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Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them:
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“Speak to the people of Israel, saying: These are the animals that you may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth:
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every animal that has a split hoof, that is, one whose hoof is cloven and chews the cud, you may eat.
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But among those that chew the cud or have a split hoof, these you shall not eat: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean to you.
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Also the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean to you.
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Also the rabbit, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean to you.
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Likewise the wild boar, because it has a split hoof, that is, its hoof is cloven, but it does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you.
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You shall not eat their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
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These you may eat of all that live in the water: all that have fins and scales in the water, in the seas, and in the rivers, these you may eat.
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But all that do not have fins or scales in the seas and in the rivers, from all that swarm in the water and from all living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable to you.
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Indeed, they shall be detestable to you; you shall not eat their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses.
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Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.
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These you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten, for they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, and the sea eagle;
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the red kite and the black kite according to its kind;
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every raven according to its kind;
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the ostrich, the owl, the gull, and the hawk according to its kind;
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the little owl, the cormorant, and the great owl;
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the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture;
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the stork, the heron according to its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
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All winged creeping things that go on all fours are detestable to you.
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But these you may eat among all the winged creeping things that go on all fours: those that have jointed legs above their feet for leaping on the ground.
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These you may eat of them: locusts according to their kind, the bald locust according to its kind, the cricket according to its kind, and the grasshopper according to its kind.
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Besides all creeping things and winged creatures and all that go on four feet are detestable to you.
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By these you shall become unclean: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening,
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and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening—
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that is, every animal that has a divided hoof but does not have a cleft through the hoof, and does not chew the cud; these are unclean to you. Whoever touches them shall be unclean.
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Also, whatever goes on its paws among all the animals that go on four feet, these are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
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And whoever carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. These are unclean to you.
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These are the unclean creatures among all the creatures that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the frog according to its kind,
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and the hedgehog, the monitor lizard, and the lizard, the snail and the chameleon.
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These are all the unclean among the creeping creatures. Whoever touches them after they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.
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And anything on which one of them falls when it is dead shall be unclean: any wooden utensil or clothing or skin or sack, whatever is used for any purpose, must be put into water and shall be unclean until the evening, then it shall be clean again.
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If one of them falls into any earthen vessel, everything that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break the vessel.
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In that case, all food that may be eaten, if it comes in contact with the water from that vessel, shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk from such a vessel shall be unclean.
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If the carcass of one of them falls on any object, it shall be unclean; an oven and a cooking pan shall be broken in pieces, for they are unclean and shall be unclean to you;
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but a spring or a cistern holding water shall remain clean, though whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean.
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If the carcass of one of them falls on any seed to be sown, it remains clean.
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But if water has been put on the seed, and the carcass of one of them falls on it, then it is unclean to you.
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If one of the animals that may be eaten dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
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And whoever eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening; and whoever carries its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
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Every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth is detestable; it shall not be eaten.
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Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, even all creeping things that creep upon the earth, you shall not eat, for they are detestable.
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You shall not make yourselves detestable by any creeping thing that creeps, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, lest you become unclean because of them.
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For I am the LORD your God; therefore you shall sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am holy; and you shall not defile yourselves with any creeping thing that moves upon the earth.
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For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; therefore be holy, for I am holy.
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This is the law concerning beasts with four feet, birds, and every living creature that moves in the waters, and every creature that creeps upon the earth,
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to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.”
🐄🐖🐟 Summary of Leviticus 11 – Laws About Clean and Unclean Food
Leviticus 11 introduces laws about food that the Israelites may and may not eat, also called the laws concerning clean and unclean animals. These laws became an important part of Israel’s identity as a holy people set apart from other nations.
1. Land Animals (verses 1–8)
May be eaten if:
✅ They have split hooves and chew the cud (such as cattle, goats, sheep).
May not be eaten (examples):
❌ Camel, rabbit, pig—because they meet only one of the two marks.
2. Water Animals (verses 9–12)
May be eaten if:
✅ They have fins and scales.
May not be eaten:
❌ Water creatures without fins/scales such as eels, catfish, crabs, shellfish, shrimp.
3. Birds and Insects (verses 13–23)
Unclean birds include:
❌ Birds of prey such as eagles, hawks, owls, and bats.
Insects that may be eaten:
✅ Locusts, jumping insects (certain kinds).
❌ Others are considered unclean.
4. Creeping Things and Carcasses (verses 24–40)
- Touching the carcass of an unclean animal makes a person unclean.
- Even objects that come into contact with a carcass must be cleaned or destroyed.
- This shows that uncleanness can “spread” in a symbolic sense.
5. Creeping Animals and Reptiles (verses 41–47)
- All creatures that move along the ground, such as lizards, mice, snakes, and geckos, are considered unclean.
- The Israelites were forbidden to eat or touch them.
📖 Main Teaching
- Holiness is not only about worship, but also includes daily life.
- The Lord set boundaries to train His people to obey and to be distinct from other nations.
- Uncleanness is not only physical, but a symbol of sin that defiles.
- God calls His people to live holy, because He Himself is holy.
- Small actions—such as food—become a way to learn discipline and reverence for God.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- For us today, these food laws are no longer binding in a legal sense (see Mark 7:19; Acts 10), but the principle still applies:
➤ Believers are called to live in holiness in every aspect of life. - The food in Leviticus 11 reflects a life set apart for God, not following the world’s standards.
- Uncleanness in the Old Testament is a symbol of sin, and God wants us to stay away from things that defile the soul.
- Today, our holiness is no longer through food, but through a life of obedience and love.
