Deuteronomy 12:21-23 - Announcement Of Particular Laws.

If the place.; be too far from thee ; this supplies the reason for the alteration of the law in Le Deuteronomy 17:3 . Only be sure; literally, only be strong ; i . e . be firm and resolute, steadfastly resisting the temptation to eat it. The blood is the life (cf. Genesis 9:4 ; Le Genesis 11:1 ; Genesis 17:11 ). The word used is nephesh ( נֶפֶשׁ ). By this word the Hebrews designated the animal life-principle in men and in beasts; and as without this the body was a mere inert mass, the word came to be used for "life" generally. Of this life the blood was believed to be the seat, and was regarded as the symbol, so that to shed blood was tantamount to the taking away of life. As the blood, moreover, was the life, in it was supposed to lie the propitiatory power—the power, when shed, of atoning for sin, as the giving of life for life. The prohibition of eating it doubtless had respect to this. It was not merely to prevent ferocity in men towards the lower animals (as Rosenmüller suggests) that the eating of blood was interdicted, but specially because there was in this a sort of profanation, a putting to a common use of what appertained to a sacred rite.