·ḥê·leḇ (H2459), the fat: with the blood, God's reserved portion (Poole, Benson) — the two most eminent parts, given to God as the offerer's acknowledgment that life belongs to Him.
נִיחֹ֖חַnî·ḥō·aḥas a pleasingH5207
√ nîychôwach — properly, restful, iNounmasculine singular
nî·ḥō·aḥ (H5207): the aroma that gives rest — anthropomorphic language for divine acceptance, deliberately set against the demon-cult of v.7 whose smoke ascended to no true God.
לְרֵ֥יחַlə·rê·aḥaromaH7381
√ rêyach — odor (as if blown)Preposition-lNounmasculine singular construct
לַיהוָֽה׃Yah·wehto the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
After the animals in question had been duly slaughtered by those who brought them, the officiating priest who caught the blood in a bowl is to throw it upon the walls of the altar of burnt offering.
✦Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685
This verse contains a reason of the foregoing law, because of God’s propriety in the blood and fat, wherewith also God was well pleased, and the people reconciled. And these two parts only are mentioned, as the most eminent, and peculiar, though other parts also were reserved for God.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
The priest, that is, the Levitical priest, is henceforth to sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the Lord... and burn the fat for a sweet savour, which were the two parts of the sacrifice which were essentially priestly in their character. The old priestly function of the head of the family is disallowed.
7“They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to…”+

7They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·lō- ‘ō·wḏ ’eṯ- yiz·bə·ḥū ziḇ·ḥê·hem laś·śə·‘î·rim ’ă·šer hêm zō·nîm ’a·ḥă·rê·hem zōṯ tih·yeh- ‘ō·w·lām ḥuq·qaṯ lā·hem lə·ḏō·rō·ṯām

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And they shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat-demons after whom they are whoring. A statute forever shall this be for them throughout their generations.

