Leviticus 11:1-23

Dietary rules

1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
2 Say to the Israelites: These are the creatures that you are allowed to eat from the land animals:
3 You can eat any animal that has divided hoofs, completely split, and that rechews food.
4 But of animals that rechew food and have divided hoofs you must not eat the following: the camel—though it rechews food, it does not have divided hoofs, so it is unclean for you;
5 the rock badger—though it rechews food, it does not have divided hoofs, so it is unclean for you;
6 the hare—though it rechews food, it does not have divided hoofs, so it is unclean for you;
7 the pig—though it has completely divided hoofs, it does not rechew food, so it is unclean for you.
8 You must not eat the flesh of these animals or touch their dead bodies; they are unclean for you.
9 You are allowed to eat the following from all water animals: You may eat anything in the water that has fins and scales, whether in sea or stream.
10 But anything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales—whether it be any of the swarming creatures in the water or any of the other living creatures in the water—is detestable to you
11 and must remain so. You must not eat their flesh, and you must detest their dead bodies.
12 Anything in the water that does not have fins or scales is detestable to you.
13 Of the birds, the following are the ones you must detest—they must not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the black vulture, the bearded vulture,
14 the kite, any kind of falcon,
15 any kind of raven,
16 the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, any kind of hawk,
17 the tawny owl, the fisher owl, the screech owl,
18 the white owl, the scops owl, the osprey,
19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 Any flying insect that walks on four feet is detestable to you,
21 but you can eat four-footed flying insects that have jointed legs above their feet with which they hop on the ground.
22 Of these you can eat the following: any kind of migrating locust, any kind of bald locust, any kind of cricket, and any kind of grasshopper.
23 But every other flying insect that has four feet is detestable to you.

Leviticus 11:1-23 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 1

  • [a]. Many of the species in 11:13-19 cannot be identified with certainty.
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