Topical Bible: Carcasses

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, the term "carcasses" refers to the dead bodies of humans or animals. The treatment and significance of carcasses are addressed in various passages throughout the Bible, often highlighting themes of purity, judgment, and the consequences of sin.

Old Testament References

1. Purity Laws: In the Mosaic Law, contact with carcasses rendered a person ceremonially unclean. Leviticus 11:24-25 states, "These will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening." This underscores the importance of ritual purity and the separation from death, which is seen as a consequence of sin.

2. Judgment and Consequences: Carcasses often symbolize divine judgment. In Deuteronomy 28:26, as part of the curses for disobedience, it is written, "Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away." This imagery serves as a stark warning of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments.

3. Prophetic Imagery: The prophets frequently used the imagery of carcasses to depict the aftermath of divine judgment. For instance, in Isaiah 66:24, it is said, "And as they go forth, they will see the carcasses of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never be quenched, and they will be a horror to all mankind." This passage highlights the eternal consequences of rebellion against God.

New Testament References

1. Spiritual Lessons: In the New Testament, carcasses are used metaphorically to convey spiritual truths. Jesus, in Matthew 24:28, states, "Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." This saying is often interpreted as a reference to the inevitability of judgment and the gathering of people around false teachings or spiritual decay.

2. Resurrection and Hope: While the Old Testament often associates carcasses with judgment and impurity, the New Testament offers a message of hope through the resurrection. The dead body, or carcass, is not the end for believers. In 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, Paul writes about the resurrection of the dead: "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body."

Theological Implications

The treatment of carcasses in the Bible reflects broader theological themes of life, death, and resurrection. The laws concerning carcasses emphasize the holiness and purity required by God, while the prophetic and New Testament references point to the ultimate hope of redemption and eternal life through Jesus Christ. The imagery of carcasses serves as a reminder of the consequences of sin and the promise of new life for those who are in Christ.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

(n.) Plural of Carcass.

Strong's Hebrew

6297. peger -- corpse, carcass
... Word Origin from pagar Definition corpse, carcass NASB Word Usage carcasses (1),
corpse (1), corpses (12), dead bodies (3), dead* (2), remains (2). ...
/hebrew/6297.htm - 6k

5038. nebelah -- a carcass, corpse
... Word Origin from nabel Definition a carcass, corpse NASB Word Usage body (11), carcass
(10), carcasses (11), corpse (2), corpses (3), dead bodies (3), dead ...
/hebrew/5038.htm - 6k

Library

Talmage -- a Bloody Monster
... as never ranged African thicket or Hindustan jungle hath tracked this land, and
with bloody maw hath strewn the continent with the mangled carcasses of whole ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 8/talmage a bloody monster.htm

The Girdle of the City. Nehemiah 3
... And all the valley of dead carcasses, and of ashes, and all the fields to the brook
Kidron, even to the corner of the horse-gate on the east, shall be Holiness ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 26 the girdle of.htm

For a Case must be Imagined...
... with filth? But, you reply, you honour the gods with the carcasses of bulls,
and by slaying [4846] other living creatures. And in ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/17 lo if dogs .htm

Of the Meaning of the Sacrifice Abraham was Commanded to Offer ...
... birds divided he not. And the fowls came down," as it is written, "on the
carcasses, and Abram sat down by them. But about the going ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 24 of the meaning of.htm

Hebrews iii. 11-Jul
... whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose
carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom swear He ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily vi hebrews iii 11-jul.htm

The World.
... It is like those carcasses that retain the form of a human body as long as they
are buried in the obscurity of the tomb, but which, on being exposed to the air ...
/.../sainte-foi/serious hours of a young lady/chapter vii the world.htm

God Justified, Though Man Believes Not
... he can. Remember, dear friends, the carcasses of all but two who came out
of Egypt fell in the wilderness through unbelief. Only ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/god justified though man believes.htm

The Seventh (And Last) vision "On Earth"
... It is fore-announced. The description is yet to be recorded. The call to devour
the carcasses of the slain is given before the battle has begun. ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the seventh and last vision.htm

The Eagle and Its Brood
... less noble. Our modern repugnance to the vulture as feeding on carcasses
was probably not felt by the singer of this song. What ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the eagle and its brood.htm

That the Miseries Still Grew Worse; and How the Romans Made an ...
... And indeed the multitude of carcasses that lay in heaps one upon another was a horrible
sight, and produced a pestilential stench, which was a hinderance to ...
/.../chapter 1 that the miseries.htm

Thesaurus

Carcasses (30 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Carcasses (30 Occurrences). ... was it not with them that
had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? (WBS YLT). ...
/c/carcasses.htm - 15k

Carcass (30 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV). Leviticus 11:8 Of their flesh you shall not eat,
and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you. ...
/c/carcass.htm - 18k