Where the English smooths the original

  • לַשְּׂעִירִ֕ם BSB's goat demons renders laś·śə·‘î·rim (H8163, sâʻîyr — shaggy/hairy ones, he-goats). The word literally means goats; the translation interprets it as goat-shaped demons of the field — the Vulgate's daemones, Luther's field-devils. The bare Hebrew names an animal; the demon is read into it from context.
  • זֹנִ֖ים BSB's prostituted themselves renders zō·nîm (H2181, zânâh — to commit fornication/adultery). Idolatry is figured as marital infidelity — Israel betrothed to Yahweh playing the harlot. The metaphor is covenantal, not merely moral (cf. Hos 2; Ezek 16).
  • עוֹלָ֛ם BSB's permanent renders ‘ō·w·lām (H5769), from a root meaning concealed / age-long, distant time — not strictly "eternal" but for the long age. Commentators dispute its scope: Keil restricts it to the principle (sacrifice only to Yahweh), since the camp-bound details lapsed at Deut 12:15.
Word by word16 · parsed+
וְלֹא־wə·lō-They must noH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
עוֹד֙‘ō·wḏlongerH5750
√ ʻôwd — properly, iteration or continuanceAdverb
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
יִזְבְּח֥וּyiz·bə·ḥūofferH2076
√ zâbach — to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine plural
זִבְחֵיהֶ֔םziḇ·ḥê·hemtheir sacrificesH2077
√ zebach — properly, a slaughter, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
לַשְּׂעִירִ֕םlaś·śə·‘î·rimto the goat demonsH8163
√ sâʻîyr — shaggyPreposition-l, ArticleNounmasculine plural
laś·śə·‘î·rim (H8163, sâʻîyr — shaggy/hairy ones): the distinctive word (57 vv) for the goat-shaped field-demons. Drawn from Egyptian goat-worship (Mendes/Pan), the seirim haunt the desert (Isa 13:21; 34:14) and reappear at Jeroboam's calves (2 Chron 11:15). It is a different lexeme from v.3's ordinary ‘êz (H5795), so the tie to the permitted goat is conceptual, not lexical — yet decisive: the same creature Israel may lawfully bring to the door is the very shape its idolatry takes in the open field.
אֲשֶׁ֛ר’ă·šerto whichH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הֵ֥םhêmtheyH1992
√ hêm — they (only used when emphatic)Pronounthird person masculine plural
זֹנִ֖יםzō·nîmhave prostitutedH2181
√ zânâh — to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment)VerbQalParticiplemasculine plural
zō·nîm (H2181): a participle — going on whoring, habitual unfaithfulness. The sexual rites of the goat-cult (Ellicott, JFB) make the metaphor doubly literal.
אַחֲרֵיהֶ֑ם’a·ḥă·rê·hemthemselvesH310
√ ʼachar — properly, the hind partPrepositionthird person masculine plural
זֹּ֥אתzōṯThisH2063
√ zôʼth — this (often used adverb)Pronounfeminine singular
תִּֽהְיֶה־tih·yeh-will beH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person feminine singular
עוֹלָ֛ם‘ō·w·lāma permanentH5769
√ ʻôwlâm — properly, concealed, iNounmasculine singular
‘ō·w·lām (H5769): the forever clause that, for the Pulpit Commentary, proves the law's permanence concerns sacrifice (not slaughter), since a mere butchering-rule could only have been temporary.
חֻקַּ֥תḥuq·qaṯstatuteH2708
√ chuqqâh — {an enactmentNounfeminine singular construct
ḥuq·qaṯ (H2708), statute: a binding decree fixed by divine fiat, beyond Israel's amendment.
לָהֶ֖םlā·hemfor them
Preposition-lPronounthird person masculine plural
לְדֹרֹתָֽם׃lə·ḏō·rō·ṯāmfor the generations to comeH1755
√ dôwr — properly, a revolution of time, iPreposition-lNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
The word ( sēirim ) here translated “devils,” literally denotes hairy or shaggy goats, and then goat-like deities, or demons. The Egyptians, and other nations of antiquity, worshipped goats as gods.
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
Idolatry, especially in God’s people, is commonly termed whoredom in Scripture, because it is a violation of that covenant by which they were peculiarly betrothed or married to God.
✦Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871
Pan was supposed especially to preside over mountainous and desert regions, and it was while they were in the wilderness that the Israelites seem to have been powerfully influenced by a feeling to propitiate this idol. Moreover, the ceremonies observed in this idolatrous worship were extremely licentious and obscene
✦Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599
For idolatry is spiritual whoredom, because faith toward God is broken.
Geneva's gloss (f) on "gone a whoring."
8“Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or any foreign…”+

8Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

tō·mar wa·’ă·lê·hem ’îš ’îš ū·min- mib·bêṯ yiś·rā·’êl hag·gêr ’ă·šer- yā·ḡūr bə·ṯō·w·ḵām ’ă·šer- ya·‘ă·leh ‘ō·lāh ’ōw- zā·ḇaḥ

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And unto them you-shall-say: Any-man, any-man from the house of Israel, or from the sojourner who sojourns in their midst, who offers up a burnt-offering or a sacrifice,

