He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, which would make him unclean. I am the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB That which dies of itself, or is torn by animals, he shall not eat, defiling himself by it. I am Yahweh.
- KJV That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the LORD.
- ESV He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the LORD.’
- NKJV Whatever dies naturally or is torn by beasts he shall not eat, to defile himself with it: I am the Lord.
- NASB He shall not eat an animal which dies or is torn by animals, becoming unclean by it; I am the Lord.
- NLT He may not eat an animal that has died a natural death or has been torn apart by wild animals, for this would defile him. I am the Lord.
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
Priests must not eat any animal that died naturally or was killed by beasts, since doing so would defile them.
Overview
Carrion carried ritual defilement, so priests devoted to handling holy things were forbidden it. The repeated 'I am Yahweh' grounds the command in God's own character rather than mere hygiene. Such laws cultivated a people set apart, and ultimately point to the perfect purity God's own Son would embody and impart to His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Lev 17:15And any person, whether native or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean.
- Exod 22:31You are to be My holy people. You must not eat the meat of a mauled animal found in the field; you are to throw it to the dogs.
- Lev 7:24The fat of an animal found dead or mauled by wild beasts may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it.
- Deut 14:21You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
- Ezek 44:31The priests may not eat any bird or animal found dead or torn by wild beasts.
- Lev 11:39–40If an animal that you may eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean until evening.
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 22:8 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.