Leviticus 11:42

Leviticus 11:42 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
• New International Version (NIV)You are not to eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is unclean.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.

Context of Leviticus 11:42

40If a person eats meat from the body of the dead animal, he must wash his clothes. He will not be clean until the evening. If a person picks up the body of the dead animal, he must wash his clothes. He will not be clean until the evening. 41The people must not eat small animals that move across the ground. This means animals that pass across the ground on their stomachs. It also means animals that walk on four legs or many legs. 43The people must not touch them or eat them. 44God says, “I am the Lord your God. I am holy. Make yourselves holy. Do not touch any small animal that moves across the ground. If you do, you will not be clean or holy

Leviticus 11:42 word by word

כֹּל֩ הוֹלֵ֨ךְ עַל־גָּח֜וֹן וְכֹ֣ל׀ הוֹלֵ֣ךְ עַל־אַרְבַּ֗ע עַ֚ד כָּל־מַרְבֵּ֣ה רַגְלַ֔יִם לְכָל־הַשֶּׁ֖רֶץ הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ לֹ֥א תֹאכְל֖וּם כִּי־שֶׁ֥קֶץ הֵֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Whatsoever goethהָלַךְhâlak · to go: walkH1980
• upon the bellyגָּחוֹןgâchôn · bellyH1512
• fourאַרְבַּע'arba‛ 'arbâ‛âh · fourH702
• or whatsoever hath moreרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• feetרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
• among all creeping thingsשֶׁ֫רֶץsherets · swarmH8318
• that creepשָׁרַץshârats · to swarmH8317
• upon the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
• them ye shall not eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• an abominationשֶׁ֫קֶץsheqets · detestationH8263

Cross-references for Leviticus 11:42

• Genesis 3:14The Lord God said to the snake, ‘Because you have done this, I will curse you. Among all the farm animals and wild animals, you are the one that I will curse. From now on, you will move across the ground on your stomach. You will eat dust from the ground. You will do this for your whole life.
• Isaiah 65:25At that time, wolves and lambs will eat together. Lions will eat straw like cows. A snake's food will be dirt. Nothing will hurt or destroy anything else anywhere on my holy mountain.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Micah 7:17They will be like snakes that move along the ground. They will be afraid and they will eat dust like snakes. They will come carefully out of their safe places, because they are afraid of you, the Lord our God.
• Matthew 3:7Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to John. They wanted John to baptize them. He said to them, ‘You are like dangerous snakes. God is angry. You are trying to run away from him. But he will soon punish people like you.
• Matthew 23:23It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's Law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! When you grow spices to cook with food, you give a tenth part of these small things to God. You are right to obey this rule. But you do not obey the more important parts of God's Law. You do not help people in a good way. You are not kind to them. You do not always do what God says is right. You should have done these important things as well as the other small things.
• John 8:44You belong to your father, the Devil, and you want to do the things that he wants. From the beginning, he has been someone who murders people. He refuses to accept the truth, because there is nothing true in him. When he tells lies, he is showing what he is really like. He always tells lies. He is the father of all lies.
• 2 Corinthians 11:3Remember how the snake deceived Eve. Because he was clever, she believed his lies. I am afraid that the same thing might happen to you. False teachers may make you believe wrong things. Then you will no longer love Christ in a pure and honest way.

Commentaries on Leviticus 11:42

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 42Whatsoever goeth upon the belly - In the word גהון gahon, the vau holem, in most Hebrew Bibles, is much larger than the other letters; and a Masoretic note is added in the margin, which states that this is the middle letter of the law; and consequently this verse is the middle verse of the Pentateuch. Whatsoever hath more feet - Than four; that is, all many-footed reptiles, as well as those which go upon the belly having no feet, such as serpents; besides…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 42Whatsoever goeth upon the belly - i. e. all footless reptiles, and mollusks, snakes of all kinds, snails, slugs, and worms. “Whatsoever goeth upon all four;” i. e. “creeping things,” or vermin; such as the weasel, the mouse or the lizard. Whatsoever hath more feet; i. e. all insects, except the locust family (Leviticus 11:22 note), myriapods, spiders, and caterpillars.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-47These chapters explain the rules about purity. Mixing different types of animals was forbidden (see Deuteronomy 22:9–11). This is because it opposed God's natural order. Creatures like fish without fins and scales, meat-eating animals, crawling insects, and animals without split hooves were considered "abnormal." They crossed the boundaries between "normal" types and were not suitable for food or offerings (see also Deuteronomy 14:1–21). The dietary laws…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-471-2. the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron--These laws, being addressed to both the civil and ecclesiastical rulers in Israel, may serve to indicate the twofold view that is to be taken of them. Undoubtedly the first and strongest reason for instituting a distinction among meats was to discourage the Israelites from spreading into other countries, and from general intercourse with the world--to prevent them acquiring familiarity with the inhabitants of…Read the comment

Topics related to Leviticus 11:42

• Creeping Things
• Food
• Sanitation

In the dictionaries

• Animal
• Clean
• Drink
• Food
• Paw
• Unclean
• Abomination
• Atonement, Day of
• Belly
• Ezekiel

Commentaries on Leviticus 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings