Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Leviticus 11:29 - 11:43

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Leviticus 11:29 - 11:43


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

Of the Smaller Animals. General Precepts.

v. 29. These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth: the weasel,
which often entered houses and defiled foods, and the mouse, that is, the field-mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, the great lizard of the Orient,

v. 30. and the ferret,
or rather a lizard with a sharp cry, and the chameleon, a salamander-like lizard living in old walls, and the lizard, and the snail, either the true lizard or one similar to the blind-worm of Europe, and the mole, the word here used seeming to point definitely to the chameleon. Note that the equivalent of the Hebrew names can be given only approximately in the English language, since we have no means of knowing to which of the species now occurring in the Orient the various words apply, or whether perhaps certain species are not extinct.

v. 31. These are unclean to you among all that creep; whosoever doth touch them when they be dead shall be unclean until the even.
The ordinance concerning them was so strict, not because these animals in themselves were unusually filthy, but because there was greater likelihood of their coming in contact with clothes and with vessels in the houses.

v. 32. And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean,
for it might easily happen that one of them would fall out of a wall or from the open ceiling; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, garments of every kind, or skin, used for churning, for holding wine and other liquids, and for a variety of purposes, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, that is, put to any use in the household or shop, it must be put in to water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.

v. 33. And every earthen vessel whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it,
since the porous nature of it would cause it to absorb some of the filthiness.

v. 34. of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh,
which has been in contact with the carcass of such a creature, shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean, it was defiled by the touch of the dead animal.

v. 35. And everything whereupon any part of their carcass falleth shall be unclean, whether it be oven,
the larger bake-oven, or ranges for pots, small, portable ovens of earthenware, they shall be broken down; for they are unclean and shall be unclean unto you.

v. 36. Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water,
a spring or cistern with an abundance of fresh water or with the only water supply for an entire neighborhood, shall be clean; but that, or rather, he, which toucheth their carcass, in order to carry it away, shall be unclean.

v. 37. And if any part of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean,
the external filthiness on the dry grains being absorbed by the earth.

v. 38. But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcass fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you,
for in this case the uncleanness would be absorbed by the moisture in the kernels.

v. 39. And if any beast of which ye may eat, die,
if an animal belonging to the category of clean animals die a natural death or be torn by wild beasts, he that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even.

v. 40. And he that eateth of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the even; he also that beareth the carcass of it shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the even.
In either case contact of the clothes with the dead animal was practically unavoidable.

v. 41. And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth,
all crawling and four-footed vermin, shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.

v. 42. Whatsoever goeth upon the belly,
as serpents and worms, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, as mice, rats, weasels, moles, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, as centipedes, spiders, and other arthropods, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.

v. 43. Ye shall not make yourselves abominable,
literally, "ye shall not make your souls an abomination," with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. The children of Israel, as the people of the Lord, must keep away from every form of defilement.