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Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Deuteronomy 14:19

All flying insects that swarm are unclean for you; they may not be eaten.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Animals;   Birds;   Creeping Things;   Insects;   Sanitation;   Thompson Chain Reference - Animals;   Beasts;   Creeping Things;   Unclean;   The Topic Concordance - Meat;   Uncleanness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Birds;   Clean and Unclean;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Touch;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Animal;   Clean;   Food;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bat;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Clean, Cleanness;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Food;   Leviticus;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Animals, Clean and Unclean;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Clean and unclean;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Bat;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fowl;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Commandments, the 613;   Creeping Things;   Dietary Laws;   Fly;   Pharisees;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All winged insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten.
Hebrew Names Version
All winged creeping things are unclean to you: they shall not be eaten.
King James Version
And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
Lexham English Bible
And also all of the winged insects; they are unclean for you; you shall not eat them.
English Standard Version
And all winged insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
New Century Version
All insects with wings are unclean for you; do not eat them.
New English Translation
and any winged thing on the ground are impure to you—they may not be eaten.
Amplified Bible
"And all flying insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
New American Standard Bible
"And all the swarming insects with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And euery creeping thing that flieth, shall be vncleane vnto you: it shall not be eaten.
Legacy Standard Bible
And all the teeming life with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten.
Contemporary English Version
Swarming insects are unclean, so don't eat them.
Complete Jewish Bible
"All winged swarming creatures are unclean for you; they are not to be eaten;
Darby Translation
And every winged crawling thing shall be unclean unto you; they shall not be eaten.
Easy-to-Read Version
"All insects with wings are unclean, so don't eat them.
George Lamsa Translation
But of all dean birds you shall eat.
Good News Translation
"All winged insects are unclean; do not eat them.
Literal Translation
And every teeming thing that flies shall be unclean to you; they shall not be eaten.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And all foules yt crepe, shal be vncleane vnto you, and ye shal not eate them.
American Standard Version
And all winged creeping things are unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
Bible in Basic English
Every winged thing which goes flat on the earth is unclean to you and may not be used as food.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And let euery creeping thing that fleeth, be vncleane vnto you, and not be eaten of.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And all winged swarming things are unclean unto you; they shall not be eaten.
King James Version (1611)
And euery creeping thing that flyeth, is vncleane vnto you: they shall not be eaten.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
All winged animals that creep are unclean to you; ye shall not eat of them.
English Revised Version
And all winged creeping things are unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And al thing that crepith, and hath fynnes, schal be vncleene, and schal not be etun.
Young's Literal Translation
and every teeming thing which is flying, unclean it [is] to you; they are not eaten;
Update Bible Version
And all winged creeping things are unclean to you: they shall not be eaten.
Webster's Bible Translation
And every creeping animal that flieth [is] unclean to you: they shall not be eaten.
World English Bible
All winged creeping things are unclean to you: they shall not be eaten.
New King James Version
"Also every creeping thing that flies is unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
New Living Translation
"All winged insects that walk along the ground are ceremonially unclean for you and may not be eaten.
New Life Bible
And all flying bugs are unclean for you. Do not eat them.
New Revised Standard
And all winged insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, as for every creeping thing that flieth, unclean, it is unto you, - they, shall not be eaten.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Every thing that creepeth, and hath little wings, shall be unclean, and shall not be eaten.
Revised Standard Version
And all winged insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
THE MESSAGE
Winged insects are ritually unclean; don't eat them. But ritually clean winged creatures are permitted.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And all the teeming life with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten.

Contextual Overview

1You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead on behalf of the dead, 2for you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. 3You must not eat any detestable thing. 4These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat, 5the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6You may eat any animal that has hooves divided in two and that chews the cud. 7But of those that chew the cud or have divided hooves, you are not to eat the following: the camel, the rabbit, or the rock badger. Although they chew the cud, they do not have hooves. They are unclean for you, 8as well as the pig; though its hooves are divided, it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or touch its carcass. 9Of all the creatures that live in the water, you may eat anything with fins and scales, 10but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales; it is unclean for you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Leviticus 11:20-23, Philippians 3:19

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 15:10 - because

Cross-References

Genesis 14:6
and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.
Genesis 14:7
Then they turned back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
Genesis 14:9
against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar-four kings against five.
Genesis 14:16
He retrieved all the goods, as well as his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the rest of the people.
Genesis 14:22
But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
Genesis 14:23
that I will not accept even a thread, or a strap of a sandal, or anything that belongs to you, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.'
Genesis 27:4
Then prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die."
Genesis 47:7
Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:10
Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from his presence.
Genesis 49:28
These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean,.... Which the Targum of Jonathan thus paraphrases;

"all flies and wasps (or hornets), and worms of lentiles and of beans, which are separated from food, and fly as birds, they are unclean;''

:-,

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare Leviticus 11:0. The variations here, whether omissions or additions, are probably to be explained by the time and circumstances of the speaker.

Deuteronomy 14:5

The “pygarg” is a species of gazelle, and the “wild ox” and “chamois” are swift types of antelope.

Deuteronomy 14:21

The prohibition is repeated from Leviticus 22:8. The directions as to the disposal of the carcass are unique to Deuteronomy, and their motive is clear. To have forbidden the people either themselves to eat that which had died, or to allow any others to do so, would have involved loss of property, and consequent temptation to an infraction of the command. The permissions now for the first time granted would have been useless in the wilderness. During the 40 years’ wandering there could be but little opportunity of selling such carcasses; while non-Israelites living in the camp would in such a matter be bound by the same rules as the Israelites Leviticus 17:15; Leviticus 24:22. Further, it would seem (compare Leviticus 17:15) that greater stringency is here given to the requirement of abstinence from that which had died of itself. Probably on this, as on so many other points, allowance was made for the circumstances of the people. Flesh meat was no doubt often scarce in the desert. It would therefore have been a hardship to forbid entirely the use of that which had not been killed. However, now that the plenty of the promised land was before them, the modified toleration of this unholy food was withdrawn.


 
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