Leviticus 11:42
in Leviticus 11Do not eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it crawls on its belly or walks on four or more feet; for such creatures are detestable.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all fours, or whatsoever hath many feet, even all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Leviticus 11
Commentary
5 notes on this verseWhatsoever goeth upon the belly - In the word גהון gahon, the vau holem, in most Hebrew Bibles, is much larger than the other letters; and a Masoretic note is added in the margin, which states that this is the middle letter of the law; and consequently this verse is the middle verse of the Pentateuch. Whatsoever hath more feet - Than four; that is, all many-footed reptiles, as well as those which go upon the belly having no feet, such as serpents; besides the four-footed smaller animals mentioned above.
This site's exposition
And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die
on Leviticus 11:39-43
An animal a man may lawfully eat still defiles the one who touches it when it dies of itself, so cleanness belongs to the living beast and ends with it. From verse 41 the ground itself is closed, and everything that creeps on it is put out of the diet. Verse 42 marks out whatsoever goeth upon the belly, which repeats the words spoken over the serpent at Genesis 3:14, and the chapter draws no line between the two places.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
); for it was the curse of the serpent that upon his belly he should go, and therefore between him and man there was an enmity put ( Gen. iii. 15 ), which was preserved by this law.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Whatsoever goeth upon the belly,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Whatsoever goeth upon the belly - i. e. all footless reptiles, and mollusks, snakes of all kinds, snails, slugs, and worms. “Whatsoever goeth upon all four;” i. e. “creeping things,” or vermin; such as the weasel, the mouse or the lizard. Whatsoever hath more feet; i. e. all insects, except the locust family (Lev 11:22 note), myriapods, spiders, and caterpillars.
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כֹּל֩ | kol | any | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הוֹלֵ֨ךְ | holekh | [one which] walks | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| גָּח֜וֹן | gachon | belly | H1512 → | |
| וְכֹ֣ל׀ | vekhol | and any | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הוֹלֵ֣ךְ | holekh | [one which] walks | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אַרְבַּ֗ע | ʾarba' | four [feet] | H702 → | 318 times |
| עַ֚ד | ʾad | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | any | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מַרְבֵּ֣ה | marbeh | [one which] multiplies | H7235 → | 227 times |
| רַגְלַ֔יִם | raglayim | <of> feet | H7272 → | 247 times |
| לְכָל־ | lekhol | to every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַשֶּׁ֖רֶץ | hasheretz | <the> swarming thing | H8318 → | 15 times |
| הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ | hashoretz | which swarms | H8317 → | 14 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאָ֑רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תֹאכְל֖וּם | tokhlum | you must eat them | H398 → | 810 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| שֶׁ֥קֶץ | sheketz | [are] a detestable thing | H8263 → | 11 times |
| הֵֽם׃ | hem | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
כֹּל֩any
kolH3605 →5413 times
הוֹלֵ֨ךְ[one which] walks
holekhH1980 →1546 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
גָּח֜וֹןbelly
gachonH1512 →
וְכֹ֣ל׀and any
vekholH3605 →5413 times
הוֹלֵ֣ךְ[one which] walks
holekhH1980 →1546 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
אַרְבַּ֗עfour [feet]
ʾarba'H702 →318 times
עַ֚דto
ʾadH5704 →1261 times
כָּל־any
kol-H3605 →5413 times
מַרְבֵּ֣ה[one which] multiplies
marbehH7235 →227 times
רַגְלַ֔יִם<of> feet
raglayimH7272 →247 times
לְכָל־to every
lekholH3605 →5413 times
הַשֶּׁ֖רֶץ<the> swarming thing
hasheretzH8318 →15 times
הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץwhich swarms
hashoretzH8317 →14 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָאָ֑רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תֹאכְל֖וּםyou must eat them
tokhlumH398 →810 times
כִּי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
שֶׁ֥קֶץ[are] a detestable thing
sheketzH8263 →11 times
הֵֽם׃they
hemH1992 →553 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Corinthians 11:3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
it leads to
- 1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.
- Galatians 1:6
I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
- Ephesians 4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.
- Colossians 2:4
I say this so that no one will deceive you by smooth rhetoric.
- 1 John 4:1
Through
2 Corinthians 11:13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
it leads to
- Galatians 1:7
which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ.
- Revelation 2:2
I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles.
- Philippians 3:2
Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!
- Galatians 1:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Leviticus

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
