Imamat 11:19-38

11:19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

Clean and Unclean Insects

11:20 “‘Every winged swarming thing that walks on all fours ¹  is detestable to you. 11:21 However, this you may eat from all the winged swarming things that walk on all fours, which have jointed legs ²  to hop with on the land. 11:22 These you may eat from them: ³  the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, the grasshopper of any kind. 11:23 But any other winged swarming thing that has four legs is detestable to you.

Carcass Uncleanness

11:24 “‘By these ⁴  you defile yourselves; anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 11:25 and anyone who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until the evening.

Inedible Land Quadrupeds

11:26 “‘All ⁵  animals that divide the hoof but it is not completely split in two ⁶  and do not chew the cud ⁷  are unclean to you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean. ⁸  11:27 All that walk on their paws among all the creatures that walk on all fours ⁹  are unclean to you. Anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 11:28 and the one who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.

Creatures that Swarm on the Land

11:29 “‘Now this is what is unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the land: ¹⁰  the rat, the mouse, the large lizard of any kind, 11:30 the Mediterranean gecko, the spotted lizard, the wall gecko, the skink, and the chameleon. 11:31 These are the ones that are unclean to you among all the swarming things. Anyone who touches them when they die will be unclean until evening. 11:32 Also, anything they fall on ¹¹  when they die will become unclean – any wood vessel or garment or article of leather or sackcloth. Any such vessel with which work is done must be immersed in water ¹²  and will be unclean until the evening. Then it will become clean. 11:33 As for any clay vessel they fall into, ¹³  everything in it ¹⁴  will become unclean and you must break it. 11:34 Any food that may be eaten which becomes soaked with water ¹⁵  will become unclean. Anything drinkable ¹⁶  in any such vessel will become unclean. ¹⁷  11:35 Anything their carcass may fall on will become unclean. An oven or small stove must be smashed to pieces; they are unclean, and they will stay unclean ¹⁸  to you. 11:36 However, a spring or a cistern which collects water ¹⁹  will be clean, but one who touches their carcass will be unclean. 11:37 Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, ²⁰  it is clean, 11:38 but if water is put on the seed and such a carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

[11:20]  ¹ tn Heb “the one walking on four” (cf. vv. 21-23 and 27-28).

[11:21]  ² tn Heb “which to it are lower legs from above to its feet” (reading the Qere “to it” rather than the Kethib “not”).

[11:22]  ³ tn For entomological remarks on the following list of insects see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:665-66; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 160-61.

[11:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “and to these.”

[11:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “to all” (cf. the note on v. 24). This and the following verses develop more fully the categories of uncleanness set forth in principle in vv. 24-25.

[11:26]  ⁶ tn Heb “divides hoof and cleft it does not cleave”; KJV “divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted”; NLT “divided but unsplit hooves.”

[11:26]  ⁷ tn See the note on Lev 11:3.

[11:26]  ⁸ sn Compare the regulations in Lev 11:2-8.

[11:27]  ⁹ tn Heb “the one walking on four.” Compare Lev 11:20-23.

[11:29]  ¹⁰ tn For zoological analyses of the list of creatures in vv. 29-30, see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:671-72; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 161-62.

[11:32]  ¹¹ tn Heb “And all which it shall fall on it from them.”

[11:32]  ¹² tn Heb “in water it shall be brought.”

[11:33]  ¹³ tn Heb “And any earthenware vessel which shall fall from them into its midst.”

[11:33]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “all which is in its midst.”

[11:34]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “which water comes on it.”

[11:34]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “any drink which may be drunk”; NASB “any liquid which may be drunk”; NLT “any beverage that is in such an unclean container.”

[11:34]  ¹⁷ tn This half of the verse assumes that the unclean carcass has fallen into the food or drink (cf. v. 33 and also vv. 35-38).

[11:35]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “be unclean.”

[11:36]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “a spring and a cistern collection of water”; NAB, NIV “for collecting water.”

[11:37]  ²⁰ tn Heb “And if there falls from their carcass on any seed of sowing which shall be sown.”