You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs. The concluding verse of the chapter returns to the holiness identity that grounds the entire legal code: you are to be my holy people. The prohibition on eating torn meat — meat from an animal killed by a predator, whose blood has not been properly drained — is a dietary expression of the holiness identity. Leviticus 17:15 and Ezekiel 4:14 both relate to the same prohibition. The meat thrown to the dogs is not wasted but given to those for whom dietary holiness is not required. 1 Peter 2:9 repeats the holy people designation: you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession. The identity announced at Sinai and maintained through covenant law is claimed for the New Covenant community.

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