Preface: The 11^th chapter of Leviticus is all about what animals are clean and which are unclean. The Israelites could eat the clean animals, but not the unclean. There are some additional regulations regarding the carcasses of clean and unclean animals.

The Bible Summary of Leviticus 11 (in 140 characters or less): You may eat animals with cloven hooves that chew the cud, and fish with scales and fins. Anything that touches a carcass is unclean.

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Leviticus. This will be the most extensive examination of Leviticus 11, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 11:

Introduction

         vv.     1–2           Introduction to What May Be Eaten of the Earth’s Animals

         vv.     3–8           Clean and Unclean Mammals

         vv.     9–12         Clean and Unclean Sea Creatures

         vv.    13–19         Clean and Unclean Birds (and Other Winged Creatures)

         vv.    20–25         Clean and Unclean Insects

         vv.    24–25         Contact with Animal Carcasses

         vv.    26–28         Summary of Essential Clean and Unclean Rules

         vv.    29–31         Clean and Unclean Reptiles and Amphibians

         vv.    32–40         Clean and Unclean Vessels; the Carcass of an Animal

         vv.    41–43         Unclean Swarming and Crawling Creatures

         vv.    44–45         “I am the Lord your God; you be holy for I am holy”

         vv.    46–47         Chapter 11 Summary

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         So You Think Homosexuality Is Sinful? (A graphic)

         Introduction         Banned in the Bible (a graphic)

         Introduction         What Shall We Eat? (A chart)

         Introduction         Dietary Guidelines (Bible Evidences)

         Introduction         Laws of Food Consumption (by Karl Butt)

         Introduction         A Brief Summary of Dispensations in the Context of Leviticus 11

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Leviticus 11 (by various commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Leviticus 11 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Leviticus 11

         Introduction         The Prequel of Leviticus 11

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Principals of Leviticus 11

         Introduction         The Places of Leviticus 11

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         Timeline for Leviticus 11

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Leviticus 11

         Introduction         Outlines of Leviticus 11 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Leviticus 11 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Leviticus 1–15)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions (for Leviticus 11)

         Introduction 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       3              The Divided Hoof of a Cow (a photograph)

         v.       3              The Hooves of Various Animals (a graphic)

         v.       3              A Goat (a photograph)

         v.       3              What is a Cloven Hoof? (by Mary McMahon)

         v. 

         v.       4              A Camel’s Foot (a photograph)

         v.       4              The Feet of a Camel (a photograph)

         v.       5              The Hyrax (a photograph)

         v. 

         v.       7              The Pig (a photograph)

         v.       7              Pork will send you to hell (a graphic)

         v.       7              Case in Point: Pork Consumption (by Karl Butt)

         v.       9              A Fish (a drawing)

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      10              A Seafood Platter (a photograph)

         v.      10              Faith Schools—Homosexuality and Healthy School Dinners (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.      12              Fins and Scales (by Karl Butt)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      19              The Hoopoe (2 photographs)

         v.      19              Bats and Rabies (by Karl Butt)

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      22              Ha Arbeh (a photograph)

         v.      22              Ha Sal'am (a photograph)

         v.      22              Ha chargol (a photograph)

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      31              Reptiles and Salmonella (by Karl Butt)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      40              Traditional Chronology of Early Mesopotamia

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      46              Unclean Food (a graphic)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Leviticus 11 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Leviticus 11

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Leviticus 11

         Summary            The Dietary Laws of Elohim (by David Macht)

         Summary            Clean and Unclean Meats (a graphic)

         Summary            Summary of Clean Animals (a chart)

         Summary            Summary of Unclean Animals (a chart)

         Summary            General Rules for Clean and Unclean (from Messianic Torah Truth Seeker)

         Summary            Shmoop Summary of Leviticus 11

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Leviticus 11

         Summary 

         Addendum          Notes of Leviticus 11 (from the Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Reptiles and Birds (from the 2001 Translation)

         Addendum          Soul (from the 2001 Translation)

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Leviticus 11

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Leviticus 11

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Leviticus 11

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Leviticus 11

——————————

An Introduction to Leviticus 11

I ntroduction: Leviticus 11 is a classification of animals as to whether or not they are clean. Primarily, these are dietary laws which blend into the spiritual life insofar as some things are strictly clean and some things are strictly unclean, as people are saved or not saved; you are filled with the Spirit or you are not; you are producing divine good or you are not.

