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Leviticus 11
Lexham English Bible

Clean and Unclean Animals

11 Then[a] Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the Israelites,[b] saying, ‘These are the animals that you may eat from all the animals that are on the land: 3 Any among the animals that has a divided hoof and has a split cleft in[c] the hoof, such[d] you may eat. 4 However,[e] these[f] you may not eat from those that chew the cud and from those that have a[g] divided hoof: the camel, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; 5 and the coney, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; 6 and the hare, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; 7 and the pig, because it has a divided hoof and has a split cleft in[h] the hoof but it does not chew cud—it is unclean for you. 8 You must not eat from their meat, and you must not touch their dead body—they are unclean for you.

9 “‘These[i] you may eat from all that are in the water: any in the water that has a fin and scales, whether in the seas or[j] in the streams—such[k] you may eat. 10 But any that does not have a fin and scales, whether in the seas or[l] in the streams, among[m] all the water’s swarmers among all the living creatures that are in the water—they are a detestable thing to you. 11 And they shall be detestable to you; you must not eat from their meat, and you must detest their dead body. 12 Any that does not have a fin and scales in the water—it is a detestable thing to you.

13 “‘And these you must detest from the birds; they must not be eaten—they are detestable: the eagle and the vulture and the short-toed eagle, 14 and the red kite and the black kite according to its kind, 15 every crow according to its kind, 16 and the ostrich[n] and the short-eared owl and the seagull and the hawk according to its kind, 17 and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl, 18 and the barn owl and the desert owl and the carrion vulture, 19 and the stork, the heron according to its kind and the hoopoe and the bat.

20 “‘Any winged insect[o] that walks on all fours is detestable to you. 21 Only this may you eat from any of the winged insects[p] that walk on all fours—that which has jointed legs above its feet for leaping upon the land. 22 From these[q] you may eat the locust according to its kind and the bald locust according to its kind and the cricket according to its kind and the grasshopper according to its kind. 23 But[r] any other[s] winged insect[t] that has four legs is detestable to you. 24 And by these you shall become unclean—anyone who touches their dead body shall become unclean until the evening, 25 and anyone who carries their dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening.

26 “‘With regard to any animal that has a divided hoof but does not split the hoof, or[u] does not have a cud for chewing[v]—they are unclean for you; anyone who touches them shall become unclean. 27 And anything that walks upon its paws among any of the animals[w] that walks on all fours—they are unclean for you; anyone who touches their dead body shall become unclean until the evening, 28 and the one who carries their dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening—they are unclean for you.

29 “‘And these[x] are the unclean for you among the swarmers[y] that swarm on the land: the weasel and the mouse and the thorn-tailed lizard according to its kind, 30 and the gecko and the land crocodile and the lizard and the sand lizard and the chameleon. 31 These are the unclean for you among all the swarmers; anyone who touches them at their death shall become unclean until the evening. 32 And anything on which one of them[z] falls at their death shall become unclean: any object of wood or garment or skin or sackcloth—any object that has performed work—must be placed in water, and it shall be unclean until the evening, and then it shall be clean. 33 And any clay vessel[aa] into which it falls shall become unclean, and you must break it. 34 Any of the food that could be eaten on which water from such a vessel comes shall become unclean, and any liquid that could be drunk in any such vessel shall become unclean. 35 And anything on which one of their dead bodies[ab] falls shall become unclean: an oven or[ac] a stove must be broken[ad]—they are unclean and shall be unclean for you. 36 Surely[ae] a spring or[af] a cistern collecting water shall be clean, but that which touches their dead body shall become unclean. 37 And when one of their dead bodies[ag] falls on any seed for sowing,[ah] it is clean. 38 But[ai] when water is put on the seed and one of their dead bodies[aj] falls on it, it is unclean for you.

39 “‘And when one of the animals[ak] dies that is for you to eat, the one who touches its dead body shall become unclean until the evening. 40 And the one who eats some of[al] its dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening; and the one who carries its dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening.