Where the English smooths the original

  • הַגֵּ֖ר BSB's any foreigner renders hag·gêr (H1616, gêr — properly a guest, resident alien). The gêr is not a passing stranger but one who has taken up settled life within Israel; the law binds the convert and resident outsider equally — a striking reach of the covenant beyond ethnic Israel.
  • יַעֲלֶ֥ה BSB's offers renders ya·‘ă·leh (H5927, ʻâlâh — to cause to go up / ascend). The burnt-offering is literally made to ascend; the verb shares its root with ʻôlāh (the offering itself), the gift that goes wholly up in smoke to God.
  • עֹלָ֖ה BSB's burnt offering is ‘ō·lāh (H5930), literally that which ascends — the wholly-consumed offering, kept distinct here from the general zebach (sacrifice), broadening the law from peace-offerings (v.5) to every kind of approach.
Word by word16 · parsed+
תֹּאמַ֔רtō·marTellH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
The repeated ’îš ’îš again (cf. v.3) marks universal scope; vv. 8-9 widen the law from the field-slaughter case to all sacrifice offered anywhere but the door.
וַאֲלֵהֶ֣םwa·’ă·lê·hemthemH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongConjunctive wawPrepositionthird person masculine plural
אִ֥ישׁ’îšthat if anyoneH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
אִישׁ֙’îš. . .H376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
וּמִן־ū·min-fromH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofConjunctive wawPreposition
מִבֵּ֣יתmib·bêṯthe houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לyiś·rā·’êlof IsraelH3478
√ Yisrâʼêl — Jisrael, a symbolical name of JacobNounpropermasculine singular
הַגֵּ֖רhag·gêror any foreignerH1616
√ gêr — properly, a guestArticleNounmasculine singular
hag·gêr (H1616): the resident alien explicitly included. Gill restricts it to the full proselyte of righteousness who has embraced Israel's worship; either way, the one altar binds Israelite and sojourner alike (Ellicott: "one altar, one high priest, and one sanctuary").
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-H834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יָג֣וּרyā·ḡūrlivingH1481
√ gûwr — properly, to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְּתוֹכָ֑םbə·ṯō·w·ḵāmamong themH8432
√ tâvek — a bisection, iPreposition-bNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine plural
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-H834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יַעֲלֶ֥הya·‘ă·lehoffersH5927
√ ʻâlâh — to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount)VerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine singular
ya·‘ă·leh (H5927): the causative cause to ascend — the technical verb for presenting a burnt-offering on the altar.
עֹלָ֖ה‘ō·lāha burnt offeringH5930
√ ʻôlâh — a step or (collectively, stairs, as ascending)Nounfeminine singular
אוֹ־’ōw-orH176
√ ʼôw — desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4)Conjunction
זָֽבַח׃zā·ḇaḥa sacrificeH2077
√ zebach — properly, a slaughter, iNounmasculine singular
zā·ḇaḥ (H2077), a sacrifice: the general term paired with the specific ‘ōlāh, so that no category of offering escapes the rule.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
The commonwealth of Israel were now to acknowledge one altar, one high priest, and one sanctuary. This law was binding not only upon the Israelite by race, but upon strangers who took up their abode in and joined the Jewish community.
✦Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871
Before the promulgation of the law, men worshipped wherever they pleased or pitched their tents. But after that event the rites of religion could be acceptably performed only at the appointed place of worship.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
So essential is the regulation to the maintenance of the Israelitish polity, that it is extended to the strangers which sojourn among them, not confined to those who were of the house of Israel ; and the penalty of excommunication is appointed for both classes alike in case of disobedience.
9“but does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to …”+

9but does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD, that man must be cut off from his people.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lō yə·ḇî·’en·nū wə·’el- pe·ṯaḥ ’ō·hel mō·w·‘êḏ la·‘ă·śō·wṯ ’ō·ṯōw Yah·weh ha·hū hā·’îš wə·niḵ·raṯ mê·‘am·māw

Literal — word-for-word from the original

and to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting he does not bring it, to do it for Yahweh — then cut off shall that man be from his peoples.