One detail which may occur to the reader is that much of this chapter is disputed when it comes to the translation of which animals are actually being spoken of in terms of being clean or unclean; why would God allow such a large portion of one chapter to become linguistically lost, so to speak? The answer is simple: we are not under the dietary laws of Israel so we do not need a lot more than the principles which we might gain here or there. For this reason, there will not be a lot of text accompanying each verse.

The concept of animals being clean or unclean did not originate with this chapter, but can be found back as far as Genesis 7:2. So the predates nation Israel. In fact, it predates Abraham.

As always, I will try to cover this material with a reasonable amount of depth, and attempt to explain all that we find here, despite these not being entirely relevant today. We are told not to let anyone judge us in matters of food and drink; so this information is no longer relevant to our daily lives. Jews who eat kosher, on the other hand, may have an interest.

Peter was presented with a large group of mostly unclean animals whom God ordered him to kill and eat and he initially refused. God set him straight in that chapter with regards to gentiles and formerly unclean foods. Acts 10 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

The Cambridge Bible: One principle underlying this distinction appears to have been that animals which were recognised as in any way objects of worship by heathen neighbours, or even supposed by them to be connected with unseen supernatural beings, were to be considered unclean...But in other cases the prohibition probably rested on the animal’s repulsive appearance or uncleanly habits, or on sanitary or totemistic grounds.

This passage has its parallel in Deuteronomy 14:3–20, but with this distinction:

The Cambridge Bible: Deuteronomy enumerates three domestic, and seven wild animals, as clean beasts which may be eaten. Leviticus does not mention the clean beasts, but both give their two distinguishing marks—“Whatso ever parts the hoof … and chews the cud,” and specify the same four beasts which have not both of these marks as unclean.

One of the footnotes for the New Catholic Bible reads: The prescriptions listed are also to be regarded as hygienic measures.

This chapter is all about hygiene and cleanliness. Taking it into the realm of morality is a step too far.

It should be clear, after a study of this chapter, that the words clean and unclean may have some moral implications or be representative of moral cleanliness and moral failings; the actual nuts and bolts of this chapter, is, some animals are off limits for food because they are not clean animals or they do not preserve well; and if something gets dirty (become unclean), it must be cleaned before using it.

As believers in the Church Age, we are not subject to such dietary restrictions. There is nothing wrong with having a good diet, as the body is best designed to function at its best when fed good foods. And it is a fundamental truth that a man just needs a slab of bacon from time to time. We are told, Let no man judge you with regards to food or drink. (Colossians 2:16)

So that there is no misunderstanding, the Christian believer who carefully reads and studies and follows these dietary laws is not going to be a super-believer. Now, you might be somewhat healthier as a result; but, for the most part, the food-bourn illnesses of the past are much less likely to harm us; and, in most cases, there are medicines which we can depend upon to counteract problems with eating the wrong foods.

There will be innumerable times that you will come across miscellaneous posts on social media about how, the dietary restrictions herein contained are God’s laws, just as thou shalt not kill is. Mostly, I have seen the restrictions tied to homosexuality. “You think homosexuality is wrong? Well, do you eat shrimp? Then you are picking and choosing which Bible verses to obey.” Or words to that effect.

So You Think Homosexuality Is Sinful? (A graphic); from the Scott Smith Blog; accessed September 24, 2023. I think Smith on his page approaches this from a Catholic viewpoint; but it is a reasonable approach.

Banned in the Bible (a graphic); from Tumblr accessed September 24, 2023.

There are quite a number of graphics like this found on the internet. Sometimes they are true, sometimes partially true, and sometimes misleading.

In the New Testament, we can eat shellfish and other foods which are unclean in this chapter. However, even in the Old Testament, there was not any sort of punishment prescribed for someone who was caught eating shrimp or pork.

Being tempted in the realm of homosexuality (that is, being gay) is not banned in Scripture. Acts of homosexuality are taught as being sinful in both the Old and New Testaments. There are a number of reasons which can cause a person to have homosexual desires. Sometimes, if a person’s first sexual experience is with a person of the same sex, this mars that person for life (which is one reason why the gay movement goes after children). Wearing gold is not prohibited in Scripture; but women are not to adorn themselves with an emphasis upon the exterior (which includes jewelry).

My primary reason for posting this and the other graphics is to show how the homosexual and pan sexual movement tries to present homosexual actions as being equivalent to wearing a cotton blend shirt or to eating a pulled pork sandwich. These things are entirely different and under the Mosaic Law, the penalty for committing a homosexual act is death. Under the Mosaic Law, no one would be executed for eating a slice of bacon or for mixing cotton and wool in a shirt.

