Deuteronomy 12:24—Was the blood poured out as water or covered with dust?

Problem: According to this verse, the priest was to take the blood of the sacrifice and “pour it on the earth like water.” But, earlier in Leviticus 17:13 they were instructed to “cover it with dust.” How can these be reconciled?

Solution: The fact that some critics raise this kind of problem shows how desperate they are to find something wrong with the Bible. The full passage in Leviticus provides the answer: “he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust” (Lev. 17:13). So there is absolutely no problem whatsoever.

This excerpt is from When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Click here to purchase this book.