Lewd (37 Occurrences)
... Numbers 14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and
bear your lewd deeds, until your carcasses shall be wasted in the wilderness. ...
/l/lewd.htm - 20k

Pile (16 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 26:30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your sun-pillars,
and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols; and My soul shall ...
/p/pile.htm - 13k

Prey (105 Occurrences)
... See Genesis 15:11, "And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram
drove them away." Because they were attracted from above the clouds by ...
/p/prey.htm - 42k

Fowls (61 Occurrences)
... earth, (KJV JPS WBS). Genesis 15:11 And when the fowls came down upon the
carcasses, Abram drove them away. (KJV WBS). Leviticus 1:14 ...
/f/fowls.htm - 25k

Carchemish (3 Occurrences)

/c/carchemish.htm - 13k

Fowl (73 Occurrences)
... or chirp"), "a chirper," denotes a small bird or sparrow (Deuteronomy 4:17 the King
James Version; Nehemiah 5:18 Daniel 4:14); to give the carcasses of men to ...
/f/fowl.htm - 36k

Birds (125 Occurrences)
... In the King James Version `ayiT is translated "fowl," and occurs several times:
"And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away ...
/b/birds.htm - 62k

Touch (82 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 11:8 Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not
touch; they are unclean to you. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV). ...
/t/touch.htm - 35k

Resources

What was a blood covenant (Genesis 15:9-21)? | GotQuestions.org

Why did the time period of being unclean end in the evening? | GotQuestions.org

What is the worm that will not die in Mark 9:48? | GotQuestions.org

Carcasses: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Carcasses (30 Occurrences)

Hebrews 3:17
But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?
(WBS YLT)

Genesis 15:11
The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 5:2
or if any one touch any unclean thing, whether it be the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean swarming things, and be guilty, it being hidden from him that he is unclean;
(See NIV)

Leviticus 11:8
Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.
(WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 11:11
and you detest them. You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 11:24
And by these ye shall become unclean; whosoever toucheth the carcass of them shall be unclean until even.
(See NAS NIV)

Leviticus 11:25
And whosoever beareth aught of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
(See NAS NIV)

Leviticus 11:26
The carcasses of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not cloven-footed, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.
(KJV WBS)

Leviticus 11:27
And whatsoever goeth upon its paws, among all beasts that go on all fours, they are unclean unto you; whoso toucheth their carcass shall be unclean until the even.
(See NAS NIV)

Leviticus 11:28
And he that beareth the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even; they are unclean unto you.
(See NAS NIV)

Leviticus 11:35
And every thing whereupon any part of their carcass falleth shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces; they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.
(See NIV)

Leviticus 11:36
Nevertheless a fountain or a cistern wherein is a gathering of water shall be clean; but he who toucheth their carcass shall be unclean.
(See NIV)

Leviticus 26:30
And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
(KJV JPS WBS)

Numbers 14:29
Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me.
(KJV JPS WBS)

Numbers 14:32
But as for you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness.
(KJV JPS WBS)

Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness.
(KJV JPS WBS)

Deuteronomy 14:8
The pig, because it has a split hoof but doesn't chew the cud, is unclean to you: of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch.
(WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 28:26
And thy dead body shall be food unto all birds of the heavens, and unto the beasts of the earth; and there shall be none to frighten them away.
(See JPS NAS NIV)

1 Samuel 17:46
This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
(KJV JPS WBS NIV)

Isaiah 34:3
Their slain also shall be cast out, and the stench of their dead bodies shall come up; and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
(See JPS)

Isaiah 66:24
And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
(See JPS WBS)

Jeremiah 7:33
And the dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away.
(See JPS WBS NIV)

Jeremiah 9:22
Speak, Thus saith Jehovah, The dead bodies of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman; and none shall gather them.
(See JPS WBS)

Jeremiah 16:4
They shall die grievous deaths: they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the ground; and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth.
(See JPS WBS NAS)

Jeremiah 16:18
First I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable things, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.
(WEB JPS ASV WBS NAS RSV)

Jeremiah 19:7
And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies will I give to be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth.
(See JPS WBS NAS NIV)

Ezekiel 6:5
And I will lay the dead bodies of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
(See JPS WBS)

Ezekiel 43:7
And he said unto me, Son of man, this is the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, and by the dead bodies of their kings in their high places;
(See JPS WBS)

Ezekiel 43:9
Now let them put away their whoredom, and the dead bodies of their kings, far from me; and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
(See JPS WBS)

Nahum 3:3
The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword, and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcasses; and there is no end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
(WBS)

Subtopics

Carcasses

Related Terms

Car'chemish (3 Occurrences)

Hittites (39 Occurrences)

Neco (9 Occurrences)

Pharaohnecoh

Pethor (2 Occurrences)

Pharaoh-necoh (3 Occurrences)

Phrat (17 Occurrences)

Nebuchadrezzar (31 Occurrences)

Euphrates (36 Occurrences)