What Shall We Eat? (A chart); from Pinterest; accessed September 17, 2020.

Essentially, what we are studying is this chart, although this chapter focuses upon the meats which are clean and unclean.

I did a great deal of reading on this particular topic and ran into a particular interesting approach which sounds reasonable, but is wrong.

When it comes to determining what we as believers can do or not do, we have to be careful not to simply divide the Bible into the Old and New Testaments. It is not quite as simple as the Old Testament is for the Jews and the New Testament is for Christians. In fact, a statement like that could not be more wrong.

What some have done with this approach is, they take the NT as a whole, and see that Jesus was following some dietary laws. So, they conclude, our mandate is to do what Jesus did. But, that is not our mandate.

Jesus was under the Law and He did nothing to violate the Law. We are not under the Mosaic Law, so we can take exception to many of the things which we find in the Old Testament.

Most obviously, we do not sacrifice animals to God. Not only is that not required, it is forbidden of the Christian to do. If we offer up an animal sacrifice, that is sin, because we are attempting to crucify the Lord again.

Without necessarily specifying a particular passage, I can guarantee you that the Lord ate mutton but he did not eat pork. That is because He was under the Mosaic Law; and He completely fulfilled the Mosaic Law, making Him qualified (in one respect) to go to the cross. I am not under the Law; and I eat a lot of pork and almost no mutton (I have bought lamb only once or twice in my life). Obviously, I am not following the dietary habits of Jesus because He was under the Law and I am not.

The difference is dispensation. The Age of Israel continued from the calling of Abraham to the beginning of the earthly ministry of the Lord. Many consider the earthly ministry of the Lord to be a separate dispensation (and I am among those). Now, He is still under the Law, but Jesus teaches both the Law and He teaches specifics about the coming ages (which includes the Church Age). We might consider the Lord the hinge between the Age of Israel and the Church Age. He obeyed the laws of God; and, He was also empowered by God the Holy Spirit (which is what we have in the Church Age).

Originally, I was going to cite a particular webpage which covered clean and unclean animals, but then, read it more carefully and saw that they did not fully appreciate that Jesus was under the Mosaic Law (He was not under the customs exercised by the priests). Nor am I going to cite them as an example of what not to do or what not to believe. What is necessary for you is to understand the principles, and then evaluate what you read, study or hear according to those principles.

Within the confines of this study, it is worth asking, are these clean and unclean animals randomly chosen or can they be correlated with, say, health benefits? Turns out that there has been a great deal of research on this topic and the clean animals, even today, tend to be better for the health of the person who eats them; and the unclean animals worse (or, potentially worse, depending upon preservation methods used).

Let’s consider certain portions of Leviticus 11, like vv. 32–40. In most homes, someone is in charge of the kitchen area. They cook the food and direct the cleaning of the kitchen. There is a certain level of cleanliness which is often maintained. The housewife may take care of this; and she may involve the children in some aspect of it (or in all aspects of it). She keeps things neat, sanitary and clean (obviously the husband sometimes does this). A portion of this chapter concerns itself with this. It is more extensive, as it also includes foods which may be used (or may not be used).

Since most of us have grown up with a kitchen that contains a sink, running water, an oven and a refrigerator. Our modern kitchen is entirely different what the Israelite family had. So, if someone were to write down a system of cleanliness for our own kitchen, the directions would be quite different from what we read anywhere in this chapter. But that is primarily because we have a complete different sort of kitchen. However, the primary intent would be to have a clean and sanitary kitchen where there is no contamination in the food or in the pots and pants and vessels where food is stored, cooked and eaten.

Leviticus 11 simply tells us what foods may be eaten (which foods tend to be sanitary and least likely to carry disease or dangerous microbes); and what further steps ought to be taken to keep things clean and sanitary, we get a much better idea about what this chapter is about. If you continually try overlay moral concepts on everything that you read, you are not getting it.

Eating one set of foods prolonged the lives of the Israelites as a whole; eating another set of foods could often introduce food-borne illnesses (particularly in a non-refrigerated era), and so those foods are not eaten.

Timeline for Leviticus

There is very little narrative in the book of Leviticus; so this information may have been given to Moses in a few days or, at most, a few weeks; and Moses both wrote these things down and informed the people. Because of information previously studied in the introduction, we are not 100% certain if all of this material was given to Moses while in the newly erected Tabernacle. I would lean towards that being the case.

