# Leviticus 11 📖: Clean and Unclean Animals [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Leviticus Overview]] | [[Leviticus 10]] | [[Leviticus 12]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### Clean and Unclean Land Creatures [[#Verse 01.]] The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,  [[#Verse 02.]] “Tell the Israelites: ‘This is the kind of creature you may eat from among all the animals that are on the land.  [[#Verse 03.]] You may eat any among the animals that has a divided hoof (the hooves are completely split in two) and that also chews the cud.  [[#Verse 04.]] However, you must not eat these from among those that chew the cud and have divided hooves: The camel is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided.  [[#Verse 05.]] The rock badger is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided.  [[#Verse 06.]] The hare is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided.  [[#Verse 07.]] The pig is unclean to you because its hoof is divided (the hoof is completely split in two) , even though it does not chew the cud.  [[#Verse 08.]] You must not eat from their meat and you must not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you. ### Clean and Unclean Water Creatures [[#Verse 09.]] “‘These you can eat from all creatures that are in the water: Any creatures in the water that have both fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the streams, you may eat.  [[#Verse 10.]] But any creatures that do not have both fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the streams, from all the swarming things of the water and from all the living creatures that are in the water, are detestable to you.  [[#Verse 11.]] Since they are detestable to you, you must not eat their meat and their carcass you must detest.  [[#Verse 12.]] Any creature in the water that does not have both fins and scales is detestable to you. ### Clean and Unclean Birds [[#Verse 13.]] “‘These you are to detest from among the birds—they must not be eaten, because they are detestable: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,  [[#Verse 14.]] the kite, the buzzard of any kind, [[#Verse 15.]] every kind of crow,  [[#Verse 16.]] the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, the hawk of any kind,  [[#Verse 17.]] the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl,  [[#Verse 18.]] the white owl, the scops owl, the osprey, [[#Verse 19.]] the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. ### Clean and Unclean Insects [[#Verse 20.]] “‘Every winged swarming thing that walks on all fours is detestable to you.  [[#Verse 21.]] However, this you may eat from all the winged swarming things that walk on all fours, which have jointed legs to hop with on the land.  [[#Verse 22.]] These you may eat from them: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, the grasshopper of any kind.  [[#Verse 23.]] But any other winged swarming thing that has four legs is detestable to you. ### Carcass Uncleanness [[#Verse 24.]] “‘By these you defile yourselves—anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening,  [[#Verse 25.]] and anyone who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until the evening. ### Inedible Land Quadrupeds [[#Verse 26.]] “‘All animals that divide the hoof, but it is not completely split in two, and do not chew the cud are unclean to you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean.  [[#Verse 27.]] All that walk on their paws among all the creatures that walk on all fours are unclean to you. Anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening,  [[#Verse 28.]] and the one who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you. ### Creatures that Swarm on the Land [[#Verse 29.]] “‘Now this is what is unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the land: the rat, the mouse, the large lizard of any kind,  [[#Verse 30.]] the Mediterranean gecko, the spotted lizard, the wall gecko, the skink, and the chameleon.  [[#Verse 31.]] These are the ones that are unclean to you among all the swarming things. Anyone who touches these creatures when they die will be unclean until evening.  [[#Verse 32.]] Also, anything they fall on when they die will become unclean—any wood vessel or garment or article of leather or sackcloth. Any such vessel with which work is done must be immersed in water and will be unclean until the evening. Then it will become clean.  [[#Verse 33.]] As for any clay vessel they fall into, everything in it will become unclean and you must break it.  [[#Verse 34.]] Any food that may be eaten which becomes soaked with water will become unclean. Anything drinkable in any such vessel will become unclean.  [[#Verse 35.]] Anything their carcass may fall on will become unclean. An oven or small stove must be smashed to pieces; they are unclean, and they will stay unclean to you.  [[#Verse 36.]] However, a spring or a cistern which collects water will be clean, but one who touches the creature’s carcass will be unclean.  [[#Verse 37.]] Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean,  [[#Verse 38.]] but if water is put on the seed and such a carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you. ### Edible Land Animals [[#Verse 39.]] “‘Now if an animal that you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening.  [[#Verse 40.]] One who eats from its carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening, and whoever carries its carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.  [[#Verse 41.]] Every swarming thing that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be eaten.  [[#Verse 42.]] You must not eat anything that crawls on its belly or anything that walks on all fours or on any number of legs of all the swarming things that swarm on the land, because they are detestable.  [[#Verse 43.]] Do not make yourselves detestable by any of the swarming things. You must not defile yourselves by them and become unclean by them,  [[#Verse 44.]] for I am the Lord your God and you are to sanctify yourselves and be holy because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any of the swarming things that creep on the ground,  [[#Verse 45.]] for I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, and you are to be holy because I am holy.  [[#Verse 46.]] This is the law of the land animals, the birds, all the living creatures that move in the water, and all the creatures that swarm on the land,  [[#Verse 47.]] to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the living creatures that may be eaten and the living creatures that must not be eaten.’” ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ###### Verse 24. ###### Verse 25. ###### Verse 26. ###### Verse 27. ###### Verse 28. ###### Verse 29. ###### Verse 30. ###### Verse 31. ###### Verse 32. ###### Verse 33. ###### Verse 34. ###### Verse 35. ###### Verse 36. ###### Verse 37. ###### Verse 38. ###### Verse 39. ###### Verse 40. ###### Verse 41. ###### Verse 42. ###### Verse 43. ###### Verse 44. ###### Verse 45. ###### Verse 46. ###### Verse 47. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Clean land animals had to have divided hooves and chew the cud (11:3). 2. The camel, rock badger, hare, and pig are named as exceptions (11:4-7). 3. The hare and rock badger are not true ruminants, but they move their jaws in a chewing motion. The Law describes them by what an observer would see. 4. Water creatures needed both fins and scales (11:9). 5. Most of the forbidden birds are birds of prey or scavengers (11:13-19). 6. The bat appears in the list of birds (11:19) because the Hebrew word covers flying creatures in general. 7. Certain locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers were allowed (11:22). John the Baptist ate locusts (Mark 1:6). 8. Scholars have suggested health, separation from pagan practices, and symbolism as reasons for these laws. The text itself emphasizes holiness. 9. "Be holy, because I am holy" (11:44) is quoted in 1 Peter 1:16. 10. A clay pot that came in contact with an unclean carcass had to be broken (11:33). ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the One who makes us clean. The food laws set Israel apart as holy (11:44-45), and Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19) because He makes His people holy from the inside out. ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. The reason God gives for these laws is "be holy, because I am holy" (11:44-45). How does 1 Peter 1:15-16 apply this to us? 2. These laws made Israel different from the nations at every meal. What everyday choices set Christians apart today? 3. Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:18-19), and Peter's vision applied this to the Gentiles (Acts 10:15). Why do you think God removed these boundaries in Christ? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verses 2-3: Land animals that have divided hooves and chew the cud may be eaten. - 📖 verse 44: Be holy, because the Lord your God is holy. - 📖 verse 45: The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt to be their God. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[1 Peter 01#Verse 15.|1 Peter 1:15-16]] - Be holy, for I am holy. - 🔗 [[Mark 07#Verse 18.|Mark 7:18-19]] - Jesus declares all foods clean. - 🔗 [[Acts 10#Verse 09.|Acts 10:9-15]] - Peter's vision of clean and unclean animals. - 🔗 [[Romans 14#Verse 14.|Romans 14:14]] - Nothing is unclean in itself. - 🔗 [[Deuteronomy 14#Verse 03.|Deuteronomy 14:3-21]] - The food laws repeated. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 📂 Internal Notes