King James Version
Leviticus 11
47 verses with commentary
Clean and Unclean Animals
And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>The Aaronic priesthood mediated between God and Israel, offering sacrifices and maintaining the tabernacle...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XI.
(1) **And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron.**—Lest the rebuke which Moses publicly administered to the priests (see Leviticus 10:16) should diminish their influence with the people, whom they had to teach the laws of clean and unclean things (see Leviticus 10:10-11) laid down in the following chapters, the Lord here honours Aaron, as well as Moses, by making this communication to them co...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings ... shall be eaten the same day that it is offered--**The flesh of the sacrifices was eaten on the day of the offering or on the day following. But if any part of it remained till the third day, it was, instead of being made use of, to be burned with fire. In the East, butcher-meat is generally eaten the day it is killed, and it is rarely ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>Hebrews 9-10 explains how Christ's on...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all . . . —**Better, *These are the animals which ye may eat of all *. . . . The dietary laws, which stand first in the general precepts about clean and unclean things, begin with the quadrupeds, or land animals, both domesticated and wild. This is in accordance with the Hebrew division of the animal kingdom into four principal classes :—(1) the ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. if any of the flesh of the sacrifice ... be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither ... imputed--**The sacrifice will not be acceptable to God nor profitable to him that offers it.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted , and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The access to God's presence that Leviticus carefully re...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted.**—Better, *Whatsoever is clovenfooted, and entirely separateth the hoofs. *The first rule laid down by which the clean quadruped is to be distinguished is that the hoofs must be completely cloven or divided above as well as below, or, as the parallel passage in Deuteronomy 14:6 has it, “and cleaveth the cleft into two claws.” Such is the case...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pag...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Nevertheless these shall ye not eat.**—As there are some quadrupeds which comply with only one of the two above-named conditions—*i.e., *which ruminate but have not their hoofs perfectly parted in two, or, *vice versâ, *are bisulcous and not ruminant—it is here declared that such animals must not be eaten.
**As the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not . . . —**Better, *though ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. cut off from his people--**that is, excluded from the privileges of an Israelite--lie under a sentence of excommunication.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish between clean and unclean,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **And the coney, because he cheweth the** **cud, but divideth not . . . —**Better, *though he cheweth the cud, yet he divideth not. *(See Leviticus 11:4.) The coney, which is the old English name for rabbit, is the meaning of the Hebrew expression *shaphan, *according to the definition of those who had to explain and administer this law at the time of Christ. As these interpreters lived in Pal...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. abominable unclean thing--**Some copies of the Bible read, "any reptile."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish between clean and unclean, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **And the hare, because he cheweth the** **cud, but.**—Better, *though he cheweth the cud, yet. *Other nations, too, shunned the flesh of hares. The Parsees considered the hare as the most unclean of all animals, and the ancient Britons abstained from eating it because of the loathsome disorders to which the hare is subject. Like the rabbit, or the hyrax, the hare has not the peculiar stomach ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22-27. Ye shall eat no manner of fat--**(See on Le 3:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted , yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish between...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted.**—Better, *And the swine, though he is clovenfooted, and entirely separateth the hoofs. *(See Leviticus 11:3.) Having given these illustrations of animals which comply with the first condition only—*i.e., *which are ruminant but not bisulcous—and hence must not be eaten, the lawgiver now concludes the list of prohibited quadruped...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22-27. Ye shall eat no manner of fat--**(See on Le 3:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish between clean and unclea...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Of their flesh ye shall not eat.**—During the second Temple the prohibition was defined to extend to the smallest quantity. If any one ate a piece of flesh less even than the size of an olive he was chastised with stripes.
