The camel was a usual food in Arabia, but yielding bad nourishment, as Galen notes. Divideth not the hoof, to wit, so as to have his foot cloven in two, which being expressed Leviticus 11:3, is here to be understood; otherwise the camel’s hoof is divided, but it is but a small and imperfect division, as Aristotle and Pliny observe, and observation shows. read more
Food: Permitted and ProhibitedSUGGESTIVE READINGSLeviticus 11:2.—These are the beasts which ye shall eat. [For scientific and sanitary information respecting the animals, reptiles, birds, and fishes specified, valuable information will be found in Whitlaw’s Code of Health; also in Calmet; and a useful summary in the Critical and Explanatory Commentary on this chapter]How noteworthy the fact that the glorious Jehovah should extend his oversight of Israel to such minute dietic and sanitary... read more
Shall we turn in our Bibles to Leviticus eleven?Before we begin in the eleventh chapter of Leviticus, let's take a look at the first few verses of chapter twenty-eight of Deuteronomy, because sometimes we're prone to get bogged down in the law, and we think, "Oh my, I wish we could just pass over this." Is this really necessary? Aren't we under the grace of God and living in the age of grace? But in reality it is important that God is, that we realize that God is laying down for us certain... read more
Leviticus 11:2. The beasts which ye shall eat. The Talmud calls this chapter the Thirteenth class of Prohibitions. From the beginning of the world there was a distinction between clean and unclean beasts, as was intimated to Noah, when he received into the ark seven of the clean for one of the unclean. The reasons for this distinction are in the first place such as regard health. Cattle which feed on grass and chew the cud, are allowed to be the most salubrious for food. Dr. Buchan says... read more
Leviticus 11:2-47These are the beasts which ye shall eat.The clean and the uncleanThe Mosaic Law attached great importance to meats and drinks: the Christian religion attaches none. The Apostle Peter was shown, by the vision of a sheet let down from heaven, not only that all nations were now to receive the gospel message, but that all kinds of food were now clean, and that all the prohibitions which had formerly been laid upon them for legal purposes were now once for all withdrawn. A Christian... read more
Lev 11:4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: [as] the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he [is] unclean unto you. Ver. 4. The camel. ] The foolish Jews when they saw Mohammed arising in such power, were immediately ready to cry him up for their Messiah. But when they saw him eat of a camel, saith mine author, a they were as blank as when they saw the hoped issue of their late Jewish virgin turned to a... read more
unclean unto you: Genesis 7:1, Genesis 7:2, Deuteronomy 14:1-Joel :, Isaiah 52:11, 1 Corinthians 8:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:22, 1 John 3:4 read more
Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.The camel — An usual food in Arabia, but yielding bad nourishment.Divideth not the hoof — So as to have his foot cloven in two, which being expressed, Leviticus 11:3, is here to be understood. Otherwise the camel's hoof is divided, but it is but a small and imperfect division. read more
4. The camel Some think that this beast is not to be eaten because of his extraordinary usefulness as “the ship of the desert.” But Jehovah pronounces him unclean, and for this reason commands his people to abstain from his flesh, a food much esteemed by the Arabs. Many attempts have been made to explain the grounds of this interdict of camel flesh, none of which is satisfactory. Divideth not the hoof He does not fully divide the hoof into two equal parts, the front part only being... read more
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Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:1-47
11– 15. Ritual Cleanliness and Uncleanliness. Leviticus 11, Animals; Leviticus 12, Childbirth; Leviticus 13, Skin diseases (including tainted garments); Leviticus 14:1-Jonah :, Purgation for skin diseases; Leviticus 14:33-Philemon :, “ Leprosy” in houses, and general conclusion to the Law; Leviticus 15, “ Issues.”Probably to most modern readers, this section is the least intelligible in the book. We must consider it ( a) in its ethnological and ( b) its specifically Hebrew aspect, ( a) ... read more