God created certain animals that can be used for food and others that are
unfit to eat. "Clean" foods are those which in their natural
state do not harm the human body. "Unclean" foods are those
which are unhealthy for the body. Even by the time of Noah it was understood
there is a difference between clean and unclean animals when he was told to take
one pair of unclean animals and seven pairs of clean animals into the ark (Gen
7:2).
Genesis 1:29 "God said, Behold, I have given you every herb
bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every fruit tree
containing seeds to be your food."
Leviticus 3:17 "It will be an everlasting law for your
generations in all their dwellings, that you can not eat fat or blood."
Leviticus 7:23-24 "You cannot eat any kind of fat, of ox, or of
sheep, or of goat. But the fat of any animal that dies by itself or is
killed by other animals, can be used for other uses but you can not eat
it."
Leviticus 7:26 "Also you cannot eat any type of blood, whether
it be from fowl or mammal, in any of your homes."
Leviticus 11:2-47 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying,
These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are
on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and
cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. 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. And the coney, because he cheweth the cud,
but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the hare,
because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean
unto you. And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet
he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye
not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to
you. These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever
hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them
shall ye eat. And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the
rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is
in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: They shall be
even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall
have their carcases in abomination. Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in
the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. And these are
they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not
be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and
the ospray, And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; Every raven after
his kind; And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk
after his kind, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, And the stork, the heron
after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. All fowls that creep, going
upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. Yet these may
ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which
have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these
of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his
kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But
all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be
an abomination unto you. And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever
toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even. And whosoever
beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be
unclean until the even. The carcases of every beast which divideth
the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are
unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean. And
whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all
four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall
be unclean until the even. And he that beareth the carcase of them shall
wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean
unto you. These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping
things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the
tortoise after his kind, And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard,
and the snail, and the mole. These are unclean to you among all that
creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until
the even. And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth
fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or
raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any
work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the
even; so it shall be cleansed. And every earthen vessel, whereinto any
of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall
break it. Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such
water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such
vessel shall be unclean. And every thing whereupon any part of
their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges
for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and
shall be unclean unto you. Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there
is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their
carcase shall be unclean. And if any part of their carcase fall upon
any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. But if any
water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall
thereon, it shall be unclean unto you. And if any beast, of which ye
may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until
the even. And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes,
and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall
wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. And every creeping thing
that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be
eaten. 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. Ye
shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth,
neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be
defiled thereby. For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore
sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither
shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth. For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the
land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am
holy. This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every
living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that
creepeth upon the earth: To make a difference between the unclean and the
clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be
eaten."
Deuteronomy 14:3-21 "Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.
These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the
goat, The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and
the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. And every beast that parteth
the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud
among the beasts, that ye shall eat. Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of
them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as
the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide
not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. And the
swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is
unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead
carcase. These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that
have fins and scales shall ye eat: And whatsoever hath not fins and scales
ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. Of all clean birds ye
shall eat. But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle,
and the ossifrage, and the ospray, And the glede, and the kite, and the
vulture after his kind, And every raven after his kind, And the owl, and the
night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, The little owl, and
the great owl, and the swan, And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the
cormorant, And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and
the bat. And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you:
they shall not be eaten. But of all clean fowls ye may eat. Ye shall
not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto
the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest
sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy
God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk."
Ezekiel 24:4-12 "Gather the pieces thereof into it, even
every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice
bones. Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and
make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein. Wherefore
thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is
therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece;
let no lot fall upon it. For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it
upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with
dust; That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her
blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered. Therefore thus
saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for
fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it
well, and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof,
that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it
may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She hath wearied
herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum
shall be in the fire."
Notice above that bone broth is called scum and appears to be unacceptable as
well because of the blood in the bone.
Below is the list of foods defined in the Bible as being Clean and Unclean:
The list of Clean Fish would be to long to list, all that have fins and
scales are clean.
Unclean Fish, Marine Mammals, and Shell Fish
Fish
Dolphin
Bullhead
Whale
Swordfish
Marlin
Catfish
Porpoise
Shark
Paddlefish
Eel
Sturgeon
(includes most caviar)
Shellfish
Shrimp
Scallop
Oyster
Prawn
Mussel
Crayfish
Clam
Lobster
Crab
Abalone
Soft Body
Cuttlefish
Squid (calamari)
Limpet
Jellyfish
Octopus
Sea Mammals
Walrus
Seal
Otter
Clean Birds
The Bible does not specifically mention what is clean, rather from
it's lengthy list of forbidden birds it can be concluded that all the
birds of prey and most water-fowl were considered unclean.