**And their carcase shall ye not touch.**—As contact with a human dead body, which was regarded as the most defiling of all, was only forbidden to the priests (see Levitic...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22-27. Ye shall eat no manner of fat--**(See on Le 3:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>Every sacrifice ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **These shall ye eat.**—The water animals, which, as we have seen, constitute the second division of the animal kingdom, now follow the land animals. They are discussed in Leviticus 11:9-12. Like the clean quadrupeds, the salt-water and the fresh-water fish must comply with two conditions to bring them within the class of clean. They must have both scales and fins. It will be seen that in the ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22-27. Ye shall eat no manner of fat--**(See on Le 3:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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:</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pag...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Of all that move in the waters.**—That is, apart from the fishes exhibiting the above-named signs, all other inhabitants of the water are forbidden. Hence all shell-fish, whether molluscs or crustaceans, and cetaceous animals, are unclean.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22-27. Ye shall eat no manner of fat--**(See on Le 3:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>Hebrews 9-10 explains how Christ's onc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22-27. Ye shall eat no manner of fat--**(See on Le 3:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The New Testament reveals that Christ's sacrifice accomplishes what the Lev...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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,</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Ye shall have in abomination among the fowls.**—The third of the four great divisions of the animal kingdom—viz., the birds of the air, in accordance with their proper sequence—is discussed in Leviticus 11:13-19. It will be seen that, whilst in the case of the two preceding divisions of the animal kingdom certain signs are given by which to distinguish the clean from the unclean animals, in...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Le 7:28-38. The Priests' Portion.
**29-34. He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord--**In order to show that the sacrifice was voluntary, the offerer was required to bring it with his own hands to the priest. The breast having been waved to and fro in a solemn manner as devoted to God, was given to the priests; it was assigned to the use of their order generally, but th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The New Testament reveals that Christ's sacrifice accomplishes what the Levitical system could only symbolize—complete...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **And the vulture.**—Rather, *the kite. *Its name in the original (*dââh*), which literally denotes *the swift, majestic and gliding flier, *appropriately describes this bird, which sails with its expanded wings through the air, where it often pauses as if suspended, watching for its prey. Kites are very plentiful in Syria, and are frequently seen hovering over the plains, the villages, and t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Le 7:28-38. The Priests' Portion.
**29-34. He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord--**In order to show that the sacrifice was voluntary, the offerer was required to bring it with his own hands to the priest. The breast having been waved to and fro in a solemn manner as devoted to God, was given to the priests; it was assigned to the use of their order generally, but th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →Every raven after his kind;
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Every raven after his kind;</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>Hebrews 9-10 explains how Christ's once-for-all sacrifice supersedes the repeated Levitical offerings, providing permanent cleansing fro...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **And every raven.**—The raven or the black bird (Song of Solomon 5:11), the bird of the night, as its name denotes in Heb., like the eagle, occurs frequently in the Bible. It preys upon putrid corpses (Proverbs 30:17), and is especially eager to pick out the eyes of the dead, and sometimes even attacks the eyes of the living. So great is its gluttony that it fills the air with its wild shrie...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Le 7:28-38. The Priests' Portion.
**29-34. He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord--**In order to show that the sacrifice was voluntary, the offerer was required to bring it with his own hands to the priest. The breast having been waved to and fro in a solemn manner as devoted to God, was given to the priests; it was assigned to the use of their order generally, but th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And the owl , and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The New Testament reveals that Christ's sacrifice accomplishes what the Levitical syst...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **And the owl.**—Better, *and the ostrich, *as the Authorised Version rightly renders it in the margin in three out of the eight passages in which it occurs, viz., Job 30:29, Isaiah 34:13; Isaiah 43:20; literally, *the daughter *or *inhabitant of the desert. *The ostrich, which is the largest bird and the swiftest of all cursorial animals, was associated by the Hebrews with the terrors of the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Le 7:28-38. The Priests' Portion.
**29-34. He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord--**In order to show that the sacrifice was voluntary, the offerer was required to bring it with his own hands to the priest. The breast having been waved to and fro in a solemn manner as devoted to God, was given to the priests; it was assigned to the use of their order generally, but th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The holiness demanded in Leviticus becomes possible through Christ, who both satisfies God's righteous req...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **And the little owl.—**With the exception of the parallel passage, Deuteronomy 14:16, this bird only occurs once more, in Psalm 102:6, where it is properly rendered in the Authorised Version by “owl,” omitting the word “little,” and is described as inhabiting deserted ruins. It not only feeds upon insects and molluscs, hares, rabbits, ducks, geese, and birds of prey, but devours mice and rat...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Le 7:28-38. The Priests' Portion.
