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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.'"</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/leviticus/11-47.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/3/03_Lev_11_47.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Leviticus 11:47 - Clean and Unclean Animals" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.'" /><script 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border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad7.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/leviticus/11-46.htm" title="Leviticus 11:46">◄</a> Leviticus 11:47 <a href="/leviticus/12-1.htm" title="Leviticus 12:1">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/leviticus/11.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/leviticus/11.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.&#8217&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/leviticus/11.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />By these instructions you will know what is unclean and clean, and which animals may be eaten and which may not be eaten.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/leviticus/11.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/leviticus/11.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/leviticus/11.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/leviticus/11.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’ ”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/leviticus/11.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/leviticus/11.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/leviticus/11.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/leviticus/11.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />to separate between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/leviticus/11.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />to make a distinction between the [ceremonially] unclean and the [ceremonially] clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/leviticus/11.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />in order to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the animals that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/leviticus/11.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />in order to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the animals that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.&#8221 <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/leviticus/11.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/leviticus/11.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/leviticus/11.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />These instructions help you distinguish between clean and unclean, the animals you may eat and those you may not eat."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/leviticus/11.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />You must be careful to distinguish between what is ritually clean and unclean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/leviticus/11.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />You are to differentiate between the clean and unclean, between the living creature that can be eaten and the living creature that is not to be eaten."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/leviticus/11.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.??<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/leviticus/11.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the living creatures that may be eaten and the living creatures that must not be eaten.'" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/leviticus/11.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.'"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/leviticus/11.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/leviticus/11.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.’” <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/leviticus/11.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />to make separation between the unclean and the pure, and between the beast that is eaten, and the beast that is not eaten.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/leviticus/11.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> to make separation between the unclean and the pure, and between the beast that is eaten, and the beast that is not eaten.'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/leviticus/11.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />To separate between the unclean and between the clean, and between the beast being eaten and between the beast which shall not be eaten.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/leviticus/11.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />That you may know the differences of the clean, and unclean, and know what you ought to eat, and what to refuse. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/leviticus/11.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />so that you may know the difference between clean and unclean, and so that you may know what you ought to eat, and what you ought to refuse.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/leviticus/11.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />that you may distinguish between the clean and the unclean, and between creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/leviticus/11.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/leviticus/11.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />To make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/leviticus/11.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And to distinguish between the defiled and the pure and between animals that are eaten and between animals that are not eaten.'" <div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/leviticus/11.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/leviticus/11.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />to distinguish between the unclean and the clean; and between those that bring forth alive, such as should be eaten, and those that bring forth alive, such as should not be eaten.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/leviticus/11-47.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWs_V1RyMFo?start=2763" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/leviticus/11.htm">Clean and Unclean Animals</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">46</span>This is the law regarding animals, birds, all living creatures that move in the water, and all creatures that crawl along the ground. <span class="reftext">47</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/914.htm" title="914: lə·haḇ·dîl (Prep-l:: V-Hifil-Inf) -- To be divided, separate. A primitive root; to divide.">You must distinguish</a> <a href="/hebrew/996.htm" title="996: bên (Prep) -- An interval, space between. ">between</a> <a href="/hebrew/2931.htm" title="2931: haṭ·ṭā·mê (Art:: Adj-ms) -- Unclean. From tame'; foul in a relig. Sense.">the unclean</a> <a href="/hebrew/2889.htm" title="2889: haṭ·ṭā·hōr (Art:: Adj-ms) -- Clean, pure. Or tahor; from taher; pure.">and the clean,</a> <a href="/hebrew/996.htm" title="996: ū·ḇên (Conj-w:: Prep) -- An interval, space between. "></a> <a href="/hebrew/996.htm" title="996: ū·ḇên (Conj-w:: Prep) -- An interval, space between. ">between</a> <a href="/hebrew/2416.htm" title="2416: ha·ḥay·yāh (Art:: N-fs) -- Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life. From chayah; alive; hence, raw; fresh, strong; also life, whether literally or figuratively.">animals</a> <a href="/hebrew/398.htm" title="398: han·ne·’ĕ·ḵe·leṯ (Art:: V-Nifal-Prtcpl-fs) -- To eat. A primitive root; to eat.">that may be eaten</a> <a href="/hebrew/996.htm" title="996: ū·ḇên (Conj-w:: Prep) -- An interval, space between. "></a> <a href="/hebrew/2416.htm" title="2416: ha·ḥay·yāh (Art:: N-fs) -- Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life. From chayah; alive; hence, raw; fresh, strong; also life, whether literally or figuratively.">and those</a> <a href="/hebrew/834.htm" title="834: ’ă·šer (Pro-r) -- Who, which, that. A primitive relative pronoun; who, which, what, that; also when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.">that</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">may not.’”