Leviticus 11:39 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Leviticus 11:41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth is an abomination; it shall not be eaten.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beast", "toucheth", "carcass", "thereof", "shall", "unclean", "until", and "even". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beast" and "toucheth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "But if water be put upon the..." into verse 40's "And he that eateth of the carcass...", so "beast" and "toucheth" 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 "beast" and "toucheth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.