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Leviticus 17:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Leviticus 17:1-3
New Catholic Bible
The Law of Holiness[a]
Chapter 17
Sacredness of Blood.[b] 1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: 3 Whichever man of the house of Israel slays an ox or a lamb or a goat, either slaying it inside the camp or outside of it,
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Leviticus 17:1 In the final years of the monarchy, the priests of Jerusalem made a collection (chs. 17–27) of very ancient prescriptions, in order to remind the Jews that they were called to live a holy life. During and after the Exile, some priests reworked this collection in order to bring it into conformity with the perspectives of the priestly tradition of their day. In response to the pressure of pagan cults, this tradition emphasized the holiness of God and placed him above every creature and every false divinity.
- Leviticus 17:1 Too often the Jews offered sacrifices to the fancied divinities of the rural areas (v. 7). Like Deut 12:2-7, the Law of Holiness combats idolatry and requires that sacrifices be offered only in the Jerusalem temple, symbolized here by the wilderness tent and regarded as the only place of true worship.