As I have done previously, since this chapters is what God is saying to Moses, I will begin and end the chapter with quotation marks. I will not insert a new set of quotation marks for each new paragraph.

——————————

Introduction to What May Be Eaten of the Earth's Animals

I considered several approaches and several ways to divide up these verses. Vv. 1–3 clearly are the same sentence, so to divide them would mean dividing them in the middle of a sentence.

The first section really deals with land mammals (vv. 3–8) and that could easily include a portion of v. 2. I have decided to keep the verse divisions as I set them up originally, since the actual set up for this entire chapter is vv. 1–2a. From that point forward, the groups of animals are easily distinguishable and easily divided up.

Since I could not decide on which way to go, even by the second draft, obviously, there will be little agreement among the various translators. I will try to preserve their own approach in every case.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac (= Aramaic) and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The comparisons which I do are primarily between the English translations which are taken from the ancient tongues. For the most part, the variances are so minor that I rarely investigate them any further than that.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_Leviticus.html and first published in 1862.

Occasionally, there is an obvious error in the English translation, and I correct those without additional mention or footnoting. For instance, the online version of the Targum of Onkelos which I use has gorund in Ex. 4:9; I simply corrected the text. This may occur once or twice in a chapter.

I attempt to include translations which are different in their vocabulary and phrasing. On many occasions, I may include a translation which is not substantially different than another listed translation.

Most of the translations can be found here.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so speaks Y^ehowah unto Moses and unto Aaron, to say unto them, “Speak unto sons of Israel, to say, ‘This is the living thing which you [all] will eat, from every beast that [is] upon the earth: all being a divided hoof, and a divided split hoof, a bringing up of cud, in the beast, she you will eat.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum (Onkelos)                  And Adonoy spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying to them:

Speak to Bnei Yisroel, saying: these are the living things that you may eat from among all the animals that are on the earth.

All that have a cloven hoof, and they [the hooves] are [completely] split and that [also] chews its cud [brings up dissolved food] among animals, you may eat it. Translation for Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. (1862).

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   And the Lord spake with Mosheh and with Aharon, bidding them and the sons of Aharon admonish the children of Israel to taste their food in purity, and to separate on account of uncleanness eighteen kinds of food to be rejected. Speak with the children of Israel, saying: These are the animals which are fit to you for food, of every beast which is upon the earth. Whatsoever divideth the hoof and is cloven footed, and that which hath horns bringing up the cud among the beasts, that you may eat.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

Say to the children of Israel: These are the animals which you are to eat of all the living things of the earth.

Whatsoever hath the hoof divided, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, you shall eat.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Mar-Yah spoke to Mosha and to Aaron, saying to them,

"Speak to the B'nai Yisrael, saying, 'These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.

Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud among the animals, that you may eat.

Lamsa’s Peshitta (Syriac)     And LORD JEHOVAH spoke with Moshe and with Ahron and said to them: “Speak with the children of Israel and say to them: ‘This animal you shall be eating of every beast that is on land. Everything that cleaves open its hoof and divides it in two and chews cud, eat it.

Samaritan Pentateuch           And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These [are] the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that [are] on the earth.

Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted in pairs, [and] cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

Updated Brenton (Greek)       And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which you shall eat out of all beasts that are upon the earth.

Every beast parting the hoof and making divisions of two claws, and chewing the cud among beasts, these you shall eat.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 

Say to the children of Israel: These are the living things which you may have for food among all the beasts on the earth. 

You may have as food any beast which has a division in the horn of its foot, and whose food comes back into its mouth to be crushed again.

Easy English                          The Lord gives rules about food to the people

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Some animals walk on the land. Tell Israel's people which of these animals they can eat. Each foot on the animal must have two separate parts. The animal must eat its food and then it must bring the food back into its mouth. And then it must eat the food again. Some animals eat their food twice and they have feet with two parts. You can eat those animals.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Tell the Israelites: These are the animals you can eat: If an animal has hooves that are split into two parts, and if that animal also chews the cud, then you may eat the meat from that animal.

Good News Bible (TEV)         The LORD gave Moses and Aaron the following regulations for the people of Israel. You may eat any land animal that has divided hoofs and that also chews the cud, but you must not eat camels, rock badgers, or rabbits. These must be considered unclean; they chew the cud, but do not have divided hoofs. V. 4 is included for context.

