Leviticus 11:2 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 11:1-8

Now that Aaron was consecrated a high priest over the house of God, God spoke to him with Moses, and appointed them both as joint-commissioners to deliver his will to the people. He spoke both to Moses and to Aaron about this matter; for it was particularly required of the priests that they should put a difference between clean and unclean, and teach the people to do so. After the flood, when God entered into covenant with Noah and his sons, he allowed them to eat flesh (Gen. 9:13), whereas... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:2

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying ,.... For to them only belong the following laws, and not unto the Gentiles, as Jarchi rightly observes; these were parts of the ceremonial law, which was peculiarly given to them, and lay, among other things, in meats and drinks, and now abolished; for it is not what goes into a man that defiles him; nor is anything common or unclean of itself, but every creature of God is good if received with thanksgiving. The sons of Noah had free liberty,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Leviticus 11:2

Verse 2 2.These are the beasts which ye shall eat. The holy fathers, before the birth of Moses, knew what animals were unclean; of which fact Noah afforded a manifest proof, when, by God’s command, he took into the ark seven pairs of the clean animals, and offered of them his sacrifice of thanksgiving to God. Certainly he could not have obeyed the command of God, unless he had either been taught by secret inspiration, or unless this tradition had descended to him from his forefathers. But there... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Leviticus 11:1-47

PART III UNCLEANNESS , CEREMONIAL AND MORAL : ITS REMOVAL OR ITS PUNISHMENT SECTION I The second section deals with the uncleanness contracted every year by the whole congregation, to be annually atoned for on the great Day of Atonement ( Leviticus 16:1-34 ), followed by a parenthetical chapter as to the place in which sacrifice is to be offered—sacrifice being the means by which purification from uncleanness is to be effected ( Leviticus 17:1-16 ). The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Leviticus 11:2

These are the beasts that ye shall eat. In order that the Israelites might know how to avoid the uncleanness arising from the consumption of unclean flesh, plain rules are given them by which they may distinguish what flesh is clean and what is unclean. The first rule is that anything that dies of itself is unclean, whether it be beast, bird, or fish. The reasons of this are plain: for read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Leviticus 11:2

Rather, “These are the animals which ye may eat out of all the beasts;” that is, out of the larger creatures, the quadrupeds, as distinguished from birds and reptiles. See Genesis 1:24. Of quadrupeds, those only might be eaten which completely divided the hoof and chew the cud Leviticus 11:3-8. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Leviticus 11:2

Leviticus 11:2. Speak unto the children of Israel From the laws concerning the priests, he now comes to those which belonged to all the people; and in this chapter treats of clean and unclean meats; in the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th, of unclean persons, garments, and dwellings; in the 17th, of the principal sacrifices, whereby all manner of uncleanness was to be expiated; in the 18th, of unclean marriages; and after a repetition of sundry laws in the 19th, the 20th speaks of some ... 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 11:2

children. Hebrew sons. These. Hebrew this. Figure of speech Heterosis (of Number), singular for plural. beasts = living creatures. beasts = animals. Hebrew. behemah. The Hebrew division of animal kingdom was: (1) Land animals; (2) water animals; (3) birds of the air; (4) swarming animals. Deuteronomy 14:4 , Deuteronomy 14:5 enumerates ten clean animals. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Leviticus 11:2

Leviticus 11:2. These are the beasts which ye shall eat— It is extraordinary, that any objections should have been raised against the Jewish law and its divine Author, from that careful distinction made in it between meats clean and unclean; since this distinction is evidently founded on nature and reason, and, most probably, prevailed from the beginning of the world: at least, we find it was observed in the time of Noah; see note on Genesis 7:8. Whence we may reasonably conclude (as no mention... read more