Leviticus 11:1 - Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

Leviticus 11:1

Foods Permitted and Forbidden

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,

2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ^a‘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 ^anot 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, is¹ unclean to you;

5 the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is² 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, ^ais unclean to you.

8 Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. ^aThey are unclean to you.

9 ^a‘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 are¹ an ^aabomination 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 ^a‘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: ^athe 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 become¹ 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 ^ashall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening:

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

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Leviticus 11:1-2

BEASTS THAT MAY AND MAY NOT BE EATEN. (Lev. 11:1-47)

the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron—These laws, being addressed to both the civil and ecclesiastical rulers in Israel, may serve to indicate the twofold view that is to be taken of them. Undoubtedly the first and strongest reason for instituting a distinction among meats was to discourage the Israelites from spreading into other countries, and from general intercourse with the world—to prevent them acquiring familiarity with the inhabitants of the countries bordering on Canaan, so as to fall into their idolatries or be contaminated with their vices: in short, to keep them a distinct and peculiar people. To this purpose, no difference of creed, no system of polity, no diversity of language or manner, was so subservient as a distinction of meats founded on religion; and hence the Jews, who were taught by education to abhor many articles of food freely partaken of by other people, never, even during periods of great degeneracy, could amalgamate with the nations among which they were dispersed. But although this was the principal foundation of these laws, dietetic reasons also had weight; for there is no doubt that the flesh of many of the animals here ranked as unclean, is everywhere, but especially in warm climates, less wholesome and adapted for food than those which were allowed to be eaten. These laws, therefore, being subservient to sanitary as well as religious ends, were addressed both to Moses and Aaron.

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