God’s Word Translation
Leviticus 11:44
44“Here is the reason: I am the Lord your God. You must live holy lives. Be holy because I am holy. Never become unclean by touching anything that swarms or crawls on the ground.
Leviticus 11:44 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
- New International Version (NIV)I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
Context of Leviticus 11:44
42Don’t eat any creature with many legs that goes on its belly or on the ground like a four-legged animal, or any creature that swarms on the ground. Consider them disgusting. 43Don’t become disgusting by eating anything that swarms on the ground. Never allow yourselves to become unclean because of them. “Here is the reason: I am the Lord your God. You must live holy lives. Be holy because I am holy. Never become unclean by touching anything that swarms or crawls on the ground. 45Here is the reason ⌞again⌟: I am the Lord. I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. Be holy because I am holy. 46“These are the instructions about animals, birds, and every living creature that swims in the water and every creature that swarms on the ground.
Read all of Leviticus 11Leviticus 11:44 word by word
כִּ֣י אֲנִ֣י יְהוָה֮ אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֒ וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם֙ וִהְיִיתֶ֣ם קְדֹשִׁ֔ים כִּ֥י קָד֖וֹשׁ אָ֑נִי וְלֹ֤א תְטַמְּאוּ֙ אֶת־נַפְשֹׁ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכָל־הַשֶּׁ֖רֶץ הָרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- your Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- ye shall therefore sanctify yourselvesקָדַשׁqâdash · to consecrate: consecateH6942
- and ye shall be holyקָדוֹשׁqâdôsh qâdôsh · holyH6918
- neither shall ye defileטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930
- yourselvesנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: myselfH5315
- with any manner of creeping thingשֶׁ֫רֶץsherets · swarmH8318
- that creepethרָמַשׂrâmaώ · to creepH7430
- upon the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
Cross-references for Leviticus 11:44
- Exodus 20:2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.
- Leviticus 10:3Moses said to Aaron, “This is exactly what the Lord said: ‘I will show my holiness among those who come to me. I will show my glory to all the people.’ ” Aaron was speechless.
- Leviticus 19:2“Tell the whole congregation of Israel: Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
- Leviticus 20:7“Live holy lives. Be holy because I am the Lord your God.
- Exodus 19:6You will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words you must speak to the Israelites.”
- Deuteronomy 14:2You are people who are holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the people who live on earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his own special possession.
- 1 Samuel 6:20The people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to which people will he go when he leaves us?”
- Psalms 99:5Highly honor the Lord our God. Bow down at his footstool. He is holy!
- Isaiah 6:3They called to each other and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory.”
- Amos 3:3Do two people ever walk together without meeting first?
- Matthew 5:48That is why you must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:7God didn’t call us to be sexually immoral but to be holy.
- 1 Peter 1:15But because the God who called you is holy, you must be holy in every aspect of your life.
- 1 Peter 2:9However, you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
- Revelation 22:11Let those who don’t have God’s approval go without it, and let filthy people continue to be filthy. Let those who have God’s approval continue to have it, and let holy people continue to be holy.”
Commentaries on Leviticus 11:44
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 44Ye shall - sanctify yourselves - Ye shall keep yourselves separate from all the people of the earth, that ye may be holy; for I am holy. And this was the grand design of God in all these prohibitions and commands; for these external sanctifications were only the emblems of the internal purity which the holiness of God requires here, and without which none can dwell with him in glory hereafter. See at the conclusion of this chapter. The contents of this…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 44-47Verses 44-47 These verses set forth the spiritual ground on which the distinction between clean and unclean is based. Compare the marginal references and Leviticus 10:10; Leviticus 20:25-26; 1 Peter 1:15-16. The basis of the obligation to maintain the distinction was the call of the Hebrews to be the special people of Yahweh. It was to he something in their daily life to remind them of the covenant which distinguished them from the nations of the world…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 44-45I am the LORD your God: See study note on Leviticus 18:2. be holy, because I am holy: These words express the main theme of Leviticus: God is holy. They must consider and treat God as holy. God expects holiness from his people (Leviticus 10:3; 19:2). This verse teaches that God's character influences those who make a covenant with him (see also 11:45; 20:7, 26; 21:8, 15; 22:9, 16, 32). They must become holy in their actions (Exodus 22:31; Deuteronomy…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 11:44
In the dictionaries
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
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