Leviticus 11
11
Clean and Unclean Land Creatures
1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Tell the Israelites: ‘This is the kind of creature you may eat from among all the animals#tn Heb “the animal,” but as a collective plural, and so throughout this chapter. that are on the land. 3 You may eat any among the animals that has a divided hoof (the hooves are completely split in two#tn Heb “every divider of hoof and cleaver of the cleft of hooves”; KJV, ASV “parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted.”) and that also chews the cud.#tn Heb “bringer up of the cud” (a few of the ancient versions include the conjunction “and,” but it does not appear in the MT). The following verses make it clear that both dividing the hoof and chewing the cud were required; one of these conditions would not be enough to make the animal suitable for eating without the other. 4 However, you must not eat these#tn Heb “this,” but as a collective plural (see the following context). from among those that chew the cud and have divided hooves: The camel is unclean to you#sn Regarding “clean” versus “unclean,” see the note on Lev 10:10. because it chews the cud#tn Heb “because a chewer of the cud it is” (see also vv. 5 and 6). even though its hoof is not divided.#tn Heb “and hoof there is not dividing” (see also vv. 5 and 6). 5 The rock badger#sn A small animal generally understood to be Hyrax syriacus; KJV, ASV, NIV “coney”; NKJV “rock hyrax.” is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided. 6 The hare is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided. 7 The pig is unclean to you because its hoof is divided (the hoof is completely split in two#tn See the note on Lev 11:3.), even though it does not chew the cud.#tn The meaning and basic rendering of this clause is quite certain, but the verb for “chewing” the cud here is not the same as the preceding verses, where the expression is “to bring up the cud” (see the note on v. 3 above). It appears to be a cognate verb for the noun “cud” (גֵּרָה, gerah) and could mean either “to drag up” (i.e., from the Hebrew Qal of גָרָר [garar] meaning “to drag,” referring to the dragging the cud up and down between the stomach and mouth of the ruminant animal; so J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:647, 653) or “to chew” (i.e., from the Hebrew Niphal [or Qal B] of גָרָר used in a reciprocal sense; so J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 149, and compare BDB 176 s.v. גָרַר, “to chew,” with HALOT 204 s.v. גרר qal.B, “to ruminate”). 8 You must not eat from their meat and you must not touch their carcasses;#sn The regulations against touching the carcasses of dead unclean animals (contrast the restriction against eating their flesh) is treated in more detail in Lev 11:24-28 (cf. also vv. 29-40). For the time being, this chapter continues to develop the issue of what can and cannot be eaten. they are unclean to you.
Clean and Unclean Water Creatures
9 “‘These you can eat from all creatures that are in the water: Any creatures in the water that have both fins and scales,#tn Heb “all which have fin and scale” (see also vv. 10 and 12). whether in the seas or in the streams,#tn Heb “in the water, in the seas and in the streams” (see also vv. 10 and 12). you may eat. 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 Since they are detestable to you, you must not eat their meat and their carcass you must detest. 12 Any creature in the water that does not have both fins and scales is detestable to you.
Clean and Unclean Birds
13 “‘These you are to detest from among the birds – they must not be eaten, because they are detestable:#tn For zoological remarks on the following list of birds see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:662-64; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 159-60. the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 14 the kite, the buzzard of any kind,#tn Heb “and the buzzard to its kind” (see also vv. 16 and 19 for the same expression “of any kind”). 15 every kind of crow,#tn Heb “every crow to its kind.” Many English versions (e.g., KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) render this as “raven.” 16 the eagle owl,#tn Literally, “the daughter of the wasteland.” Various proposals for the species of bird referred to here include “owl” (KJV), “horned owl” (NIV, NCV), and “ostrich” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT). the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, the hawk of any kind, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl, 18 the white owl, the scops owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
Clean and Unclean Insects
20 “‘Every winged swarming thing that walks on all fours#tn Heb “the one walking on four” (cf. vv. 21-23 and 27-28). is detestable to you. 21 However, this you may eat from all the winged swarming things that walk on all fours, which have jointed legs#tn Heb “which to it are lower legs from above to its feet” (reading the Qere “to it” rather than the Kethib “not”). to hop with on the land. 22 These you may eat from them:#tn For entomological remarks on the following list of insects see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:665-66; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 160-61. the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, the grasshopper of any kind. 23 But any other winged swarming thing that has four legs is detestable to you.
Carcass Uncleanness
24 “‘By these#tn Heb “and to these.” you defile yourselves; anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 25 and anyone who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until the evening.
