Leviticus 11:41 (WEB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Leviticus 11:42 Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, even all creeping things that creep on the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination.

Leviticus 11:43 You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps. You shall not make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled thereby.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "creeping", "creeps", "earth", "abomination", "shall", and "eaten". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "creeping" and "creeps", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 40's "He who eats of its carcass shall..." into verse 42's "Whatever goes on its belly and whatever...", so "creeping" and "creeps" 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 "creeping" and "creeps" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.