UTN uW Translation Notes:

Leviticus 11 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

In Leviticus 11, Yahweh speaks to Moses again and delivers a series of laws about all things clean and unclean that continues through Leviticus 15. This chapter concerns the animals that Israel is allowed to eat and how to distinguish between what is clean and what is unclean. (See Leviticus 11:46–47.) The list begins with four unclean quadrupeds, establishing a rule for identifying clean and unclean four-footed animals: they must both chew cud and possess a fully cloven hoof (11:2–4. As such, camels (11:4), rock badgers (11:5), rabbits (11:6), and pigs (11:7) are unclean because these animals meet one but not both of these criteria. The section which follows describes a rule for determining clean and unclean creatures that live in water: they must possess both scales and fins. (See 11:9–12.) Next, Yahweh gives a list of unclean birds, although he does not describe why these are unclean. (See 11:13–19.) This is followed by a list of clean insects and a rule for distinguishing them from unclean ones (11:20–23). The rule for determining unclean quadrupeds is reiterated (11:24–28) before a list of unclean “swarming things” is provided (11:29–31), along with instructions for what to do when such unclean creatures come into contact with various everyday items and objects (11:32–38). Yahweh reiterates that no one should touch or eat the dead body of an unclean animal (11:39–40), before reiterating the rule for unclean “swarming things” (11:41–43). Yahweh then explains that the reason for these laws is found in his own holiness and his desire for his people to be just as holy (11:44–45) by following his laws and distinguishing between what is clean and what is unclean (11:46–47). The structure of the chapter is as follows: Clean and Unclean Animals A. The rule for clean and unclean quadrupeds (11:1–8) B. The rule for clean and unclean water creatures (11:9–12) C. A list of unclean birds (11:13–19) D. The rule for clean and unclean insects (11:20–23) E. The rule for clean and unclean quadrupeds, again (11:24–28) F. A list of unclean “swarming” creatures (11:29–31) G. Handling objects that come into contact with unclean creatures (11:32–38) H. Prohibition against touching or eating dead unclean animals (11:39–40) I. Unclean “swarming” creatures, again (11:41–43) J. Yahweh’s concluding explanation for the law (11:44–47)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Clean and unclean animals

This chapter describes the animals, birds, and other creatures that were “unclean,” meaning that the Israelites were not allowed to eat them. It also describes the ones that were “clean,” which the Israelites were permitted to eat. The lists of four-legged animals, water creatures, and insects tell how to determine which ones are clean and which ones are not. The lists of birds and swarming creatures do not provide that information.Interpreters continue to debate the grounds on which creatures were considered clean or unclean. However, it is likely that in the mind of the ancient Israelite, unclean creatures had an association with death, or they did not fit properly into their own category of creation, or they were associated with the false gods of the nations that lived around Israel.For example, birds that ate the flesh of dead animals were unclean because that associated them with death. The ostrich was considered unclean because it is a bird that does not fly, so it does not fit its own category. There was also an association between the ostrich and the religious practices of the Egyptians.But in general, the book of Leviticus leaves the logic unstated and implicit that defines clean and unclean. In your translation, it may be best to do the same. As a translator, it is important not to introduce into your translation of Leviticus current cultural notions of which foods are acceptable.

Important Figures of Speech in This Chapter

Repeated words

Throughout this chapter, several related words are repeated for emphasis. Examples of this are found in the expressions “dividing a hoof” (11:3–7), “splitting the cleft of hooves” (11:3 and 11:7), “chew the cud” (11:7), “any food that is eaten” and “any drink that is drunk” (11:34), “any seed, a sown seed that will be sown” (11:37), and “every swarming thing, the one swarming on the ground” (11:41). You may be able to use the same construction in your language to express the meaning of these expressions.

The use of generic nouns

Throughout this chapter, generic nouns are used to describe clean and unclean animals. When these nouns use the article “the” (as in “the rock badger”), the expression does not refer to a specific animal. Rather, it describes any animal of that type that an Israelite might encounter. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language.

Other Possible Translation Difficulties in This Chapter

“Clean” and “unclean”

To understand the concepts of clean and unclean, it may be helpful to review the section of the Book Introduction labeled “What is the meaning of ‘holy’ and ‘holiness’ in the book of Leviticus?” as well as the section in the General Introduction to Leviticus 5 labeled “Unclean.” (Also see: clean)

The identity of the clean and unclean animals

The exact identities of several of the animals listed in this chapter are ambiguous and debated, especially in the lists of unclean birds (11:13–19) and “swarming” creatures (11:29–31). Not only is it likely that some of these animals are extinct or no longer exist in the same form as they did in ancient Israel, but it is also likely that the ancient Israelites categorized animals differently than modern zoological taxonomies. Despite this, the ULT gives a reasonable translation for the animals in these lists. In your translation, it is best to keep the names of the animals in these lists as general as possible. Consider using words or expressions that describe a category of birds (such as “hawks or lizards”) rather than the name of a specific species of bird (like “the Swainson’s Hawk or the monitor lizard”). If your language does not have many different words for similar animals, you may have to list fewer animals than the ULT does. See the UST for a model of this kind of translation.