Leviticus 17:11
New International Version
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

New Living Translation
for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the LORD. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.

English Standard Version
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

Berean Standard Bible
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

King James Bible
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

New King James Version
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’

New American Standard Bible
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’

NASB 1995
‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’

NASB 1977
‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’

Legacy Standard Bible
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.’

Amplified Bible
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life [which it represents].’

Christian Standard Bible
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.

American Standard Version
For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Because the life of the flesh is the blood and I have given it to you on the altar for an atonement of your souls, because the blood is atoning for the soul.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For the life of flesh is its blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for its blood shall make atonement for the soul.

Contemporary English Version
Life is in the blood, and I have given you the blood of animals to sacrifice in place of your own.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Because the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you, that you may make atonement with it upon the altar for your souls, and the blood may be for an expiation of the soul.

English Revised Version
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
because blood contains life. I have given this blood to you to make peace with me on the altar. Blood is needed to make peace with me.

Good News Translation
The life of every living thing is in the blood, and that is why the LORD has commanded that all blood be poured out on the altar to take away the people's sins. Blood, which is life, takes away sins.

International Standard Version
because the life of the flesh is in the blood itself, and I myself have given it to you all so that atonement may be made for your souls on the altar, since the blood itself makes atonement through the life that is in it.

JPS Tanakh 1917
For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life.

Literal Standard Version
for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar, to make atonement for your souls; for it [is] the blood which makes atonement for the soul.

Majority Standard Bible
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

New American Bible
since the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement on the altar for yourselves, because it is the blood as life that makes atonement.

NET Bible
for the life of every living thing is in the blood. So I myself have assigned it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life.

New Revised Standard Version
For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you for making atonement for your lives on the altar; for, as life, it is the blood that makes atonement.

New Heart English Bible
For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.

Webster's Bible Translation
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

World English Bible
For the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.

Young's Literal Translation
for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar, to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood which maketh atonement for the soul.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Eating of Blood Forbidden
10If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. 12Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood.’…

Cross References
Hebrews 9:22
According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Genesis 9:4
But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.

Leviticus 1:5
And he shall slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests are to present the blood and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

Leviticus 17:12
Therefore I say to the Israelites, 'None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood.'

Leviticus 17:14
For the life of all flesh is its blood. Therefore I have told the Israelites, 'You must not eat the blood of any living thing, because the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.'


Treasury of Scripture

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.

Ecclesiastes 12:6
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

Leviticus 17:14
For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

I have

Leviticus 8:15
And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.

Leviticus 16:11,14-19
And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: …

Matthew 20:28
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

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Altar Atonement Blood Creature Flesh Free Makes Maketh One's Reason Sin Soul Souls Yourselves
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














(11) For the life of the flesh is in the blood.--Better, for the soul of the flesh is in the blood. The word here rendered "life" in the Authorised Version occurs twice more in this very verse, and is in both instances properly translated soul. Though it is immaterial whether the word in question is translated life or soul, it is essential that it should be rendered uniformly throughout the passage. By translating it differently in the first clause, the Authorised Version has unnecessarily increased the difficulty of the verse. This clause assigns the reason why blood must not be eaten. It is the principle of vitality, it constitutes the soul of animal life. Hence blood and life are used interchangeably in the Scriptures. Thus, when the Psalmist exclaims, "what profit is there in my blood" (Psalm 30:9), he uses it for life.

I have given it to you upon the altar.--For the sake of emphasis, the words in the original denoting "upon the altar" are placed first in the Hebrew, and the Authorised Version follows this order. It is however better to translate this clause, For I have ordained it upon the altar to make atonement for your souls. Because it is the principle of life, therefore God has ordained it to be offered upon the altar as an expiation for the offerer's life.

For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.--Better, for it is the blood that maketh atonement by means of the soul. As the blood of the victim is identical with its life, and represents the soul of the animal, hence God has appointed it as a substitute for the sinner's life. Thus the life of the sacrifice atones for the life of the offerer. Hence the remark of the Apostle, "without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the life
נֶ֣פֶשׁ (ne·p̄eš)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

of a creature
הַבָּשָׂר֮ (hab·bā·śār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man

is in the blood,
בַּדָּ֣ם (bad·dām)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

and I
וַאֲנִ֞י (wa·’ă·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

have given it
נְתַתִּ֤יו (nə·ṯat·tîw)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

to you
לָכֶם֙ (lā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

to make an atonement
לְכַפֵּ֖ר (lə·ḵap·pêr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3722: To cover, to expiate, condone, to placate, cancel

for
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

your souls
נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם (nap̄·šō·ṯê·ḵem)
Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

upon
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the altar,
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ (ham·miz·bê·aḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

since
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

it
הִוא֒ (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is the lifeblood
הַדָּ֥ם (had·dām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

that makes atonement.
יְכַפֵּֽר׃ (yə·ḵap·pêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3722: To cover, to expiate, condone, to placate, cancel


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OT Law: Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh (Le Lv Lev.)
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