Leviticus 11:8-18

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

9 '¹These 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 '²But 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, ³you 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,

Leviticus 11:8-18 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.

Cross References

• 1. Deuteronomy 14:9
• 2. Deuteronomy 14:10
• 3. Deuteronomy 14:12-19

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "detestable things"
• [b] Lit "detestable things"
• [c] Lit "a detestable thing"
• [d] Or "vulture"
• [e] Or "black vulture"
• [f] Specifically, "great horned owl"
• [g] Or "owl" or "jackdaw"