Leviticus 11:38 (ASV)

Passage

But if water be put upon the seed, and [aught] of their carcass fall thereon, it is unclean unto you.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 11:36 Nevertheless a fountain or a pit wherein is a gathering of water shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcass shall be unclean.

Leviticus 11:37 And if [aught] of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.

Leviticus 11:38 But if water be put upon the seed, and [aught] of their carcass fall thereon, it is unclean unto you.

Leviticus 11:39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even.

Leviticus 11:40 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "water", "upon", "seed", "aught", "carcass", "fall", "thereon", and "unclean". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "water" and "upon", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "And if aught of their carcass fall..." into verse 39's "And if any beast of which ye...", so "water" and "upon" belong inside that flow. In Leviticus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "water" and "upon" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.