Leviticus 11:9 - Meaning and Application

Here is a general rule about fish, showing which were clean and which were not. They could eat any fish that had fins and scales, and only those unusual water animals that lacked them were forbidden (Leviticus 11:9, 10). In ancient times, fish was seen as a delicate and pleasant food, so God did not place much restraint on his people here. He is a Master who gives his servants what they need, and also what they may enjoy.

About the forbidden fish, the text says, “They shall be an abomination to you” (Leviticus 11:10-12). That means the Israelites were to count them as unclean, not eat them, and keep away from them. Anything unclean should be hateful to us too, in the sense that we should avoid it completely. But this was an abomination only for the Jews. The surrounding nations were under no such law, and Christians are not under it either. The Jews were given special privileges, and they were also given special restraints. In the same way, God’s spiritual Israel, his people under the gospel, are honored above others by adoption and friendship, but they are also called to greater self-denial and to carry the cross.

About birds, no general rule is given here. Instead, the law names the unclean birds one by one, which means all the others were allowed. Bible scholars have struggled to identify some of these Hebrew names, because some birds are known only in certain regions and some of the words are uncertain. If this law still applied today, we would want to know exactly which birds were forbidden. And if we did, and understood these birds better, we might admire how well Adam knew the creatures when he gave them names that matched their nature (Genesis 2:20). But since this law has been set aside, and much of that knowledge has been lost, it is enough to notice what kinds of birds are forbidden.

Some were birds of prey, like the eagle and vulture. God wanted his people to reject cruelty and violence, and not make their living by bloodshed or robbery. Doves, which are hunted by others, were fit for food and for offerings to God. But birds like kites and hawks, which prey on them, were to be treated as an abomination by God and man alike. By faith, the sufferings of those persecuted for righteousness are far better than the life of those who persecute them.

Others were lonely birds that lived in dark and empty places, like the owl and pelican (Psalm 102:6), and the cormorant and raven (Isaiah 34:11). God’s people should not be gloomy people, nor should they love sadness and constant solitude. Others fed on what is dirty, like the stork on serpents, and some fed on worms. We should not only avoid all impurity ourselves, but also avoid close fellowship with people who freely allow it.

Still others were used by the Egyptians and other Gentiles in divination, that is, in trying to find hidden knowledge by superstitious signs. Some birds were thought to bring good luck, others bad luck, and fortune-tellers watched their flights closely. God’s people must treat all this as an abomination, because they are not to learn the ways of the heathen.