Leviticus 11:10

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:

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
fins	סְנַפִּ֣יר se.na.Pir	H5579	a fin (collectively) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
scales	וְקַשְׂקֶ֗שֶׂת ve.kas.Ke.set	H7193	a scale (of a fish) · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
seas	בַּיַּמִּים֙ bai.ya.Mim	H3220	a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
rivers	וּבַנְּחָלִ֔ים u.va.ne.cha.Lim	H5158	a stream · conjunction + preposition with the article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
move	שֶׁ֣רֶץ She.retz	H8318	a swarm · noun, common masculine singular construct
waters	הַמַּ֔יִם ha.Ma.yim	H4325	water · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
living	הַחַיָּ֖ה ha.chai.Yah	H2416	alive · definite article + adjective, feminine singular absolute
thing	נֶ֥פֶשׁ Ne.fesh	H5315	properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
waters	בַּמָּ֑יִם ba.Ma.yim	H4325	water · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
abomination	שֶׁ֥קֶץ She.ketz	H8263	filth · noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Leviticus 7:18 And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it…
Proverbs 29:27 An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.
Deuteronomy 14:3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.
Psalms 139:21-22 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall ha…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 11:9-19

Here is, 1. A general rule concerning fishes, which were clean and which not. All that had fins and scales they might eat, and only those odd sorts of water-animals that have not were forbidden, Lev 11:9, Lev 11:10. The ancients accounted fish the most delicate food (so far were they from allowing it on fasting-days, or making it an instance of mortification to eat fish); therefore God did not lay much restraint upon his people in them; for he is a Master that allows his servants not only for necessity but for delight. Concerning the prohibited fish it is said, They shall be an abomination to you (Lev 11:10-12), that is, "You shall count them unclean, and not only not eat of them, but keep a…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 11:9

These shall ye eat . . . whatsoever hath fins and scales--"The fins and scales are the means by which the excrescences of fish are carried off, the same as in animals by perspiration. I have never known an instance of disease produced by eating such fish; but those that have no fins and scales cause, in hot climates, the most malignant disorders when eaten; in many cases they prove a mortal poison" [WHITLAW].

Adam Clarke on Leviticus 11:9

Whatsoever hath fins and scales - Because these, of all the fish tribe, are the most nourishing; the others which are without scales, or whose bodies are covered with a thick glutinous matter, being in general very difficult of digestion.

John Gill on Leviticus 11:10

And all that have not fins nor scales in the seas, and in the rivers,.... Such as eels, lampreys, &c. of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters; the former of these are interpreted by Aben Ezra and Ben Gersom of little fishes that have but a small body, and such as are created out of the waters; and the latter, of such as are produced of a male and female; or, as Maimonides (r) explains it, the one signifies the lesser creatures, such as worms and horse leeches; the other greater ones, sea beasts, as sea dogs, &c. they shall be an abomination to you; not only unclean, and so unfit to eat, but to be had in abhorrence and detestation, as being exceeding d…

The Church Fathers

Hence again, fish that do not have fins are forbidden from being eaten by the faithful people. For fish that have scale-fins are also accustomed to leap above the waters. What therefore is figured by finned fish except elect souls? These alone indeed pass into the body of the heavenly Church, who, supported by the fins of virtues, know how to leap through heavenly desire, so that they may reach toward things above through contemplation, although they fall back again into themselves from mortal flesh.
— Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 31

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Ablution — Or washing, was practised, (1.) When a person was initiated into a higher state: e.g., when Aaron and his sons were set apart to the priest’s office, they were washed with water previous to their…
Animal — An organized living creature endowed with sensation. The Levitical law divided animals into clean and unclean, although the distinction seems to have existed before the Flood (Gen. 7:2). The clean…
Clean — The various forms of uncleanness according to the Mosaic law are enumerated in Lev. 11-15; Num. 19. The division of animals into clean and unclean was probably founded on the practice of sacrifice.…
Fish — Called dag by the Hebrews, a word denoting great fecundity (Gen. 9:2; Num. 11:22; Jonah 2:1, 10). No fish is mentioned by name either in the Old or in the New Testament. Fish abounded in the…
Food — Originally the Creator granted the use of the vegetable world for food to man (Gen. 1:29), with the exception mentioned (2:17). The use of animal food was probably not unknown to the antediluvians.…
Law of Moses — Is the whole body of the Mosaic legislation (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 23:25; Ezra 3:2). It is called by way of eminence simply “the Law” (Heb. Torah, Deut. 1:5; 4:8, 44; 17:18, 19; 27:3, 8). As a written…
Nighthawk — The Hebrew word so translated, (Leviticus 11:10; 14:15) probably denotes some kind of owl.
Fish · Clean and unclean — Clean and unclean
Fishes · Distinction between clean and unclean — Distinction between clean and unclean
Food · THINGS PROHIBITED AS FOO — THINGS PROHIBITED AS FOO
Rivers · Of Canaan abounded with fish — Of Canaan abounded with fish

Leviticus 11:10

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 11:9-19

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 11:9

Adam Clarke on Leviticus 11:9

John Gill on Leviticus 11:10

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Leviticus 11:10

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 11:9-19

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 11:9

Adam Clarke on Leviticus 11:9

John Gill on Leviticus 11:10

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Leviticus 11:9-12

Keil & Delitzsch on Leviticus 11:9-12

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Leviticus 11:10

Rashi on Leviticus 11:10