41 “‘And any swarmer that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42 You must not eat[am] anything that moves upon its belly or[an] that walks on all fours, even any with numerous feet belonging to any swarmer that swarms on the land, because they are detestable. 43 You must not defile yourselves with any swarmer that swarms, and you must not make yourselves unclean by them and so be made unclean by them, 44 because I am Yahweh your God, and you must keep yourselves sanctified, so that[ao] you shall be holy, because I am holy. And you must not make yourselves unclean with any swarmer that moves along on the land, 45 because I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be for you as God. Thus[ap] you shall be holy, because I am holy.

46 “‘This is the regulation of the animals[aq] and the birds and all living creatures that move along in the water and concerning[ar] all the creatures that swarm on the land, 47 to distinguish between the unclean and the clean and between the animal that is to be eaten and the animal that must not be eaten.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 11:1 Or “And”
  2. Leviticus 11:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. Leviticus 11:3 Hebrew “of”
  4. Leviticus 11:3 Hebrew “her/it”
  5. Leviticus 11:4 Or “Only”
  6. Leviticus 11:4 By context; Hebrew “this”
  7. Leviticus 11:4 Hebrew “the”
  8. Leviticus 11:7 Hebrew “of”
  9. Leviticus 11:9 By context; Hebrew “This”
  10. Leviticus 11:9 Or “and”
  11. Leviticus 11:9 Hebrew “them”
  12. Leviticus 11:10 Or “and”
  13. Leviticus 11:10 Literally “from”
  14. Leviticus 11:16 Literally “the daughter of the ostrich”
  15. Leviticus 11:20 Literally “swarmer of the wing”
  16. Leviticus 11:21 Literally “the swarmer of the wing”
  17. Leviticus 11:22 Literally “These from them”
  18. Leviticus 11:23 Or “And”
  19. Leviticus 11:23 Implied by context
  20. Leviticus 11:23 Literally “swarmer of wing”
  21. Leviticus 11:26 Or “and”
  22. Leviticus 11:26 So HALOT 830 s.v. 4
  23. Leviticus 11:27 Collective singular = plural by context
  24. Leviticus 11:29 By context; Hebrew “this”
  25. Leviticus 11:29 Collective singular = plural
  26. Leviticus 11:32 Literally “from them”
  27. Leviticus 11:33 Context indicates a vessel as distinguished from a tool or utensil
  28. Leviticus 11:35 Literally “from their dead body”
  29. Leviticus 11:35 Or “and”
  30. Leviticus 11:35 Or “smashed” (NASB, HCSB, NET, NJPS) or “broken in pieces” (ASV, ESV, NRSV)
  31. Leviticus 11:36 So HALOT 45
  32. Leviticus 11:36 Or “and”
  33. Leviticus 11:37 Literally “from their dead body”
  34. Leviticus 11:37 Literally “seed plant that is to be sown”
  35. Leviticus 11:38 Or “And”
  36. Leviticus 11:38 Literally “from their dead body”
  37. Leviticus 11:39 Literally “from the animal”
  38. Leviticus 11:40 Literally “from”
  39. Leviticus 11:42 Hebrew “eat them”
  40. Leviticus 11:42 Or “and”
  41. Leviticus 11:44 Or “and”
  42. Leviticus 11:45 Or “And”
  43. Leviticus 11:46 Collective singulars in this verse are plural by context
  44. Leviticus 11:46 Literally “of”
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Leviticus 11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

III. Laws Regarding Ritual Purity[a]

Chapter 11

Clean and Unclean Meats.[b] 1 (A)The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 Speak to the Israelites and tell them: Of all land animals these are the ones you may eat: 3 Any animal that has hoofs you may eat, provided it is cloven-footed and chews the cud. 4 But you shall not eat(B) any of the following from among those that only chew the cud or only have hoofs: the camel, which indeed chews the cud, but does not have hoofs and is therefore unclean for you; 5 the rock hyrax,[c] which indeed chews the cud, but does not have hoofs and is therefore unclean for you; 6 the hare, which indeed chews the cud, but does not have hoofs and is therefore unclean for you; 7 and the pig,(C) which does indeed have hoofs and is cloven-footed, but does not chew the cud and is therefore unclean for you. 8 You shall not eat their meat, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

9 Of the various creatures that live in the water, you may eat the following: whatever in the seas or in river waters that has both fins and scales you may eat.(D) 10 But of the creatures that swarm in the water or of animals that otherwise live in the water, whether in the sea or in the rivers, all those that lack either fins or scales are loathsome for you, 11 and shall always be loathsome to you. Their meat you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall loathe. 12 Every water creature that lacks fins or scales is loathsome for you.

