Ezekiel 44:31

THE MESSAGE

"Priests are not to eat any meat from bird or animal unfit for ordinary human consumption, such as carcasses found dead on the road or in the field."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The priests may not eat any bird or animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts.

Hebrew Names Version
The Kohanim shall not eat of anything that dies of itself, or is torn, whether it be bird or animal.

King James Version
The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.

English Standard Version
The priests shall not eat of anything, whether bird or beast, that has died of itself or is torn by wild animals.

New American Standard Bible
"The priests shall not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or has been torn to pieces by animals.

New Century Version
The priests must not eat any bird or animal that died a natural death or one that has been torn by wild animals.

Amplified Bible
"The priests shall not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or has been torn to pieces.

Geneva Bible (1587)
The Priests shal not eate of any thing, that is dead, or torne, whether it be foule or beast.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The priests shall not eat any bird or beast that has died a natural death or has been torn to pieces.

Legacy Standard Bible
The priests shall not eat any bird or beast that has died of itself or has been torn to pieces.

Berean Standard Bible
The priests may not eat any bird or animal found dead or torn by wild beasts.

Contemporary English Version
Priests must not eat any bird or animal that dies a natural death or that has been killed by a wild animal.

Complete Jewish Bible
The cohanim are not to eat anything, bird or animal, that dies naturally or is torn to death.

Darby Translation
The priests shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself, or of that which is torn, whether of fowl or of beast.

Easy-to-Read Version
The priests must not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or has been torn to pieces by a wild animal.

George Lamsa Translation
The priests shall not eat of anything that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.

Good News Translation
The priests must not eat any bird or animal that dies a natural death or is killed by another animal."

Lexham English Bible
Any dead body or mangled carcass from the birds or from the animals, the priests shall not eat."

Literal Translation
The priests shall not eat of every corpse and torn thing, of birds, or of beasts.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But no deed carion shall the prest eate, ner soch as is deuoured of wilde beestes, foules or catell.

American Standard Version
The priests shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself, or is torn, whether it be bird or beast.

Bible in Basic English
The priests may not take for food any bird or beast which has come to a natural death or whose death has been caused by another animal.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
The priests shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself, or is torn, whether it be fowl or beast.

King James Version (1611)
The priests shall not eate of any thing that is dead of it selfe or torne, whether it be foule or beast.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But the priestes shal eate nothing that is dead [by it selfe] or torne of foule or of beaste.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the priests shall eat no bird or beast that dies of itself, or is taken of wild beasts.

English Revised Version
The priests shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself, or is torn, whether it be fowl or beast.

World English Bible
The priests shall not eat of anything that dies of itself, or is torn, whether it be bird or animal.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Preestis schulen not ete ony thing deed bi it silf, and takun of a beeste, of foulis, and of scheep.

Update Bible Version
The priests shall not eat of anything that dies of itself, or is torn, whether it is bird or beast.

Webster's Bible Translation
The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether of fowl or beast.

New English Translation
The priests will not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or was torn to pieces by a wild animal.

New King James Version
The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.

New Living Translation
The priests may not eat meat from any bird or animal that dies a natural death or that dies after being attacked by another animal.

New Life Bible
The religious leaders must not eat any bird or animal that has died of itself or has been torn to pieces.

New Revised Standard
The priests shall not eat of anything, whether bird or animal, that died of itself or was torn by animals.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Nothing that died of itself or was torn in pieces, of bird or of beast shall be eaten by the priests.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself or caught by a beast, whether it be fowl or cattle.

Revised Standard Version
The priests shall not eat of anything, whether bird or beast, that has died of itself or is torn.

Young's Literal Translation
Any carcase and torn thing, of the fowl, and of the beasts, the priests do not eat.

Contextual Overview

¹⁷"When they enter the gate complex of the inside courtyard, they are to dress in linen. No woolens are to be worn while serving at the gate complex of the inside courtyard or inside the Temple itself. They're to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes—nothing that makes them sweat. When they go out into the outside courtyard where the people gather, they must first change out of the clothes they have been serving in, leaving them in the sacred rooms where they change to their everyday clothes, so that they don't trivialize their holy work by the way they dress. ²⁰ "They are to neither shave their heads nor let their hair become unkempt, but must keep their hair trimmed and neat. ²¹ "No priest is to drink on the job—no wine while in the inside courtyard. ²² "Priests are not to marry widows or divorcees, but only Israelite virgins or widows of priests. ²³ "Their job is to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, to show them how to discern between unclean and clean. ²⁴ "When there's a difference of opinion, the priests will arbitrate. They'll decide on the basis of my judgments, laws, and statutes. They are in charge of making sure the appointed feasts are honored and my Sabbaths kept holy in the ways I've commanded. ²⁵"A priest must not contaminate himself by going near a corpse. But when the dead person is his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, he can approach the dead. But after he has been purified, he must wait another seven days. Then, when he returns to the inside courtyard of the Sanctuary to do his priestly work in the Sanctuary, he must first offer a sin offering for himself. Decree of God , the Master. ²⁸"As to priests owning land, I am their inheritance. Don't give any land in Israel to them. I am their ‘land,' their inheritance. They'll take their meals from the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Everything in Israel offered to God in worship is theirs. The best of everything grown, plus all special gifts, comes to the priests. All that is given in worship to God goes to them. Serve them first. Serve from your best and your home will be blessed. ³¹ "Priests are not to eat any meat from bird or animal unfit for ordinary human consumption, such as carcasses found dead on the road or in the field."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Exodus 22:31, Leviticus 17:15, Leviticus 22:8, Deuteronomy 14:21, Romans 14:20, 1 Corinthians 8:13