**29-34. He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord--**In order to show that the sacrifice was voluntary, the offerer was required to bring it with his own hands to the priest. The breast having been waved to and fro in a solemn manner as devoted to God, was given to the priests; it was assigned to the use of their order generally, but th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>What Leviticus portrayed through types and shadows, Christ fulfilled in reality through His incarnation, perfect ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **And the swan.**—The word here translated “swan,” which, besides the parallel list in Deut., also occurs in Leviticus 11:30, among the names of the lizards, denotes, according to tradition, another variety of the owl. Whatever difficulty there may be about the true import of the word, it is certainly not the swan. It has, however, also been translated “ibis,” “bat,” “purple water-hen,” “hero...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Le 7:28-38. The Priests' Portion.
**29-34. He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord--**In order to show that the sacrifice was voluntary, the offerer was required to bring it with his own hands to the priest. The breast having been waved to and fro in a solemn manner as devoted to God, was given to the priests; it was assigned to the use of their order generally, but th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The New Testament reveals that Christ's sacrifice accomplishes what the Levitical system coul...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **And the stork.**—Besides the parallel passage, Deuteronomy 14:18, the word (*chasidah*) here rendered “stork” also occurs in Job 39:13; Psalm 104:17; Jeremiah 8:7; Zechariah 5:9, and is so translated, except Job 39:13, where the Authorised Version has “wing” in the text and “stork” in the margin. Its name literally denotes in Hebrew “the pious,” “the kind,” and is so called because the anci...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-38. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron--**These verses contain a general summing up of the laws which regulate the privileges and duties of the priests. The word "anointing" is often used as synonymous with "office" or "dignity." So that the "portion of the anointing of Aaron" probably means the provision made for the maintenance of the high priest and the numerous body of function...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The access to God's presence that Leviticus carefully regulated is now freely available...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **All the fowls that creep.**—Better, *all creeping things which have wings. *The swarming animals or insects, which, as we have seen, constitute the fourth class of the Hebrew division of the animal kingdom, are now discussed in Leviticus 11:20-23. From the fact that in the following verse several kinds of locusts are exempted, it is evident that the phrase “creeping things which have wings”...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-38. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron--**These verses contain a general summing up of the laws which regulate the privileges and duties of the priests. The word "anointing" is often used as synonymous with "office" or "dignity." So that the "portion of the anointing of Aaron" probably means the provision made for the maintenance of the high priest and the numerous body of function...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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;</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>What Leviticus portra...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Of every flying creeping thing.**—Rather, *of all winged creeping things. *Having laid down the general rule that those creatures which creep along upon their feet in the manner of quadrupeds, and which have also wings, must not be eaten, the Lawgiver now mentions those which form an exception.
**Which have legs above their feet.**—Better, *which have knees above their hinder legs, *that is...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-38. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron--**These verses contain a general summing up of the laws which regulate the privileges and duties of the priests. The word "anointing" is often used as synonymous with "office" or "dignity." So that the "portion of the anointing of Aaron" probably means the provision made for the maintenance of the high priest and the numerous body of function...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **The locust after his kind.**—Of the four species of locusts here specified as permitted to be eaten, this one called *arbe *is the most frequently mentioned in the Bible. It occurs no less than twenty-four times, and is in four instances wrongly rendered in the Authorised Version by “grasshopper” (Judges 6:5; Judges 7:12; Job 39:20; Jeremiah 46:23). It is the locust which constituted the ei...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-38. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron--**These verses contain a general summing up of the laws which regulate the privileges and duties of the priests. The word "anointing" is often used as synonymous with "office" or "dignity." So that the "portion of the anointing of Aaron" probably means the provision made for the maintenance of the high priest and the numerous body of function...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The New Testament reveals that Christ's sacrifice accomplishes what th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **But all other flying creeping things.**—Better, *but all other winged creeping things. *Besides the above-named four species and their kindreds, all other locusts, as well as insects of any kind, are to be abhorred as food.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →Uncleanness from Dead Animals
And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish between clean...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **And for these ye shall be unclean.**—Rather, *and by these ye shall be defiled, *that is, the beasts and animals specified in Leviticus 11:26-27.
**Shall be unclean until the even.**—For coming in contact with the dead body of the animals contracts defilement for the rest of the day, and till the beginning of a new day, which took place after sunset (comp. Leviticus 23:32). During these hou...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish between clean ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **And whosoever beareth.**—But he who removed the carcase out of the camp or city, or from one place to another, not only contracted defilement for the rest of the day, but had to wash the clothes which he had on, since the pollution by carrying is greater than that by touching. During the time of the second Temple, the administrators of the law declared that wherever the Law enjoins that **a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 8 Le 8:1-36. Moses Consecrates Aaron and His Sons.