</a> <a href="/hebrew/398.htm" title="398: ṯê·’ā·ḵêl (V-Nifal-Imperf-3fs) -- To eat. A primitive root; to eat."></a> </span><div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/10-14.htm">Acts 10:14-15</a></span><br />“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” / The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/7-18.htm">Mark 7:18-19</a></span><br />“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.” (Thus all foods are clean.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/14-14.htm">Romans 14:14</a></span><br />I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_timothy/4-4.htm">1 Timothy 4:4-5</a></span><br />For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, / because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11</a></span><br />A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/15-28.htm">Acts 15:28-29</a></span><br />It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond these essential requirements: / You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/colossians/2-16.htm">Colossians 2:16-17</a></span><br />Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. / These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/9-10.htm">Hebrews 9:10</a></span><br />They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/7-2.htm">Genesis 7:2</a></span><br />You are to take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate; a pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/14-3.htm">Deuteronomy 14:3-21</a></span><br />You must not eat any detestable thing. / These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat, / the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/22-26.htm">Ezekiel 22:26</a></span><br />Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they fail to distinguish between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/66-17.htm">Isaiah 66:17</a></span><br />“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/10-25.htm">1 Corinthians 10:25-26</a></span><br />Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, / for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/14-20.htm">Romans 14:20</a></span><br />Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling block.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/8-8.htm">1 Corinthians 8:8</a></span><br />But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/leviticus/10-10.htm">Leviticus 10:10</a></b></br> And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ezekiel/44-23.htm">Ezekiel 44:23</a></b></br> And they shall teach my people <i>the difference</i> between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/malachi/3-18.htm">Malachi 3:18</a></b></br> Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/leviticus/11-46.htm">Beast</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-37.htm">Clean</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-46.htm">Creature</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-43.htm">Creatures</a> <a href="/leviticus/10-10.htm">Difference</a> <a href="/leviticus/10-10.htm">Distinction</a> <a href="/leviticus/10-10.htm">Distinguish</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-41.htm">Eaten</a> <a href="/genesis/6-21.htm">Edible</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-41.htm">Food</a> <a href="/exodus/19-23.htm">Marking</a> <a href="/leviticus/10-10.htm">Pure</a> <a href="/leviticus/10-10.htm">Separation</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-44.htm">Unclean</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-41.htm">Used</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/leviticus/17-13.htm">Beast</a> <a href="/leviticus/12-4.htm">Clean</a> <a href="/leviticus/17-11.htm">Creature</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/14-9.htm">Creatures</a> <a href="/leviticus/20-25.htm">Difference</a> <a href="/leviticus/20-25.htm">Distinction</a> <a href="/1_kings/3-9.htm">Distinguish</a> <a href="/leviticus/17-13.htm">Eaten</a> <a href="/genesis/6-21.htm">Edible</a> <a href="/leviticus/14-47.htm">Food</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/10-15.htm">Marking</a> <a href="/leviticus/24-2.htm">Pure</a> <a href="/leviticus/12-2.htm">Separation</a> <a href="/leviticus/12-2.htm">Unclean</a> <a href="/leviticus/13-51.htm">Used</a><div class="vheading2">Leviticus 11</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/11-1.htm">What animals may be eaten</a></span><br><span class="reftext">4. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/11-4.htm">and what may not be eaten</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/11-9.htm">What fishes</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/11-13.htm">What fowls</a></span><br><span class="reftext">29. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/11-29.htm">The creeping things which are unclean</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/leviticus/11.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/leviticus/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/leviticus/11.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean</b><br>This phrase emphasizes the importance of discernment in the life of the Israelites. The distinction between clean and unclean is a central theme in Leviticus, reflecting God's holiness and the call for His people to be set apart. The concept of clean and unclean extends beyond dietary laws to include moral and spiritual purity. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ fulfills the law, and the distinction becomes a metaphor for spiritual discernment (<a href="/mark/7-18.htm">Mark 7:18-23</a>). The call to distinguish is a call to holiness, reflecting God's nature and His desire for His people to live in a way that honors Him.<p><b>between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.</b><br>The dietary laws given to the Israelites served multiple purposes, including health, identity, and obedience. These laws helped to maintain the physical health of the community by avoiding animals that were more likely to carry disease. Culturally, these laws set the Israelites apart from surrounding nations, reinforcing their identity as God's chosen people. Historically, these distinctions were a daily reminder of the covenant relationship between God and Israel. In <a href="/acts/10-9.htm">Acts 10:9-16</a>, Peter's vision signifies the removal of these dietary restrictions, symbolizing the inclusion of Gentiles into the faith and the new covenant established through Christ. The laws also foreshadow the ultimate purity and holiness found in Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the law and the one who makes all things clean through His sacrifice.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/m/moses.htm">Moses</a></b><br>Traditionally considered the author of Leviticus, Moses is the leader of the Israelites and the mediator of God's laws to them.