Topical Bible: Beasts: Unclean: How Distinguished

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In the biblical context, the distinction between clean and unclean beasts is primarily outlined in the Old Testament, particularly in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. These distinctions were part of the Mosaic Law given to the Israelites and served both ceremonial and practical purposes.

Levitical Law and Distinctions

The primary source for understanding the distinction between clean and unclean beasts is found in Leviticus 11. The chapter provides detailed criteria for determining which animals are considered clean and which are unclean. According to Leviticus 11:2-3 , "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: 'Of all the beasts of the earth, these ones you may eat: any animal with split hooves and that chews the cud.'" This verse establishes the two main criteria for land animals to be considered clean: they must have split hooves and chew the cud.

Animals that do not meet both criteria are deemed unclean. For example, Leviticus 11:4-7 lists specific animals that are unclean: "But of those that only chew the cud or have only split hooves, you are not to eat the following: the camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. The rock badger, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. And the pig, though it has a split hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you."

Aquatic Creatures

The distinction extends to aquatic creatures as well. Leviticus 11:9-10 states, "Of all the creatures that live in the water, whether in the seas or the streams, you may eat anything with fins and scales. But anything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales, among all the swarming things and all the other living creatures in the water, is detestable to you." Thus, only fish with both fins and scales are considered clean.

Birds and Insects

The law also addresses birds and insects. Leviticus 11:13-19 lists birds that are considered unclean, including the eagle, vulture, and raven, among others. Insects, with the exception of certain locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers, are generally deemed unclean (Leviticus 11:20-23).

Purpose and Significance

The distinction between clean and unclean animals served several purposes. Ceremonially, it was a means of setting the Israelites apart as a holy people dedicated to God. Practically, it may have had health implications, as many of the unclean animals are scavengers or carry diseases. Spiritually, it was a constant reminder of the need for purity and obedience to God's commandments.

New Testament Perspective

In the New Testament, the issue of clean and unclean animals is revisited. Jesus, in Mark 7:18-19 , declares all foods clean, emphasizing the importance of inner purity over ceremonial law: "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." This teaching is further reinforced in Acts 10, where Peter receives a vision that leads to the understanding that the dietary laws were no longer binding on Christians.

The distinction between clean and unclean beasts, while no longer a requirement for Christians, remains a significant aspect of biblical law and history, reflecting the broader themes of holiness, obedience, and the relationship between God and His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 11:26
The carcasses of every beast which divides the hoof, and is not cloven footed, nor chews the cud, are unclean to you: every one that touches them shall be unclean.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Clean and the Unclean
... is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ... employers, and
overseers too, to be distinguished, as the clean from the unclean, in the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 9 1863/the clean and the unclean.htm

Give us Today Our Needful Bread
... by four corners, in which were all manner of quadrupeds and reptiles and beasts
of the ... Accordingly the clean and unclean food distinguished according to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter xvii give us today.htm

The Conversion of Cornelius.
... characters of their celestial origin, as easily distinguished them from the ... Ye shall
therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xiii the conversion of.htm

Peter's Apologia
... beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping ... he distinguished is not told;
that he distinguished is. ... to make no distinction of 'clean and unclean' in his ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/peters apologia.htm

"For, if it is Worthy of Admiration that the Flames did not Touch ...
... in check both the fury of wild beasts and the ... cured those who were filled with unclean
spirits, and ... all of them the virtues by which Martin was distinguished.". ...
/.../severus/life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter xxv for if it.htm

Whether There was any Reasonable Cause for the Ceremonial ...
... shalt not make thy cattle to gender with beasts of any ... no distinction was made between
clean and unclean plants. ... A[5], ad 4,5), the Law distinguished a twofold ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether there was any reasonable.htm

Acts X
... speech shows clearly that Peter had interpreted the vision of unclean beasts as
referring ... in the Holy Spirit on record, and they are distinguished from other ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts x.htm

Sources of the Pentateuch.
... These two documents are distinguished from each other, partly by the style of ... seven
pairs of each species should be received, and of unclean beasts only one ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter iii sources of the.htm

The Shepherd of Pella
... "We are unclean," Laodice said ... to attend to the camels and getting the beasts on
their ... heard shouts, and out of the confusion distinguished Laodice's, vehement ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter iii the shepherd of.htm

The Judicial Retribution of These Migrations Refuted with Raillery ...
... or foully disgraced in the unclean; or, again, on ... of death consign to various wild
beasts, which are ... awarded as public honours and distinguished privileges, he ...
/.../a treatise on the soul/chapter xxxiii the judicial retribution of.htm