Where the English smooths the original

  • לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת BSB's to sacrifice it renders la·‘ă·śō·wṯ (H6213, ʻâsâh — simply to do / make). The Hebrew uses the broadest possible verb, to do it [for Yahweh] — an idiom for performing the rite; the specificity of "sacrifice" is supplied by the translator.
  • מֵעַמָּֽיו BSB's from his people renders mê·‘am·māw (H5971), which Cambridge notes is grammatically plural here — literally from his peoples / his father's kin — unlike the singular in vv. 4 and 10. The cutting-off severs the man from his whole kindred line.
  • וְנִכְרַ֛ת wə·niḵ·raṯ (H3772, kârath) repeats the karet sentence of v.4 verbatim, closing the unit's frame: the man who will not bring his offering to the one door is himself cut off — the punishment mirrors the crime of severance.
Word by word13 · parsed+
לֹ֣אlōbut does notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
יְבִיאֶ֔נּוּyə·ḇî·’en·nūbringH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
וְאֶל־wə·’el-it toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongConjunctive wawPreposition
פֶּ֜תַחpe·ṯaḥthe entranceH6607
√ pethach — an opening (literally), iNounmasculine singular construct
אֹ֤הֶל’ō·helto the TentH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Nounmasculine singular
מוֹעֵד֙mō·w·‘êḏof MeetingH4150
√ môwʻêd — properly, an appointment, iNounmasculine singular
לַעֲשׂ֥וֹתla·‘ă·śō·wṯto sacrificeH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationPreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
la·‘ă·śō·wṯ (H6213): the generic to do standing for the whole sacrificial act — Hebrew often uses ʻâsâh as shorthand for performing a rite.
אֹת֖וֹ’ō·ṯōwitH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person masculine singular
לַיהוָ֑הYah·wehto the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
הַה֖וּאha·hūthatH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)ArticlePronounthird person masculine singular
ha·hū (H1931), that [man]: the demonstrative singles out the individual offender for the penalty, as in v.4.
הָאִ֥ישׁhā·’îšmanH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personArticleNounmasculine singular
וְנִכְרַ֛תwə·niḵ·raṯmust be cut offH3772
√ kârath — to cut (off, down or asunder)Conjunctive wawVerbNifalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
wə·niḵ·raṯ (H3772): the repeated karet verb. Gill weighs the options — death by magistrate or by God's own hand, a childless and premature end (so Jarchi) — the same ambiguity left open at v.4.
מֵעַמָּֽיו׃mê·‘am·māwfrom his peopleH5971
√ ʻam — a people (as a congregated unit)Preposition-mNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
mê·‘am·māw (H5971): the plural peoples / kindred (Cambridge) — the cut runs deeper than civic exclusion, sundering the man from his ancestral house.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63
even that man shall be cut off from his people; from being one of them, and having communion with them, and sharing in their privileges; or by death, either by the hand of the civil magistrate, or rather by the hand of God; so Jarchi, his seed shall be cut off, and his days shall be cut off; that is, he shall die childless, and in the midst of his days, a violent and premature death.
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
Although the EVV render ‘his people’ in Leviticus 17:4 ; Leviticus 17:9-10 , the Heb. noun is plural in Leviticus 17:9 , and should there be translated his father’s kin.
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
Leviticus 17:8 , Leviticus 17:9 contain the command, that whoever offered a burnt-offering of slain-offering, and did not bring it to the tabernacle to prepare it for Jehovah there, was to be exterminated; a command which involved the prohibition of sacrifice in any other place whatever
✣

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙Grand Commentary — the unit, read wholesynthesis · verify+

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The one door — where blood may be shed — 1–4

The unit opens with the heaviest verb of speech, way·ḏab·bêr (H1696), and the covenant name Yahweh standing first for emphasis — the law that follows is legislated, not advised. Albert Barnes (1834) places the chapter "as the first of four" practical sections "directing the Israelites to walk, not in the way of the pagan, but according to the ordinances of Yahweh," while Ellicott (1878) reads it as the necessary sequel to the Day of Atonement: the holiness "secured on that particular day" must now "foster" daily life. The command's reach is total — the doubled ’îš ’îš (H376, "a man, a man," v.3) means every person without exception. Its crux is a single word: yiš·ḥaṭ (H7819, shâchaṭ), "slaughters." Ellicott argues from the expression killeth rather than sacrificeth that the injunction "refers to the domestic animals in question, and not to the ordinary sacrifices"; Cambridge (1880s) agrees the verb "also has the sense of ordinary killing for food. This is its meaning here"; but the Pulpit Commentary retorts that "its use proves nothing," since a generic term may stand for a specific one. The verse's penalty is forensic: yê·ḥā·šêḇ dām (H2803 + H1818) — blood is reckoned to the man, the accounting verb of imputation, which Geneva (1599) renders in God's own voice: "I abhor it as much as if he had killed a man."