13 Of the birds,[d] these you shall loathe; they shall not be eaten, they are loathsome: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 14 the kite, the various species of falcons, 15 the various species of crows, 16 the eagle owl, the kestrel, the long-eared owl, the various species of hawks, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl, 18 the barn owl, the horned owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, the various species of herons, the hoopoe, and the bat.

20 The various winged insects that walk on all fours are loathsome for you. 21 But of the various winged insects that walk on all fours you may eat those that have legs jointed above their feet for leaping on the ground; 22 hence of these you may eat the following: the various kinds of locusts, the various kinds of bald locusts, the various kinds of crickets, and the various kinds of grasshoppers.(E) 23 All other winged insects that have four legs are loathsome for you.

24 You become unclean by the following—anyone who touches their carcasses shall be unclean until evening,(F) 25 and anyone who carries any part of their carcasses shall wash his garments and be unclean until evening— 26 by all hoofed animals that are not cloven-footed or do not chew the cud; they are unclean for you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean. 27 Also by the various quadrupeds that walk on paws; they are unclean for you; anyone who touches their carcasses shall be unclean until evening, 28 and anyone who carries their carcasses shall wash his garments and be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.

29 Of the creatures that swarm on the ground, the following are unclean for you: the rat, the mouse, the various kinds of lizards, 30 the gecko, the spotted lizard, the agama, the skink, and the chameleon. 31 Among the various swarming creatures, these are unclean for you. Everyone who touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. 32 Everything on which one of them falls when dead becomes unclean, including any article of wood, cloth, leather or goat hair—any article of which use can be made. It must be immersed in water and remain unclean until evening, when it again becomes clean. 33 Should any of these creatures fall into a clay vessel, everything in it becomes unclean, and the vessel itself you must break. 34 Any food that can be eaten which makes contact with water, and any liquid that may be drunk, in any such vessel become unclean. 35 Any object on which any part of their carcasses falls becomes unclean; if it is an oven or stove, this must be broken to pieces; they are unclean and shall always be unclean to you. 36 However, a spring or a cistern for collecting water remains clean; but whoever touches such an animal’s carcass becomes unclean. 37 If any part of their carcasses falls on any sort of grain that is to be sown, it remains clean; 38 but if the grain has become moistened, it becomes unclean to you when any part of their carcasses falls on it.

39 [e](G)When one of the animals that you could otherwise eat dies of itself, anyone who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening; 40 and anyone who eats any part of its carcass shall wash his garments and be unclean until evening;(H) so also, anyone who carries its carcass shall wash his garments and be unclean until evening.

41 All the creatures that swarm on the ground are loathsome and shall not be eaten. 42 Whether it crawls on its belly, goes on all fours, or has many legs—any creature that swarms on the earth—you shall not eat them; they are loathsome. 43 Do not make yourselves loathsome by any swarming creature nor defile yourselves with them and so become unclean by them.(I) 44 For I, the Lord, am your God. You shall make and keep yourselves holy,[f] because I am holy.(J) You shall not make yourselves unclean, then, by any swarming creature that crawls on the ground. 45 Since I, the Lord, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt that I might be your God, you shall be holy, because I am holy.

