Leviticus Chapter 11 — Laws of Clean and Unclean Animals
God instructs Moses and Aaron on which animals the Israelites are permitted to eat and which are considered unclean or an abomination.
1The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,
2“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
3Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud among the animals, that you may eat.
4“ ‘Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
5The hyrax,*or rock badger, or cony because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
6The hare, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
7The pig, because it has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you.
8You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.
9“ ‘You may eat of all these that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that you may eat.
10All that don’t have fins and scales in the seas and rivers, all that move in the waters, and all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination to you,
11and you shall detest them. You shall not eat of their meat, and you shall detest their carcasses.
12Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters is an abomination to you.
13“ ‘You shall detest these among the birds; they shall not be eaten because they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture,
14the red kite, any kind of black kite,
15any kind of raven,
16the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,
17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
18the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,
19the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20“ ‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are an abomination to you.
21Yet you may eat these: of all winged creeping things that go on all fours, which have long, jointed legs for hopping on the earth.
22Even of these you may eat: any kind of locust, any kind of katydid, any kind of cricket, and any kind of grasshopper.
23But all winged creeping things which have four feet are an abomination to you.
24“ ‘By these you will become unclean: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
25Whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
26“ ‘Every animal which has a split hoof that isn’t completely divided, or doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean.
27Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
28He who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.
29“ ‘These are they which are unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard,
30the gecko, and the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon.
31These are they which are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.
32Anything they fall on when they are dead shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sack, whatever vessel it is, with which any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening. Then it will be clean.
33Every earthen vessel into which any of them falls and all that is in it shall be unclean. You shall break it.
34All food which may be eaten which is soaked in water shall be unclean. All drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
35Everything whereupon part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces. They are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.
36Nevertheless a spring or a cistern in which water is gathered shall be clean, but that which touches their carcass shall be unclean.
37If part of their carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.
38But if water is put on the seed, and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
39“ ‘If any animal of which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
40He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
41“ ‘Every creeping thing that creeps on the earth is an abomination. It shall not be eaten.
42Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, even all creeping things that creep on the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
43You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps. You shall not make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled by them.
44For I am the LORD your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth.
45For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46“ ‘This is the law of the animal, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,
47to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.’ ”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Leviticus 11:3
“Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud among the animals, that you may eat.”
This verse establishes the primary criteria for determining which land animals were permitted for food.
Leviticus 11:45
“For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
This summarizes the theological purpose behind the dietary laws, linking physical practices to spiritual holiness.
Chapter Summary
Leviticus 11 outlines the dietary regulations given by God to the nation of Israel. The text categorizes animals into four groups: land animals, water creatures, birds, and insects or creeping things. Land animals must have a split hoof and chew the cud to be considered clean. Water creatures must possess both fins and scales. Specific birds are listed as prohibited, and most flying insects are deemed abominations, with the exception of certain locusts and grasshoppers. The chapter also details the consequences of touching the carcasses of unclean animals, which results in ceremonial uncleanness until evening. These laws conclude with a theological justification: because God is holy and brought Israel out of Egypt, His people must also be holy and maintain a clear distinction between the clean and the unclean in every aspect of their lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a land animal to be clean, it must both chew the cud and have a completely divided or split hoof. Animals like the camel, hyrax, and pig are specifically listed as unclean because they fail to meet both criteria.
Israelites were permitted to eat any creature from the water, whether from seas or rivers, that possessed both fins and scales. Anything without both fins and scales was considered an abomination and was not to be eaten.
Touching the carcass of an unclean animal made a person ceremonially unclean until the evening. If they carried the carcass, they were also required to wash their clothes to become clean again.
The text states that these laws were intended to help the Israelites make a distinction between the clean and the unclean. Ultimately, it was a call to holiness, reflecting God's own holiness as their Savior from Egypt.
Study Note
The Hebrew word 'tame' (unclean) refers to a state of ritual impurity that disqualified an individual from participating in communal worship rather than a lack of physical hygiene.
Continue in the App
Get the full experience — immersive audio, instant explanations, highlights, notes, and reading plans.