Chicken
Grouse
Pigeon
Sparrow (and other songbirds)
Dove
Guinea fowl
Prairie chicken
Sagehen
Pheasant
Partridge
Ptarmigan
Teal
Peacock
Peafowl
Quail
Turkey
Unclean Birds
Eagle
Ossifrage
Osprey
Vulture after his
kind
Kite
Every raven after his kind
Owl
Night Hawk
Cuckow or Cuckoo
Hawk after his
kind
Little Owl
Cormorant
Great Owl
Horned Owl
Pelican
Gier Eagle
Stork
Heron after her
kind
Lapwing
Bat
Albatross
Crane
Magpie
Roadrunner
Bat
Flamingo
Loon
Sandpiper
Bittern
Grebe
Ostrich
Seagull
Buzzard
Grosbeak
Penguin
Woodpecker
Condor
Gull
Parrot
Swallow
Coot
Plover
Rail
Crow
Water Hen
Swift
Clean Insects
Locust after his kind
Bald locust after his kind
Beetle after his
kind
Grasshopper after his kind
Unclean Insects
All insects except some in the beetle and locust family.
Unclean Reptiles
Lizard
Great Lizard
Chameleon
Crocodile
Alligator
Blindworm
Turtle
Frog
Snake
Newt
Toad
Salamander
Caiman
These laws are known as health laws, and are the means for achieving a
healthier life.
In the beginning man ate fruits and vegetables, but later started eating
meat. God made known what meats where unhealthy through the laws of clean and
unclean foods long before there was a nation of Israel, even before Noah's time,
as seen in Genesis 7:2 and 7:8.
It is a well know fact today, that these same unclean foods are known to be
unhealthy.
But you say, what about the following verse from scripture?
Deuteronomy 12:15 "Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat
flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the
blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the
clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart."
This is one of the most misinterpreted verses on this subject, because of the
food laws being well know in their nation they did not keep unclean animals
around for food, so they would not have found it in their gates. It is speaking
of the unclean person eating with the clean person during this time. Normaly an
unclean person was not allowed to eat with those that where clean.
Deuteronomy 15:22 "Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the
unclean [person] and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the
roebuck, and as the hart"
How clear it becomes now. We should take note that these are very clearly
laws to be obeyed.
Isaiah 66:17 "Of them that bless themselves, or purify
themselves in the gardens hiding behind a tree, eating swine's flesh, and
the other abominations, such as the mouse, will be consumed together does
say the Lord."
As shown with this verse God does condemn those that eat of what is
considered an abomination. Isaiah 65:4 tells us that eating swine and other
abominable things provokes the Lord to anger.
For those that would say these laws where only for the people of Israel at
that time, take note that animals where regarded as clean or unclean during the
time of Noah (Gen 7:2) before Israel existed.
Blood
Acts 15:28- 29 "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us,
to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain567
from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things
strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye
shall do well. Fare ye well."
567
= Middle voice
(reflexive) of 568; to hold oneself off, that is, refrain: - abstain. 568 = From 575 and 2192; (active) to have out, that is,
receive in full; (intransitive) to keep (oneself) away, that is, be distant
(literally or figuratively): - be, have, receive. 575 = A primary particle; "off", that is, away (from something
near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literally or
figuratively): - (X here-) after, ago, at, because of, before, by (the space
of), for (-th), from, in, (out) of, off, (up-) on (-ce), since, with. In
composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation,
completion, reversal, etc. 2192 = A primary verb (including an alternate form σχέω scheō
skheh'-o used in certain tenses only); to hold (used in very various
applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possession,
ability, contiguity, relation or condition): - be (able, X hold, possessed
with), accompany, + begin to amend, can (+ -not), X conceive, count, diseased,
do, + eat, + enjoy, + fear, following, have, hold, keep, + lack, + go to law,
lie, + must needs, + of necessity, + need, next, + recover, + reign, + rest,
return, X sick, take for, + tremble, + uncircumcised, use.
Clearly abstaining from something is to keep oneself away from it as best as
one can.
Genesis 9:4-6
"But flesh with the life thereof, which is the
blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will
I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of
man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso
sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God
made he man."
Deuteronomy 12:23-25 "Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for
the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.
Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water. Thou shalt
not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee,
when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord."
Leviticus 7:26-27 "Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether
it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Whatsoever soul it be
that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his [God's]
people."
