Charles Ellicott Commentary Leviticus 17

And the Lord spoke to Moses. —The Day of Atonement was instituted to purge, in a special manner, the whole community from all their sins, and present them a holy nation before the Lord once a year. Hence it is now followed by regulations concerning everyday life, the observance of which is to foster the holiness secured on that particular day.

And unto all the children of Israel. —To understand the significance of this phrase, and its relevance to the command in question, it is necessary to note that the words “and unto all the children of Israel” are used here for the first time.

Until now, the Divine communications were made:

1. to Moses alone, without his being ordered to speak to anyone else (Leviticus 5:14; Leviticus 6:12; Leviticus 8:1; Leviticus 14:1);
2. to Moses, with the command to speak to Aaron (Leviticus 16:1);
3. to Moses, with the command to speak to Aaron and his sons (Leviticus 6:1; Leviticus 6:17);
4. to Moses, with a command to speak to the children of Israel (Leviticus 1:1; Leviticus 4:1; Leviticus 7:28; Leviticus 12:1);
5. to Moses and Aaron conjointly, without being ordered to speak to the children of Israel (Leviticus 13:1; Leviticus 14:33);
6. to Moses and Aaron conjointly, who are ordered to speak to the children of Israel (Leviticus 11:1; Leviticus 15:1); and
7. when Aaron alone was addressed (Leviticus 10:8).

In this chapter, however, the communication is made to Moses alone, and he is commanded not only to impart its contents to Aaron and his sons—that is, the priesthood—but “unto all the children of Israel,” or their representatives, at the same time. The high priest and the priests are thus put on a level with the ordinary Israelite or the laity, as far as this regulation is concerned. There are only two other occasions on which this phrase is used again, namely, Leviticus 21:24; Leviticus 22:18.

This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded. —To emphasize the importance of the following law, Moses is ordered by God to use this additional formula; while in other instances where it is used, when important statutes are enacted, Moses uses it of his own accord (Exodus 35:4; Leviticus 8:5; Leviticus 9:6; Numbers 30:2; Numbers 36:6).

That killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat. —The law so solemnly laid down is that when any of the three kinds of sacrificial quadrupeds are intended for private use, they must not be slaughtered within or outside the camp. That the injunction here refers to the domestic animals in question, and not to the ordinary sacrifices, is not only evident from the expression “killeth,” instead of “sacrificeth,” but more especially from a comparison of Leviticus 17:3-4 with Leviticus 17:8-9.

And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. —Better, and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting; that is, if he does not bring it to the place where the sacrifices are killed, and offer it first as a peace offering to Jehovah, he is to be regarded as wantonly shedding blood, and will be visited with the penalty of excision.

So that the children of Israel may bring. —The reason why these three kinds of animals, when intended for private food, are to be brought to the precincts of the sanctuary, and are there to be offered first as a peace offering to the Lord, is to prevent the Israelites from sacrificing them to the demons in the open fields.

Which they offer in the open field. —The first part of this verse is better rendered, In order that the children of Israel may bring in [i.e., within the precincts of the sanctuary] their sacrifices which they are sacrificing on the face of the field; that is, which they have previously been in the habit of offering in the open fields to heathen deities, and which, in the future, they might be inclined to do again. The phrase “open field” denotes the space outside the encampment, in contradistinction to the enclosed place where the Israelites sojourned. (Leviticus 14:53, and other similar verses.)

Even that they may bring them ... to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. —Better, and bring them. ... to the entrance of the tent of meeting.