Gen 9:4–5: the life, the blood, and the accounting

Says אַךְ־בָּשָׂר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ, "only flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat": דָמוֹ, "its blood," stands beside בְּנַפְשׁוֹ, "with its life" (nefesh), and names it. The BSB's "meat with its lifeblood" joins the two nouns in one word.

Says In 9:5 וְאַךְ אֶת־דִּמְכֶם לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם אֶדְרֹשׁ, "and surely your blood, for your lives, I will require": one verb, אֶדְרֹשׁ (edrosh, "I will require, seek"), stands three times, where the BSB has "require" and "demand an accounting." God requires it מִיַּד כָּל־חַיָּה, "from the hand of every beast" (BDB sets man beside beast here: "man, mankind"), and וּמִיַּד הָאָדָם מִיַּד אִישׁ אָחִיו, "from the hand of man, from the hand of each man his brother" ("anyone who takes the life of his fellow man," BSB). "His brother" makes every killing a killing of kin.

Uncertain Whether the ban on eating blood binds readers today. (1) Binding: it is given to Noah's descendants before Israel's law, and blood is named again at Acts 15:20. Objection: Acts 15 addresses table fellowship between Jewish and Gentile believers. (2) Fulfilled, with Israel's food laws. Objection: the command comes before Sinai. No lean is taken here.