Leviticus 11:42 (LSB)

Passage

Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, whatever has many feet, in respect to every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are detestable.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 11:40 He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 11:41 ‘Now every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable; it shall not be eaten.

Leviticus 11:42 Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, whatever has many feet, in respect to every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are detestable.

Leviticus 11:43 Do not render yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean.

Leviticus 11:44 For I am Yahweh your God. Therefore, set yourselves apart as holy and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that move on the earth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whatever", "goes", "belly", "fours", and "feet". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whatever" and "goes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 41's "Now every swarming thing that swarms on..." into verse 43's "Do not render yourselves detestable through any...", so "whatever" and "goes" 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 "whatever" and "goes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.