King James Version

Deuteronomy 12:23

Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

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Hebrew

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רַ֣קraqonlyרַקparticle, affirmation — “only”H7535properly, leanness, i.e. (figuratively) limitation; only adverbial, merely, or conjunctional, althoughbut, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless, nothing but, notwithstanding, only, save, so (that), surely, yet (so), in any wise.חֲזַ֗קchazaqbe constantחָזַקverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “be constant”, a commandH2388to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conqueraid, amend, [idiom] calker, catch, cleave, confirm, be constant, constrain, continue, be of good (take) courage(-ous, -ly), encourage (self), be established, fasten, force, fortify, make hard, harden, help, (lay) hold (fast), lean, maintai…לְבִלְתִּי֙leviltito because unבִּלְתִּיpreposition, conjunction — “to because un”H1115properly, a failure of, i.e. (used only as a negative particle, usually with a prepositional prefix) not, except, without, unless, besides, because not, until, etc.because un(satiable), beside, but, [phrase] continual, except, from, lest, neither, no more, none, not, nothing, save, that no, without.אֲכֹ֣לakholeatאָכַלverb, qal, infinitive construct — “eat”, the to-form of the verbH398to eat (literally or figuratively)[idiom] at all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up), feed (with), food, [idiom] freely, [idiom] in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, [idiom] quite.הַדָּ֔םhadamthe blood , innocentדָּםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the blood , innocent”, the ordinary formH1818blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood)blood(-y, -guiltiness, (-thirsty), [phrase] innocent.כִּ֥יkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…הַדָּ֖םhadamthe blood , innocentדָּםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the blood , innocent”, the ordinary formH1818blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood)blood(-y, -guiltiness, (-thirsty), [phrase] innocent.ה֣וּאhuas for herהוּאpronoun, personal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “as for her”H1931he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or arehe, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.הַנָּ֑פֶשׁhanafeshthe creatureנֶפֶשׁdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the creature”, the ordinary formH5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,…וְלֹאveloand no , -r,לֹאconjunction, particle, negative — “and no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…תֹאכַ֥לtokhaleatאָכַלverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “eat”, an unfinished actionH398to eat (literally or figuratively)[idiom] at all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up), feed (with), food, [idiom] freely, [idiom] in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, [idiom] quite.הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁhanefeshthe creatureנֶפֶשׁdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the creature”, the ordinary formH5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,…עִםimwithעִםpreposition — “with”H5973adverb or preposition, with (i.e. in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then usually unrepresented in English)accompanying, against, and, as ([idiom] long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from (among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-) to, with(-al).הַבָּשָֽׂרhabasarthe bodyבָּשָׂרdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the body”, the ordinary formH1320flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of amanbody, (fat, lean) flesh(-ed), kin, (man-) kind, [phrase] nakedness, self, skin.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Only be stedfast in not eating the blood; for the blood is the life; and thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh.

Young’s Literal Translation

'Only, be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood [is] the life, and thou dost not eat the life with the flesh;

World English Bible

Only be sure that you don’t eat the blood; for the blood is the life. You shall not eat the life with the meat.

Darby Translation

Only, be sure that thou eat not the blood; for the blood is the life, and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh;

Douay-Rheims

Only beware of this, that thou eat not the blood, for the blood is for the soul: and therefore thou must not eat the soul with the flesh:

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Only be stedfast in not eating the blood; for the blood is the life; and thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Take diligent heed that thou eat no blood, for blood is the life of it; the life shall not be eaten with the flesh.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Πρόσεχε ἰσχυρῶς τοῦ μὴ φαγεῖν αἷμα, ὅτι αἷμα αὐτοῦ ψυχή· οὐ βρωθήσεται ψυχὴ μετὰ τῶν κρεῶν.