“‘Whatever man there is of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who takes in hunting any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood, and cover it with dust.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 13. Hunting, with nets, or with bow and arrow. If a dog had killed the prey, it would have rendered it unclean. Tostat. But perhaps dogs were not employed in hunting by the Hebrews. The Persians use lions, and so forth Chardin. Calmet.—Earth, to prevent any abusive custom, such as that of the magicians, who pretended to raise spirits by blood. Tiresias would not disclose the truth to Ulysses, till he had drunk some blood. Odys. xxii. The Jews abhorred things strangled, and the apostles forbade the primitive Christians to use them. Acts 15. Phocilides, the pagan, says, “abandon such remains to dogs; beasts eat the leavings of beasts.” Euseb. Calmet.