Leviticus 11:3 (KJV)

Passage

Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 11:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,

Leviticus 11:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.

Leviticus 11:3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

Leviticus 11:4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

Leviticus 11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whatsoever", "parteth", "hoof", "clovenfooted", "cheweth", "beasts", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whatsoever" and "parteth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Speak unto the children of Israel saying..." into verse 4's "Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of...", so "whatsoever" and "parteth" 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 "whatsoever" and "parteth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.