Leviticus 11:44 (WEB)

Passage

For I am Yahweh your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth.

Nearby Context

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.

Leviticus 11:44 For I am Yahweh your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth.

Leviticus 11:45 For I am Yahweh who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Leviticus 11:46 “‘This is the law of the animal, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "yahweh", "sanctify", "yourselves", "therefore", "holy", "shall", and "defile". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "yahweh" and "sanctify", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 43's "You shall not make yourselves abominable with..." into verse 45's "For I am Yahweh who brought you...", so "yahweh" and "sanctify" 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 "yahweh" and "sanctify" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.