Deuteronomy 12:23 Meaning
Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.
Context Explained
21If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
22Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.
23Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.
24Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.
25Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.
Key Themes
Related Cross References
Leviticus 17:11
This verse explains the importance of blood in the sacrificial system, paralleling the teaching in Deuteronomy.
Hebrews 9:22
This verse states that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness, linking to the significance of blood in the Old Testament.
Source: Deuteronomy 12:23