Deuteronomy 14:7
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This verse highlights that God's instructions for separation go beyond simple categories. It’s not just about having a cloven hoof or chewing cud, but the precise combination of both that marks an animal as clean, showing a God concerned with intricate details of life and order.
Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cloven you shall not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, are unclean for you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a larger list of dietary laws given to the Israelites, following the assurance that they are God's chosen people, a holy nation. After declaring what animals they can eat, Moses specifies further exclusions, emphasizing the distinction between creatures that appear to meet one criterion of cleanness (like chewing cud) but fail another (like having a cloven hoof), thereby marking them as unclean.
You might look at a camel, a hare, or a rock badger and think, 'These seem pretty normal!' But God had specific reasons for declaring them 'unclean' for Israel.
The rules for clean and unclean animals in Deuteronomy 14 weren't just random laws. They were designed to set Israel apart from the surrounding nations who often worshipped these animals or engaged in pagan rituals involving them.
A Deeper Look at the Unclean:
The laws weren't just about zoology; they were symbolic. What can the 'cloven hoof' teach us about how God's people should live?
The physical characteristics of clean animals were meant to be a signpost for spiritual truths. The cloven hoof, in particular, suggests a clear separation or distinction.
Walking Distinctly:
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Understand the original words
tame' · Hebrew Adjective
Refers to that which is ceremonially impure, unfit for use in sacrifice, or prohibited for consumption; it denotes a state of ritual estrangement from the holiness required to approach God or to maintain covenantal purity.
This passage in Leviticus lists the same animals (camel, hare, rock badger) as unclean, explaining the specific reasons given in Deuteronomy – chewing the cud but not parting the hoof.
Acts 10:9-16Peter's vision reveals God declaring all animals clean, signifying a radical shift away from Old Testament dietary laws and indicating that what was once considered unclean is now acceptable through Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20While not about food, this passage calls believers to honor God with their bodies, suggesting that 'uncleanness' in the New Testament extends to how we live and treat our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:1-3This passage discusses disagreements over eating certain foods, emphasizing that true faith isn't about specific dietary rules but about building each other up and not causing a brother to stumble.
calvinDeuteronomy 14:3-20: "Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing."
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.
Veruntamen hoe non comedetis ex ruminantibus et ex findentibus ungulam divisam, camelum, et leporem, et cuniculum: quia ruminant, et ungulam non dividunt, immunda sunt vobis.
And the swine, bec…
pooleDeuteronomy 14:7: "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."
No text from Poole on this verse.
This verse highlights that God's instructions for separation go beyond simple categories. It’s not just about having a cloven hoof or chewing cud, but the precise combination of both that marks an animal as clean, showing a God concerned with intricate details of life and order.
This passage is part of a larger list of dietary laws given to the Israelites, following the assurance that they are God's chosen people, a holy nation. After declaring what animals they can eat, Moses specifies further exclusions, emphasizing the distinction between creatures that appear to meet one criterion of cleanness (like chewing cud) but fail another (like having a cloven hoof), thereby marking them as unclean.
This passage is part of a larger list of dietary laws given to the Israelites, following the assurance that they are God's chosen people, a holy nation. After declaring what animals they can eat, Moses specifies further exclusions, emphasizing the distinction between creatures that appear to meet one criterion of cleanness (like chewing cud) but fail another (like having a cloven hoof), thereby marking them as unclean.
"Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cloven you shall not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, are unclean for you." — This verse highlights that God's instructions for separation go beyond simple categories. It’s not just about having a cloven hoof or chewing cud, but the precise combination of both that marks an…
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Last reviewed October 2026
