LEVITICUS 11
Clean and Unclean Land Creatures
11:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,
Usually, the Word of God came to Moses alone. There were a few cases in Scripture where God spoke to both Moses and Aaron.
11:2 “Tell the Israelites: ‘This is the kind of creature you may eat from among all the animals that are on the land.
Even at the time of Noah, there were clean and unclean animals. However, this distinction was made for sacrifice, not for food. This distinction was for Mosaic Israel only before Christ.
11:3 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.
If an animal had a divided hoof and if the animal chewed the cud, then it could be eaten.
11:4 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.
There were some exceptions to this rule in verse 3. The camel did have a divided hoof and it did chew the cud, but it could not be eaten.
11:5 The rock badger is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided.
The undivided hoof of the rock badger made this animal unclean.
At this time in Israel’s history, God declared some animals as clean to eat and others as unclean to eat. Nowhere in Scripture does it teach that this distinction was made for health reasons. After the resurrection of Christ, this diet distinction will be removed. If these foods were for health reasons, then Jesus was telling Peter that he and the Gentiles could now eat unhealthy food. The reason for this distinction will be given at the end of this chapter.
11:6 The hare is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided.
Many skeptics call this a “bible-error.” because the hare does not chew the cud. The Hebrew word for “hare” is אַרְנֶ֫בֶת (arnebeth), meaning an unknown animal which is now extinct. Often, modern translators attempt to translate the Hebrew into modern animals. Most skeptics do not know Hebrew, so they are the ones who are actually in error. Many of the identities of several of the other animals listed in this chapter are also uncertain.
11:7 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. 11:8 You must not eat from their meat and you must not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
It is permissible for Jews to eat a ham sandwich today, because after the resurrection of Christ, all foods were declared as clean.
Clean and Unclean Water Creatures
11:9 “ ‘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. 11:10 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. 11:11 Since they are detestable to you, you must not eat their meat and their carcass you must detest. 11:12 Any creature in the water that does not have both fins and scales is detestable to you.
All of these seafoods were unclean for the Israelites before the resurrection of Christ.
Clean and Unclean Birds
11:13 “ ‘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, 11:14 the kite, the buzzard of any kind, 11:15 every kind of crow, 11:16 the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, the hawk of any kind, 11:17 the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl, 11:18 the white owl, the scops owl, the osprey, 11:19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
All of these birds were unclean for the Israelites before the resurrection of Christ. Often, skeptics will point out that the bat is not a bird. The Hebrew word for “birds” is עוֹף (oaf), meaning flying things. The Jews living during the time of Moses did not use the same taxonomy system as modern American scientists.
Clean and Unclean Insects
11:20 “ ‘Every winged swarming thing that walks on all fours is detestable to you. 11:21 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. 11:22 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.11:23 But any other winged swarming thing that has four legs is detestable to you.
All of these insects were unclean for the Israelites before the resurrection of Christ.
Carcass Uncleanness
11:24 “ ‘By these you defile yourselves; anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 11:25 and anyone who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until the evening.
If anyone touches a dead animal, then he was considered ceremonially unclean, meaning that he could not participate in the Mosaic offering rituals.
Inedible Land Quadrupeds
11:26 “ ‘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. 11:27 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, 11:28 and the one who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.
All of these quadrupeds were unclean for the Israelites before the resurrection of Christ.
Creatures that Swarm on the Land
11:29 “ ‘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, 11:30 the Mediterranean gecko, the spotted lizard, the wall gecko, the skink, and the chameleon. 11:31 These are the ones that are unclean to you among all the swarming things. Anyone who touches them when they die will be unclean until evening. 11:32 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. 11:33 As for any clay vessel they fall into, everything in it will become unclean and you must break it. 11:34 Any food that may be eaten which becomes soaked with water will become unclean. Anything drinkable in any such vessel will become unclean. 11:35 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. 11:36 However, a spring or a cistern which collects water will be clean, but one who touches their carcass will be unclean. 11:37 Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean, 11:38 but if water is put on the seed and such a carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
All of these swarming creatures were unclean for the Israelites before the resurrection of Christ.
Edible Land Quadrupeds
11:39 “ ‘Now if an animal that you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening. 11:40 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. 11:41 Every swarming thing that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be eaten. 11:42 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. 11:43 Do not make yourselves detestable by any of the swarming things. You must not defile yourselves by them and become unclean by them,
All of these quadrupeds were unclean for the Israelites before the resurrection of Christ.
11:44 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, 11:45 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. 11:46 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, 11:47 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.’ ”
God gave the reason for declaring some animals clean and others unclean. The reason was that God is holy and His chosen nation is holy. Israel was to be different than all of the other nations on the earth. They were to eat a special diet that was given by divine instruction from God Himself. This diet would set Israel apart from all other nations of the world. God loved Israel so much, that He gave them this special diet.