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unclean animals

What does the Bible say about unclean animals? These are the passages readers found most helpful — tap any citation to read it in context.

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1And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2Say to the sons of Israel: These are the animals that you ought to eat out of all the living things of the earth. 3All that has a divided hoof, and that chews over again, among the cattle, you shall eat. 4But whatever certainly chews over again, but has a hoof that is not divided, such as the camel and others, these you shall not eat, and you shall consider them to be among what is unclean. 5The rock rabbit which chews over again, and whose hoof is not divided, is unclean, 6and so also is the hare, for it too chews over again, yet its hoof is not divided,

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17Those who were sanctified, who thought themselves to be clean in the gardens behind the inner gate, who were eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse: they will be consumed all at once, says the Lord.

25Therefore, you must also separate the clean animals from the unclean, and the clean birds from the unclean. Do not pollute your souls with cattle, or birds, or anything that moves upon the earth, and which I have shown you to be unclean.

18And he said to them: “So, are you also without prudence? Do you not understand that everything entering to a man from outside is not able to pollute him? 19For it does not enter into his heart, but into the gut, and it exits into the sewer, purging all foods.” 20“But,” he said “the things which go out from a man, these pollute a man. 21For from within, from the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22thefts, avarice, wickedness, deceitfulness, homosexuality, an evil eye, blasphemy, self-exaltation, foolishness. 23All these evils proceed from within and pollute a man.”

11And he saw heaven opened, and a certain container descending, as if a great linen sheet were let down, by its four corners, from heaven to earth, 12on which were all four-footed beasts, and the crawling things of the earth and the flying things of the air. 13And a voice came to him: “Rise up, Peter! Kill and eat.” 14But Peter said: “Far be it from me, lord. For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” 15And the voice, again a second time to him: “What God has purified, you shall not call common.”

3You shall not eat the things that are unclean. 4These are the animals which you ought to eat: the ox, and the sheep, and the goat, 5the stag and the roe deer, the gazelle, the wild goat, the addax, the antelope, the giraffe. 6Every beast which has a hoof divided into two parts and which also chews the cud, you shall eat. 7But those which chew over again, but do not have a divided hoof, you must not eat, such as the camel, the hare, and the hyrax. Since these chew the cud, but do not have a divided the hoof, they shall be unclean to you. 8The pig also, since it has a divided hoof, but does not chew over again, shall be unclean. Their flesh shall not be eaten, and you shall not touch their carcasses.

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14I know, with confidence in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in and of itself. But to him who considers anything to be unclean, it is unclean to him.

3You shall not eat the things that are unclean. 4These are the animals which you ought to eat: the ox, and the sheep, and the goat, 5the stag and the roe deer, the gazelle, the wild goat, the addax, the antelope, the giraffe. 6Every beast which has a hoof divided into two parts and which also chews the cud, you shall eat. 7But those which chew over again, but do not have a divided hoof, you must not eat, such as the camel, the hare, and the hyrax. Since these chew the cud, but do not have a divided the hoof, they shall be unclean to you. 8The pig also, since it has a divided hoof, but does not chew over again, shall be unclean. Their flesh shall not be eaten, and you shall not touch their carcasses.

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21And whoever will have touched the uncleanness of man, or of beast, or of anything which is able to defile, and who will have eaten from this kind of flesh, shall be cut off from his people.

5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and I saw, in an ecstasy of mind, a vision: a certain container descending, like a great linen sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners. And it drew near to me. 6And looking into it, I considered and saw the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the reptiles, and the flying things of the air. 7Then I also heard a voice saying to me: ‘Rise up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8But I said: ‘Never, lord! For what is common or unclean has never entered into my mouth.’ 9Then the voice responded a second time from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed, you shall not call common.’ 10Now this was done three times. And then everything was taken up again into heaven.

2From all the clean animals, take seven and seven, the male and the female. Yet truly, from animals that are unclean, take two and two, the male and the female.

3prohibiting marriage, abstaining from foods, which God has created to be accepted with thanksgiving by the faithful and by those who have understood the truth. 4For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected which is received with thanksgiving; 5for it has been sanctified by the Word of God and by prayer.

14And I said: “Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God! Behold, my soul has not been polluted, and from my infancy even until now, I have not eaten anything that has died of itself, nor that which has been torn up by beasts, and no unclean flesh at all has entered into my mouth.”

9Then, on the following day, while they were making the journey and approaching the city, Peter ascended to the upper rooms, so that he might pray, at about the sixth hour. 10And since he was hungry, he wanted to enjoy some food. Then, as they were preparing it, an ecstasy of mind fell over him. 11And he saw heaven opened, and a certain container descending, as if a great linen sheet were let down, by its four corners, from heaven to earth, 12on which were all four-footed beasts, and the crawling things of the earth and the flying things of the air. 13And a voice came to him: “Rise up, Peter! Kill and eat.” 14But Peter said: “Far be it from me, lord. For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

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16Therefore, let no one judge you as concerns food or drink, or a particular feast day, or feast days of new moons, or of Sabbaths. 17For these are a shadow of the future, but the body is of Christ.