**2. Take Aaron and his sons--**The consecration of Aaron and his sons had been ordered long before (Ex 29:1-46), but it is now described with all the details of the ceremonial, as it was gone through after the tabernacle was completed and the regulations for the various sacrifices enacted.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **The carcases of every beast.**—The construction of this text constituted one of the differences between the Pharisees and the Sadducees during the second Temple. According to the Pharisees, or the National Church in the time of Christ, the phrase “that toucheth *them*” in the last part of this verse refers to “the carcases” of the unclean animals spoken of in the preceding verse. It was onl...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3-5. gather thou all the congregation together, &c.--**It was manifestly expedient for the Israelitish people to be satisfied that Aaron's appointment to the high dignity of the priesthood was not a personal intrusion, nor a family arrangement between him and Moses; and nothing, therefore, could be a more prudent or necessary measure, for impressing a profound conviction of the divine origin...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **And whatsoever goeth upon his paws.**—Rather, *and whatsoever goeth upon his palms, *that is, those animals whose feet are not divided into two parts, but which have feet with fingers like a hand, such as the lion, the bear, the ape, the wolf, the cat, &c.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3-5. gather thou all the congregation together, &c.--**It was manifestly expedient for the Israelitish people to be satisfied that Aaron's appointment to the high dignity of the priesthood was not a personal intrusion, nor a family arrangement between him and Moses; and nothing, therefore, could be a more prudent or necessary measure, for impressing a profound conviction of the divine origin...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguis...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **And he that beareth.**—This is simply **a **resumption of Leviticus 11:25.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3-5. gather thou all the congregation together, &c.--**It was manifestly expedient for the Israelitish people to be satisfied that Aaron's appointment to the high dignity of the priesthood was not a personal intrusion, nor a family arrangement between him and Moses; and nothing, therefore, could be a more prudent or necessary measure, for impressing a profound conviction of the divine origin...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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,</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **These also shall be unclean.**—Better, *And these shall be the most unclean. *As Leviticus 11:24-28 have been occupied with the discussion of the defilement caused by the carcases of unclean quadrupeds, which, as we have seen, belong to the first class of the animal kingdom, the Lawgiver now enumerates those “creeping things” of the fourth class, which likewise cause defilement by touching ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. Moses ... washed them with water--**At consecration they were subjected to entire ablution, though on ordinary occasions they were required, before entering on their duties, only to wash their hands and feet. This symbolical ablution was designed to teach them the necessity of inward purity, and the imperative obligation on those who bore the vessels and conducted the services of the sanctuar...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The access to God's presence that Leviticus carefully regulated is now freely availa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **And the ferret.**—The ancient legal authorities explain this name (*anâkâh*)*, *which only occurs here in the Hebrew Scriptures, by *kipor *or *kipod, *“an animal whose body is entirely covered with sharp prickles, and when touched the creature draws in its legs and rolls itself up in a ball.” Its skin in ancient days was tied round the udder of cows to prevent other reptiles sucking out th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-9. he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle--**The splendor of the official vestments, together with the gorgeous tiara of the high priest, was intended, doubtless, in the first instance, to produce in the minds of the people a high respect for the ministers of religion; and in the next, from the predominant use of linen, to inculcate upon Aaron and his sons the duty of maintai...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **These are unclean.**—Better, *these are the most unclean, *as Leviticus 11:29. That is, the eight animals thus enumerated are pre-eminently unclean of all the creeping things.
**When they be dead.**—The phrase, “whosoever doth touch them when they be dead,” is simply another expression for “whosoever toucheth the carcase of them,” which is used in Leviticus 11:24. Defilement is only contrac...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-9. he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle--**The splendor of the official vestments, together with the gorgeous tiara of the high priest, was intended, doubtless, in the first instance, to produce in the minds of the people a high respect for the ministers of religion; and in the next, from the predominant use of linen, to inculcate upon Aaron and his sons the duty of maintai...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. D...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **And upon whatsoever any of them.**—Better, *and upon whatsoever aught of them, *that is, not only if the whole carcase fell upon any of the specified vessels were the vessels in question defiled, but if a portion of the carcase came in contact with the utensils it made them unclean. (See Leviticus 11:25.) According to the law which obtained during the second Temple it was only when the port...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-9. he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle--**The splendor of the official vestments, together with the gorgeous tiara of the high priest, was intended, doubtless, in the first instance, to produce in the minds of the people a high respect for the ministers of religion; and in the next, from the predominant use of linen, to inculcate upon Aaron and his sons the duty of maintai...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth , whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish be...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **And every earthen vessel.**—The case, however, is different with regard to vessels made of clay and burned in the kiln.
