FocusBodies, food, and the camp
Connection to the wholeThese distinctions order Israel's life around the sanctuary; ritual uncleanness should not automatically be equated with a personal moral offense.
interpretation Leviticus 11:2
KJVSpeak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
Read it in context
Clean and Unclean Animals
Start reading at Leviticus 11:1 (Leviticus 11:1 to Leviticus 11:47).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
These distinctions order Israel's life around the sanctuary; ritual uncleanness should not automatically be equated with a personal moral offense.
- 11:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
- 11:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
- 11:3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
- 11:4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
- 11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
- 11:6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
- 11:7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
- 11:8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
- 11:9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
- 11:10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
- 11:11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.
- 11:12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
- 11:13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
- 11:14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
- 11:15 Every raven after his kind;
- 11:16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
- 11:17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
- 11:18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
- 11:19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
- 11:20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
- 11:21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
- 11:22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
- 11:23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.
- 11:24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.
- 11:25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
- 11:26 The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.
- 11:27 And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.
- 11:28 And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
- 11:29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,
- 11:30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.
- 11:31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.
- 11:32 And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.
- 11:33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.
- 11:34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
- 11:35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.
- 11:36 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.
- 11:37 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.
- 11:38 But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
- 11:39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
- 11:40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
- 11:41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
- 11:42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
- 11:43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.
- 11:44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
- 11:45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
- 11:46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:
- 11:47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Moses is the traditional author, with the laws presented as the LORD's instructions given through him. Aaron and his sons are key recipients of priestly instructions, not alternate named authors. Biblical references: Leviticus 1:1; Leviticus 27:34. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Leviticus 11:1–15:33): Moses and Aaron receive instructions for Israel concerning clean and unclean conditions. Priests assess the specified cases; the people described in these laws are their subjects rather than a single assembled audience. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Israel under the Sinai covenant. Some instructions address the whole congregation; others specifically address Aaron and the priests. Biblical references: Leviticus 1:2; Leviticus 6:9; Leviticus 19:2. stated in the text
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Clean and Unclean Animals. Read Leviticus 11:1 through Leviticus 11:47 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? These distinctions order Israel's life around the sanctuary; ritual uncleanness should not automatically be equated with a personal moral offense. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The laws and priestly narratives are set in Israel's Sinai sanctuary setting. A modern date of composition is not given by a publication statement in the text. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? The tabernacle and Israel's camp form the main setting. Instructions about priests, offerings, houses, and the land have different immediate objects. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Clean and Unclean Animals (Leviticus 11:1 to Leviticus 11:47). Start reading at Leviticus 11:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Hebrews explicitly relates the sacrificial and priestly order to Christ's priesthood and offering. Read the comparison in Hebrews rather than assigning an unsupported meaning to each ritual detail. See Hebrews 9:11, Hebrews 10:1, Hebrews 10:10. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Take worship, holiness, and the treatment of others seriously. Distinguish ritual uncleanness, moral wrongdoing, and the specific duties of priests; they are not interchangeable categories. interpretation
Cited: Leviticus 11:1, Leviticus 11:47, Hebrews 9:11, Hebrews 10:1, Hebrews 10:10
Who wrote it, and how we know
Moses (traditional)
Named in Scripture
What Scripture saysThe book presents its laws as the LORD speaking to Moses, from beginning to end.
Leviticus 1:1Leviticus 27:34
Early traditionJewish and Christian tradition names Moses.
What is debatedCritical scholars commonly assign this material to a later priestly collection.
Related passages
- Speak unto the children of Israel, saying… Deut 14:3-8 Ezek 4:14 Dan 1:8 Matt 15:11 Mark 7:15-19 Acts 10:12,14 Rom 14:2-3,14-15 1 Tim 4:4-6
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Leviticus 11
Leviticus presents the LORD's instructions to Moses for Israel, including priestly duties. A command's immediate audience, sanctuary setting, and covenant purpose should remain visible. The opening identifies Moses as the recipient of speech, not by itself as the narrator of every line. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Leviticus 1:1 Leviticus 1:2 Leviticus 27:34
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Leviticus
Leviticus presents the LORD's instructions to Moses for Israel, including priestly duties. A command's immediate audience, sanctuary setting, and covenant purpose should remain visible. The opening identifies Moses as the recipient of speech, not by itself as the narrator of every line.
Leviticus 1:1 Leviticus 1:2 Leviticus 27:34
Offerings and their administration
Leviticus 1:1–7:38FocusApproaching God in worship
Connection to the wholeThe offerings and priestly responsibilities establish the sacrificial framework assumed by the following accounts and laws.
interpretation The priests begin their service
Leviticus 8:1–10:20FocusConsecration and holy responsibility
Connection to the wholeThe consecration and beginning of priestly service lead to an account of judgment, emphasizing the seriousness of distinguishing holy from common.
interpretation FocusBodies, food, and the camp
Connection to the wholeThese distinctions order Israel's life around the sanctuary; ritual uncleanness should not automatically be equated with a personal moral offense.
interpretation The day of atonement
Leviticus 16:1–34FocusCleansing the sanctuary and the people
Connection to the wholeThe chapter brings priestly access, blood, and cleansing together in a recurring observance within the covenant's sacrificial order.
interpretation Holiness in daily and priestly life
Leviticus 17:1–22:33FocusWorship, relationships, and conduct
Connection to the wholeInstructions concerning blood, relationships, justice, and priests extend the call to holiness through the life of the people.
interpretation Sacred times and the land
Leviticus 23:1–25:55FocusSabbaths, feasts, and release
Connection to the wholeThe appointed times and land arrangements connect worship, rest, provision, and the treatment of fellow Israelites.
interpretation Covenant outcomes and dedicated things
Leviticus 26:1–27:34FocusResponsibility and consecration
Connection to the wholeBlessings and warnings state covenant consequences, followed by regulations concerning vows and things dedicated to the LORD.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.