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He who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:28 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
  • BSB and anyone who picks up a carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.
  • NKJV Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you.
  • NASB and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.
  • NLT If you pick up its carcass, you must wash your clothes, and you will remain defiled until evening. These animals are unclean for you.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Whoever carries such carcasses must wash his clothes and is unclean until evening; these animals are unclean. Handling death requires cleansing and patient waiting.

Overview

As with other unclean carcasses, carrying these defiles and calls for washing and waiting until evening for restoration. The consistent pattern impresses that contact with death is serious and must be cleansed. These repeated washings point beyond themselves to the once-for-all cleansing from sin and death secured by Jesus Christ for all who trust him.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 1

  • Lev 11:24–25“‘By these you will become unclean: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Leviticus videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Leviticus 11:28YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LeviticusMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.

How Leviticus 11:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.