Leviticus 11:39 (DRB)

Passage

If any beast die, of which it is lawful for you to eat, he that toucheth the carcass thereof, shall be unclean until the evening.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 11:37 If it fall upon seed corn, it shall not defile it.

Leviticus 11:38 But if any man pour water upon the seed, and afterwards it be touched by the carcasses, it shall be forthwith defiled.

Leviticus 11:39 If any beast die, of which it is lawful for you to eat, he that toucheth the carcass thereof, shall be unclean until the evening.

Leviticus 11:40 And he that eateth or carrieth any thing thereof, shall wash his clothes, and shall be unclean until the evening.

Leviticus 11:41 All that creepeth upon the earth shall be abominable: neither shall it be taken for meat.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "But if any man pour water upon..." into verse 40's "And he that eateth or carrieth any...", so "beast" and "lawful" 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 "lawful" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.