‘And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘Every creeping thing that creeps on the earth is an abomination. It shall not be eaten.
- KJV And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
- BSB Every creature that moves along the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten.
- ESV “Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten.
- NASB ‘Now every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable, not to be eaten.
- NLT “All small animals that scurry along the ground are detestable, and you must never eat them.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Creatures that swarm on the ground are detestable and must not be eaten. God draws a firm line against these creatures as food for His people.
Overview
Every swarming thing that creeps on the earth is declared an abomination and forbidden as food. The strong word abomination underscores how decisively Israel was to reject these creatures. These boundaries embodied the call to be distinct, a holy nation set apart unto the LORD (Exodus 19:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Lev 11:29“‘These are they which are unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard,
- Lev 11:23But all winged creeping things which have four feet, are an abomination to you.
- Lev 11:20“‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are an abomination to you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 11:41 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.