Leviticus 11:10-20

10 But these are to be detestable to you: everything that does not have fins and scales in the seas or streams, among all the swarming things and [other] living creatures^[a] in the water.

11 They are to remain detestable to you; you must not eat any of their meat, and you must detest their carcasses.

12 Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales will be detestable to you.

Unclean Birds

13 "You are to detest these birds. They must not be eaten because they are detestable: the eagle,^[b] the bearded^[c] vulture, the black vulture,^[d]

14 the kite,^[e] the various kinds of falcon,^[f]

15 every kind of raven,

16 the ostrich,^[g] the short-eared owl,^[h] the gull,^[i] the various kinds of hawk,

17 the little^[j] owl, the cormorant,^[k] the long-eared owl,^[l]

18 the white^[m] owl, the desert owl,^[n] the osprey,^[o]

19 the stork,^[p] the various kinds of heron,^[q] the hoopoe, and the bat.

Clean and Unclean Flying Insects

20 "All winged insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you.

Leviticus 11:10-20 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.

Footnotes

• [a] Lv 11:46; Gn 1:20; 2:19
• [b] Or griffon-vulture
• [c] Or black
• [d] Or the osprey, or the bearded vulture
• [e] Or hawk
• [f] Or buzzards, or hawks
• [g] Or eagle owl
• [h] Or the night hawk, or the screech owl
• [i] Or long-eared owl
• [j] Or tawny
• [k] Or fisher owl, or pelican
• [l] Or the ibis
• [m] Or little
• [n] Or the pelican, or the horned owl
• [o] Or Egyptian vulture
• [p] Or heron
• [q] Or cormorant, or hawk