Leviticus 17 · Verse 15

Leviticus 17:15

And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.

Leviticus 17:15, King James Version

Leviticus 17:15 in other translations

BSB	And any person, whether native or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean.
WEB	“‘Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. Then he shall be clean.
ASV	And every soul that eateth that which dieth of itself, or that which is torn of beasts, whether he be home-born or a sojourner, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.
YLT	‘And any person who eateth a carcase or torn thing, among natives or among sojourners--hath both washed his garments, and hath bathed with water, and hath been unclean until the evening--then he hath been clean;
DARBY	And every soul that eateth of a dead carcase, or of that which was torn, be it one home-born, or a stranger, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the even: then he shall be clean.
BBE	And anyone who takes as food anything which has come to a natural end, or anything which has been put to death by beasts, if he is one of you by birth, or of another nation, will have to have his clothing washed and his body bathed in water and be unclean till evening, and then he will be clean.
Webster	And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, (whether it is one of your own country, or a stranger) he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening; then shall he be clean.

What does Leviticus 17:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 17:15-16

15-16. every soul that eateth that which died of itself (Ex 22:31; Le 7:24; Ac 15:20), be unclean until the even--that is, from the moment of his discovering his fault until the evening. This law, however, was binding only on an Israelite. (See De 14:21).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 15 That which died of itself, or that which was torn - Because, in both cases, the blood was retained in the body; hence the council at Jerusalem forbade things strangled as well as blood, because in such beasts the blood was coagulated in the veins and arteries. See Act 15:28-29. Every thing considered, surely there is as little propriety in eating of blood as there is necessity to do it. They who will do otherwise must bear their iniquity. If blood eating be no offense, then they have no sin to answer for. The principal subjects of this chapter have been already so amply handled in the notes, that there is no need to add any thing by way of reflection or improvement.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Leviticus 17:10-16

Here is a confirmation of the law against eating blood. They must eat no blood. But this law was ceremonial, and is now no longer in force; the coming of the substance does away the shadow. The blood of beasts is no longer the ransom, but Christ's blood only; therefore there is not now the reason for abstaining there then was. The blood is now allowed for the nourishment of our bodies; it is no longer appointed to…

Read the full comment on Leviticus 17:10-16 →

Leviticus 17:15 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְכָל\־ve.kholand everyH3605

נֶ֗פֶשׁNe.feshpersonH5315

אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.SherwhoH834

תֹּאכַ֤לto.Khalit will eatH398

נְבֵלָה֙ne.ve.Laha carcassH5038

וּטְרֵפָ֔הu.te.re.Fahand a torn animalH2966

בָּאֶזְרָ֖חba.'ez.Rachamong the native-bornH249

וּבַגֵּ֑רu.va.Gerand among the sojournerH1616

וְכִבֶּ֨סve.khi.Besand he will washH3526

בְּגָדָ֜יוbe.ga.Davgarments hisH899

וְרָחַ֥ץve.ra.Chatzand he will washH7364

בַּמַּ֛יִםba.Ma.yimwith <the> waterH4325

וְטָמֵ֥אve.ta.Me'and he will be uncleanH2930

עַד\־'ad-untilH5704

הָעֶ֖רֶבha.'E.revthe eveningH6153

וְטָהֵֽר\׃ve.ta.Herand he will be pureH2891

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Leviticus 17:15

Leviticus 22:8
That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the Lord.
Exodus 22:31
And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.
Deuteronomy 14:21
Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
Leviticus 11:25
And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
Ezekiel 44:31
The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.
Revelation 7:14
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Ezekiel 4:14
Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
Leviticus 15:5
And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
Numbers 19:19
And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.
Numbers 19:8
And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even.
Leviticus 15:21
And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
Numbers 19:21
And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

every soul.
22:8; Ex 22:31; De 14:21; Eze 4:14; 44:31
that which died of itself. Heb. a carcase. both wash.
11:25; 15:5,10,21; Nu 19:8,19,21; Re 7:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

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.
Leviticus 17:15
And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.
Leviticus 17:16
But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.

Read all of Leviticus 17

Leviticus 17:15 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y cualquiera persona que comiere cosa mortecina, ó despedazada por fiera, así de los naturales como de los extranjeros, lavará sus vestidos y á sí mismo se lavará con agua, y será inmundo hasta la tarde; y se limpiará.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et toute personne, tant l’Israélite de naissance que l’étranger, qui mangera du corps d’une bête morte d’elle-même ou déchirée, lavera ses vêtements et se lavera dans l’eau, et sera impure jusqu’au soir: alors elle sera pure.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und jeder, der ein Aas oder Zerrissenes isset, er sei Eingeborener oder Fremdling, der soll seine Kleider waschen und sich im Wasser baden, und er wird unrein sein bis an den Abend; dann wird er rein sein.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Anima, quæ comederit morticinum, vel captum a bestia, tam de indigenis, quam de advenis, lavabit vestimenta sua et semetipsum aqua, et contaminatus erit usque ad vesperum: et hoc ordine mundus fiet.