The Message                         Foods

God spoke to Moses and Aaron: “Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, Of all the animals on Earth, these are the animals that you may eat:... V. 3 will be placed with the next passage for context.

Names of God Bible               Laws about Animals the Israelites May and May Not Eat

Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Tell the Israelites: Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat: all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud.

NIRV                                      “Clean” and “Unclean” Food

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said to them, “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Many animals live on land. Here are the only ones you can eat. You can eat any animal that has hooves that are separated completely in two. But it must also chew the cud.

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible             Leviticus 11

The kosher menu

To eat or not to eat: land animals

The LORD told Moses and Aaron: I have a message for the people of Israel. Tell them this:

I’m going to let you know which land animals you can and can’t eat.

Yes: you can eat any animal that chews the cud and walks on split hooves. [1]

¹11:3 An example: cattle, unlike horses, have a split down the middle of their hooves. They also chew the cud, which means they can chew the food for a while, swallow it, then recall it for a second chew. The first chew may simply moisten the food before the cow swallows it into the first of four sections of its stomach, the rumen. Stomach acids further soften the food and turn it into a ball of “cud.” Rumen muscles shoot the cud back to the cow’s mouth. After that chew, what’s left of the cud drops into another part of the stomach.

Contemporary English V.       The LORD told Moses and Aaron to say to the community of Israel: You may eat any animal that has divided hoofs and chews the cud.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Life Version                    Foods That Could Be Eaten

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals on the earth. V. 3 will be placed with the next passage for context.

New Living Translation           Ceremonially Clean and Unclean Animals

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. Vv. 2b–3 will be placed with the next passage for context.

Unfolding Bible (simplified)    Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses,  

"Tell the people that this is what I say: 'Of all the animals that live on the land, these are the ones that you are permitted to eat.  The ones that have hooves that are completely split and that chew their cuds—you may eat these animals.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and told them,

‘Speak to the sons of IsraEl and tell them that these are the animals that you may eat among all the animals on the ground:... V. 3 will be placed with the next passage for context.

Beck’s American Translation .

Common English Bible           Dietary rules

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Say to the Israelites: These are the creatures that you are allowed to eat from the land animals:... V. 3 will be placed with the next passage for context.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       This was a message the Lord gave to Moses and Aaron for the sons of Israel: Among all the living creatures on earth, these only are to be your food. Among the beasts, those which chew the cud and have cloven hoofs.

Translation for Translators                        Food that is acceptable to God and food that is not

Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses/me, “Tell the Israeli people that this is what Yahweh says: From all the animals that live on the land, these are the ones that you are permitted to eat: The ones that have hooves that are completely split and that chew their cuds/bring their food up from their stomachs to chew it again .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Christian Standard Bible        Clean and Unclean Land Animals

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: “Tell the Israelites: You may eat all these kinds of land animals. You may eat any animal with divided hooves and that chews the cud. But among the ones that chew the cud or have divided hooves you are not to eat these:... V. 4 is included for context.

Conservapedia Translation    And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, Tell the children of Israel that there are only some animals they are allowed to eat. You may eat animals that have cloven hooves AND chew their cud. Conservapedia did not do any translating in Leviticus 1–10, but it did revise the KJV for eleven verses in Leviticus 11.

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  Clean and Unclean Foods.

Then the EVER-LIVING spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying to them;—

"Speak to the children of Israel to command;—

"These are what you may eat of all the animals that are upon the earth:—... V. 3 will be placed with the next passage for context.

International Standard V        Clean and Unclean Animals

(Deuteronomy 14:3-21)

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: [Lit. to them]

“Tell the Israelis, ‘These are the living creatures that you may eat among the animals of the earth. You may eat any animal that has divided hooves with cloven feet and that ruminates its cud,...

Urim-Thummim Version         YHWH spoke to Moses and Aaron saying to them,

Speak to the children of Israel saying, These are the living things that you will eat among all the animals that are on the land. Whatever has divided hoofs that are split in two parts and that brings up the cud among the beasts are those you will eat.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Clean and unclean animals

• Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron and said to them, “Speak to the people of Israel and say:... Vv. 2b–3 will be placed with the next passage for context.

Dt 14:3; Mt 15: 10-20; Acts 10: 9-16; 11:1-18

Extensive notes on this chapter are placed in the addendum.

The Heritage Bible                          And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,

Speak to the children of Israel, saying, These are the living things which you shall eat of all animals on earth.

Whatever divides the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud, among the animals you shall eat that.

