In Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, God reveals which animals—including fish and birds—are clean and those unfit for human consumption. Although the lists are not exhaustive, God provides guidelines for us to recognize which animals are acceptable for consumption.

In this blog post, you will find answers to questions you might have about the clean and unclean animals.

To make it easier for you here is a summary of what is addressed in this post.

SUMMARY:

• List of clean animals (may be eaten)

• List of unclean animals (are not to be eaten)

• Q & A about clean and unclean food

• Question: “Isn’t the clean and unclean food law only for the Jews?”

• Question: “Wasn’t the law abolished when Jesus died on the cross?”

• Question: “What about the verses in the old testament that seem to tell us that we can eat whatever we want?”

• Question: “So why God did make the unclean animals? And why they are categorized as “unclean”?”

• Question: “Can you mention some health consequences of eating unclean animals?”

• Question: “Why does God care so much about what we eat?”

 

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CLEAN: MAY BE EATEN

ALTHOUGH THIS LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE, IT REVEALS GUIDELINES FOR RECOGNIZING ANIMALS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR FOOD

Chicken, Turkey, Grouse, Partridge, Pheasant, Pigeon, Prairie chicken, Ptarmigan, Quail, Sagehen

In Deuteronomy 14:11-20, a list of birds is given to signify which birds are unclean and not to be eaten; basically, all the rest can be consumed. Here is what Deuteronomy 14:11-20 says: 

• “Of all clean birds ye shall eat. But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, And the  glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, And every raven after his kind, And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. But of all clean fowls ye may eat.”

 

Antelope, Bison (buffalo), Caribou, Cattle (beef, veal), Deer (venison), Elk, Gazelle, goat, Hart, Ibex, Moose, Ox, Reindeer, Sheep (lamb, mutton)

• “Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.” – Leviticus 11:3
• “The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.” – Deuteronomy 14:5-6

 

Fish with fins and scales

Anchovy, Barracuda, Bass, Black Pomfret, Bluefish, Bluegill, Carp, Cod, Crappie, Drum, Flounder, Grouper, Grunt, Haddock, Hake, Halibut, Hardhead, Herring, Kingfish, Mackerel, Mahimahi, dolphinfish (not the mammal dolphin), Minnow, Mullet, Perch, Pike, Pollack, Rockfish, Salmon, Sardine, Shad, Silver hake, Smelt, Snapper, Sole, Steelhead, Sucker, Sunfish, Tarpon, Trout, Tuna, Whitefish.

• “These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.” – Leviticus 11:9

Locust, bald locust beetle, grasshopper

• “Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.” – Leviticus 11:21-22

 

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UNCLEAN: ARE NOT TO BE EATEN

ALTHOUGH THIS LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE, IT REVEALS GUIDELINES FOR RECOGNIZING ANIMALS THAT ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR FOOD

Pig, peccary, boar

• “And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.” – Leviticus 11:7

Rabbit, hare

• “And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.”- Leviticus 11:5 “And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.” – Leviticus 11:6

Water creatures

Shellfish (Abalone, Clam, Crab, Crayfish, Lobster, Mussel, Prawn, Oyster, Scallop, Shrimp) Soft body (Cuttlefish, Jellyfish, Limpet, Octopus, calamari)

Sea mammals (Dolphin, Otter, Porpoise, Seal, Walrus, Whale)

Fish with no fins and no scales (Bullhead, Catfish, Eel, European Turbot, Marlin, Paddlefish, Sculpin, Shark, Stickleback, Squid, Sturgeon (includes most caviar), Swordfish)

• “And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you” – Leviticus 11:10

Camel, horse, donkey, zebra, mule

• “Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you” – Leviticus 11:4
• “The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.” Leviticus 11:26

Apes, bears, canines such as dogs and wolves, felines such as cats and lions:

• “And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.” – Leviticus 11:27

Eagle, vulture, ossifrage, ospray, kite, owl, hawk, cuckow, cormorant, swan, pelican, stork, heron, lapwing, bat:

• “And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; Every raven after his kind; And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.” – Leviticus 11:13-20

All insects, except the locust, the bald locust, the beetle, the grasshopper after their kind:

• “And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.” – Leviticus 11:41-42
• “But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.” – Leviticus 11:23

Reptiles (Alligator, Caiman, Crocodile, Lizard, Snake, Turtle), Amphibians (Blindworm, Frog, Newt, Salamander, Toad), snail, mole, mouse, rat:

“These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.” – Leviticus 11:29-30

Q & A about clean and unclean food

• Question: “Isn’t the clean and unclean food law only for the Jews?”

