Leviticus 3:17
New International Version
“’This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’”

New Living Translation
“You must never eat any fat or blood. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation, wherever you live.”

English Standard Version
It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.”

Berean Standard Bible
This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”

King James Bible
It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

New King James Version
This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’ ”

New American Standard Bible
It is a permanent statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places: you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’”

NASB 1995
‘It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’”

NASB 1977
‘It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’”

Legacy Standard Bible
It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your places of habitation: you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’”

Amplified Bible
It is a permanent statute for your generations wherever you may be, that you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’”

Christian Standard Bible
This is a permanent statute throughout your generations, wherever you live: you must not eat any fat or any blood.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
This is a permanent statute throughout your generations, wherever you live: you must not eat any fat or any blood.”

American Standard Version
It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood.

Contemporary English Version
So you and your descendants must never eat any fat or any blood, not even in the privacy of your own homes. This law will never change.

English Revised Version
It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is a permanent law for generations to come wherever you live: Never eat any fat or blood."

Good News Translation
No Israelite may eat any fat or any blood; this is a rule to be kept forever by all Israelites wherever they live.

International Standard Version
"This is to be a lasting statute for all your generations, wherever you live. You are not to eat any fat or blood."

Majority Standard Bible
This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”

NET Bible
This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all the places where you live: You must never eat any fat or any blood.'"

New Heart English Bible
"'It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood.'"

Webster's Bible Translation
It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

World English Bible
“‘It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
[This is] a continuous statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you do not eat any fat or any blood.”

Young's Literal Translation
'A statute age-during to your generations in all your dwellings: any fat or any blood ye do not eat.'

Smith's Literal Translation
A law forever to your generations in all your dwellings, all the fat and all the blood, ye shall not eat.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
By a perpetual law for your generations, and in all your habitations: neither blood nor fat shall you eat at all.

Catholic Public Domain Version
by a perpetual law, in your generations and in all of your habitations, neither blood nor fat shall you eat at all.

New American Bible
This shall be a perpetual ordinance for your descendants wherever they may dwell. You shall not eat any fat or any blood.

New Revised Standard Version
It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your settlements: you must not eat any fat or any blood.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings that you eat neither fat nor blood.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
A covenant to eternity for your generations in every place of your dwellings; you shall eat no fat and no blood."
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your habitations; ye shall eat no fat and no blood.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Laws for Peace Offerings
16Then the priest is to burn the food on the altar as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’s. 17This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”

Cross References
Leviticus 7:23-26
“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘You are not to eat any of the fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat. / The fat of an animal found dead or mauled by wild beasts may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. / If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be presented to the LORD, the one who eats it must be cut off from his people. ...

Leviticus 17:10-14
If 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. / 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. / Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood.’ ...

Deuteronomy 12:16
but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

Deuteronomy 12:23-25
Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. / You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. / Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

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

Acts 15:28-29
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond these essential requirements: / You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

1 Samuel 14:32-34
So they rushed greedily to the plunder, taking sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them on the ground and ate meat with the blood still in it. / Then someone reported to Saul: “Look, the troops are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.” “You have broken faith,” said Saul. “Roll a large stone over here at once.” / Then he said, “Go among the troops and tell them, ‘Each man must bring me his ox or his sheep, slaughter them in this place, and then eat. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.’” So that night everyone brought his ox and slaughtered it there.

Ezekiel 33:25
Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?

Deuteronomy 15:23
But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

Leviticus 19:26
You must not eat anything with blood still in it. You must not practice divination or sorcery.

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.

Romans 14:20-21
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling block. / It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble.

Acts 21:25
As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”

1 Corinthians 8:8-13
But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. / Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. / For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols? ...

Mark 7:18-19
“Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, / because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)


Treasury of Scripture

It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that you eat neither fat nor blood.

a perpetual

Leviticus 6:18
All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy.

Leviticus 7:36
Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.

Leviticus 16:34
And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Leviticus 3:16
And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S.