ii. The field gathered to the altar — 5–6

The purpose-clause of v.5 turns the law's logic visible: Israel must bring what it sacrifices "on the face of the field" (pə·nê haś·śā·ḏeh, H6440 + H7704) to "the face of the LORD" (lip̄·nê Yahweh) — a deliberate face-to-face contrast between the wild and the presence of God. Here the cultic verb zâbach (H2076) appears, and the Pulpit Commentary drives its wedge: "Zabach means always, in the Pentateuch, to slay in sacrifice," so "the command refers to sacrifice, not to mere slaughtering" — against the Speaker's Commentary, which "has no authority" for changing the rendering. Benson (1810s) explains why the peace-offering (šelāmîm, H8002) is named: "the temptation was more common in regard of their frequency... because part of these belonged to the offerers." In v.6 the priestly monopoly is asserted — wə·zā·raq (H2236), the dashed blood, and wə·hiq·ṭîr (H6999), the fat turned to fragrant smoke. Poole (1685) names God's claim: "God's propriety in the blood and fat, wherewith also God was well pleased, and the people reconciled"; the Pulpit Commentary adds that "the old priestly function of the head of the family is disallowed."

iii. The goat-demons and the law forever — 7–9

The reason beneath the whole law surfaces in v.7: the seirim (H8163, sâʻîyr, "goat-demons"). Ellicott traces the word — it "literally denotes hairy or shaggy goats, and then goat-like deities" — to Egyptian goat-worship at Mendes; JFB (1871) notes that Pan "preside[d] over mountainous and desert regions," so "it was while they were in the wilderness" that Israel was tempted, with rites "extremely licentious and obscene." Hence the verb zō·nîm (H2181, "whoring"): Benson calls idolatry "spiritual whoredom... a violation of that covenant by which they were peculiarly betrothed or married to God," and Geneva agrees — "faith toward God is broken." Verses 8–9 widen the statute to "the stranger who sojourns" (hag·gêr, H1616); Ellicott sees Israel reduced to "one altar, one high priest, and one sanctuary." The unit closes as it pivoted — on wə·niḵ·raṯ (H3772), the karet sentence repeated from v.4. Gill (1746–63) leaves its severity open: "by death, either by the hand of the civil magistrate, or rather by the hand of God." Over the whole, Keil & Delitzsch (1860s) caution that "a statute for ever" binds "the principle of the law, that sacrifices were to be offered to Jehovah alone," not the camp-bound detail "afterwards repealed by Moses" at Deuteronomy 12:15.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under Sola Scriptura and tested here as fallible: this chapter is the Pentateuch's argument that worship has an address. The doubled commands — bring it to the one door, do not shed blood in the field, do not chase the goat-demons — all enforce a single grammar: the life that is in the blood may be surrendered only at the place where God has put His name. The genius of the law is its anthropology. It assumes that a people will worship something with every animal they kill; left in the open field, even an ordinary meal drifts toward the seirim. So God does not abolish the impulse but channels it — every slaughter becomes either a confession that life belongs to Yahweh or a theft of it. The New Testament does not discard this logic; it relocates the address. Matthew Henry states the through-line the chapter itself invites: "Christ is our Altar, and the true Tabernacle; in him God dwells among men... It is in him that our sacrifices are acceptable to God, and in him only." Where Leviticus 17 forbade a second altar in the field, the apostolic word forbids a second mediator: to set up other altars is, in Henry's words, "in effect, to set up other gods." The one door has become one Door (John 10:9) — but the law's instinct is unchanged: blood has a place, and that place is appointed by God, not chosen by the worshipper.

The open field always has its goat-demons; grace does not abolish the altar — it gives it a name. (a fallible reading, not Scripture)

⚙Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripturecross-refs · verify+

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The three sacrificial beasts — ox, lamb, goat structural / thematic — confirmed

The triad shôwr / keseb / ʻêz (ox, lamb, goat) that v.3 names as the animals brought to the door recurs as a fixed sacrificial-and-clean-animal formula across the Torah. Leviticus 7:23 uses the same list in the fat-prohibition; Numbers 18:17 applies it to the firstborn that may not be redeemed; Deuteronomy 14:4 heads the clean-animal catalogue with it. The Verifier records the shared lexemes keseb (H3775, only 13 verses — genuinely rare), shôwr (H7794, 69 vv) and ʻêz (H5795, 74 vv). The rarity of keseb makes the tie real and not coincidental, but this is a recurring stock formula common to the priestly code, not one text quoting another — so it is tiered structural, the call the Verifier itself returns, rather than overclaimed as a quotation.