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/i/israelites.htm">Israelites</a></b><br>The chosen people of God, to whom the laws in Leviticus were given as part of their covenant relationship with Him.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/c/clean_and_unclean_animals.htm">Clean and Unclean Animals</a></b><br>The focus of <a href="/bsb/leviticus/11.htm">Leviticus 11</a>, where God distinguishes between animals that are permissible to eat and those that are not, as part of the Israelites' dietary laws.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/h/holiness_and_distinction.htm">Holiness and Distinction</a></b><br><a href="/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47</a> emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between the clean and unclean, symbolizing the call for God's people to be holy and set apart.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/o/obedience_to_god's_commands.htm">Obedience to God's Commands</a></b><br>The dietary laws were a test of obedience and trust in God's wisdom, teaching us the importance of following God's commands even when we do not fully understand them.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/spiritual_discernment.htm">Spiritual Discernment</a></b><br>Just as the Israelites were to discern between clean and unclean, Christians are called to discern between what is spiritually beneficial and harmful in their lives.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/transformation_through_christ.htm">Transformation through Christ</a></b><br>While the dietary laws were specific to the Israelites, they point to a greater spiritual truth fulfilled in Christ, who purifies us from within and calls us to live holy lives.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_leviticus_11.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Leviticus 11</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_does_amos_teach_about_justice.htm">What does 'ceremonially unclean' mean?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_acts_10_contradict_leviticus_11.htm">If Leviticus 11 is God's eternal command, why does Acts 10:9-16 appear to contradict these dietary laws?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/follow_old_testament_dietary_laws.htm">Should we obey Old Testament dietary laws? (Leviticus 11:1-47 vs. Mark 7:18-19)</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_mention_'clean'_animals_in_genesis_7_2.htm">If 'clean' and 'unclean' animals (Genesis 7:2) were not defined until later, why are they mentioned here?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/leviticus/11.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(47) <span class= "bld">To make a difference.</span>--Better, <span class= "ital">that ye may put difference, </span>as the Authorised Version renders the same word in <a href="/leviticus/10-10.htm" title="And that you may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;">Leviticus 10:10</a>. That is, the design of the dietary law is to enable both the administrators of the law and the people to distinguish, by the characteristics and criteria specified above, between what is clean and unclean.<p><span class= "bld">And between the beast that may be eaten.</span>--From the fact that the same word, "beast," is used in both clauses with regard to the animal which may be eaten and the one which may not be eaten without the qualifying adjunct "clean" and "unclean," the administrators of the law during the second Temple concluded that the same clean animal is meant in both instances, under different conditions. The clean animal may be eaten when it is in a healthy state, but the same animal may not be eaten when it has organic defects, or is diseased. Hence they enacted the following canon: an animal is perfectly sound when it is capable of conceiving and bringing forth young. This is the reason why the LXX. renders the word beast here <span class= "ital">by viviparous.</span><p><span class= "bld"><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/leviticus/11-47.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">You must distinguish</span><br /><span class="heb">לְהַבְדִּ֕יל</span> <span class="translit">(lə·haḇ·dîl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_914.htm">Strong's 914: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be divided, separate</span><br /><br /><span class="word">between</span><br /><span class="heb">בֵּ֥ין</span> <span class="translit">(bên)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_996.htm">Strong's 996: </a> </span><span class="str2">An interval, space between</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the unclean</span><br /><span class="heb">הַטָּמֵ֖א</span> <span class="translit">(haṭ·ṭā·mê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Adjective - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2931.htm">Strong's 2931: </a> </span><span class="str2">Unclean</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and the clean,</span><br /><span class="heb">הַטָּהֹ֑ר</span> <span class="translit">(haṭ·ṭā·hōr)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Adjective - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2889.htm">Strong's 2889: </a> </span><span class="str2">Clean, pure</span><br /><br /><span class="word">between</span><br /><span class="heb">וּבֵ֣ין</span> <span class="translit">(ū·ḇên)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_996.htm">Strong's 996: </a> </span><span class="str2">An interval, space between</span><br /><br /><span class="word">animals</span><br /><span class="heb">הַֽחַיָּה֙</span> <span class="translit">(ha·ḥay·yāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2416.htm">Strong's 2416: </a> </span><span class="str2">Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life</span><br /><br /><span class="word">that may be eaten</span><br /><span class="heb">הַֽנֶּאֱכֶ֔לֶת</span> <span class="translit">(han·ne·’ĕ·ḵe·leṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Verb - Nifal - Participle - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_398.htm">Strong's 398: </a> </span><span class="str2">To eat</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and those</span><br /><span class="heb">הַֽחַיָּ֔ה</span> <span class="translit">(ha·ḥay·yāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2416.htm">Strong's 2416: </a> </span><span class="str2">Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life</span><br /><br /><span class="word">that</span><br /><span class="heb">אֲשֶׁ֖ר</span> <span class="translit">(’ă·šer)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - relative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_834.htm">Strong's 834: </a> </span><span class="str2">Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that</span><br /><br /><span class="word">may not.”</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹ֥א</span> <span class="translit">(lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/leviticus/11-47.htm">Leviticus 11:47 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/leviticus/11-47.htm">OT Law: Leviticus 11:47 To make a distinction between the unclean (Le Lv Lev.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/leviticus/11-46.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Leviticus 11:46"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Leviticus 11:46" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/leviticus/12-1.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Leviticus 12:1"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Leviticus 12:1" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>