Inedible Land Quadrupeds
26 “‘All#tn Heb “to all” (cf. the note on v. 24). This and the following verses develop more fully the categories of uncleanness set forth in principle in vv. 24-25. animals that divide the hoof but it is not completely split in two#tn Heb “divides hoof and cleft it does not cleave”; KJV “divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted”; NLT “divided but unsplit hooves.” and do not chew the cud#tn See the note on Lev 11:3. are unclean to you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean.#sn Compare the regulations in Lev 11:2-8. 27 All that walk on their paws among all the creatures that walk on all fours#tn Heb “the one walking on four.” Compare Lev 11:20-23. are unclean to you. Anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 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
29 “‘Now this is what is unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the land:#tn For zoological analyses of the list of creatures in vv. 29-30, see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:671-72; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 161-62. the rat, the mouse, the large lizard of any kind, 30 the Mediterranean gecko, the spotted lizard, the wall gecko, the skink, and the chameleon. 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. 32 Also, anything they fall on#tn Heb “And all which it shall fall on it from them.” 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#tn Heb “in water it shall be brought.” and will be unclean until the evening. Then it will become clean. 33 As for any clay vessel they fall into,#tn Heb “And any earthenware vessel which shall fall from them into its midst.” everything in it#tn Heb “all which is in its midst.” will become unclean and you must break it. 34 Any food that may be eaten which becomes soaked with water#tn Heb “which water comes on it.” will become unclean. Anything drinkable#tn Heb “any drink which may be drunk”; NASB “any liquid which may be drunk”; NLT “any beverage that is in such an unclean container.” in any such vessel will become unclean.#tn This half of the verse assumes that the unclean carcass has fallen into the food or drink (cf. v. 33 and also vv. 35-38). 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#tn Heb “be unclean.” to you. 36 However, a spring or a cistern which collects water#tn Heb “a spring and a cistern collection of water”; NAB, NIV “for collecting water.” will be clean, but one who touches their carcass will be unclean. 37 Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown,#tn Heb “And if there falls from their carcass on any seed of sowing which shall be sown.” it is clean, 38 but if water is put on the seed and such a carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
Edible Land Quadrupeds
39 “‘Now if an animal#tn This word for “animal” refers to land animal quadrupeds, not just any beast that dwells on the land (cf. 11:2). that you may eat dies,#tn Heb “which is food for you” or “which is for you to eat.” whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening. 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. 41 Every swarming thing that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42 You must not eat anything that crawls#tn Heb “goes” (KJV, ASV “goeth”); NIV “moves about”; NLT “slither along.” The same Hebrew term is translated “walks” in the following clause. on its belly or anything that walks on all fours or on any number of legs#tn Heb “until all multiplying of legs.” of all the swarming things that swarm on the land, because they are detestable. 43 Do not make yourselves detestable by any of the swarming things.#tn Heb “by any of the swarming things that swarm.” You must not defile yourselves by them and become unclean by them, 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, 45 for I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God,#tn Heb “to be to you for a God.” and you are to be holy because I am holy. 46 This is the law#sn The Hebrew term translated “law” (תוֹרָה, torah) introduces here a summary or colophon for all of Lev 11. Similar summaries are found in Lev 7:37-38; 13:59; 14:54-57; and 15:32-33. of the land animals, the birds, all the living creatures that move in the water, and all the creatures#tn Heb “for all the creatures.” that swarm on the land, 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.’”
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Leviticus 11
11
Clean and Unclean Animals
1Then#Or “And” Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, 2“Speak to the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” saying, ‘These are the animals that you may eat from all the animals that are on the land: 3Any among the animals that has a divided hoof and has a split cleft in#Hebrew “of” the hoof, such#Hebrew “her/it” you may eat. 4However,#Or “Only” these#By context; Hebrew “this” you may not eat from those that chew the cud and from those that have a#Hebrew “the” divided hoof: the camel, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; 5and the coney, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; 6and the hare, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; 7and the pig, because it has a divided hoof and has a split cleft in#Hebrew “of” the hoof but it does not chew cud—it is unclean for you. 8You must not eat from their meat, and you must not touch their dead body—they are unclean for you.
9“ ‘These#By context; Hebrew “This” you may eat from all that are in the water: any in the water that has a fin and scales, whether in the seas or#Or “and” in the streams—such#Hebrew “them” you may eat. 10But any that does not have a fin and scales, whether in the seas or#Or “and” in the streams, among#Literally “from” all the water’s swarmers among all the living creatures that are in the water—they are a detestable thing to you. 11And they shall be detestable to you; you must not eat from their meat, and you must detest their dead body. 12Any that does not have a fin and scales in the water—it is a detestable thing to you.
