Leviticus 11:24-40

24 “ ‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.

25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.

26 “ ‘Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean.

27 Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.

28 Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. These animals are unclean for you.

29 “ ‘Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard,

30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon.

31 Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening.

32 When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean.

33 If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot.

34 Any food you are allowed to eat that has come into contact with water from any such pot is unclean, and any liquid that is drunk from such a pot is unclean.

35 Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean.

36 A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean.

37 If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean.

38 But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

39 “ ‘If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening.

40 Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.

Leviticus 11:24-40 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. S Leviticus 5:2
• 2. ver 27-40; Leviticus 13:3; Leviticus 14:46; Leviticus 15:5; Leviticus 22:6; Numbers 19:7,19
• 3. ver 28; S Exodus 19:10; Leviticus 13:6; Leviticus 14:8,47; Leviticus 15:5; Leviticus 16:26; Numbers 8:7; Numbers 19:7
• 4. Leviticus 13:34; ver 40; Numbers 19:8; Numbers 31:24
• 5. Hebrews 9:10
• 6. ver 41
• 7. Isaiah 66:17
• 8. Leviticus 15:12; Numbers 19:18; Numbers 31:20
• 9. S Leviticus 6:28; Leviticus 15:12
• 10. Leviticus 17:15; Leviticus 22:8; Deuteronomy 14:21; Ezekiel 4:14; Ezekiel 44:31
• 11. ver 40; Leviticus 22:4; Numbers 19:11
• 12. S ver 39
• 13. ver 25; Leviticus 14:8; Leviticus 17:15; Leviticus 22:8; Ezekiel 44:31; Hebrews 9:10