The Third Book of Moses, called Leviticus
Leviticus 11
Chapter XI · Vol. I, pp. 379–380
1 What beasts may, 4 and what may not be eaten: 9 What fishes: 13 What fowls. 29 The creeping things which are unclean.
1 AND the LORD spake unto a Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
a ch. 1.1. Ex. 25.22. Nu. 9.6. 2 Ch. 29.5. Eze. 44.23.
2 Speak b unto the children of Israel, saying, Thesec are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
b Ps. 147.19, 20. Eze. 3.17. Mat. 28.20.
c ch. 20.25. De. 14.4, &c. Eze. 4.14. Ac. 10.12, 14. Ep. 2.19-22.
3 Whatsoeverd parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
4 Nevertheless, e 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.
e De. 14.7. Is. 30.6. Mat. 19.24. Phi. 3.18, 19. Tit. 1.16. 2 Ti. 3.5. Mat. 23.13-33. Is. 33.14. These pointed out persons who profess, but do not practise, the true religion.
5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
6 And the f hare,1 because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.2
f Pr. 30.26. Re. 21.8. Ps. 17.13, 14.
1 Whether the word translated hare be the common hare, or another species, or altogether a different animal, is uncertain. Cowper of Olney, who domesticated hares, testifies, however, that they 'chewed the cud;' so that it may possibly be the animal intended.—C.
2 The hare does not, scientifically speaking, 'chew the cud,' i.e. it does not, like real ruminants, draw up food after deglutition from the first stomach, and submit it to a more thorough grinding process. But it does to a considerable extent chew its food a second time. After first nibbling and partially chewing, it deposits the food in its cheeks, and then when at repose it brings it out and chews it fully before finally swallowing. By the Hebrews the acts of 'chewing the cud,' and 'rechewing,' as the hare and coney do, were called by the same name, because they so closely resembled each other. Consequently the statement in this passage is not opposed to scientific investigation.—P.
7 And g the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven-footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: i Whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
i De. 14.9. Ac. 20.21. Ga. 5.6. Ja. 2.18. 1 Jn. 5.2-5.
10 And all k 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 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcasses in abomination.
12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: l The eagle, and the ossifrage,3 and the ospray,4
A.M. 2514. B.C. 1490.
l De. 14.12-14. Job 28.7; 38.41; 39.26-30. La. 4.19. Je. 4.13, 22; 48.40. Hab. 1.8. Hos. 8.1. Ro. 3.13-18; 1.28-32. Tit. 3.3.
3 The great sea-eagle, or Gypaetos barbatus.—P.
4 Sea-eagle.—P.
14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
15 Every raven after his kind;
16 And the m owl,5 and the night-hawk, and the cuckoo,6 and the hawk after his kind,7
m De. 14.15-18. Ep. 2.2, 3; 4.17-19; 5.7-11. Phi. 3.18, 19. These fowls represented persons cruel, selfish, ignorant, superstitious, or earthly-minded.
5 The ostrich.—P.
6 The cuckoo is very common in Northern Palestine and in Lebanon.—P.
7 Birds of prey, and especially eagles, vultures, and hawks, are very abundant in Palestine and Syria. A friend of mine made a collection of no less than 54 different kinds of hawks. The renderings here given to the Hebrew words cannot in all cases be relied upon. Our translators were not profound ornithologists; and in fact it is only within the last few years that the attention of scientific men has been turned to the natural history of the Bible.—P.
17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier-eagle,
19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
20 All fowls that n creep,8 going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
n ver. 23, 27. De. 14.19. Ps. 17.14. Phi. 3.18, 19. 2 Ti. 4.10. 2 Ki. 17.28-41.
8 Rather, 'all creeping things that fly,' as bees, hornets, and occasionally ants, &c.—C.
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;
22 Even these of them ye may eat: The o locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle9 after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
o Ex. 10.4, 5. Mat. 3.4. Ro. 14.1; 15.1. Is. 35.3. He. 12.12, 13; 5.11.
