Leviticus 11:8
New International Version
You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

New Living Translation
You may not eat the meat of these animals or even touch their carcasses. They are ceremonially unclean for you.

English Standard Version
You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

Berean Standard Bible
You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

King James Bible
Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

New King James Version
Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you.

New American Standard Bible
You shall not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

NASB 1995
‘You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

NASB 1977
‘You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

Legacy Standard Bible
You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

Amplified Bible
You shall not eat their meat nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

Christian Standard Bible
Do not eat any of their meat or touch their carcasses—they are unclean for you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Do not eat any of their meat or touch their carcasses—they are unclean for you.”

American Standard Version
Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you.

English Revised Version
Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcases ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Never eat the meat of these animals or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you.

Good News Translation
Do not eat these animals or even touch their dead bodies; they are unclean.

International Standard Version
You are not to eat their flesh or even touch their carcasses. They are to be unclean for you."

Majority Standard Bible
You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

NET Bible
You must not eat from their meat and you must not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

New Heart English Bible
Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

World English Bible
You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You do not eat of their flesh, and you do not come against their carcass—they [are] unclean to you.

Young's Literal Translation
Of their flesh ye do not eat, and against their carcase ye do not come -- unclean they are to you.

Smith's Literal Translation
From their flesh ye shall not eat, and upon their carcass ye shall not touch; they are unclean to you.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The flesh of these you shall not eat, nor shall you touch their carcasses, because they are unclean to you.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The flesh of these you shall not eat, nor shall you touch their carcasses, because they are unclean to you.

New American Bible
You shall not eat their meat, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

New Revised Standard Version
Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean for you.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcass you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You will not eat from their flesh and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are defiled to you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Ye shall not eat of their flesh, and ye shall not touch their carcases; these are unclean to you.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Clean and Unclean Animals
7And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8 You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. 9Of all the creatures that live in the water, whether in the seas or in the streams, you may eat anything with fins and scales.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 14:8
as well as the pig; though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or touch its carcass.

Isaiah 65:4
sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating the meat of pigs and polluted broth from their bowls.

Isaiah 66:17
“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.

Acts 10:14
“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

Acts 10:28
He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.

Acts 11:8
‘No, Lord,’ I said, ‘for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

Romans 14:14
I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

1 Timothy 4:3-5
They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. / For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, / because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Mark 7:18-19
“Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, / because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)

Matthew 15:11
A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”

Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. / These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.

Hebrews 9:10
They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.

Ezekiel 4:14
“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.”

Ezekiel 44:23
They are to teach My people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to discern between the clean and the unclean.

Hosea 9:3
They will not remain in the land of the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.


Treasury of Scripture

Of their flesh shall you not eat, and their carcass shall you not touch; they are unclean to you.

they are unclean

Leviticus 5:2
Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.

Isaiah 52:11
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.

Hosea 9:3
They shall not dwell in the LORD'S land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.

Jump to Previous
Bodies Carcase Carcass Carcasses Dead Eat Food Meat Touch Touched Unclean Used
Jump to Next
Bodies Carcase Carcass Carcasses Dead Eat Food Meat Touch Touched Unclean Used
Leviticus 11
1. What animals may be eaten
4. and what may not be eaten
9. What fishes
13. What fowls
29. The creeping things which are unclean














You must not eat their meat
This command is part of the dietary laws given to the Israelites, distinguishing between clean and unclean animals. These laws served to set Israel apart from other nations, emphasizing holiness and obedience to God. The prohibition against eating certain meats is rooted in the covenant relationship between God and Israel, highlighting the importance of purity and separation from pagan practices. In the New Testament, Jesus declares all foods clean (Mark 7:18-19), symbolizing the new covenant and the inclusion of Gentiles into God's people.

or touch their carcasses;
Touching the carcasses of unclean animals rendered a person ceremonially unclean, requiring purification rituals. This reflects the broader biblical theme of holiness, where contact with death or impurity necessitates cleansing. The emphasis on avoiding defilement underscores the need for spiritual purity and the separation from sin. In the New Testament, the concept of spiritual cleanliness is expanded, with believers called to be holy in all conduct (1 Peter 1:15-16).

they are unclean for you.
The designation of certain animals as unclean is a divine ordinance, not based on health or hygiene, but on God's sovereign choice. This distinction teaches the Israelites about the nature of sin and the need for discernment in their daily lives. The unclean animals symbolize spiritual impurity, reminding the Israelites of their call to be a holy nation. In the New Testament, the focus shifts from external observance to internal purity, with Jesus emphasizing the importance of the heart (Matthew 15:11).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The primary human author of Leviticus, who received the laws from God to instruct the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, to whom the laws of clean and unclean animals were given.

3. Mount Sinai
The place where God delivered the laws to Moses, including dietary laws.

4. Clean and Unclean Animals
Categories of animals defined by God, distinguishing what the Israelites could and could not eat.

5. The Wilderness
The setting where the Israelites received these laws during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Teaching Points
Holiness and Separation
The dietary laws were a means to set the Israelites apart as a holy nation. As Christians, we are called to live distinct lives that reflect God's holiness.

Obedience to God's Commands
The Israelites were required to obey God's laws as an act of faith and trust. Similarly, Christians are called to obey God's Word, trusting in His wisdom and sovereignty.

Symbolism of Purity
The concept of clean and unclean animals symbolizes the importance of spiritual purity. Christians are encouraged to pursue purity in thought, word, and deed.

Cultural and Historical Context
Understanding the historical context of these laws helps us appreciate their significance for the Israelites and their fulfillment in Christ.

Freedom in Christ
While the dietary laws were specific to the Israelites, Christians are reminded of their freedom in Christ, who has fulfilled the law and offers a new covenant of grace.(8) Of their flesh ye shall not eat.--During the second Temple the prohibition was defined to extend to the smallest quantity. If any one ate a piece of flesh less even than the size of an olive he was chastised with stripes.

And their carcase shall ye not touch.--As contact with a human dead body, which was regarded as the most defiling of all, was only forbidden to the priests (see Leviticus 21:1-3), hence the prohibition here addressed to the whole nation was interpreted during the second Temple to apply simply to the occasions when the Israelites came to Jerusalem on the pilgrimage festivals. Contact with a carcase of an unclean animal on these visits precluded the worshipper from entering the sanctuary, from touching sacred things, and from partaking of the sacrificial meats.

Verse 8. - Of their carcass shall ye not touch. This prohibition is founded upon the same feeling of disgust as the prohibition of eating their flesh. Whatever is foal must be avoided.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You must not eat
תֹאכֵ֔לוּ (ṯō·ḵê·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 398: To eat

their meat
מִבְּשָׂרָם֙ (mib·bə·śā·rām)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man

or touch
תִגָּ֑עוּ (ṯig·gā·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5060: To touch, lay the hand upon, to reach, violently, to strike

their carcasses;
וּבְנִבְלָתָ֖ם (ū·ḇə·niḇ·lā·ṯām)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5038: A flabby thing, a carcase, carrion, an idol

they
הֵ֖ם (hêm)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

are unclean for you.
טְמֵאִ֥ים (ṭə·mê·’îm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2931: Unclean


Links
Leviticus 11:8 NIV
Leviticus 11:8 NLT
Leviticus 11:8 ESV
Leviticus 11:8 NASB
Leviticus 11:8 KJV

Leviticus 11:8 BibleApps.com
Leviticus 11:8 Biblia Paralela
Leviticus 11:8 Chinese Bible
Leviticus 11:8 French Bible
Leviticus 11:8 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Leviticus 11:8 Of their flesh you shall not eat (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 11:7
Top of Page
Top of Page