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Clean and Unclean Animals
…6The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.7Andthe pig,thoughit hasa splithoofcompletely divided,does notchewthe cud;it isuncleanfor you.8You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.…

Treasury of Scripture

And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he chews not the cud; he is unclean to you.

swine

Deuteronomy 14:8
And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, itis unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.

Isaiah 65:4
Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominablethings is in their vessels;

Isaiah 66:3,17
He that killeth an oxis as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb,as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation,as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense,as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations…

ChewChewethCleavingCleftClovenClovenfootedCloven-FootedCompletelyCudDivideDividedDividesDividethDividingFeetFoodFootHoofHoofsHornMakingOpenPartedPartethPartsPigQuiteSplitSwineUncleanChewChewethCleavingCleftClovenClovenfootedCloven-FootedCompletelyCudDivideDividedDividesDividethDividingFeetFoodFootHoofHoofsHornMakingOpenPartedPartethPartsPigQuiteSplitSwineUnclean1.What animals may be eaten
4.and what may not be eaten
9.What fishes
13.What fowls
29.The creeping things which are unclean

And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided,
The pig is mentioned here as an example of an animal that, despite having one of the characteristics of clean animals (a split hoof), is still considered unclean because it does not meet all the criteria. In the ancient Near Eastern context, animals with split hooves were often seen as suitable for domestication and consumption. The split hoof is a physical characteristic that, in other clean animals, symbolizes separation and purity. However, the pig's failure to meet the second criterion (chewing the cud) renders it unclean. This distinction emphasizes the importance of adhering to God's specific instructions rather than relying on partial compliance.

does not chew the cud;
Chewing the cud is a process where animals regurgitate their food and chew it again, which is a characteristic of ruminant animals. This process was seen as a sign of cleanliness and purity in the dietary laws given to Israel. The act of chewing the cud can symbolize meditation and reflection on God's Word, as seen inPsalm 1:2, where the righteous person meditates on the law day and night. The pig's failure to chew the cud signifies a lack of this meditative process, making it unclean according to the Levitical law.

it is unclean for you.
The declaration of the pig as unclean is part of the broader Levitical dietary laws that set Israel apart from other nations. These laws served to maintain the holiness and distinctiveness of God's people. The term "unclean" in this context means that the animal is not suitable for consumption or sacrifice. This separation from unclean animals is a physical representation of the spiritual separation from sin and impurity. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ fulfills the law, and the ceremonial aspects, including dietary restrictions, are no longer binding (Mark 7:18-19,Acts 10:15). However, the underlying principle of holiness and separation from sin remains relevant for believers.

1.Moses
- The author of Leviticus, who received the laws from God to instruct the Israelites.

2.Israelites
- The chosen people of God, to whom the laws of clean and unclean animals were given.

3.Mount Sinai
- The place where God delivered the laws to Moses, including dietary laws.

4.The Pig
- An animal specifically mentioned as unclean due to its characteristics.

5.The Wilderness
- The setting where the Israelites received and were expected to follow these laws.Holiness and Separation
The dietary laws, including the prohibition of eating pork, were given to set the Israelites apart as a holy nation. This separation was a physical reminder of their unique relationship with God.

Obedience to God's Commands
The Israelites were called to obey God's laws, even when the reasons were not fully understood. This teaches us the importance of trusting and obeying God's Word.

Symbolism of Purity
The distinction between clean and unclean animals symbolizes the need for spiritual purity. Believers are called to live lives that reflect God's holiness.

Cultural and Historical Context
Understanding the cultural and historical context of these laws helps us appreciate their significance for the Israelites and how they point to deeper spiritual truths.

New Covenant Understanding
In Christ, the ceremonial laws, including dietary restrictions, are fulfilled. Believers are called to focus on the purity of the heart and mind.1.What is the meaning of Leviticus 11:7?

2.Why does Leviticus 11:7 prohibit eating pork according to God's law?

3.How does Leviticus 11:7 reflect God's call for holiness and separation?

4.What New Testament passages discuss dietary laws and their fulfillment in Christ?

5.How can we apply the principle of obedience from Leviticus 11:7 today?

6.In what ways does Leviticus 11:7 teach discernment in our daily choices?

7.Why does Leviticus 11:7 prohibit eating pork?

8.How does Leviticus 11:7 align with modern dietary practices?

9.What historical context influenced the dietary laws in Leviticus 11:7?

10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Leviticus 11?

11.How do we reconcile the Bible's claim that rabbits chew cud when they do not?

12.What foods are mentioned in the Bible?

13.Mark 5:1–13: How can demons scientifically or historically be transferred from a possessed man into a herd of pigs?

14.What does Proverbs 11:22 symbolize about misplaced beauty?And the pig

The verse opens by naming an animal familiar to every generation. Pigs were plentiful in the ancient Near East, yet Israel was told to keep their distance. Other prophets later mention them to illustrate rebellion (Isaiah 65:4; 66:3, 17). Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son even pictures a Jewish boy feeding pigs to highlight the depth of his fall (Luke 15:15-16). From the start, then, the Lord singles out a creature that would forever remind His people of the boundary between holy and common life.

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though it has a split hoof completely divided

On first glance the pig seems to meet the obvious qualification for clean land animals—its hoof is split right through (Leviticus 11:3;Deuteronomy 14:6). The outward sign looks right. This detail quietly teaches that appearances alone never guarantee acceptability to God. As Samuel later heard, “man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Helpful takeaway:

• Discernment must move beyond what is immediately visible.

• God’s definitions, not cultural convenience, set the standard for His people.

