Levitico 11:23

23 Ma siavi in abbominio ogni altro rettile che vola, ed ha quattro piedi.

Levitico 11:23 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 11:23

But all [other] flying creeping things
Excepting the four sorts before mentioned, wherefore we rightly supply the word "other":

which have four feet;
or more; the Vulgate Latin version adds, "only", but wrongly; for those that have more are unclean, and forbidden to be eaten, excepting those in the preceding verse; and most creeping things that fly have six feet, as the locusts themselves, reckoning their leaping legs into the number; though it may be observed, that those creatures that have six feet have but four equal ones, on which they walk or creep; and the two foremost, which are longer, are as hands to them to wipe their eyes with, and protect them from anything that may fall into them and hurt them; they not being able to see clearly because of the hardness of their eyes, as Aristotle

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 observes, and particularly it may be remarked of the fly, as it is by Lucian ^F2, that though it has six feet it only goes on four, using the other two foremost as hands; and therefore you may see it walking on four feet, with something eatable in its hands, lifting them up on high, just after the manner of men: now all such creatures that have four feet or more, excepting the above,

[shall be] an abomination unto you;
abhorred as food, and abstained from.

F1 Ut supra. (Hist. Animal. l. 9. c. 6.)
F2 De Musca.

Levitico 11:23 In-Context

21 Ma pur d’infra tutti i rettili che volano, e camminano a quattro piedi, voi potrete mangiar di quelli che hanno garetti disopra a’ piedi, per saltar con essi in su la terra.

22 Di tali potrete mangiar di questi; d’ogni specie di arbe, di ogni specie di soleam, d’ogni specie di argol, e d’ogni specie di agab.

23 Ma siavi in abbominio ogni altro rettile che vola, ed ha quattro piedi.

24 E per queste bestie voi vi renderete immondi; chiunque toccherà il corpo morto loro, sarà immondo infino alla sera.

25 E chiunque avrà portato del lor corpo morto lavi i suoi vestimenti, e sia immondo infino alla sera.