The Meaning of Leviticus 17:13 Explained

Leviticus 17:13

KJV: And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.

YLT: and any man of the sons of Israel, or of the sojourners, who is sojourning in your midst, who hunteth venison, beast or fowl, which is eaten -- hath even poured out its blood, and hath covered it with dust;

Darby: And every one of the children of Israel, and of the strangers who sojourn among them, that catcheth in the hunt a beast or fowl that may be eaten, he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with earth;

ASV: And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who taketh in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And whatsoever man  [there be] of the children  of Israel,  or of the strangers  that sojourn  among  you, which hunteth  and catcheth  any beast  or fowl  that may be eaten;  he shall even pour  out the blood  thereof, and cover  it with dust. 

What does Leviticus 17:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Leviticus 17:1-16 - "the Life Of The Flesh Is In The Blood"
Every animal that was slain for food was regarded as a kind of peace-offering, and was therefore slain at the door of the Tabernacle. This law, though it expressed a great principle, was only provisional. It was kept as long as Israel dwelled in the Wilderness, but repealed when they entered the Land of Promise, where their numbers and diffusion would have rendered its strict observance impossible. See Deuteronomy 12:15-24.
Very earnest insistence is laid on the prohibition of blood as an article of diet. See Leviticus 17:10, etc. The reason of this is in the repeated announcement that the life (or soul) is in the blood, Leviticus 17:11 and Leviticus 17:14. When we are told that the blood maketh atonement, we learn that it does so because it represents the soul of the victim. Life is given for life, soul for soul.
Thus our Lord gave His blood, i.e., His life or soul, a ransom for many. "He poured out His soul unto death." See Isaiah 53:12. It was His blood, not as it was in His veins, but as poured out, that effected the reconciliation. See Ephesians 1:7. It is the death of Christ in which the sinner finds peace. Compare Leviticus 16:30 and 1 John 1:7. [source]

Chapter Summary: Leviticus 17

1  The blood of slain beasts must be offered to the Lord at the tabernacle door
7  They must not offer to idols
10  All eating of blood is forbidden
15  and of all that dies by itself, or is torn

What do the individual words in Leviticus 17:13 mean?

And whatever man of the sons of Israel or of the strangers who dwell among you who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten and he shall pour out - its blood and cover it with dust
וְאִ֨ישׁ אִ֜ישׁ מִבְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וּמִן־ הַגֵּר֙ הַגָּ֣ר בְּתוֹכָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָצ֜וּד צֵ֥יד חַיָּ֛ה אוֹ־ ע֖וֹף אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵאָכֵ֑ל וְשָׁפַךְ֙ אֶת־ דָּמ֔וֹ וְכִסָּ֖הוּ בֶּעָפָֽר

אִ֜ישׁ  whatever  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִבְּנֵ֣י  of  the  sons 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
הַגֵּר֙  of  the  strangers 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֵּר  
Sense: sojourner.
הַגָּ֣ר  who  dwell 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: גּוּר 
Sense: to sojourn, abide, dwell in, dwell with, remain, inhabit, be a stranger, be continuing, surely.
בְּתוֹכָ֔ם  among  you 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
יָצ֜וּד  hunts 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צוּד 
Sense: to hunt.
צֵ֥יד  and  catches 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צַיִד 
Sense: hunting, game.
חַיָּ֛ה  any  animal 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
ע֖וֹף  bird 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹוף  
Sense: flying creatures, fowl, insects, birds.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יֵאָכֵ֑ל  may  be  eaten 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וְשָׁפַךְ֙  and  he  shall  pour  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שֶׂפֶק 
Sense: to pour, pour out, spill.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
דָּמ֔וֹ  its  blood 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
וְכִסָּ֖הוּ  and  cover  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּסָה  
Sense: to cover, conceal, hide.
בֶּעָפָֽר  with  dust 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.