Leviticus 17:4
instead 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
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Study note
Setting — The Lord addresses the house of Israel regarding the proper handling of slaughtered livestock. This directive applies to any Israelite who kills an ox, lamb, or goat inside or outside the camp.
The words — Korban (a present/offering) and pe'tach (entrance) specify that sacrifices must be brought to a fixed location. Mo'ed (meeting) identifies the Tent of Meeting as the exclusive site for presenting these offerings.
The thread — The requirement to bring offerings to the Tent of Meeting appears in Leviticus 17:5 and Deuteronomy 12:5. The penalty of being cut off recurs in Genesis 17:14, while Isaiah 66:3 equates unauthorized slaughter with murder.
Why it lands — The text states that failing to bring a slaughtered animal to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting incurs bloodguilt and results in being cut off from the people. Readers must apply the principle that centralized worship and priestly mediation are mandatory to prevent unauthorized slaughter and maintain covenant standing.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:
Cross-references
- Genesis 17:14 But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
- Deuteronomy 12:5 Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.
- Isaiah 66:3 Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol. Indeed, they have chosen their own ways and delighted in their abominations.
- Ezekiel 20:40 For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your offerings and choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.
- John 10:7 So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
- John 10:9 I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.
- John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- Exodus 12:15 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
- Exodus 12:19 For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel.
- Leviticus 1:3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD.