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Genesis 9:4

Made Simple — Modern English Translation

Translated by Verse Made Simple Editorial
KJV ORIGINAL
But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE

But you must not eat meat that still has its lifeblood in it.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

God is establishing a dietary restriction that people should not eat meat with blood still in it, because blood represents life.

📚 Historical Context

This command was given to Noah and his family after the great flood, when God first permitted humans to eat meat (previously they had been vegetarian according to Genesis 1:29). This prohibition against consuming blood became a foundational principle that would later be incorporated into Jewish dietary laws and was considered so important that it was one of the few requirements given to Gentile Christians in Acts 15.

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