13“ ‘And these you must detest from the birds; they must not be eaten—they are detestable: the eagle and the vulture and the short-toed eagle, 14and the red kite and the black kite according to its kind, 15every crow according to its kind, 16and the ostrich#Literally “the daughter of the ostrich” and the short-eared owl and the seagull and the hawk according to its kind, 17 and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl, 18and the barn owl and the desert owl and the carrion vulture, 19and the stork, the heron according to its kind and the hoopoe and the bat.
20“ ‘Any winged insect#Literally “swarmer of the wing” that walks on all fours is detestable to you. 21Only this may you eat from any of the winged insects#Literally “the swarmer of the wing” that walk on all fours—that which has jointed legs above its feet for leaping upon the land. 22From these#Literally “These from them” you may eat the locust according to its kind and the bald locust according to its kind and the cricket according to its kind and the grasshopper according to its kind. 23But#Or “And” any other#Implied by context winged insect#Literally “swarmer of wing” that has four legs is detestable to you. 24And by these you shall become unclean—anyone who touches their dead body shall become unclean until the evening, 25and anyone who carries their dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening.
26“ ‘With regard to any animal that has a divided hoof but does not split the hoof, or#Or “and” does not have a cud for chewing#So HALOT 830 s.v. 4—they are unclean for you; anyone who touches them shall become unclean. 27And anything that walks upon its paws among any of the animals#Collective singular = plural by context that walks on all fours—they are unclean for you; anyone who touches their dead body shall become unclean until the evening, 28and the one who carries their dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening—they are unclean for you.
29“ ‘And these#By context; Hebrew “this” are the unclean for you among the swarmers#Collective singular = plural that swarm on the land: the weasel and the mouse and the thorn-tailed lizard according to its kind, 30and the gecko and the land crocodile and the lizard and the sand lizard and the chameleon. 31These are the unclean for you among all the swarmers; anyone who touches them at their death shall become unclean until the evening. 32And anything on which one of them#Literally “from them” falls at their death shall become unclean: any object of wood or garment or skin or sackcloth—any object that has performed work—must be placed in water, and it shall be unclean until the evening, and then it shall be clean. 33And any clay vessel#Context indicates a vessel as distinguished from a tool or utensil into which it falls shall become unclean, and you must break it. 34Any of the food that could be eaten on which water from such a vessel comes shall become unclean, and any liquid that could be drunk in any such vessel shall become unclean. 35And anything on which one of their dead bodies#Literally “from their dead body” falls shall become unclean: an oven or#Or “and” a stove must be broken#Or “smashed” (NASB, HCSB, NET, NJPS) or “broken in pieces” (ASV, ESV, NRSV)—they are unclean and shall be unclean for you. 36Surely#So HALOT 45 a spring or#Or “and” a cistern collecting water shall be clean, but that which touches their dead body shall become unclean. 37And when one of their dead bodies#Literally “from their dead body” falls on any seed for sowing,#Literally “seed plant that is to be sown” it is clean. 38But#Or “And” when water is put on the seed and one of their dead bodies#Literally “from their dead body” falls on it, it is unclean for you.
39“ ‘And when one of the animals#Literally “from the animal” dies that is for you to eat, the one who touches its dead body shall become unclean until the evening. 40And the one who eats some of#Literally “from” its dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening; and the one who carries its dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening.
41“ ‘And any swarmer that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42You must not eat#Hebrew “eat them” anything that moves upon its belly or#Or “and” that walks on all fours, even any with numerous feet belonging to any swarmer that swarms on the land, because they are detestable. 43You must not defile yourselves with any swarmer that swarms, and you must not make yourselves unclean by them and so be made unclean by them, 44because I am Yahweh your God, and you must keep yourselves sanctified, so that#Or “and” you shall be holy, because I am holy. And you must not make yourselves unclean with any swarmer that moves along on the land, 45because I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be for you as God. Thus#Or “And” you shall be holy, because I am holy.
46“ ‘This is the regulation of the animals#Collective singulars in this verse are plural by context and the birds and all living creatures that move along in the water and concerning#Literally “of” all the creatures that swarm on the land, 47to distinguish between the unclean and the clean and between the animal that is to be eaten and the animal that must not be eaten.’ ”
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