Leviticus 11:21-22

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Leviticus 11:22

Leviticus 11:22. The locust after his kind The Hebrew word ארבה arbeh, is sometimes a common name for all locusts, but here signifies a peculiar sort of them The name derived from רבה rabah, to multiply, imports a multitude, no animal being more prolific. The bald locust As it is not easy to determine what species of locust this is, and as it has not any name in modern languages, it might be better, in a translation, to retain the original name סלעם solgnam, which, in the... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:1-47

11:1-15:33 CLEANNESS AND UNCLEANNESSSince Israel’s God was holy, Israel itself had to be holy (11:44-45). One duty of the priests was to distinguish between what was holy and unholy, clean and unclean (10:10). This holiness was to extend to every part of the people’s lives, including the food they ate and their bodily cleanliness. Those who broke any of the laws of cleanliness were considered unclean and had to be ceremonially cleansed before they could join again in the full religious life of... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Leviticus 11:22

these: being all "after his kind", are probably four different species of the same, viz.: locust = swarming locust. bald locust = devouring locust. beetle = chargol (or wingless) locust. grasshopper = chargab locust, Numbers 13:33 . 2 Chronicles 7:13 .Ecclesiastes 12:5 .Isaiah 40:22 . read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Leviticus 11:20-22

Leviticus 11:20-22. All fowls that creep, going upon all four— Or, All flying things that creep, &c. Houbigant renders it, every winged reptile. Dr. Shaw observes, that " ףּהעו שׁרצ sheretz ha-oph, which we render fowls that creep, may be more properly translated breeding fowls, or fowls that multiply, from the infinitely greater number of eggs that are produced by insects, than by volatiles of any other kind. It may be farther observed, says he, that insects do not properly walk upon four,... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Leviticus 11:21

21, 22. Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet—Nothing short of a scientific description could convey more accurately the nature "of the locust after its kind." They were allowed as lawful food to the Israelites, and they are eaten by the Arabs, who fry them in olive oil. When sprinkled with salt, dried, smoked, and fried, they are said to taste not unlike red herrings. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Leviticus 11:1-23

Distinctions between clean and unclean animals 11:1-23We have here the same threefold division of animals that inhabit the land, sea, and air as the one that appears in the story of creation (Genesis 1:20-23)."It has long been recognized . . . that the order of the purity laws in Leviticus 11 follows that of the creation of animal life in Genesis 1 (Rashi). Moreover, just as in Genesis 1 God distinguished ’good’ and ’evil’ in his new creation, so also in Leviticus 11 God distinguished the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Leviticus 11:1-47

1. Uncleanness due to contact with certain animals ch. 11"This chapter contains a selected list of creatures that divides each type of creature into various classes of purity. According to the final verse in the chapter, the decisive question was whether a class of animals was unclean or clean. The goal of the distinctions was to determine whether an animal could be eaten. The notion of uncleanness and cleanness is specifically applied in this chapter to the question of holiness. Violating any... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Leviticus 11:20-23

These verses deal with insects. Perhaps the fact that certain insects swarmed rather than flew in a more direct and "natural" way made them unclean. Locusts that hopped may have been clean since this is the normal form of locomotion for birds, which they resembled. The varieties of locusts that crawled were unclean, perhaps because that appeared to be abnormal movement for this insect. [Note: Douglas, p. 56.] read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:1-34

(Leviticus 11-16) The Law of Clean and UncleanThis section deals with the subject of ceremonial uncleanness and the method of its purification. Four main types of uncleanness are referred to, viz. that of meats (Leviticus 11:1-23), of carcases (Leviticus 11:24), of leprosy (Leviticus 13, 14), and of certain bodily functions and conditions (Leviticus 12, 15). The effect of ceremonial uncleanness is that it disqualifies a person for the worship of God. Its duration varies according to the cause,... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:1-47

Law of Clean and Unclean MeatsThe animals whose flesh may or may not be eaten are treated in four classes, viz. large land animals (Leviticus 11:3-8), water animals (Leviticus 11:9-12), birds (Leviticus 11:13-19), winged creeping things (Leviticus 11:20-23).3. Of the large land animals, those are clean which both chew the cud and divide the hoof. Unless they satisfy both these conditions they are unclean and cannot be eaten. The practical effect of this is to exclude all of prey. The flesh of... read more

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