Leviticus 11:28-38

28 Anyone who takes away the dead body of one of these is to have his clothing washed and be unclean till evening.

29 And these are unclean to you among things which go low down on the earth; the weasel and the mouse and the great lizard, and animals of that sort;

30 And the ferret and the land crocodile and the lizard and the sand-lizard and the chameleon.

31 All these are unclean to you: anyone touching them when they are dead will be unclean till evening.

32 The dead body of any of these, falling on anything, will make that thing unclean; if it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or bag, whatever it is, if it is used for any purpose, it will have to be put into water, and will be unclean till evening; after that it will be clean.

33 And if one of them gets into any vessel of earth, whatever is in the vessel will be unclean and the vessel will have to be broken.

34 Any food in it, and anything on which water from it comes, will be unclean: any drink taken from such a vessel will be unclean.

35 Any part of the dead body of one of these, falling on anything, will make it unclean; if it is an oven or a cooking-pot it will have to be broken: they are unclean and will be unclean to you.

36 But at the same time a fountain or a place where water is stored for use will be clean; but anyone touching their dead bodies will be unclean.

37 If any part of the dead body of one of these gets on to any seed for planting, it is clean;

38 But if water is put on the seed, and any part of the dead body gets on to it, it will be unclean to you.

Leviticus 11:28-38 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.