New American Bible(2011)    Clean and Unclean Meats.*

^a The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:

Speak to the Israelites and tell them: Of all land animals these are the ones you may eat: Any animal that has hoofs you may eat, provided it is cloven-footed and chews the cud.

* [11:1–47] Apart from the introduction and conclusion (vv. 1–2a, 46–47), this chapter has three sections: (1) prohibitions against eating certain land, water, and air animals (vv. 2b–23); (2) consequences of contact with various animals (vv. 24–41); (3) a prohibition against eating small land animals, which is motivated by the requirement that Israel be holy as God is holy (vv. 41–45). These animals are impure only when dead. Cf. Dt 14:3–21.

a. [11:1] Lv 27:11, 27; Gn 7:2–3, 8–9; Dt 14:3–21.

The Catholic Bible                  Norms Concerning Ritual Purity^[a]

Chapter 11

Clean and Unclean Animals.^[b] The Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, “Tell the children of Israel: These are the animals that you may eat from among all the animals upon the earth. You may eat any animal that has a cloven hoof and that eats its cud.

[a] Lacking as they did a knowledge of many of the secrets of nature, the ancients imagined hidden forces that were stronger than those of human beings and could do them harm. It was from this remote past that Israel inherited many prohibitions for their daily lives (chs. 11–16). [Kukis: WRONG! They got this information directly from God.]

[b] The animals forbidden were all those that were consecrated to pagan divinities or whose flesh excited repugnance. In classifying the animals that are listed, the author relies on more or less accurate observation (see also Deut 14:3ff); some of the animals are difficult to identify. The distinction between clean and unclean was abolished by Christian revelation (Mk 7:14, 23; Acts 10:9-16).

New Jerusalem Bible             Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron and said to them, 'Speak to the Israelites and say: "Of all animals living on land these are the creatures you may eat: "You may eat any animal that has a cloven hoof, divided into two parts, and that is a ruminant.

Revised English Bible–1989   Purification and atonement

THE LORD told Moses and Aaron

to say to the Israelites: These are the creatures you may eat:... V. 2b–3 will be placed with the next passage for context.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           (vi) Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the land animals: any that has a separate hoof which is completely divided and chews the cud — these animals you may eat..

Hebrew Transliteration S.      And ADONAI spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying to them:

Speak to Benai Yisrael, saying:

'These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth:

Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud—that you may eat.

Kaplan Translation                 God spoke to Moses and Aaron, telling them to speak to the Israelites, and convey the following to them: Of all the animals in the world, these are the ones that you may eat: Among mammals, you may eat [any one] that has true hooves that are cloven and that brings up its cud. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Leviticus through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

11:1 God spoke . . . This explains 7:21. Narrative continues in 16:1.

                                               — Of all the animals . . . See Deuteronomy 14:3-21.                                        

The Scriptures–2009              And יהוה spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying to them, 

“Speak to the children of Yisra’ěl, saying, ‘These are the living creatures which you do eat among all the beasts that are on the earth: 

‘Whatever has a split hoof completely divided, chewing the cud, among the beasts, that you do eat.

Tree of Life Version                Adonai spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,

“Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, saying: These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever has a split, divided hoof and chews cud among the animals—that you may eat.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Alpha & Omega Bible            AND JESUS SPOKE TO MOSES AND AARON, SAYING,

“SPEAK YOU TO THE SONS OF ISRAEL, SAYING, ‘THESE ARE THE BEASTS WHICH YOU SHALL EAT OF ALL BEASTS THAT ARE UPON THE EARTH. †(Deuteronomy 14 This description & list of unclean meats is no longer in effect. The unclean meats laws were part of the old covenant that was done away & replaced by The Blood of JESUS. Now, animals have no part in our salvation. To deny that Jesus cleansed all animal meats is the same as to deny the Blood of Jesus. However, we are still required to avoid eating/drinking blood & Halal marked products & animals that we know were sacrificed to idols/Allah. Acts 10:9 to Acts 10:16, John 21:1 to John 21:17, Mark 7:19, Matt. 15:11 to Matt. 15:18, Col. 2:20 to Col. 2:22, Rev. 2:14; Rev. 2:20, Acts, Lev 11:15:19-29)

EVERY BEAST PARTING THE HOOF AND MAKING DIVISIONS OF TWO CLAWS, AND CHEWING THE CUD AMONG BEASTS, THESE YOU SHALL EAT.