Leviticus 7:23 · Numbers 18:17 · Deuteronomy 14:4

basis: shared lexemes H3775 keseb (only 13 vv — rare), H7794 shôwr (69 vv), H5795 ʻêz (74 vv); a recurring Torah formula for the three sacrificial beasts, a shared pattern rather than a directional quotation

The peace-offering at the Tent of Meeting structural / thematic — confirmed

The procedure of v.5–6 — bring the animal to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, slaughter it, dash the blood, burn the fat as a peace-offering — is the established rite of Leviticus 3:2 and the founding instance of Leviticus 1:5, where Aaron's sons first slaughter "at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting." Keil & Delitzsch explicitly cross-reference Lev 3:2–5 for the disposal of blood and fat. The Verifier records shared structural lexemes (pethach H6607, môwʻêd H4150, ʼôhel H168, kôhên H3548 / for Lev 1:5: shâchaṭ H7819, ʼAhărôwn H175) — common cultic vocabulary, so this is a pattern-link, not a quotation.

Leviticus 3:2 · Leviticus 1:5 · Leviticus 4:35

basis: shared high-frequency cultic lexemes (H6607 pethach, H4150 môwʻêd, H168 ʼôhel, H3548 kôhên; H7819 shâchaṭ, H175 ʼAhărôwn) — shared sacrificial procedure, no quotation claimed

The seirim — goat-demons of the desert structural / thematic — confirmed

The seirim (H8163) of v.7 recur as a fixed term for the desert goat-demons across the canon. Isaiah 34:14 and 13:21 set the seirim dancing in the haunted ruins of Edom and Babylon; 2 Chronicles 11:15 says Jeroboam appointed priests "for the high places, and for the seirim (he-goats / devils), and for the calves which he had made." The Verifier confirms the shared lexeme sâʻîyr (H8163) in all three — a distinctive word, not a generic one. But at 57 verses it is not in the rarest band, and none of these later texts quotes Leviticus 17; they share a recurring motif-word, so the Verifier tiers this structural, not verbal — and the synthesis follows that call. Keil & Delitzsch draw the same canonical net by hand: the seirim are "like the שׂדים in Deuteronomy 32:17 , who were supposed to inhabit the desert ( Isaiah 13:21 ; Isaiah 34:14 ), and whose pernicious influence they sought to avert by sacrifices." The Deuteronomy 32:17 tie is thus conceptual (the goat-demon equated with the shedim / "demons"), reinforced by a shared zâbach (H2076, 127 vv) — argued from the thought and Keil's reading, not from a rare lexeme.

Isaiah 34:14 · Isaiah 13:21 · 2 Chronicles 11:15 · Deuteronomy 32:17

basis: shared distinctive lexeme H8163 sâʻîyr (57 vv) with Isaiah 34:14, Isaiah 13:21 and 2 Chronicles 11:15 — a recurring goat-demon motif-word, not a directional quotation; the Deuteronomy 32:17 link is conceptual (seirim = shedim / demons, per Keil) with a shared H2076 zâbach (127 vv), argued not rare-lexical

The law repealed for the land — Deuteronomy 12 flagged — verify source

Keil & Delitzsch, Barnes, Benson and the Pulpit Commentary all read Lev 17:3–7 against Deuteronomy 12:15, where, on the eve of Canaan, Israel is told "thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates" — the camp-bound restriction lifted once the nation scatters too far from the one door. The Verifier finds no shared original-language lexeme indexed between Lev 17:4 and Deut 12:15: the connection is the commentators' argued thematic claim about the law's temporary scope, not a verbal quotation, and is flagged accordingly so the reader weighs the argument rather than assuming a lexical tie.

