Text: Leviticus 17:15
OT Text Referred to: Exodus 22:31
Subject: eating animals that die naturally
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Exodus 22:31 commands Israel as "holy men" (אַנְשֵׁי קֹדֶשׁ, anshey qodesh) not to eat flesh torn by beasts in the field (טְרֵפָה, terefah), instead throwing it to the dogs. Leviticus 17:15 addresses the related case of eating an animal that "dies naturally or is torn by beasts" (נְבֵלָה וּטְרֵפָה, nevelah utrefah), prescribing that anyone who eats such meat—whether native or foreigner—must wash his clothes, bathe, and remain unclean until evening. The Levitical legislation is less absolute than Exodus's outright prohibition: Leviticus treats the consumption as producing ritual impurity requiring purification rather than as absolutely forbidden. Both texts ground the prohibition in holiness, but Leviticus provides a remediation procedure for violations.