Awful Scroll Bible                   Sustains To Become was to speak to Moses and Aaron, to the intent:

Be speaking to the sons of Isra-el, to the intent: These are the living things, you was to eat of the dumb beasts on the solid grounds:

Those being split hoofed and are being cloven even cleft, and is to take up the cud, of the dumb beasts was you to eat.

Concordant Literal Version    Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them.

Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, These are the animals which you may eat of all the beasts which are on the land.

Every one bisecting the hoof and cleaving the cleft of the hooves and bringing up the cud among beasts, you may eat it.

exeGeses companion Bible   FOODS: BIDDEN AND FORBIDDEN

And Yah Veh words to Mosheh and to Aharon,

saying to them,

Word to the sons of Yisra El, saying,

These are the live beings you eat

of all the animals on the earth:

whatever splits the hoof

and cleaves the cleft of the hoof

and regurgitates the cud,

among the animals, that you eat.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Hashem spoke unto Moshe and to Aharon, saying unto them,

Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on ha'aretz.

Whatsoever spliteth the hoof, and separateth into double hooves, and cheweth the cud, among the behemah (animals), that shall ye eat.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. § 9. Concerning Clean and Unclean Beasts.

Chapter 11.

And Yahweh spake unto Moses and unto Aaronˎ saying unto them:

Speak ye unto the sons of Israelˎ saying,—

||These|| are the living things which ye may eat, of all the beasts which are upon the earth; <Whatsoever parteth the hoofˎ and is cloven footed, and cheweth the cudˎ among beasts> ||that|| may ye eat.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Laws about Animals for Food

The Lord spoke again to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Among all the animals which are on the earth, these are the animals which you may eat. You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof [that is, a hoof split into two parts especially at its distal extremity] and chews the cud.

The Expanded Bible              Rules About What May Be Eaten

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Tell the ·Israelites [^L sons/^T children of Israel] this: ‘From among the land animals, these are the creatures you may eat: You may eat any animal that has split hoofs completely divided and that chews the cud [^C considered a normal land animal].

Kretzmann’s Commentary    Verses 1-8

Of Mammals

And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Aaron bring included as the high priest consecrated for the purpose of making an atonement for the sins of the people,

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. From the animals in general the Lord distinguishes the domestic animals and those commonly used for food by the inhabitants of the countries round about.

Whatsoever parteth the hoof and is cloven-footed, so that the hoof is not only partially, but completely divided into two parts, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, as a member of the true ruminants, that shall ye eat.

Lexham English Bible            Clean and Unclean Animals

Then [Or “And”] Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,

“Speak to the Israelites, [Literally “sons/children of Israel”] saying, ‘These are the animals that you may eat from all the animals that are on the land: Any among the animals that has a divided hoof and has a split cleft in [Hebrew “of”] the hoof, such [Hebrew “her/it”] you may eat.

The Voice                               The Eternal One addressed Moses and Aaron again.

Eternal One: Go talk to the Israelites and explain to them which animals of the earth you may and may not eat. V. 3 will be placed with the next passage for context.

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

The Complete Tanach           And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, to say to them:...

...Speak to the children of Israel, saying: These are the creatures that you may eat among all the animals on earth:...

...Any animal that has a cloven hoof that is completely split into double hooves, and which brings up its cud that one you may eat.

NET Bible®                             Clean and Unclean Land Creatures

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Tell the Israelites: ‘This is the kind of creature you may eat from among all the animals¹ that are on the land. You may eat any among the animals that has a divided hoof (the hooves are completely split in two²) and that also chews the cud.³

^1tn Heb “the animal,” but as a collective plural, and so throughout this chapter.

^2tn Heb “every divider of hoof and cleaver of the cleft of hooves”; KJV, ASV “parteth the hoof, and is cloven footed.”

^3tn Heb “bringer up of the cud” (a few of the ancient versions include the conjunction “and,” but it does not appear in the MT). The following verses make it clear that both dividing the hoof and chewing the cud were required; one of these conditions would not be enough to make the animal suitable for eating without the other.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Charles Thomson OT            Again the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say, Among all the beasts which are on the earth, these are the beasts which you may eat. Every beast having a double hoof, its hoof parted into two distinct hoofs, and bringing up the cud, these among the beasts you may eat.

Context Group Version          And YHWH spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,

Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, These are the living things which you (pl) may eat among all the beasts that are on the land. Whatever parts the hoof, and is clovenfooted, [and] chews the cud, among the beasts, that may you (pl) eat.

