Leviticus 11:40

40 He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 11:40 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 11:40

And he that eateth of the carcass of it
For though it might be eaten, if rightly killed, yet not if it died of itself, or was strangled, or torn to pieces by wild beasts:

shall wash his clothes;
besides his body, which even he that touched it was obliged to:

and be unclean until the even;
though he and his clothes were washed, and he might not go into the court of the tabernacle, or have any concern with holy things, or conversation with men:

he also that beareth the carcass of it;
removes it from one place to another, carries it to the dunghill, or a ditch, and there lays it, or buries it in the earth:

shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even;
from whence, as before observed by the Jewish writers, uncleanness by bearing is greater than uncleanness by touching, since the former obliged to washing of clothes, not so the latter; so Jarchi here; and yet still was unclean until the evening, though he had washed himself in water, as Aben Ezra notes; and so says Jarchi, though he dips himself, he has need of the evening of the sun.

Leviticus 11:40 In-Context

38 But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean to you.
39 'And if any animal which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening.
40 He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
41 'And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten.
42 Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth--these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.