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Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
Leviticus 11:34 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB All food which may be eaten, that on which water comes, shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
  • BSB Any food coming into contact with water from that pot will be unclean, and any drink in such a container will be unclean.
  • NKJV in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean.
  • NASB Any of the food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean.
  • NLT If the water from such a container spills on any food, the food will be defiled. And any beverage in such a container will be defiled.

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

Food and drink touched by water from an unclean vessel become unclean. Defilement could pass through ordinary household contact.

Overview

Food moistened by contaminated water, and any drink in such a vessel, is rendered unclean. The law shows how pervasively impurity could spread, requiring constant care. This heightened awareness of defilement prepared Israel to long for a purity from within, which Christ alone supplies by cleansing the heart (Hebrews 9:14).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Prov 21:27The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?
  • Prov 28:8He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
  • Prov 21:4An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
  • Prov 15:8The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
  • Titus 1:15Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 11:34YouTube · 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 11:34 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.