46 This is the instruction for land animals, birds, and all the creatures that move about in the water, as well as any animal that swarms on the ground, 47 that you may distinguish between the clean and the unclean, and between creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.(K)

Footnotes

  1. 11:1–15:33 Priestly legislation manifests two types of impurity or uncleanness: tolerated and prohibited. Prohibited impurity arises from various sins (e.g., 4:1–5; 5:2–3; 18:6–23; 20:2–5; Nm 5:13–14; 6:6–7). Tolerated impurity has three main sources: certain dead bodies (animal and human; cf. Lv 11 and Nm 19), various regular and abnormal genital discharges (Lv 12; 15), and diseases (specifically “scaly infection,” chaps. 13–14). An additional tolerated impurity is that generated by the cult in order to rectify the effect of these impurities or sins (cf. chap. 4; 16:26, 28).
  2. 11:1–47 Apart from the introduction and conclusion (vv. 1–2a, 46–47), this chapter has three sections: (1) prohibitions against eating certain land, water, and air animals (vv. 2b–23); (2) consequences of contact with various animals (vv. 24–41); (3) a prohibition against eating small land animals, which is motivated by the requirement that Israel be holy as God is holy (vv. 41–45). These animals are impure only when dead. Cf. Dt 14:3–21.
  3. 11:5–6 According to modern zoology, the rock hyrax (Hyrax syriacus) is classified as an ungulate, and the hare as a rodent; neither is a ruminant. They appear to chew their food as the true ruminants do, and it is upon this appearance that the classification in the text is based.
  4. 11:13–23, 30 Birds: the term is broader, including all animals that fly (including bats, v. 19, and flying insects, vv. 20–23). The identification of the various Hebrew names for these birds and reptiles is in many cases uncertain.
  5. 11:39–40 These animals create uncleanness, but are not prohibited as food (cf. 17:15–16). Priests who have a higher degree of holiness than other Israelites may not eat these animals (22:8; cf. Ez 44:31). Cf. Ex 22:30; Dt 14:21.
  6. 11:44–45 Keep yourselves holy…you shall be holy: a similar idea is expressed in 20:25–26. There, distinguishing between the animals is compared to God’s distinguishing between the peoples and choosing Israel.
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Leviticus 11
New King James Version

Foods Permitted and Forbidden(A)

11 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, (B)‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth: 3 Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud—that you may eat. 4 Nevertheless these you shall (C)not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is [a]unclean to you; 5 the [b]rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is [c]unclean to you; 6 the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; 7 and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, (D)is unclean to you. 8 Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. (E)They are unclean to you.

9 (F)‘These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers—that you may eat. 10 But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are [d]an (G)abomination to you. 11 They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. 12 Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales—that shall be an abomination to you.

13 (H)‘And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, 14 the kite, and the falcon after its kind; 15 every raven after its kind, 16 the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind; 17 the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl; 18 the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture; 19 the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

20 ‘All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you. 21 Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. 22 These you may eat: (I)the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. 23 But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you.

Unclean Animals

24 ‘By these you shall become [e]unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening; 25 whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them (J)shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening: 26 The carcass of any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean. 27 And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening. 28 Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you.

29 ‘These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, (K)the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind; 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. 31 These are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever (L)touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. 32 Anything on which any of them falls, when they are dead shall be [f]unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is, in which any work is done, (M)it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean. 33 Any (N)earthen vessel into which any of them falls (O)you shall break; and whatever is in it shall be unclean: 34 in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean. 35 And everything on which a part of any such carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove, it shall be broken down; for they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you. 36 Nevertheless a spring or a cistern, in which there is plenty of water, shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean. 37 And if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean. 38 But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes [g]unclean to you.

39 ‘And if any animal which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be (P)unclean until evening. 40 (Q)He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

41 ‘And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be [h]an abomination. It shall not be eaten. 42 Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination. 43 (R)You shall not make [i]yourselves [j]abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them. 44 For I am the Lord your (S)God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and (T)you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45 (U)For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. (V)You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

46 ‘This is the law [k]of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, 47 (W)to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 11:4 impure
  2. Leviticus 11:5 rock badger
  3. Leviticus 11:5 impure
  4. Leviticus 11:10 detestable
  5. Leviticus 11:24 impure
  6. Leviticus 11:32 impure
  7. Leviticus 11:38 impure
  8. Leviticus 11:41 detestable
  9. Leviticus 11:43 Lit. your souls
  10. Leviticus 11:43 impure
  11. Leviticus 11:46 concerning
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