Leviticus 11:41

UNCLEANNESS FROM CONTACT WITH VERMIN

"And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth is an abomination; it shall not be eaten. Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all fours, or whatsoever hath many feet, even all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby."

This is a special admonition on vermin, already covered generally in Leviticus 11:29,30. All snakes, worms, maggots, moles, rats, mice, caterpillars, centipedes, etc., are included here as unclean.

Of particular interest is Leviticus 11:42, where is found the clause, "Whatsoever goeth upon the belly." The word "belly" here is the rendition of a four-letter Hebrew word [~gachown], the same containing the middle letter in the Hebrew Torah, the letter [~waw].[20] This is the third letter in the word and is made much like the symbol for an eighth note rest in music. In Hebrew copies of the Torah, this letter is printed in much larger type than other letters. "It indicates the meticulous care the scribes gave to the text."[21]