“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just about what not to eat; it’s about what it means to be set apart. The instruction to discard flesh torn by beasts, a practice that prevented proper blood drainage and risked ceremonial defilement, serves as a constant, tangible reminder that God’s people are meant to live by different standards than the surrounding world. This is how outward regulations pointed toward an inner reality of holiness.
“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse appears at the end of a section detailing various laws and judgments given to Israel, following the commands given at Mount Sinai and the instructions for constructing the tabernacle. It serves as a concluding reminder that Israel's special relationship with God demands a distinct way of life, including specific dietary laws to set them apart as holy. The laws immediately preceding it deal with matters of justice and social conduct, emphasizing holiness in all aspects of their lives.
God calls His people 'holy.' But what does that really mean? It’s not just about following a list of dos and don'ts.
The command in Exodus 22:31, "You shall be holy men unto me," isn't just a rule for what Israelites could or couldn't eat. It’s a foundational principle for their identity.
A Set-Apart People
God declared Israel as holy, meaning set apart for Him. This wasn't just about their religious ceremonies, but about their entire way of life – their diet, their interactions, their very existence was meant to reflect their unique relationship with God.
Why the Restriction?
The specific prohibition against eating flesh torn by beasts had a few reasons:
This wasn't just about avoiding contamination; it was about cultivating a heart and lifestyle that honored the sacredness of life and their special calling.
Ask a follow-up
Why would God care if His people ate meat ripped by a wild animal? The answer goes deeper than just food safety.
The seemingly simple act of choosing what to eat was loaded with meaning for the Israelites.
Reflecting God's Order
The world was chaotic and wild, but God's covenant people were to live according to His ordered, pure way. Eating meat torn by beasts represented a breach of that order and purity. The blood, still present, was a reminder of life given by God, not to be consumed wantonly. The animal that tore the flesh was often unclean, and its touch brought ceremonial defilement.
Practical Application
This wasn't just about avoiding spiritual contamination; it had practical implications for how they lived. The command to "throw it to the dogs" highlights the absolute rejection of this defiled meat from their diet. While it might be given to a foreigner or sold, the Israelites themselves were to avoid it, reinforcing the boundary between their holy life and the surrounding pagan practices.
A Foundation for Faith
These laws served as constant, tangible reminders of their covenant with God. Every meal, every choice about food, was an opportunity to remember who they were and whose they were.
Understand the original words
qādôš · Hebrew Adjective
A state of being set apart or dedicated exclusively to God’s service, signifying moral purity and devotion. It involves being removed from common use to be exclusively in the presence and for the purpose of the Holy One.
bāśār · Hebrew Noun
The physical bodies of animals or humans, often used in scripture to represent human frailty, mortality, or in the context of dietary laws, the specific material substance that must be treated according to covenant holiness.
ṭərēpâ · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
An animal killed or mangled by a predator; prohibited in the Mosaic law as food because it was considered ceremonially unclean, likely due to the presence of blood not properly drained.
This verse explicitly states, 'I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.' Exodus 22:31 echoes this by calling them 'holy men' and then providing a specific dietary law, linking outward ritual purity to an inward state of holiness.
Leviticus 17:15This passage reinforces the prohibition against eating anything that has died of itself or has been torn by wild animals, stating that the person who eats it 'shall bear his iniquity.' This highlights the seriousness with which God viewed these dietary laws as demonstrations of obedience and separation.
1 Peter 1:15-16The Apostle Peter directly quotes and applies the concept of holiness to Christians, saying, 'but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”' This shows how the call to holiness in Exodus finds its spiritual fulfillment in the New Testament.
Deuteronomy 14:21This verse provides a seeming contrast, allowing the eating of an animal torn by a beast for a foreigner or for sale to a foreigner. It sharpens the meaning of Exodus 22:31 by emphasizing that this prohibition was specifically for the 'holy nation' as a mark of their covenant relationship with God, not necessarily a universal prohibition for all peoples.
gillExodus 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."
And ye shall be holy men unto me,.... They were so by God's act of election, not special and particular, but general and national; choosing and separating them to be an holy people to him, above all the people on the face of the earth, and in a ceremonial sense they observing laws and appointments of God of this kind; which is the sense here intende…
bensonExodus 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."
Exodus 22:31 . Ye shall be holy unto me — And one mark of that honourable distinction is appointed in their diet, which was, that they should not eat any flesh that was torn of beasts — Both because the blood was not duly taken out of it, and because the clean beast was ceremonially defiled by the touch of the unclean.
This verse isn't just about what not to eat; it’s about what it means to be set apart. The instruction to discard flesh torn by beasts, a practice that prevented proper blood drainage and risked ceremonial defilement, serves as a constant, tangible reminder that God’s people are meant to live by different standards than the surrounding world. This is how outward regulations pointed toward an inner reality of holiness.
This verse appears at the end of a section detailing various laws and judgments given to Israel, following the commands given at Mount Sinai and the instructions for constructing the tabernacle. It serves as a concluding reminder that Israel's special relationship with God demands a distinct way of life, including specific dietary laws to set them apart as holy. The laws immediately preceding it deal with matters of justice and social conduct, emphasizing holiness in all aspects of their lives.
This verse appears at the end of a section detailing various laws and judgments given to Israel, following the commands given at Mount Sinai and the instructions for constructing the tabernacle. It serves as a concluding reminder that Israel's special relationship with God demands a distinct way of life, including specific dietary laws to set them apart as holy. The laws immediately preceding it deal with matters of justice and social conduct, emphasizing holiness in all aspects of their lives.
"“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs." — This verse isn't just about what not to eat; it’s about what it means to be set apart. The instruction to discard flesh torn by beasts, a practice that prevented proper blood drainage and risked ce…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026