Leviticus 11:26-47

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 11:20-42

Here is the law, 1. Concerning flying insects, as flies, wasps, bees, etc.; these they might not eat (Lev. 11:20), nor indeed are they fit to be eaten; but there were several sorts of locusts which in those countries were very good meat, and much used: John Baptist lived upon them in the desert, and they are here allowed them, Lev. 11:21, 22. 2. Concerning the creeping things on the earth; these were all forbidden (Lev. 11:29, 30, and again, Lev. 11:41, 42); for it was the curse of the serpent... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 11:43-47

Here is, I. The exposition of this law, or a key to let us into the meaning of it. It was not intended merely for a bill of fare, or as the directions of a physician about their diet, but God would hereby teach them to sanctify themselves and to be holy, Lev. 11:44. That is, 1. They must hereby learn to put a difference between good and evil, and to reckon that it could not be all alike what they did, when it was not all alike what they ate. 2. To maintain a constant observance of the divine... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:26

The carcasses of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not cloven footed ,.... As the camel: nor cheweth the cud ; though it may divide the hoof, as the swine; and on the other hand, such as may chew the cud, and yet not dividing the hoof, as the coney and hare; for the Scripture here, as Aben Ezra observes again, uses a short and concise way of speaking: these are unclean unto you ; to be reckoned by them such, and neither to be eaten nor touched: everyone that toucheth... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:27

Whatsoever goeth upon his paws ,.... Or "the palms" F4 על כפיו "super volas suas", Pagninus, Montanus, "super manus suas", Munster, Tigurine version, Drusius. of his hands; meaning such creatures, whose feet are not divided into two parts, but into many, like the fingers of an hand, as apes, lions, bears, wolves, foxes, dogs, cats, &c.; among all manner of beasts that go on all four ; this is added, to distinguish them from fowl, such as are clean; who walk but on two... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:28

And he that beareth the carcass of them ,.... Carries it upon any account, from place to place: shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even ; as he that bore the carcasses of any of the flying creeping things, Leviticus 11:25 . they are unclean to you ; even the carcasses of the one and of the other; and to all the Israelites, men, women, and children, as Aben Ezra observes. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:29

These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth ,.... As distinguished from those creeping things that fly, these having no wings as they; and which were equally unclean, neither to be eaten nor touched, neither their blood, their skin, nor their flesh, as the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it: and the Misnic doctors say F4 Misn. Meilah, c. 4. sect. 3. that the blood of a creeping thing and its flesh are joined together: and Maimonides F5 ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:30

And the ferret ,.... Whatever creature is here meant, it has its name in Hebrew from the cry it makes; and so the ferret has but one note in its voice, which is a shrill, but small, whining cry: it is used to drive rabbits out of their holes: the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render the word by "mygale", the weasel mouse, or "mus areneus" of the Latins, the shrew or shrew mouse: it has something of the mouse and weasel, from whence it has its name in Greek, being of the size of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:31

These are unclean to you of all that creep ,.... Unfit for food, and not to be touched, at least when dead, as in the next clause, that is, these eight sorts of creeping things before mentioned, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, and these only, as Maimonides says F18 : whosoever doth touch them when they are dead shall be unclean until the even ; for touching them while alive did not defile, only when dead; and this the Jews interpret, while they are in the case in which they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:32

And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean ,.... Any of the above eight creeping things, that is, of their flesh, for as for their bones, nails, nerves, and skin, as before observed, being separated from them and dry, they do not defile: whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack ; every wooden vessel, as the Targum of Jonathan; and all sorts of clothes, of woollen, linen, or silk, and all sorts of skins, excepting skins of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 11:33

And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth ,.... Any of the above eight reptiles, should they by chance fall into the midst an earthen vessel: whatsoever is in it shall be unclean ; if it only by falling touched the outside of it, it was not unclean; but if it fell into it, then whatever was contained in it was unclean; for, as Jarchi says, an earthen vessel does not pollute or receive pollution, but from the air of it F21 , from its inside: and ye shall break... read more

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