9 The beetle. The Hebrew name is supposed to be derived from two words, signifying 'nimble-footed,' and the creature intended is supposed by Bochart and others not to be what is commonly called the beetle, but a species of the locust, the grasshopper. The word here translated grasshopper is translated locust, 2 Ch. 7.13, which is obviously the true rendering; and as ten species of the locust are believed to be described in Scripture, we need not be surprised at the variety in the text.—C.
23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.
24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the p carcass of them shall be unclean until the even.
p ver. 27, 28, 31, 38-40. Ep. 2.1; 5.11. 1 Co. 15.33. 1 Jn. 1.7. He. 9.26. Col. 2.16, 17, 20. 2 Co. 5.17. Is. 22.14.
25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcass of them shall q wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
26 The carcasses of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not cloven-footed, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.
27 And whatsoever r goeth upon his 1 paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcass shall be unclean until the even.
r See ver. 20, 23.
1 As the cat, dog, lion, and all beasts of that class.—P.
28 Ands he that beareth the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even; they are unclean unto you.
s See ver. 24, 25.
29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the t creeping things that creep upon the earth: The weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,2
A.M. 2514. B.C. 1490.
t ver. 20, 21, 41, 42. Lu. 12.15. He. 13.5. Col. 3.5. Phi. 3.19. Ep. 4.14. Jn. 6.26, 66. Ps. 17.13, 14. 2 Ti. 3.2-5. These creeping animals pointed out persons ignorant, slothful, sensual, and earthly-minded.
2 More accurately, 'the mole, and the field-mouse, and the lizard.'—P.
30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.3
3 The five names in this verse seem to denote different kinds of lizards, of which there are immense numbers, and many varieties, in Palestine.—P.
31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: u whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.
u See ver. 24, 25.
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 x put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.
33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and y ye shall break it.4
y ch. 6.28; 15.12; ver. 35. He. 7.18; 9.11. 2 Co. 5.1-7.
4 Earthen vessels in ordinary use in the East are coarse, porous, and of little value. When once defiled, it is impossible to cleanse them, for they are not glazed.—P.
34 Of z 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.
35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcass falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, a they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.
a ver. 33; ch. 6.28; 15.12. He. 7.18; 9.11. 2 Co. 5.1-7.
36 Nevertheless a b fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water,5 shall be clean:6 but that which toucheth their carcass shall be unclean.
37 And if any part of their carcass fall upon any c sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.
c 1 Co. 15.37. 1 Pe. 1.23. 1 Jn. 3.9; 5.18.
38 But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcass fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that d toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even.
d ver. 24, 28, 31, 40; ch. 5. Nu. 19.11, 16. Is. 52.11. 2 Co. 6.17. Col. 2.20.
40 And he that e eateth of the carcass of it shallf wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
41 And every g creeping thing7 that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.8
g ver. 20, 23, 29. Ps. 17.14. Col. 3.2. Ro. 8.6. Phi. 3.19. Ja. 3.15.
7 From natural objects, a spiritual lesson against all low, grovelling, earthly, sensual pursuits, and a memorial to 'walk worthily of the vocation wherewith we are called,' Ep. 4.1.—C.
8 The serpent, by which the devil tempted Eve, was condemned to move on his belly and to eat dust; and deceivers, liars, slanderers, and murderers of every description, with all who hate God, and diffuse the poison of impiety among men, are in Scripture called the seed of the serpent, and the children of the devil, Ge. 3.14, 15. Other reptiles aptly represent the earthly-minded and sensual; and probably this was the implied instruction of the prohibition. The word abomination denotes a union of hatred and terror.—J.
42 Whatsoever h goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet9 among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
43 Yei shall not make yourselves1 abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby;
i ch. 20.25.
1 Heb. souls.
44 For k 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.
45 For l I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: m ye shall therefore be holy; for I am holy.
46 Thisn 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:
n ver. 1-43. De. 14.3-21. ch. 7.37; 14.53.
