Bible Strands

Leviticus 7:20

But if anyone who is unclean eats meat from the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses delivers this command to the Israelites during the wilderness tabernacle instructions, immediately following the purity regulations for consuming peace offering meat in Leviticus 7:19.

The words — The Hebrew נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) literally means "person" or "soul," while בָּשָׂר (basar) specifies the "meat" of the sacrifice.

The thread — This exclusion for ritual impurity while eating sacred meat runs parallel to the covenantal cutoff in Genesis 17:14 and the uncleanness protocols in Leviticus 15:2 and Leviticus 22:3.

Why it lands — The verse requires immediate removal from the community for anyone who eats Yahweh's peace offering meat while unclean, directly tying physical purity to continued covenant fellowship.

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

וְהַנֶּ֜פֶשׁve./ha./Ne.feshand/ the/ personאֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-whoתֹּאכַ֣לto.Khalit will eatבָּשָׂ֗רba.Sarmeatמִזֶּ֤בַחmi./Ze.vachfrom/ [the] sacrifice ofהַשְּׁלָמִים֙ha./she.la.Mimthe/ peace offering<s>אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhichלַיהוָ֔הla./Yah.weh[belongs] to/ Yahwehוְטֻמְאָת֖וֹve./tum.'a.T/oand/ uncleanness/ hisעָלָ֑יו'a.La/v[is] on/ himוְנִכְרְתָ֛הve./nikh.re.Tahand/ it will be cut offהַנֶּ֥פֶשׁha./Ne.feshthe/ personהַהִ֖ואha./Hiv'<the>/ thatמֵעַמֶּֽיהָ׃me./'a.Mei./hafrom/ kinspeople<s>/ its

King James Version

But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

Cross-references