Leviticus 11:9 (DBY)

Passage

These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatever hath fins and scales in waters, in seas and in rivers, these shall ye eat;

Nearby Context

Leviticus 11:7 and the swine, for it hath cloven hoofs, and feet quite split open, but it cheweth not the cud it shall be unclean unto you.

Leviticus 11:8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch: they shall be unclean unto you.

Leviticus 11:9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatever hath fins and scales in waters, in seas and in rivers, these shall ye eat;

Leviticus 11:10 but all that have not fins and scales in seas and in rivers, of all that swarm in the waters, and of every living soul which is in the waters they shall be an abomination unto you.

Leviticus 11:11 They shall be even an abomination unto you: of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase ye shall have in abomination.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "waters", "whatever", "hath", "fins", "scales", and "seas". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "waters", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Of their flesh shall ye not eat..." into verse 10's "but all that have not fins and...", so "shall" and "waters" 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 "shall" and "waters" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.