And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.

LEVITICUS 11:35KJV
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Leviticus 11:35 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 11:35 mean?

Leviticus 11:35 explains that if the dead body of an unclean animal touches anything, such as an oven or a cooking pot, that object becomes unclean and must be broken apart. The verse stresses that these items are now considered unfit for use by the Israelites because they have been contaminated.

In this verse, God is giving Moses and Aaron specific instructions for the Israelites about ritual cleanliness. The focus is on household items that come into contact with the carcass of an animal considered unclean under the law. The command to destroy the contaminated items shows how seriously ritual purity was taken in daily life, especially regarding food preparation.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 11:35

  • "carcase" (נְבֵלָה, nevelah): This word refers to the dead body of an animal, especially one that died on its own and was not slaughtered properly. Its presence is a source of ritual impurity in the law.
  • "unclean" (טָמֵא, tame): Used multiple times in this verse, this word means ritually impure or defiled. Anything that becomes "טָמֵא" is not just physically dirty but is religiously unacceptable for use.
  • "oven" (תַּנּוּר, tannur): This refers to a clay oven used for baking. The verse singles out this everyday object to show how even essential tools could become unusable if made unclean.
  • "ranges" (כִּירַיִם, kirayim): This word points to a type of double stove or hearth used for cooking. Its mention alongside the oven highlights that all kinds of cooking equipment were included in these purity laws.

Why Leviticus 11:35 matters

  • Leviticus 11:35 clarifies that ritual impurity could spread to everyday objects, not just people or food, showing the thoroughness of the purity laws.
  • The verse emphasizes the seriousness of maintaining ritual cleanliness in the home, especially in places connected to food and daily life.
  • This instruction fits into a larger section where God is teaching Israel to be distinct from other nations by following detailed laws about purity and holiness.

Where else these words appear

“oven” Hebrew H8574 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
  • Leviticus 26:26 And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.
  • Lamentations 5:10 Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.

“carcase” Hebrew H5038 · used in 41 verses

  • Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
  • Leviticus 17:15 And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.
  • 2 Kings 9:37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

“down” Hebrew H5422 · used in 41 verses

  • Exodus 34:13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
  • 2 Kings 11:18 And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.
  • Psalms 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

“unclean” Hebrew H2931 · used in 78 verses

  • Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
  • Leviticus 14:41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place:
  • Deuteronomy 14:8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.