Reciprocal: Leviticus 7:24 - beast Leviticus 11:40 - eateth Malachi 1:13 - torn Acts 10:14 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 44:17
"I'd never do that to you," said Joseph. "Only the one involved with the chalice will be my slave. The rest of you are free to go back to your father."

Genesis 44:18
Judah came forward. He said, "Please, master; can I say just one thing to you? Don't get angry. Don't think I'm presumptuous—you're the same as Pharaoh as far as I'm concerned. You, master, asked us, ‘Do you have a father and a brother?' And we answered honestly, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother who was born to him in his old age. His brother is dead and he is the only son left from that mother. And his father loves him more than anything.'

Genesis 44:27
"Your servant, my father, told us, ‘You know very well that my wife gave me two sons. One turned up missing. I concluded that he'd been ripped to pieces. I've never seen him since. If you now go and take this one and something bad happens to him, you'll put my old gray, grieving head in the grave for sure.'

1 Samuel 22:22
David said to Abiathar, "I knew it—that day I saw Doeg the Edomite there, I knew he'd tell Saul. I'm to blame for the death of everyone in your father's family. Stay here with me. Don't be afraid. The one out to kill you is out to kill me, too. Stick with me. I'll protect you."

2 Corinthians 7:10
Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.

1 Thessalonians 4:13
And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don't want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The priests shall not eat of anything that is dead of itself, or torn,.... They shall have no need to eat of such things, being plentifully provided for with better; nor will it become them so to do through avarice, not allowing themselves to enjoy what is liberally given them. Here the Jewish doctors t observe that it is said, the priests shall not eat of these things, suggesting that Israelites might; this puzzles them, therefore they say, Elijah will explain this verse; and the gloss says, till Elijah comes, and explains it to us, we know not how to explain it. In the mystic sense it may signify, that the priests of the Lord should have no communication with such as are dead in sin, or are given to rapine and violence, and should abstain from everything of this kind themselves.

Whether it be fowl or beast; whether Pharisees and high flown professors of religion, or earthly and worldly persons, and such that are immersed in carnal pleasures, in sensual and brutish lusts. The allusion is to the law in Leviticus 17:15, which was common to all Israelites, priests and people.

t T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 45. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Regulations as to the priests’ services. The garments of the priests are defined and various rules prescribed in the Law are repeated with some additions in order to denote additional care to avoid uncleanness.

Ezekiel 44:18

The material of which the four vestments of the ordinary priest were made was “linen,” or, more accurately, “byssus,” the cotton stuff of Egypt. The two special qualities of the byssus - white and shining - are characteristic, and on them part of the symbolic meaning depended. Compare Revelation 19:8.

Ezekiel 44:19

They shall not sanctify the people - They shall not touch the people with their holy garments. The word “sanctify” is used because the effect of touching was to separate as holy the persons or things so touched (Exodus 29:37; Exodus 30:29; compare Leviticus 6:18). The priests wore the distinctive dress, only while performing in the temple strictly sacrificial services.

The holy chambers; see Ezekiel 42:1 ff.

Ezekiel 44:22

Restrictions and exceptions intended to mark the holiness of the office of a priest, imposing on him additional (compare the marginal reference) obligations to purity, and communicating it in some degree to his wife. In the Christian Church all the members are “priests” 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 20:6. Hence, the directions for maintaining the holiness of the “priesthood” in the new order, represent the necessity for holiness in all Christians, and the exclusion of the “uncircumcised in heart and in flesh” is equivalent to the exclusion of “all that defileth” from the New Jerusalem Revelation 21:27.

Ezekiel 44:24

There was in Herod’s Temple a council of priests, whose special duty it was to regulate every thing connected with the sanctuary. They did not ordinarily busy themselves with criminal questions, although they took a leading part in the condemnation of Jesus Mark 15:1.

Ezekiel 44:28

It shall be unto them - The remains of the sacrifices were a chief source of the priests’ support. The burnt-offerings being entirely consumed, the priests had the skins, which yielded a considerable revenue; meat-offerings and drink-offerings belonged entirely to them. sin-offerings and trepass-offerings, except in particular cases, also belonged to the priests and were partaken of in the temple. Of the peace-offerings a portion dedicated to the Lord by waving was left for the priests, and the rest eaten by the officers and their friends, either in the courts of the temple, or at least within Jerusalem. The kitchen-courts (K, Plan II Ezek. Ezekiel 46:21-24), were provided in order to prepare these public meals.

Ezekiel 44:30

Oblation - Offering, margin “heave-offering” (see Ezekiel 45:1; Exodus 25:2; Exodus 29:27; Notes and Pref. to Leviticus).