Modern English Version         Clean and Unclean Foods

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them: Speak to the children of Israel, saying: These are the living things which you shall eat among all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever animal has a parted hoof (that is, split-hoofed), and chews the cud among the animals, that one you shall eat.

New American Standard B.    Laws about Animals for Food

The Lord spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever has a divided hoof, showing split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat.

Niobi Study Bible                   Foods Permitted and Forbidden
And the LORD spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,

Clean and Unclean Animals
"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, `These are the beasts (animals) which you shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud among the beasts, that shall you eat.

Revised Mechanical Trans.    ...and YHWH spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying to them. Speak to the sons of Yisra'eyl, saying, these are the living ones that you will eat from all the beasts which are upon the land. All being cleaved of the hoof, and splitting hoofs split in two, and making the cud go up among the beasts, you will eat her.

Young’s Updated LT             And Jehovah speaks unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying unto them, “Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, This is the beast which you [all] do eat out of all the beasts which are on the earth: any dividing a hoof, and cleaving the cleft of the hoofs, bringing up the cud, among the beasts, it you [all] do eat.

The gist of this passage:     God tells Moses and Aaron about which animals are fit to eat and which are not.

1-3

Translation: Y^ehowah spoke to Moses and to Aaron,...

We clearly begin a new section with this chapter. God speaks these things to Moses and Aaron both.

Translation: ...saying to them,...

The words to say is often equivalent to our quotation mark.

Leviticus 11:1 Y^ehowah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,... (Kukis mostly literal translation)

This is one of the few times where it is said that Y^ehowah is speaking directly to Moses and Aaron. Aaron has weathered his loss of his sons dramatically well, which is, in of itself, a good sign concerning his spiritual life.

Now, this does make me ask—why is God speaking to both Moses and Aaron now and what are the circumstances? The biggest change in Aaron’s life is that he has been consecrated into the priesthood (Leviticus 8) and he has had offered up sacrifices for his many sins (Leviticus 9). Also, his line has been cleansed as well (Leviticus 10). Given these things, and given that Aaron, despite his many failings, is now a spiritual leader, God has apparently chosen to speak to him as well. If anything, this should give you pause, to thank God for His grace. When I look at Moses, and how great he was, I think, there is no way; my life is so inferior to his. On the other time, I look at Aaron, see him organizing the Jews to worship a calf, and think, that is “a standard” I can meet. This does not mean I aspire to be as crappy of a believer as Aaron is; I just know that I am. This gives me a great deal of hope.

Translation: ...“Speak to the sons of Israel,...

There was some means of going among the people and speaking. I believe that this was done by Moses and Aaron speaking to the elders, who would listen intently and pass this information along to the people (speaking to them in groups).

One might see this as a form of public education.

Translation: ...saying, ‘These are the animals which you [all] [may] eat,...

There is going to be a set of animals which may be killed and eaten.

Translation: ...from among [all] the beasts that [are] on the earth:...

I think that this phrase takes in all of the animals who have been domesticated and who are wild.

Leviticus 11:2 ...“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you [all] [may] eat, from among [all] the beasts that [are] on the earth:... (Kukis mostly literal translation)

A heterosis [pronounced HET-e-RO-sis] is the exchange of one thing for another. Here we have the singular used when we would expect the plural. This is just a literary style which gives emphasis to what is being said.

For the rest of the chapter, God will enumerate what is clean and what is not. The purpose of these prohibitions was two-fold: (1) to illustrate certain spiritual truths and, (2) to help preserve the Jewish race from sickness and disease brought on by eating some of the unclean animals.

Like the Sabbath, this was not something which was to be obeyed until the end of time. Mark 7:15, 17a, 18–23 reads: "There is nothing outside the man which going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man." And when leaving the crowd, He had entered the house, His disciples questioned Him...and He said to them, "Are you too so uncomprehending? Do you not see that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his head, but into his stomach and goes out into the latrine?" (He [thereby] declared al foods clean. And He kept saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man, for form within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts and the fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

The notes on from The Amplified Bible are good here. God does not arbitrarily decree some law and then arbitrarily disregard it. When that which is complete has arrived, then the partial will be done away with (1Corinthians 13:10). In His Word: new. He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is now to disappear. Now even the first had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. Accordingly, both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they only relate to food an drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the dispensation of the new order. He is the mediator of the new covenant. For the Law, since is contains a shadow of the good things to come, not the real image of things (Hebrews 8:13 9:1, 9b–10, 15b 10:1).