Leviticus 11:8 (LSB)

Passage

You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 11:6 the rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you;

Leviticus 11:7 and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud; it is unclean to you.

Leviticus 11:8 You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

Leviticus 11:9 ‘These you may eat, whatever is in the water: all that have fins and scales, those in the water, in the seas, or in the rivers, you may eat.

Leviticus 11:10 But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the swarming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "flesh", "touch", "carcasses", and "unclean". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "flesh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "and the pig for though it divides..." into verse 9's "These you may eat whatever is in...", so "shall" and "flesh" 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 "flesh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.