Lévitique 11:23

23 Tout autre reptile qui vole et qui a quatre pieds, vous sera en abomination.

Lévitique 11:23 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 11:23

But all [other] flying creeping things
Excepting the four sorts before mentioned, wherefore we rightly supply the word "other":

which have four feet;
or more; the Vulgate Latin version adds, "only", but wrongly; for those that have more are unclean, and forbidden to be eaten, excepting those in the preceding verse; and most creeping things that fly have six feet, as the locusts themselves, reckoning their leaping legs into the number; though it may be observed, that those creatures that have six feet have but four equal ones, on which they walk or creep; and the two foremost, which are longer, are as hands to them to wipe their eyes with, and protect them from anything that may fall into them and hurt them; they not being able to see clearly because of the hardness of their eyes, as Aristotle

---

FOOTNOTES:

F1 observes, and particularly it may be remarked of the fly, as it is by Lucian ^F2, that though it has six feet it only goes on four, using the other two foremost as hands; and therefore you may see it walking on four feet, with something eatable in its hands, lifting them up on high, just after the manner of men: now all such creatures that have four feet or more, excepting the above,

[shall be] an abomination unto you;
abhorred as food, and abstained from.

F1 Ut supra. (Hist. Animal. l. 9. c. 6.)
F2 De Musca.

Lévitique 11:23 In-Context

21 Mais de tout reptile qui vole et qui marche sur quatre pieds, vous mangerez ceux qui ont des jambes au-dessus de leurs pieds, pour sauter sur la terre.

22 Voici ceux que vous mangerez: la sauterelle selon son espèce, le solam selon son espèce, le hargol selon son espèce, et le hagab selon son espèce.

23 Tout autre reptile qui vole et qui a quatre pieds, vous sera en abomination.

24 Vous serez souillés à cause d'eux; quiconque touchera leur cadavre, sera souillé jusqu'au soir.

25 Et quiconque portera leur corps mort, lavera ses vêtements, et sera souillé jusqu'au soir.