In this brief video, Kathryn Schifferdecker helps unpack a difficult passage for modern readers. “If one reads it closely, one can find a profound insight here about life and about how God values life,” says Schifferdecker.
Schifferdecker explains that this chapter explains how the ancient Israelites were to slaughter animals for eating.
The prohibition among the ancient Israelites against eating blood (reinforced in Genesis 9) shows a profound respect for life. “You cannot kill an animal thoughtlessly or carelessly … blood symbolizes the life of the animal … It must be offered on the altar back to the God who gave it life.”
Kathryn Schifferdecker is associate professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.