Leviticus 11:1-12

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:9

These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters ,.... In the waters of the sea, or in rivers, pools, and ponds; meaning fishes; for though some persons abstain from eating them entirely, as the Egyptian priests, as Herodotus F13 Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 37. relates; and it was a part of religion and holiness, not with the Egyptians only, but with the Syrians and Greeks, to forbear eating them F14 Plutarch. Sympos. p. 730. ; and Julian F15 Orat. 5. p. 330. gives two... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:10

And all that have not fins nor scales in the seas, and in the rivers ,.... Such as eels, lampreys, &c.; of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters ; the former of these are interpreted by Aben Ezra and Ben Gersom of little fishes that have but a small body, and such as are created out of the waters; and the latter, of such as are produced of a male and female; or, as Maimonides F18 Hilchot Maacolot Asuret, l. 1. c. 2. sect. 12. explains it,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:11

They shall be even an abomination to you ,.... This is repeated again and again, to deter from the eating of such fishes, lest there should be any desire after them: ye shall not eat of their flesh , here mention is made of the flesh of fishes, as is by the apostle, 1 Corinthians 15:39 . Aben Ezra observes, that their wise men say, this is according to the usage of words in those ages: but you shall have their carcasses in abomination ; not only abstain from eating them and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:12

Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters ,.... Which is repeated that they might take particular notice of this law, and be careful to observe it, this being the only sign given: that shall be an abomination unto you ; the Targum of Jonathan says, that not only the flesh of such fish, but the broth, and pickles made of them, were to be an abomination; which contradicts what Pliny F20 Nat. Hist. l. 31. c. 8. relates, that the Jews made a pickle of fishes that lacked... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:1

And the Lord spake unto Moses - In the preceding chapter the priests are expressly forbidden to drink wine; and the reason for this law is given also, that they might be able at all times to distinguish between clean and unclean, and be qualified to teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord had spoken, Leviticus 10:10 , Leviticus 10:11 ; for as inebriation unfits a person for the regular performance of every function of life, it must be especially sinful in those who... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:3

Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed - These two words mean the same thing - a divided hoof, such as that of the ox, where the hoof is divided into two toes, and each toe is cased with horn. Cheweth the cud - Ruminates; casts up the grass, etc., which had been taken into the stomach for the purpose of mastication. Animals which chew the cud, or ruminate, are provided with two, three or four stomachs. The ox has four: in the first or largest, called the ventriculus or paunch,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:5

The coney - שפן shaphan , not the rabbit, but rather a creature nearly resembling it, which abounds in Judea, Palestine, and Arabia, and is called by Dr. Shaw daman Israel , and by Mr. Bruce ashkoko . As this creature nearly resembles the rabbit, with which Spain anciently abounded, Bochart supposes that the Phoenicians might have given it the name of שפניה spaniah , from the multitude of שפנים shephanim (or spanim , as others pronounce it) which were found there. Hence the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:6

The hare - ארנבת arnebeth , as Bochart and others suppose, from ארה arah , to crop, and ניב nib , the produce of the ground, these animals being remarkable for destroying the fruits of the earth. That they are notorious for destroying the tender blade of the young corn, is well known. It is very likely that different species of these animals are included under the general terms שפן shaphan , and ארנבת arnebeth , for some travelers have observed that there are four or five... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:7

And the swine - חזיר chazir , one of the most gluttonous, libidinous, and filthy quadrupeds in the universe; and, because of these qualities, sacred to the Venus of the Greeks and Romans, and the Friga of our Saxon ancestors; and perhaps on these accounts forbidden, as well as on account of its flesh being strong and difficult to digest, affording a very gross kind of aliment, apt to produce cutaneous, scorbutic, and scrofulous disorders, especially in hot climates. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:9

Whatsoever hath fins and scales - Because these, of all the fish tribe, are the most nourishing; the others which are without scales, or whose bodies are covered with a thick glutinous matter, being in general very difficult of digestion. read more

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