Notes
[Ver. 2. In this chapter God proceeds to provide against the idolatry of the appetite, Phi. 3. 19, first, by merciful and sufficient provision, so that there may be no just cause of complaint; secondly, by wholesome restraint, so that there may be a constant check upon indulgence. Two zoological marks distinguish the clean from the unclean animals—parting the hoof, and chewing the cud. (1) The parted hoof of the ox and sheep belongs to an animal inoffensive and peaceful; the claws of the lion and tiger are weapons of war and destruction. (2) Animals with parted hoof are more social in their habits, and regular in their march than others: the ox and the sheep congregate in the herd and the fold, and follow their leader through pastures and woods in one track. The lion and the tiger are unsocial in their habits, and follow merely the prey which they seek to destroy. These characteristics of the clean animals are daily monitors, that believers, restraining and mortifying all angry passions, 'be careful to give none offence,' 1 Co. 10. 32, to be 'followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises,' He. 6. 12, whilst they give testimony against those 'who separate themselves, having not the Spirit,' Jude 19, and 'whose feet are swift to shed blood,' and 'the ways of peace have they not known,' Ro. 3. 15, 17. The second characteristic of the clean and edible animals is chewing the cud, that is, the power and habit of bringing up their food, and subjecting it anew to mastication during the hours of recumbency, so that, except when they sleep, they are never altogether at rest. This is the emblem of the spiritual man, 'talking with himself on his bed while he is still,' Ps. 4. 4, 'remembering God upon his bed, and meditating upon him in the night watches,' Ps. 63. 6; and so evident is the similarity, that to ruminate signifies in the clean beast the act of 'chewing the cud,' while in man it also signifies the act of solemn meditation. The influence of these dietetic arrangements in preserving the Jews a separate people, continues till this day: they were peculiarly calculated and intended to preserve them from the dangerous infection of idolatrous feasts, or even from those dangerous intimacies which are often cemented at the social intercourse of the table, and so often 'become a snare and a trap' to the self-indulgent, Ps. 69. 22. While to Christians these arrangements are not binding, they nevertheless convey to them an-obligatory lesson on purity of church fellowship, reminding us of the apostolic rule, 'not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat,' 1 Co. 5. 11. C.]
Ver. 5. [The coney is described, Ps. 104. 18. as finding its refuge in the rocks; and in Pr. 30. 26 they are described 'as a feeble people, yet making their dwelling in the rocks.' The rabbit cannot therefore be the animal meant, as it chooses its dwelling in dry sandy earth. Bruce seems clearly to prove that the modern name of this animal is ashkoko; that it differs much in form from the rabbit, is an inhabitant of rocks, and is abundant in Horeb and Sinai. C.]
Ver. 9. [Two marks distinguish unclean fishes. As an example of fish without scales, we may take the murderous shark; of these without fins, the misshapen walrus. It is remarkable that four times these creatures are denounced as an abomination. Being less acquainted with the dispositions and habits of fishes than of land animals, we are the less able to assign the reasons of the distinction; for beyond mere will, there is no doubt a reason; and in mere unwholesomeness, as some think, we do not believe it to exist; we seek it rather in the predacious and destructive dispositions of some, the foul and muddy resorts of others, and even in the monstrous appearance by which many of the legally unclean fishes are distinguished from those that are clothed with scales and furnished with fins. C.]
Ver. 44. [Sanctify, that is, by separating yourselves from all outward uncleanness of the flesh; and because God seeth the heart, much more separating yourselves from all inward filthiness of the spirit, 2 Co. 7. 1. C.]
Reflections.—Highly it becomes me, as the servant of God, to live as one separated from the world to his service, always to follow his directions, whether with respect to soul or body, and to eat for health, not from lust. Let even my body, therefore, be carefully preserved as a temple of the Holy Ghost, while in a becoming manner I imitate these clean animals, and become not almost but altogether a Christian. Let me be addicted to meditation on the truths of God, which I have received for my spiritual food, and be steady in my steps, and inclined to render unto God and men their respective dues. —Clothed and protected with Jesus' righteousness and grace, let me, by faith and love, swim against the tides of corruptions and troubles, avoiding intimacy with cruel, self-seeking, sensual, superstitious, and earthly-minded men, and even the most distant approaches and temptations to sin. But if at any time I be defiled therewith, without delay should I apply the cleansing blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ to my soul; bitterly lament that the tendency will not be wholly extirpated till the evening-tide of my death; and, if I am the Lord's, diligently aim to be holy as he is holy, and perfect as my Father who is in heaven is perfect.