Bible Dictionary
STRANGLED
An animal described as strangled had died by choking rather than by the shedding of blood. Because its blood remained in it, the Mosaic law forbade eating it, and the Jerusalem council instructed Gentile Christians to abstain from such meat.
Biblical Usage
The Mosaic law forbade Hebrews to eat such flesh because it contained blood. The Jerusalem council likewise instructed Gentile converts to abstain from things strangled, both to avoid offense to Jewish Christians and to prevent association with heathen sacrificial feasts.