Deuteronomy 32:14
Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

blood

Leviticus 7:23,25-27
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat…

Leviticus 17:10-14
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people…

Genesis 9:4
But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

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Leviticus 3
1. The peace offering of the herd
6. whether a sheep
7. whether a lamb
12. or a goat
17. A prohibition to eat fat or blood














This is a permanent statute
The phrase "permanent statute" in Hebrew is "חֻקַּת עוֹלָם" (chukat olam). The word "chukat" refers to a decree or ordinance, often one that is not fully explained or understood by human reasoning but is to be followed out of obedience to God. "Olam" signifies eternity or perpetuity, indicating that this command is not temporary but intended to last indefinitely. This reflects the unchanging nature of God's laws and His desire for His people to live in holiness and obedience across all generations.

for the generations to come
The Hebrew phrase "לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם" (ledoroteichem) emphasizes the continuity and enduring relevance of God's commandments. It underscores the importance of teaching and passing down God's laws to future generations, ensuring that His statutes remain a central part of the community's life and identity. This highlights the communal and familial responsibility in maintaining faithfulness to God's covenant.

wherever you live
In Hebrew, "בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם" (bechol moshvoteichem) means "in all your dwellings." This phrase indicates that the command is not limited to a specific location, such as the land of Israel, but applies universally to the Israelites wherever they reside. It underscores the idea that God's laws transcend geographical boundaries and are applicable in every context of life, reinforcing the omnipresence of God's authority.

You must not eat any fat
The prohibition against eating fat, "כָּל-חֵלֶב" (kol chelev), refers specifically to the fat of sacrificial animals, which was considered the best part and was to be offered to God on the altar. This command signifies the principle of giving God the best of what we have, acknowledging His sovereignty and provision. It also serves as a reminder of the sacredness of the offerings and the need to respect what is set apart for God.

or any blood
The command "וְכָל-דָּם" (vechol dam) prohibits the consumption of blood, which is reiterated throughout the Torah. Blood symbolizes life (Leviticus 17:11), and its consumption is forbidden as a recognition of the sanctity of life and the life-giving power of God. This prohibition also foreshadows the sacrificial system and the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, whose blood was shed for the atonement of sins, emphasizing the sacredness and redemptive power of blood in God's covenantal relationship with His people.

(17) A perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings.--Better, a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings; so the Authorised Version in the only three other passages in which it occurs. (Comp. Leviticus 23:14; Leviticus 23:21, where it is inverted; and 31.) That is, the law not to eat fat of beeves, sheep, or goats, is to be binding upon the Israelites throughout all their future generations, and is applicable to any place wherever they may dwell. As the full legislative formula only occurs four times in the Pentateuch, and is restricted to this book, it is important to render it uniformly in all the four passages. For the import of this statute see Leviticus 7:23-25.

Verse 17. - Eat neither fat nor blood. These are forbidden to be eaten, as belonging to God. The fat, that is, the internal fat, is his portion in the common feast of the peace offering, and the blood is presented to him in all the animal sacrifices, as the material vehicle of life (see Leviticus 7:22-27). The remaining regulations as to the various sorts of the peace offerings, the priests' portions of them, and the festive meal on the sacrifices, are given in Leviticus 7:11-34.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
This is a perpetual
עוֹלָם֙ (‘ō·w·lām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always

statute
חֻקַּ֤ת (ḥuq·qaṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 2708: Something prescribed, an enactment, statute

for the generations to come,
לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם (lə·ḏō·rō·ṯê·ḵem)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1755: A revolution of time, an age, generation, a dwelling

wherever
בְּכֹ֖ל (bə·ḵōl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

you live:
מֽוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם (mō·wō·šə·ḇō·ṯê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 4186: A seat, assembly, dwelling place, dwelling, dwellers

You must not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

eat
תֹאכֵֽלוּ׃ (ṯō·ḵê·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 398: To eat

any
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

fat
חֵ֥לֶב (ḥê·leḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2459: Fat, richest, choice part

or any
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

blood.’”
דָּ֖ם (dām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed


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OT Law: Leviticus 3:17 It shall be a perpetual statute throughout (Le Lv Lev.)
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