Leviticus 11:4
in Leviticus 11But of those that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that part the hoof: the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Leviticus 11
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Divideth not the hoof - The toes of the camel are divided above, but they are united below in a sort of cushion or pad resting upon the hard bottom of the foot, which is “like the sole of a shoe.” The Moslems eat the flesh of the camel, but it is said not to be wholesome.
This site's exposition
The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron
on Leviticus 11:1-8
Land animals are settled by a test, a split hoof and a chewed cud together. The four creatures of verses 4 to 7 are the near misses, each with one sign.
This site's exposition
The camel, though it chews the cud
The camel's foot is split at the top and joined below in a soft pad, as Albert Barnes and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown describe it. The division is incomplete, and that is enough to exclude it. John Wesley notes that it was common food in Arabia.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And cheweth the cud - Hebrew. and bringeth up the cud, that is, the meat once chewed, out of the stomach in the mouth again, that it may be chewed a second time for better concoction. And this branch is to be joined with the former, both properties being necessary for the allowed beasts.
The camel - An usual food in Arabia, but yielding bad nourishment. Divideth not the hoof - So as to have his foot cloven in two, which being expressed, ver. 3, is here to be understood. Otherwise the camel's hoof is divided, but it is but a small and imperfect division.
Nevertheless, these shall ye not eat,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the camel--It does to a certain extent divide the hoof, for the foot consists of two large parts, but the division is not complete; the toes rest upon an elastic pad on which the animal goes; as a beast of burden its flesh is tough.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
But the animals that may be eaten are those which "part the hoof as well as chew the cud," and this is another means of freeing the flesh of the animal from noxious substances.
The words behind it
21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַ֤ךְ | ʾakh | nevertheless | H389 → | 161 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| זֶה֙ | zeh | this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תֹֽאכְל֔וּ | tokhelu | you must eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| מִֽמַּעֲלֵי֙ | mimaalei | from [those which] bring up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| הַגֵּרָ֔ה | hagerah | <of> the cud | H1625 → | 11 times |
| וּמִמַּפְרִיסֵ֖י | umimafrisei | and from [those which] divide in two | H6536 → | 14 times |
| הַפַּרְסָ֑ה | haparsah | <of> the hoof | H6541 → | 21 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַ֠גָּמָל | hagamol | the camel | H1581 → | |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מַעֲלֵ֨ה | maaleh | [is] bringing up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| גֵרָ֜ה | gerah | <of> cud | H1625 → | 11 times |
| ה֗וּא | hu' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וּפַרְסָה֙ | ufarsah | and a hoof | H6541 → | 21 times |
| אֵינֶ֣נּוּ | ʾeinenu | not it | H369 → | 789 times |
| מַפְרִ֔יס | mafris | [is] dividing in two | H6536 → | 14 times |
| טָמֵ֥א | tame' | [is] unclean | H2931 → | 88 times |
| ה֖וּא | hu' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לָכֶֽם׃ | lakhem | to <the> you |
אַ֤ךְnevertheless
ʾakhH389 →161 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
זֶה֙this
zehH2088 →1180 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תֹֽאכְל֔וּyou must eat
tokheluH398 →810 times
מִֽמַּעֲלֵי֙from [those which] bring up
mimaaleiH5927 →890 times
הַגֵּרָ֔ה<of> the cud
hagerahH1625 →11 times
וּמִמַּפְרִיסֵ֖יand from [those which] divide in two
umimafriseiH6536 →14 times
הַפַּרְסָ֑ה<of> the hoof
haparsahH6541 →21 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַ֠גָּמָלthe camel
hagamolH1581 →
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
מַעֲלֵ֨ה[is] bringing up
maalehH5927 →890 times
גֵרָ֜ה<of> cud
gerahH1625 →11 times
ה֗וּאit
hu'H1931 →1879 times
וּפַרְסָה֙and a hoof
ufarsahH6541 →21 times
אֵינֶ֣נּוּnot it
ʾeinenuH369 →789 times
מַפְרִ֔יס[is] dividing in two
mafrisH6536 →14 times
טָמֵ֥א[is] unclean
tame'H2931 →88 times
ה֖וּאit
hu'H1931 →1879 times
לָכֶֽם׃to <the> you
lakhem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Leviticus
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.