Discovery BoxLeviticus 11:20-28
Context11:20 “‘Every winged swarming thing that walks on all fours 1 is detestable to you. 11:21 However, this you may eat from all the winged swarming things that walk on all fours, which have jointed legs 2 to hop with on the land. 11:22 These you may eat from them: 3 the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, the grasshopper of any kind. 11:23 But any other winged swarming thing that has four legs is detestable to you.
11:24 “‘By these 4 you defile yourselves; anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 11:25 and anyone who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until the evening.
11:26 “‘All 5 animals that divide the hoof but it is not completely split in two 6 and do not chew the cud 7 are unclean to you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean. 8 11:27 All that walk on their paws among all the creatures that walk on all fours 9 are unclean to you. Anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 11:28 and the one who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.
[11:20] 1 tn Heb “the one walking on four” (cf. vv. 21-23 and 27-28).
[11:21] 2 tn Heb “which to it are lower legs from above to its feet” (reading the Qere “to it” rather than the Kethib “not”).
[11:22] 3 tn For entomological remarks on the following list of insects see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:665-66; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 160-61.
[11:24] 4 tn Heb “and to these.”
[11:26] 5 tn Heb “to all” (cf. the note on v. 24). This and the following verses develop more fully the categories of uncleanness set forth in principle in vv. 24-25.
[11:26] 6 tn Heb “divides hoof and cleft it does not cleave”; KJV “divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted”; NLT “divided but unsplit hooves.”
[11:26] 7 tn See the note on Lev 11:3.
[11:26] 8 sn Compare the regulations in Lev 11:2-8.
[11:27] 6 tn Heb “the one walking on four.” Compare Lev 11:20-23.