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does not chew the cud

Here is the disqualifying trait. True cud-chewers repeatedly bring up their food for further digestion (Leviticus 11:3). The motion pictures steady, thoughtful processing—an image Scripture elsewhere connects with meditating on God’s word day and night (Joshua 1:8;Psalm 1:2). The pig’s stomach works differently, so the animal fails the test.

Practical implications:

• God combines outer and inner markers when He calls something clean.

• A single missing element nullifies the whole—partial obedience still amounts to disobedience (James 2:10).

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it is unclean for you

“Unclean” marks a ceremonial status, not a comment on creation’s goodness (Genesis 1:25). The label set clear limits on Israel’s diet and associations (Leviticus 11:46-47). Keeping such distinctions trained the nation to prize holiness in every sphere (Leviticus 20:25-26).

New-covenant light:

• Jesus declared, “Whatever enters a man from the outside cannot defile him… Thus He declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:18-19).

• Peter learned the same lesson through the rooftop vision of unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16). Still, Peter’s first reaction—“Surely not, Lord!”—shows how deeply Leviticus had shaped him.

• While Christ fulfilled the dietary laws (Colossians 2:16-17), their moral principle endures: God’s people are to remain distinct, letting Him define purity (1 Peter 1:15-16).

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summary

Leviticus 11:7 uses the pig to illustrate that outward conformity without corresponding inner reality falls short of God’s holiness. The split hoof suggests suitability, but the absence of cud-chewing cancels the claim, leaving the animal “unclean.” Israel’s food laws taught discernment, obedience, and a life set apart—lessons still relevant today, even though Christ has released believers from the regulations themselves. God’s people continue to learn from the pig that true holiness is both visible and internal, shaped wholly by the Lord’s revealed standards.

(7)And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted.--Better,And the swine, though he is clovenfooted, and entirely separateth the hoofs.(SeeLeviticus 11:3.) Having given these illustrations of animals which comply with the first condition only--i.e.,which are ruminant but not bisulcous--and hence must not be eaten, the lawgiver now concludes the list of prohibited quadrupeds with an illustration of a contrary nature--viz., the swine, which comply with the second condition only, but not with the first. Here, too, the description is according to appearance. The feet of the pig tribe generally have four toes enclosed in separate hoofs. The two middle hoofs, however, are much larger, and are divided by a deep cleft, and hence to all appearances the swine is bisulcous. Though the law before us simply describes the swine as wanting in one of the two criteria, like the camel, the coney, and the hare, yet the abhorrence which the Jews, as a nation, have always had of this animal, and the impurity which they have ascribed to it infinitely surpass their repulsion of any other unclean beast. For this reason it became the symbol of defilement and the badge of insult (Psalm 65:4;Psalm 66:3;Psalm 66:17;Proverbs 11:22). The eating of pork was regarded as renouncing the Law, and as a sign of apostasy. Hence Antiochus Epiphanes adopted it as a test that those Jews who ate it had forsaken their religion and submitted to his rule. Hence we read that when swine's flesh was forced into the mouth of Eleazar, the aged scribe, he "spit it forth, choosing rather to die gloriously than to live stained with such an abomination"(2 Maccabees 6:18-19). During the time of the commonwealth there were no swine in Judea. Hence it was in a "far country" that the prodigal son was sent into the field to feed the swine (Luke 15:13-15). The swine in Galilee in our Lord's time (Matthew 8:30) were undoubtedly kept by Gentiles for the Roman legion. The very name of swine (chazir) was discarded, and the animal was designated by the euphemistic expression, "the other thing." This "brutish of all animals" was, moreover, regarded as propagating cutaneous and many other disorders. The Talmud declares that "ten measures of pestilential diseases were spread over the earth, and nine of them fell to the share of pigs." On the other hand, many of the Pagan nations regarded the swine as an emblem of the productive power of nature. Hence they sacrificed them to those deities to whom they ascribed the fertility of the soil, and the fruitfulness of cattle. Thus, the Egyptians offered them in honour of Isis and Osiris once a year at the festival of the full moon. The Athenians, too, offered the swine in their mysteries; so did the Boetians and the early Romans. . . .Verse 7. -The swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted. Here, again, the description is not according to anatomical analysis, but to ordinary appearance. The pig appears to be cloven-footed, and it would be misleading to give any other account of his foot in ordinary speech, but scientifically speaking, he has four toes. The prohibition of the use of swine's flesh does not arise from the fear of trichinosis or other disease, but from the disgust caused by the carnivorous and filthy habits of the Eastern pig. The repulsion originally felt for swine's flesh was natural, and, where the animal is carnivorous, is still natural, but where its habits are changed, and it has become simply graminivorous, the feeling has ceased to exist.

Parallel Commentaries ...


And
וְאֶת־(wə·’eṯ-)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853:Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

the pig,
הַ֠חֲזִיר(ha·ḥă·zîr)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2386:Swine, boar

though
כִּֽי־(kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunction

it
ה֗וּא(hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931:He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

has a split
וְשֹׁסַ֥ע(wə·šō·sa‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 8156:To split, tear, to upbraid

hoof,
פַּרְסָ֜ה(par·sāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6541:A claw, split hoof

does not
לֹֽא־(lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808:Not, no

chew
יִגָּ֑ר(yig·gār)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1641:To drag off roughly, to bring up the cud, to saw

the cud;
גֵּרָ֣ה(gê·rāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1625:The cud

it [is]
ה֖וּא(hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931:He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

unclean
טָמֵ֥א(ṭā·mê)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2931:Unclean

for you.
לָכֶֽם׃(lā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Law: Leviticus 11:7 The pig because he has a split (Le Lv Lev.)