Leviticus 17:1

Study note

Setting — Yahweh addresses Moses directly at the opening of a new legislative section, establishing divine authority before the subsequent command to Aaron and the Israelites in Leviticus 17:2.

The words — וַ/יְדַבֵּ֥ר (va/y.da.Ber) means "and he spoke," and יְהוָ֖ה (Yahweh) identifies the speaker, anchoring the utterance to the covenant name.

The thread — This opening formula structures the legal material in Leviticus 17:1–2 and recurs throughout the Torah to mark direct divine instruction (e.g., Exodus 6:11; Leviticus 6:1).

Why it lands — It requires the reader to treat the following command as originating from Yahweh rather than human tradition, demanding immediate attention to the specified audience.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.