The word "blood" sounds strange to many people today. In the Bible, it stands for life itself – and for the price love pays. Here you will find 22 Bible verses about blood: from the Passover lamb in Egypt to the blood of Jesus, which the New Testament says makes us clean.
Blood as a sign of life
In the Old Testament, blood stands for life – and for protection and covenant.
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For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it on the altar that your souls may be reconciled by it. For the blood is the reconciliation, because life is in it.
3. Moses 17,11
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And the blood shall be your sign on the houses in which you are, that when I see the blood I will pass over you and not the plague that destroys shall be upon you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
2. Moses 12,13
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Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said: Behold, this is the blood of the covenant, which the LORD makes with you over all these words.
2. Moses 24,8
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And almost all things are cleansed with blood according to the law; and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9,22
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He who sheds human blood, his blood also shall be shed by men; for God made man in His image.
1. Moses 9,6Image of God
The blood of Jesus
The New Testament speaks of the blood of Jesus as a sign of His dedication.
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This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Matthew 26,28
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Likewise also the cup after the Lord's Supper and said: This cup is the new covenant in my blood; such things do, as often you drink it, to my remembrance.
1. Corinthians 11,25Lord's SupperCovenant
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In which we have the redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1,7RedeemerForgiveness
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But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
1. John 1,7Fellowship
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And know that you are not redeemed with perishable silver or gold from your vain way of life after your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of an innocent and spotless lamb.
1. Peter 1,18-19Redeemer
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So much more shall we be kept from the wrath, after we have been justified through His blood.
Romans 5,9
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How much more shall the blood of Christ, who offered Himself to God without sin by the eternal Spirit, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God!
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And all things through Him would be reconciled to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, so that He made peace through the blood at His cross, through Himself.
Colossians 1,20Good Friday
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But now you, who were once far off, are become near through the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2,13
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Who loved us and washed us from sins with His blood.
Revelation 1,5b
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And sang a new song and said: Thou art worthy to take the book and to open its seals; for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God with Thy blood from every tribe and tongue and people and heathen.
Revelation 5,9Singing
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And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives even unto death.
Revelation 12,11Overcoming
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So now we have, beloved brethren, the boldness to enter into the Holy through the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 10,19
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Therefore also Jesus, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
Hebrews 13,12
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Therefore take heed now upon yourselves and upon the whole flock, among which you have been set by the Holy Spirit to be bishops, to be overseers of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
Acts 20,28
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He who eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6,54Lord's Supper
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And to the mediator of the new covenant, Jesus, and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12,24Mediator
Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.
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Why does the Bible speak so much about blood?
For the people of the Bible, blood was the seat of life: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (3. Moses 17,11). He who sheds blood takes life; he who gives blood gives life. During the Exodus from Egypt, the blood of the Passover lamb protects the Israelites at the doorposts (2. Moses 12,13). At Sinai, the covenant is sealed with blood (2. Moses 24,8). These images are in the background when Jesus says at the last Lord's Supper: “This is my blood of the new covenant” (Matthew 26,28).
What the blood of Jesus means
When the New Testament speaks of the blood of Jesus, it means His death as a dedication to others. It is the “price” with which people are redeemed (1. Peter 1,18-19), the sign of the new covenant and the promise that guilt is forgiven: “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1. John 1,7). Christians celebrate this in the Lord's Supper. You can find more verses on the topic at Bible verses about reconciliation and Bible verses about God's covenant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “the blood of Jesus” mean?
The blood of Jesus stands for His life, which He gave for people on the cross. It is the sign of forgiveness and the new covenant (Matthew 26,28; 1. John 1,7).
Why was blood so important in the Old Testament?
Because blood was considered the seat of life (3. Moses 17,11). Therefore, it played a central role in sacrifices, at the Passover, and in the sealing of the covenant at Sinai.