Answer: WRONG. Before the Jewish nation even existed, There was already the notion of “clean” and “unclean” animals. Prior to the flood, God told Noah: “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his
female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.” – Genesis 7:2
Before this event, Noah already knew what animals were clean or unclean

• Question: “Wasn’t the law abolished when Jesus died on the cross?”

Answer: WRONG. When Jesus died on the cross, the ceramonial lwas have been abolished because all these lwas that we find in the old testament were pointing to Jesus. But the other laws like the law of unclean and clean animals and of course the 10 commandments have not been abolished. Jesus even tells us: “”If ye love me, keep my commandments.” – John 14:15
Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. He said:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” – 1 John 5:3

• Question: “What about the verses in the old testament that seem to tell us that we can eat whatever we want?”

Answer: I talked about this subject, click here to learn more about Bible verses about food that are often misinterpreted.

• Question: “So why God did make the unclean animals? And why they are categorized as “unclean”?”

Answer: God enjoys and loves all creatures, and they all have a purpose. In His wisdom, God knows why he created all things. If you look at everything in nature, all things have been perfectly made and are well organized. Of
course, things are less and less well organized because of sin resulting in human destruction and selfishness.
Here are some of the Bible verses that tell us how much God cares for all the creatures: “And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth
upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” – Genesis 1:25
“O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches” – Psalm 104:24
“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly
Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” -Matthew 6:26
“And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot
discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”Jonah 4:11
“The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.” – Psalm 104:31

Some animals have been categorized as “unclean” by God, not because they are less beautiful or less useful.
If you list the unclean animal, many are non-vegetarian. Many are carnivores and some are even scavengers (Definition of scavenger: an animal, such as a pig, a vulture or a crab, that feeds on dead or decaying
matters.) If they are eaten, they can be harmful to our health.
Some animals have been created to be a cleanup crew for the earth, the bottoms of lakes, rivers, and oceans such as the pigs, vultures, crabs or oysters. Others balance the circle of life. Indeed, carnivores are
prey animals that help to control the populations of other animals.

Some examples of nature vacuum cleaners:

Example 1: Lobsters walk at the bottom of the oceans and scavenge for dead animals and debris. Dead
fish are even sometimes buried by lobster and then dug up to be eaten little by little.
Example 2: Crabs can eat anything and are known to be “garbage hunters”.
Example 3: Shrimps also feed off of dead and decaying matter.
Example 4: Oyster, clams, mussels, and scallops have been created for a great purpose. They purify the water. They are stationary, meaning that they can not hunt and we can find them in streams, coastal areas and lakes and they are considered filter-feeders. They pump large amounts of water over their gills, trapping small pieces of viruses, bacteria, viruses and plant debris to eat them.
Example 5: Pigs eat about anything and everything, hairs, bones, defecations and many other unimaginable things. They can clean up a field full of garbage.
Example 6: Eagles or other carnivorous animals are obviously very important to control the populations of
other groups of animals.

Question: “Can you mention some health consequences of eating unclean animals?”

Answer: We have to remember that when we eat an animal we are also eating all that they have eaten. Eating unclean animals can give us many serious diseases.
For example, the pig eats many bad things and has no sweat glands, and from their birth to their death, retain in their fat every particle of bacteria that they come in contact with. Along with other unclean animals,
pigs can transmit to humans “trichinosis” which is caused by the small worm that finds his way into animal and human muscle.
Other unclean animals can transmit infections to humans such as parasitic infection (mainly from undercooked crabs, shrimp or snails).
Other conditions such as salmonella, hepatitis A, cholera or paralytic can be caused by shellfish poisoning. Raw oysters, mussels, and clams are responsible for 85% of all illness caused by eating seafood according to
the FDA. In addition, oceans, lakes, and streams are more and more polluted and full of toxins and heavy metals. Eating aquatic scavengers creatures can be harmful to human health. It is also known that pregnant women, elderly and people with compromised immune systems are warned against eating this kind of animals.

• Question: “Why does God cares so much about what we eat?”

Answer: God does not only cares about what we eat but he cares about our health in general and therefor he cares about what we do with our body.
I also talk about this subject mentioning 4 amazing reasons why God cares about our health.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!

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