Leviticus 11:39 (WEB)

Passage

“‘If any animal, of which you may eat, dies; he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 11:37 If part of their carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.

Leviticus 11:38 But if water is put on the seed, and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Leviticus 11:39 “‘If any animal, of which you may eat, dies; he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.

Leviticus 11:40 He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.

Leviticus 11:41 “‘Every creeping thing that creeps on the earth is an abomination. It shall not be eaten.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "But if water is put on the..." into verse 40's "He who eats of its carcass shall...", so "animal" and "dies" 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 "animal" and "dies" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.