Leviticus 11

Listen to Leviticus 11

Clean and Unclean Animals

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,
2 "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 1These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
3 Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.
4 Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
5 And the 2rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
6 And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
7 And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, 3is unclean to you.
8 You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
9 "These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.
10 But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is 4detestable to you.
11 You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses.
12 Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is detestable to you.
13 "And these you shall detest among the birds;[a] they shall not be eaten; they are 5detestable: 6the eagle,[b] the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
14 the kite, 7the falcon of any kind,
15 every raven of any kind,
16 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the 8hawk of any kind,
17 the 9little owl, the cormorant, the 10short-eared owl,
18 the barn owl, the 11tawny owl, the carrion vulture,
19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and 12the bat.
20 "All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you.
21 Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground.
22 Of them you may eat: 13the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.
23 But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.
24 "And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening,
25 and whoever carries any part of their carcass 14shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
26 Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean.
27 And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening,
28 and he who carries their carcass 15shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.
29 "And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, 16the mouse, the great lizard of any kind,
30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.
31 These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.
32 And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any article that is used for any purpose. 17It must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean.
33 And if any of them falls into any earthenware vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you 18shall break it.
34 Any food in it that could be eaten, on which water comes, shall be unclean. And all drink that could be drunk from every such vessel shall be unclean.
35 And everything on which any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean. Whether oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces. They are unclean and shall remain unclean for you.
36 Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, but whoever touches a carcass in them shall be unclean.
37 And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed grain that is to be sown, it is clean,
38 but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
39 "And if any animal which you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening,
40 and 19whoever eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
41 20"Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten.
42 Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable.
43 21You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them.
44 For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and 22be holy, for I am holy. 23You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.
45 24For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. 25You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."
46 This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground,
47 26to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.

Leviticus 11 Commentary

Chapter 11

What animals were clean and unclean.

- These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the heathen. 3. The people were taught to make distinctions between the holy and unholy in their companions and intimate connexions. 4. The law forbad, not only the eating of the unclean beasts, but the touching of them. Those who would be kept from any sin, must be careful to avoid all temptations to it, or coming near it. The exceptions are very minute, and all were designed to call forth constant care and exactness in their obedience; and to teach us to obey. Whilst we enjoy our Christian liberty, and are free from such burdensome observances, we must be careful not to abuse our liberty. For the Lord hath redeemed and called his people, that they may be holy, even as he is holy. We must come out, and be separate from the world; we must leave the company of the ungodly, and all needless connexions with those who are dead in sin; we must be zealous of good works devoted followers of God, and companions of his people.

Cross References 26

  • 1. For ver. 1-47, see Deuteronomy 14:3-20; [Matthew 15:11; Mark 7:15, 18; Acts 10:12-15; Acts 11:6-9; Romans 14:14; 1 Corinthians 8:8; Colossians 2:16, 21; Hebrews 9:10]
  • 2. Psalms 104:18; Proverbs 30:26
  • 3. [Isaiah 65:4; Isaiah 66:3, 17]
  • 4. Leviticus 7:21
  • 5. [See ver. 10 above]
  • 6. Job 39:26, 30
  • 7. Job 28:7
  • 8. Job 39:26
  • 9. Psalms 102:6
  • 10. Isaiah 34:11
  • 11. Psalms 102:6; Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14
  • 12. Isaiah 2:20
  • 13. Exodus 10:4; Joel 1:4; [Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6]
  • 14. Leviticus 13:6, 34; Leviticus 14:8, 9, 47; Leviticus 15:5; Leviticus 16:26, 28; Leviticus 17:15; Numbers 19:10; Numbers 31:24
  • 15. [See ver. 25 above]
  • 16. Isaiah 66:17
  • 17. Leviticus 15:12
  • 18. Leviticus 6:28; Leviticus 15:12
  • 19. Leviticus 17:15; Leviticus 22:8; Deuteronomy 14:21; Ezekiel 4:14; Ezekiel 44:31
  • 20. [ver. 29]
  • 21. Leviticus 20:25
  • 22. Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7, 26; Leviticus 21:8; Exodus 19:6; Cited 1 Peter 1:16; [1 Thessalonians 4:7]
  • 23. [See ver. 43 above]
  • 24. Exodus 6:7
  • 25. [See ver. 44 above]
  • 26. Leviticus 10:10; Leviticus 20:25

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Or things that fly; compare Genesis 1:20
  • [b]. The identity of many of these birds is uncertain

Chapter Summary

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.

Leviticus 11 Commentaries

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.