Leviticus 11:24-47
What Makes an Animal Unclean
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24These creatures will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening,
25and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.
26Every animal with hooves not completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you. Whoever touches any of them will be unclean.
27All the four-footed animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening,
28and anyone who picks up a carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.
29The following creatures that move along the ground are unclean for you: the mole, the mouse, any kind of great lizard,
30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the common lizard, the skink, and the chameleon.
31These animals are unclean for you among all the crawling creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening.
32When one of them dies and falls on something, that article becomes unclean; any article of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any implement used for work must be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean.
33If any of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean; you must break the pot.
34Any food coming into contact with water from that pot will be unclean, and any drink in such a container will be unclean.
35Anything upon which one of their carcasses falls will be unclean. If it is an oven or cooking pot, it must be smashed; it is unclean and will remain unclean for you.
36Nevertheless, a spring or cistern containing water will remain clean, but one who touches a carcass in it will be unclean.
37If a carcass falls on any seed for sowing, the seed is clean;
38but if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
39If an animal that you may eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean until evening.
40Whoever eats from the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening, and anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.
41Every creature that moves along the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten.
42Do not eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it crawls on its belly or walks on four or more feet; for such creatures are detestable.
43Do not defile yourselves by any crawling creature; do not become unclean or defiled by them.
44For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.
45For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
46This is the law regarding animals, birds, all living creatures that move in the water, and all creatures that crawl along the ground.
47You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.’”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Contact with certain animal carcasses makes a person unclean until evening. Carrying a carcass also requires washing one's clothes. Objects on which a carcass falls can become unclean too, and God gives different instructions for different materials.
Wooden articles, clothing, skins, and sackcloth are put in water and remain unclean until evening. If a carcass falls into a clay pot, the pot must be broken and its contents are unclean. A spring or cistern remains clean, though someone touching the carcass in it becomes unclean. Dry seed remains clean if a carcass falls on it; seed that has been watered becomes unclean.
These are distinctions within Israel's ceremonial life. Becoming unclean through contact is not the same as deliberately doing evil, and an unclean animal is not a wicked animal. Yet Israel must take God's instructions seriously rather than decide that such distinctions do not matter.
God gives the reason for this way of life: He brought Israel out of Egypt to be their God, and they are to be holy because He is holy. The chapter ends by distinguishing clean from unclean and creatures that may be eaten from those that may not.
Questions
1 What happened after someone touched or carried a carcass?
AnswerTouching made the person unclean until evening. Carrying it also required washing the person's clothes; the instructions distinguish the two actions.
2 What happened when a carcass fell into a clay pot?
AnswerThe pot had to be broken and its contents were unclean. A spring or cistern, however, remained clean; God did not give every container or water source the same rule.
3 Why was Israel to be holy?
AnswerThe LORD had brought them out of Egypt to be their God. Their calling to holiness came from belonging to the holy God who rescued them.
4 Does becoming ceremonially unclean mean a person has no value?
AnswerNo. These instructions describe conditions and ways to deal with them, not a person's worth. We must not turn them into a reason to despise someone.
What This Means for Us
God reminds Israel of His rescue before calling them to holiness. In 1 Peter 1, the command to be holy is addressed to Christians as obedient children of God. Belonging to Him changes how we live.
We do not use ceremonial uncleanness to measure another person's value. But we can ask whether our conduct reflects the God we call Father. When an old habit pulls us toward cruelty or dishonesty, remember whose child you are and choose an action that honors Him.
Prayer
Father, thank you for making us your children. Teach us to honor you in our conduct and to treat others with care. Help us leave behind habits that are at odds with your holiness. Amen.
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