John Gill Commentary Leviticus 11:26

John Gill Commentary

Leviticus 11:26

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
John Gill
John Gill

John Gill Commentary

Leviticus 11:26

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
SCRIPTURE

"Every beast which parteth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, is unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean." — Leviticus 11:26 (ASV)

[The carcasses] of every beast which divideth the hoof,
and is not cloven footed
As the camel:

nor cheweth the cud ;
though it may divide the hoof, as the swine; and on the other hand, such as may chew the cud, and yet not dividing the hoof, as the coney and hare; for the Scripture here, as Aben Ezra observes again, uses a short and concise way of speaking: these

[are] unclean unto you ;
to be reckoned by them such, and neither to be eaten nor touched:

everyone that touches them shall be unclean ;
until the evening; and obliged to washing, though not expressed: this is not to be understood of touching them while alive, as some Sadducees or Karaites understand it, according to Aben Ezra; for camels, horses, mules might be, and were rode upon, and so touched; but of them when dead, or their carcases, as is rightly supplied in the beginning of the verse; and the Jewish writers F3 understand this of the flesh of the carcass only, not of the bones, horns, and hoofs, which, they say, do not defile, only the flesh: this is repeated from (Leviticus 11:8) .


FOOTNOTES:

  • F3: Misn. Edaiot, c. 6. sect. 3. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.