**Whereinto any of them falleth.**—Better, *where into aught of them falleth, *that is, into which any of the aforesaid portion of a defiling carcase falls (see Leviticus 11:32). Whilst defiled vessels of other materials were made clean by water, earthen vessels, when they...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-12. took the anointing oil, &c.--**which was designed to intimate that persons who acted as leaders in the solemn services of worship should have the unction of the Holy One both in His gifts and graces.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity l...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **That on which such water cometh.**—Better, *upon which water cometh, *that is, all food which is prepared with water for eating becomes defiled when the carcase of such an unclean reptile falls on it. The same is the case with any beverage which is drank from any kind of vessel; if the said carcase falls into it, it is rendered unclean. According, however, to the canons which obtained durin...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-12. took the anointing oil, &c.--**which was designed to intimate that persons who acted as leaders in the solemn services of worship should have the unction of the Holy One both in His gifts and graces.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **And every thing.**—That is, not only the above named garments and utensils become defiled by the said carcases, or any portion of them, falling on them, but also everything else is subject to the same pollution.
**Oven, **as the context shows, is an earthen vessel or baking-pot for making thin unleavened cakes, which, according to the ancient description of it, was wide at the bottom and na...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-12. took the anointing oil, &c.--**which was designed to intimate that persons who acted as leaders in the solemn services of worship should have the unction of the Holy One both in His gifts and graces.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean. wherein: Heb. a gathering together of waters
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Isra...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water.**—Better, *But wells and cisterns being gatherings together of water. *But if the unclean carcase, or any portion of it, happens to fall or to be thrown into wells or cisterns, they are to be treated as large collections of water, such as pools, ponds, and lakes, and hence are exempt from contracting pollution. The constant c...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish between clean and unc...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **And if any part of their carcase.**—The principle which underlies the immunity from pollution of living water is also at the basis of the exception of living plants. Hence if the carcase or a portion of a dead reptile is found among grain destined for sowing, the quantity of wheat in which it is discovered does not become defiled, since the growing plant constantly derives new elements from...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-17. brought the bullock for the sin offering, &c.--**a timely expression of their sense of unworthiness--a public and solemn confession of their personal sins and a transference of their guilt to the typical victim.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish between...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(38) **But if any water be put upon the seed.**—The case, however, is different when the grain is moistened, because the fluid softens the corn, and thus enables the defilement of the carcase to penetrate into its very fibres. The wet corn therefore is regarded in the same light as porous clay vessels which become saturated with defilement, and must be broken. (Comp. Leviticus 6:28.) By water, acc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-17. brought the bullock for the sin offering, &c.--**a timely expression of their sense of unworthiness--a public and solemn confession of their personal sins and a transference of their guilt to the typical victim.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →Additional Regulations
And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to distinguish betwee...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(39) **And **if **any beast.**—That is, a clean animal, which is both bisulcous and ruminant, but which has not been properly slaughtered, having died from any disease or accident. During the second Temple, the law here enacted was restricted to quadrupeds, domestic or wild, but was not applicable to birds and fishes.
**He that toucheth the carcase.**—The carcase, in this case, is to be regarded a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-17. brought the bullock for the sin offering, &c.--**a timely expression of their sense of unworthiness--a public and solemn confession of their personal sins and a transference of their guilt to the typical victim.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pag...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(40) **And he that eateth.**—That is, ignorantly, since for wilful transgression the transgressor incurred the penalty of excision. (See Numbers 15:30; Deuteronomy 14:21.)
