Summary
God commands Moses to instruct the Israelites that any man who kills an ox, lamb, or goat without bringing it to the tabernacle for a proper offering will be cut off, as blood must be shed on the altar. The priest must sprinkle the blood and burn the fat as a sweet offering. The chapter also declares that sacrifices should not be offered to foreign gods or devils, and that no one may eat blood, as it contains life. Those who violate these laws will be made unclean, but can be cleansed by washing clothes and bathing in water. The chapter emphasizes the sanctity of blood as an atoning agent and the necessity of strict adherence to the covenantal laws for the community’s purity.