Leviticus 11:46 (WEB)

Passage

“‘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,

Nearby Context

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,

Leviticus 11:47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.’”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "animal", "bird", "living", "creature", "moves", "waters", and "creeps". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "animal" and "bird", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 45's "For I am Yahweh who brought you..." into verse 47's "to make a distinction between the unclean...", so "animal" and "bird" 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 "bird" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.