Discovery BoxLeviticus 11:24-39
Context11:24 “‘By these 1 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 2 animals that divide the hoof but it is not completely split in two 3 and do not chew the cud 4 are unclean to you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean. 5 11:27 All that walk on their paws among all the creatures that walk on all fours 6 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.
11:29 “‘Now this is what is unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the land: 7 the rat, the mouse, the large lizard of any kind, 11:30 the Mediterranean gecko, the spotted lizard, the wall gecko, the skink, and the chameleon. 11:31 These are the ones that are unclean to you among all the swarming things. Anyone who touches them when they die will be unclean until evening. 11:32 Also, anything they fall on 8 when they die will become unclean – any wood vessel or garment or article of leather or sackcloth. Any such vessel with which work is done must be immersed in water 9 and will be unclean until the evening. Then it will become clean. 11:33 As for any clay vessel they fall into, 10 everything in it 11 will become unclean and you must break it. 11:34 Any food that may be eaten which becomes soaked with water 12 will become unclean. Anything drinkable 13 in any such vessel will become unclean. 14 11:35 Anything their carcass may fall on will become unclean. An oven or small stove must be smashed to pieces; they are unclean, and they will stay unclean 15 to you. 11:36 However, a spring or a cistern which collects water 16 will be clean, but one who touches their carcass will be unclean. 11:37 Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, 17 it is clean, 11:38 but if water is put on the seed and such a carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
11:39 “‘Now if an animal 18 that you may eat dies, 19 whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening.
[11:24] 1 tn Heb “and to these.”
[11:26] 2 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] 3 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] 4 tn See the note on Lev 11:3.
[11:26] 5 sn Compare the regulations in Lev 11:2-8.
[11:27] 6 tn Heb “the one walking on four.” Compare Lev 11:20-23.
[11:29] 7 tn For zoological analyses of the list of creatures in vv. 29-30, see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:671-72; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 161-62.
[11:32] 8 tn Heb “And all which it shall fall on it from them.”
[11:32] 9 tn Heb “in water it shall be brought.”
[11:33] 10 tn Heb “And any earthenware vessel which shall fall from them into its midst.”
[11:33] 11 tn Heb “all which is in its midst.”
[11:34] 12 tn Heb “which water comes on it.”
[11:34] 13 tn Heb “any drink which may be drunk”; NASB “any liquid which may be drunk”; NLT “any beverage that is in such an unclean container.”
[11:34] 14 tn This half of the verse assumes that the unclean carcass has fallen into the food or drink (cf. v. 33 and also vv. 35-38).
[11:35] 15 tn Heb “be unclean.”
[11:36] 16 tn Heb “a spring and a cistern collection of water”; NAB, NIV “for collecting water.”
[11:37] 17 tn Heb “And if there falls from their carcass on any seed of sowing which shall be sown.”
[11:39] 18 tn This word for “animal” refers to land animal quadrupeds, not just any beast that dwells on the land (cf. 11:2).
[11:39] 19 tn Heb “which is food for you” or “which is for you to eat.”