**He also that beareth the carcase.**—Removing the carcase of a clean quadruped which died, defiled the person who carried it quite as much as removing the carcase of an unclean beast. Hence the law of purification for the defil...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-17. brought the bullock for the sin offering, &c.--**a timely expression of their sense of unworthiness--a public and solemn confession of their personal sins and a transference of their guilt to the typical victim.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The holiness demanded in Leviticus becomes possible through Ch...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(41) **And every creeping thing.**—Besides the eight reptiles which defile by touching their carcase, and which are enumerated in Leviticus 11:29-30, all other creeping things upon the earth, with the exception of those specified in Leviticus 11:21-22, are to be treated as an abomination, and must not be eaten, though their carcases do not defile by coming in contact with them. From the fact that ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-21. brought the ram, &c.--**as a token of their entire dedication to the service of God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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. hath: Heb. doth multiply feet
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(42) **Whatsoever goeth upon the belly.**—**In **explanation of the general statement made in the preceding verse, three classes of creeping things are here adduced. (1) Those which move by the aid of the under part of the stomach, here described as “going upon the belly,” as serpents (see Genesis 3:14) and serpentine worms.
**And whatsoever goeth upon all four.**—Those (2) which have four legs an...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-21. brought the ram, &c.--**as a token of their entire dedication to the service of God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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. yourselves abominable: Heb. your souls, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ri...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(43) **Ye shall not make your selves abominable.**—By eating the unclean creatures which are constantly characterised in this book as “abominable” (see Leviticus 7:21; Leviticus 11:10-13; Leviticus 11:20; Leviticus 11:23; Leviticus 11:41-42)—a term which only occurs twice more in the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 66:17; Ezekiel 8:10)—those who do so render themselves abominable and repulsive; hence th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-21. brought the ram, &c.--**as a token of their entire dedication to the service of God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and sepa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(44) **For I am the Lord your God.**—As the Lord who is their God is Himself holy, His people, in order to enjoy perfect communion with Him, must also be holy. Hence they must abstain from all these objects of defilement which mar that holy communion. Appealing to this declaration, the Apostle Paul uses the same admonition: “As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conver...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-21. brought the ram, &c.--**as a token of their entire dedication to the service of God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>The central theme of Leviticus is God's holi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(45) **That bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt.**—Having in a marvellous way delivered them from the land of bondage to be their God in a peculiar sense (comp. 2Samuel 7:23), the Holy One of Israel had a special claim upon His redeemed people that they should obey His laws and keep themselves holy as their Redeemer. This signal act of redemption is repeatedly appealed to in the Scriptures, b...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22-30. brought the other ram,--**&c. After the sin offering and burnt offering had been presented on their behalf, this was their peace offering, by which they declared the pleasure which they felt in entering upon the service of God and being brought into close communion with Him as the ministers of His sanctuary, together with their confident reliance on His grace to help them in all their...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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:</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br><br>The holi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(46) **This is the law of the beasts.**—This is a recapitulation of the different classes of animals proscribed in the dietary laws. It will, however, be seen that in this summary they are not enumerated in the same order in which they are discussed in the chapter before us. In the dietary law the order of the four classes is as follows :—(1) the land animals, (2) the water animals, (3) the birds ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22-30. brought the other ram,--**&c. After the sin offering and burnt offering had been presented on their behalf, this was their peace offering, by which they declared the pleasure which they felt in entering upon the service of God and being brought into close communion with Him as the ministers of His sanctuary, together with their confident reliance on His grace to help them in all their...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse falls within the section on <strong>Clean and Unclean Animals</strong>. Dietary laws distinguishing clean from unclean animals, teaching Israel holiness and separation from pagan practices.<br><br>Ritual purity laws taught Israel to...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(47) **To make a difference.**—Better, *that ye may put difference, *as the Authorised Version renders the same word in Leviticus 10:10. That is, the design of the dietary law is to enable both the administrators of the law and the people to distinguish, by the characteristics and criteria specified above, between what is clean and unclean.
**And between the beast that may be eaten.**—From the fac...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22-30. brought the other ram,--**&c. After the sin offering and burnt offering had been presented on their behalf, this was their peace offering, by which they declared the pleasure which they felt in entering upon the service of God and being brought into close communion with Him as the ministers of His sanctuary, together with their confident reliance on His grace to help them in all their...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
What animals were clean and unclean.
--These laws seem to have been intended, 1. As a test of the people's obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites. 2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the...
Read full commentary →