Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 14:8
as well as the pig; though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or touch its carcass.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites in the wilderness, establishing dietary boundaries before they enter the land. He lists land animals that fail the dual cleanliness criteria to define ritual separation.
The words — The text identifies the pig (חֲזִיר / cha.zir) and notes it divides its hoof (מַפְרִיס פַרְסָה). It explicitly states the animal does not chew the cud (גֵרָה).
The thread — Leviticus 11:26 establishes the identical requirement that both a completely divided hoof and cud chewing must be present for an animal to be clean. Isaiah 65:4 and 66:3 later treat pig consumption as a marker of defilement and improper religious practice.
Why it lands — The text commands strict dietary exclusion of the pig and prohibits handling its carcass. Readers must maintain ritual purity by adhering to observable biological markers rather than personal preference.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 11:26 Every animal with hooves not completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you. Whoever touches any of them will be unclean.
- Isaiah 65:4 sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating the meat of pigs and polluted broth from their bowls.
- Isaiah 66:3 Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol. Indeed, they have chosen their own ways and delighted in their abominations.
- Isaiah 66:17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.
- Luke 15:15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.
- 2 Peter 2:22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”