Leviticus 11:1-31

Laws about Animals for Food

1 The LORD spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,

2 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, '¹These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth.

3 'Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat.

4 'Nevertheless, ²you are not to eat of these, among those which chew the cud, or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you.

5 'Likewise, the shaphan, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you;

6 the rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you;

7 and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud, it is unclean to you.

8 'You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

9 '³These you may eat, whatever * is in the water: all that have fins and scales, those in the water, in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.

10 '⁴But whatever * is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you,

11 and they shall be abhorrent to you; you may not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall detest.

12 'Whatever * in the water does not have fins and scales is abhorrent to you.

Avoid the Unclean

13 'These, moreover, ⁵you shall detest among the birds; they are abhorrent, not to be eaten: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard,

14 and the kite and the falcon in its kind,

15 every raven in its kind,

16 and the ostrich and the owl and the sea gull and the hawk in its kind,

17 and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

18 and the white owl and the pelican and the carrion vulture,

19 and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

20 'All the winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you.

21 'Yet these you may eat among all the winged insects which walk on all fours: those which have above * their feet jointed legs with which to jump on the earth.

22 'These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, and the devastating locust in its kinds, and the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds.

23 'But all other winged insects which are four-footed * are detestable to you.

24 'By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening,

25 and ⁶whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

26 'Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof, or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean.

27 'Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening,

28 and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.

29 'Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole, and the mouse, and the great lizard in its kinds,

30 and the gecko, and the crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand reptile, and the chameleon.

31 'These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening.

Read Chapter Compare

Leviticus 11:1-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 11

This chapter treats of creatures clean and unclean, as fit or not fit to be eaten; and first of beasts, whose signs are given, Le 11:1-8 then of fishes, which are likewise described, Le 11:9-12 after that of fowls, and those that are not to be eaten are particularly named, Le 11:13-19 next of creeping things, which are distinguished into two sorts, as flying creeping things, of which those that are unclean, their carcasses are not even to be touched, as neither the carcasses of unclean beasts, Le 11:20-28 and creeping things on the earth, which defile by touching, as well as eating, and make everything unclean, upon which, being dead, they fall, Le 11:29-43 and these laws are enforced from the holiness and goodness of God, Le 11:44,45 and the chapter is concluded with a recapitulation of them, Le 11:46,47.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 6

1. Deuteronomy 14:3-21
2. Acts 10:14
3. Deuteronomy 14:9
4. Deuteronomy 14:10
5. Deuteronomy 14:12-19
6. Leviticus 11:40

Footnotes 15

[a]. A small, shy, furry animal "(Hyrax syriacus)" found in the peninsula of the Sinai, northern Israel, and the region round the Dead Sea; KJV "coney," orig NASB "rock badger"
[b]. Or "hare"
[c]. Lit "detestable things"
[d]. Lit "detestable things"
[e]. Lit "a detestable thing"
[f]. Or "vulture"
[g]. Or "black vulture"
[h]. Specifically, "great horned owl"
[i]. Or "owl" or "jackdaw"
[j]. Lit "swarming things with wings"
[k]. V 20, note 1
[l]. V 20, note 1
[m]. Or "thorn-tailed lizard"
[n]. Or "lizard"
[o]. Species as yet undefined