What is bloodguilt?

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The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. But the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”

When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” —Matthew 27:22-25

One of the most astounding moments in the crucifixion narrative is this plea to Pilate by the Jews. They were so eager for Jesus’ death that, when the pagan ruler demurred because he feared incurring bloodguilt, they wrested full responsibility from Pilate. 

Ironically, Judas had earlier declared “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!” to those same chief priests and elders, and they would later complain that Jesus’ disciples were laying bloodguilt on them by proclaiming Jesus had risen from the dead and now offered forgiveness of sins (Mt. 27:4, Acts 5:27-28).

Being guilty of blood is a serious matter. The idea of bloodguilt is first mentioned in the Bible in the law, Exodus 22:2-3:

If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

The section of law in Exodus 22:1-4 has commonly been interpreted to mean that property theft does not amount to capital crime; under biblical law, thieves were not killed for stealing but would pay restitution. 

The law does, however, protect homeowners who, startled by a nighttime intruder, use potentially lethal force to defend their families. If a thief in the night is killed, the homeowner does not incur bloodguilt.  But if the intruder came during daylight hours, homeowners are expected to employ less-than-lethal forms of defense. The death of a thief during waking hours would be answered by the rule of Exodus 21:12-14 (see Murder Defined).

Word study

The Hebrew word translated here as ‘bloodguilt’ is dawm. It’s also the word for ‘blood’ and ‘bloodshed.’ 

The concept of bloodguilt was introduced in Genesis 4:10-11, where Abel’s innocent blood was said to cry out to God from the ground, and in Genesis 9:5-6, where God required an accounting for every human death and the death penalty for every murderer. Capital punishment was instituted to, in a sense, assuage the cry of the blood of slain innocent people and to cleanse the land of their blood (Numbers 35:33). 

Interestingly, the verses immediately preceding Gen. 9:5-6 address the blood of animals, which must be all drained out and not eaten (Gen. 9:3-4). It’s no surprise, then, that Leviticus 17:10-14 applies bloodguiltiness to people who ingest animal blood. 

Other applications beyond the shedding of human blood include… 

►Leviticus 17:3-4 relates bloodguiltiness to do-it-yourself, at-home sacrifices.

►Leviticus 20 applies ‘bloodguiltiness’ directly to cursing a father or mother, incestuous sexual relations, homosexuality, bestiality, and practicing as a medium or spiritist, but could be applied as well to other sins in the passage requiring the sinner to be ‘cut off’ from community life or put to death. The practices listed here were abhorrent to God but common among the people that God was driving from the land (Lev. 20:23). He was purging the land for Israel’s benefit, but Israel would find themselves driven out if they also indulged in these practices.

But the most natural application in the Mosaic law is to the shedding of innocent human blood.

►Deuteronomy 19:8-13 and 21:8 apply ‘bloodguiltiness’ to murder that is ignored as well as to misplaced vengeance for murder. Bloodguiltiness is said to be purged from the land through the just use of the death penalty. Justice was served when guilty parties were punished; it was not served when a murder went unavenged or when an innocent person was charged with murder and punished.

►Deut. 22:8 says, “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it.” Bloodguiltiness can thus be incurred by a death caused through neglect of basic safety standards.

Bloodguilt is incurred by the spilling the blood of an innocent person, or by committing any other crime deserving of the death penalty. We also find dawm in the the following passages:

►After sinning with Bathsheba and having her husband killed, David prayed, “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God.” (Psalm 51:14)

►“The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.” (Psalm 5:6)

►“Since you have not hated bloodshed, therefore bloodshed will pursue you.” (Ezekiel 35:6)

►“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds a town with violence!” (Habakkuk 2:12)

Summary

Why does bloodguilt matter so much to God? Because “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev 17:10-14). This and “innocent blood” will, no doubt, be the subject of future posts.

For now we’ll simply note that, as the law was being laid out by God and disseminated to the people of Israel by Moses, the term “bloodguilt” was associated with the most serious crimes, offenses deserving severe punishment. All crimes are serious, but some receive special attention from God and require “a life for a life” accounting.

When the Jewish leaders accepted bloodguilt for killing Jesus, they were sure their cause was righteous, that Jesus Himself had bloodguilt. They were ready to stand before God and point the finger at His Son. According to them, Jesus had committed blasphemy and thus, according to Leviticus 24:16, deserved to die.

As shown in Matthew 27:3-6, they had no comfort to give the conspirator Judas, who realized too late the weight of his guilt. “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!” (Matthew 27:4) The leaders had the sense or sensibility to realize they could not “launder” the price of blood by offering it as a gift to the temple. 

Ultimately, they missed the meaning of Jesus' sacrifice. Because He had no sin of His own, He gladly bore every sort of guilt—including bloodguilt—in His body for even the most abhorrent sinners. “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5; see also Acts 3:17-19, 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18.)

Next: "Our lives for your lives!"

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Image credit: Ecce Homo by Honoré Daumier, 1850 

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