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Leviticus 11

1Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2“Tell the sons of Israel: These are the living creatures you may eat among all the land animals. 3You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof, completely split, and brings up the cud. 4But among those that bring up the cud or have a divided hoof, you must not eat these: the camel, because it brings up the cud but does not have a divided hoof—it is unclean for you; 5the rock hyrax, because it brings up the cud but does not have a divided hoof—it is unclean for you; 6the hare, because it brings up the cud but does not have a divided hoof—it is unclean for you; 7and the pig, because it has a divided hoof, completely split, but does not chew the cud—it is unclean for you. 8You must not eat their flesh or touch their carcasses. They are unclean for you.

9“These you may eat among everything in the water: anything in the water, in seas or streams, that has fins and scales you may eat. 10But anything in seas or streams that does not have fins and scales, among all the swarming creatures of the water and all the living creatures in the water, is detestable to you. 11They must be detestable to you: you must not eat their flesh, and you must detest their carcasses. 12Anything in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

13“Among the flying creatures, these you must detest; they must not be eaten, for they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 14the kite and the falcon of every kind, 15every raven of every kind, 16the ostrich, the nighthawk, the gull, the hawk of every kind, 17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture, 19the stork, the heron of every kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

20“Every winged swarming creature that walks on all fours is detestable to you. 21Yet among all the winged swarming creatures that walk on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet for leaping on the ground. 22These you may eat from among them: the locust of every kind, the bald locust of every kind, the cricket of every kind, and the grasshopper of every kind. 23But every other winged swarming creature with four feet is detestable to you.

24“By these you become unclean: anyone who touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, 25and anyone who carries any of their carcasses must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. 26Every animal that has a divided hoof without a complete split and does not bring up the cud is unclean for you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean. 27All animals that walk on their paws, among the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean for you. Anyone who touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening. 28Anyone who carries their carcasses must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.

29“Among the swarming creatures that swarm on the ground, these are unclean for you: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of every kind, 30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31These are unclean for you among all the swarming creatures. Anyone who touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening. 32Anything on which one of them falls when it is dead becomes unclean—any wooden utensil, garment, skin, or sackcloth, any article used for work. It must be put in water and will be unclean until evening; then it will be clean. 33If one of them falls into a clay vessel, everything in it becomes unclean, and you must break the vessel. 34Any edible food in it on which water has come becomes unclean, and any drink in any such vessel becomes unclean. 35Anything on which any of their carcasses falls becomes unclean. An oven or a cooking stove must be broken down; they are unclean and must be unclean for you. 36But a spring or cistern collecting water remains clean, though whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean. 37If any of their carcasses falls on seed to be sown, the seed remains clean. 38But if water has been put on the seed and any of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean for you.

39“If an animal that you may eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean until evening. 40Anyone who eats any of its carcass must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. Anyone who carries its carcass must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening.

41“Every swarming creature that swarms on the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42You must not eat anything that goes on its belly, anything that walks on all fours, or anything with many feet, among all the swarming creatures that swarm on the ground, because they are detestable. 43Do not make yourselves detestable by any swarming creature that swarms. Do not make yourselves unclean by them and so become unclean through them. 44For I am Yahweh your God. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any swarming creature that crawls on the ground. 45For I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. Be holy, because I am holy.

46“This is the instruction concerning land animals, flying creatures, every living creature that moves in the water, and every creature that swarms on the ground, 47to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the creatures that may be eaten and those that must not be eaten.”

Translation notes 7

11:3–8 — Hoof and cud. Both requirements must be met. The passage describes animals in its own observational terms; it does not offer a modern zoological account. The draft retains the statement that the hyrax and hare bring up the cud rather than correcting it through a modern physiological distinction. “Rock hyrax” is the animal traditionally called a coney.

11:10–12 — Detestable. This word names an object of rejection in these dietary rules. It is not the same Hebrew term as “unclean.” The repeated prohibition and reference to carcasses remain explicit.

11:13–19, 29–30 — Creature names. Several Hebrew animal names cannot be securely matched to a modern species. The English names are provisional conventional identifications; alternatives include different vultures, owls, and small mammals or reptiles. “Flying creatures” includes the bat without replacing the source's grouping with a modern biological classification. “Of every kind” does not identify a modern taxonomic rank.

11:20–23 — Four feet; leaping legs. The text describes these creatures as walking on four and distinguishes an additional pair of leaping legs. The draft retains that description rather than replacing it with an anatomical correction. In verse 21 the written form says “not,” but the Masoretic reading instruction says “has,” literally “to it.” The draft follows that reading; the compared Samaritan and ancient Greek wording also describe creatures that have such legs. The four insect names in verse 22 are likewise provisional identifications.

11:24–28, 39–40 — Touching and carrying. Contact and carrying have distinct instructions: carrying a carcass also requires washing clothes. Verses 39–40 address an animal of an edible kind that has died, rather than an animal properly slaughtered for food. Its kind does not make its carcass ritually clean.

11:32–38 — Objects, water, and seed. Clay vessels are broken; other utensils are immersed. Food and drink in verse 34 belong to the contaminated-vessel setting of verse 33; “in it” and “such” make that connection explicit. The text does not say that all water makes food unclean. Springs and cisterns remain clean, while contact with the carcass still defiles the person. Dry seed and seed on which water has been put are treated differently.

11:43–45 — Yourselves; holy. The word often translated “souls” here refers to the people themselves. The commands about food and contact are grounded in Yahweh's holiness and Israel's departure from Egypt, not in a supplied explanation about modern hygiene or nutrition.