Deuteronomy 12:15

basis: no shared indexed lexeme (Verifier: empty); the repeal-for-the-land reading is an argued commentary thesis (Keil, Barnes, Pulpit), contested as to the law's permanent vs. temporary scope

Idolatry is sacrifice to demons — Paul's verdict flagged — verify source

The chapter's equation of field-sacrifice with demon-worship is taken up directly by 1 Corinthians 10:20: "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God." Gill and Geneva both cite this verse to gloss the seirim. Because this is a Greek text linked to a Hebrew one, it cannot share a Strong's lexeme — the Verifier returns no shared lexeme — so the tie is structural/conceptual (the demon-sacrifice motif), argued from the parallel of thought, never claimed as a verbal quotation.

1 Corinthians 10:20

basis: cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): Verifier finds no shared lexeme by definition; the demon-sacrifice link is conceptual/thematic, asserted by Gill and Geneva, and must be argued not assumed

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify+

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The one altar and the one Mediator widely-held

Leviticus 17 abolishes the field-altar and the layman-priest: every offering must pass through one door, one priesthood. Matthew Henry reads the type forward — "Christ is our Altar, and the true Tabernacle; in him God dwells among men. It is in him that our sacrifices are acceptable to God, and in him only. To set up other mediators, or other altars... is, in effect, to set up other gods." Poole reads the tabernacle itself as "a type" signifying "that God would accept of no sacrifices but through Christ and in the church," citing Hebrews 9:11. The single-door logic of v.4 becomes the single-Mediator logic of the gospel.

Leviticus 17:4 · Hebrews 9:11 · John 10:9

The life is in the blood, given for atonement widely-held

The whole law guards the blood: it may be poured only on Yahweh's altar (v.6), and the shedder who withholds it incurs bloodguilt (v.4). Keil & Delitzsch, anticipating v.11 (the chapter's own explanation), state the principle that "it was not the blood as such, but the blood as the vehicle of the soul, which possessed expiatory virtue; because the animal soul was offered to God upon the altar as a substitute for the human soul." This substitutionary logic — life given for life — is the figural seed the New Testament gathers in the blood of Christ "poured out for many" (Mark 14:24; Heb 9:22, "without shedding of blood there is no remission"). Benson already calls the sacrificial blood "typically the price by which men's lives were ransomed." This is an ancient and widely-held reading; the text of v.4–6 supplies the figure (blood reserved to God's altar), while the explicit "life for life" rationale is the chapter's own at v.11, just beyond this unit's close.

Leviticus 17:6 · Hebrews 9:22 · Mark 14:24

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

Several honesty notes specific to this unit. First, the entire interpretation of vv. 3–7 hinges on whether shâchaṭ (H7819, "slaughters") means ordinary butchering or sacrificial killing — and the sources directly contradict each other: Ellicott and Cambridge read it as common slaughter, while the Pulpit Commentary insists "its use proves nothing" and that the parallel zâbach (v.5) proves sacrifice is meant. The synthesis preserves both rather than resolving what the text leaves genuinely open. Second, the cross-Testament thread to 1 Corinthians 10:20 and the typological Christ-links to Hebrews are flagged or marked widely-held precisely because no shared Strong's lexeme can exist between Greek and Hebrew; those connections are conceptual and figural, argued from the motif of demon-sacrifice and substitutionary blood, never asserted as verbal quotation. The Verifier's empty result for Lev 17:4 ↔ Deuteronomy 12:15 is reported as-is: the popular "this law was repealed for the land" reading is a commentators' thesis (Keil, Barnes, Pulpit), contested as to the statute's permanent vs. temporary scope, not a lexical fact. The rendering "goat demons" (v.7) is itself an interpretation: the bare Hebrew seirim says "hairy goats," and the demonic sense is read in from context and the versions (Vulgate daemones, Luther Feldteufel). Finally, a lexical correction: the permitted goat of v.3 (‘êz, H5795) and the forbidden goat-demon of v.7 (sâʻîyr, H8163) are different words from different roots — the chapter's pairing of the two is conceptual (the same kind of beast on both sides of the law), not a shared lexeme, and is not claimed as one.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)