Leviticus 11:35

35 'Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you.

Leviticus 11:35 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 11:35

And everything whereupon [any part] of their carcass
falleth shall be unclean
Before the Scripture seems to speak of anyone of the reptiles perfect, that falling upon anything should pollute it; but here of any part of them, though ever so small, which should, through any accident, fall and light upon anything, even that would render it unclean and unfit for use:

[whether it be] oven, [or] ranges of pots;
the one to bake bread in, and the other to boil flesh in, as Aben Ezra observes:

they shall be broken down;
and no more made use of for baking and boiling:

[for] they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you;
were made hereby unfit for use, and should not be used: the Jewish writers F24 explain the phrase, "to you", to your necessity, that which they had need of, but now should not use nor receive advantage from; even "to you"; all men, women, and children, as Hiskuni interprets it: all this was ordered to create in them an abhorrence of these creatures, and to make them cautious of eating and touching them, and careful that they come not nigh, or touched, or fell upon anything, since it would give them so much trouble, as well as occasion loss.


FOOTNOTES:

F24 Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Edaiot, c. 7. sect. 8.

Leviticus 11:35 In-Context

33 'As for any earthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean and you shall break the vessel.
34 'Any of the food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean.
35 'Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you.
36 'Nevertheless a spring or a cistern collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean.
37 'If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Lit "hearth for supporting (two) pots"
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