Leviticus - 11:33



33 Every earthen vessel, into which any of them falls, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it.

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Leviticus 11:33.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.
And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean, and it ye shall break.
But an earthen vessel, into which any of these shall fall, shall be defiled, and therefore is to be broken.
And every earthen vessel into which any of them falleth whatever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.
and any earthen vessel, into the midst of which any one of them falleth, all that is in its midst is unclean, and it ye do break.
And every earthen vessel, into where any of them falls, whatever is in it shall be unclean; and you shall break it.
And if one of them gets into any vessel of earth, whatever is in the vessel will be unclean and the vessel will have to be broken.
But an earthen vessel, into which something from these will fall, shall be defiled; and therefore it is to be broken.
Omne praeterea vas testaceum intra quod occiderit aliquid ex eis, quicquid erit in illo immundum erit, et ipsum confringetis.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

Earthen vessel - See the marginal references.

And every earthen vessel - Such pitchers as are commonly used for drinking out of, and for holding liquids. M. De la Roque observes that hair-sacks, trunks, and baskets, covered with skin, are used among the travelling Arabs to carry their household utensils in, which are kettles or pots, great wooden bowls, hand-mills, and pitchers. It is very likely that these are nearly the same with those used by the Israelites in their journeyings in the wilderness, for the customs of these people do not change.

And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth,.... Any of the above eight reptiles, should they by chance fall into the midst an earthen vessel:
whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; if it only by falling touched the outside of it, it was not unclean; but if it fell into it, then whatever was contained in it was unclean; for, as Jarchi says, an earthen vessel does not pollute or receive pollution, but from the air of it (u), from its inside:
and ye shall break it; other vessels might be put into water and rinsed, and so be cleansed, but earthen vessels, being of no great value, were to be broken in pieces: an emblem this, as Ainsworth suggests, of the dissolution of our bodies, which are as earthen vessels, and of the destruction of sin thereby, and of the entire removal of it by death. (u) Vid. Misn. Celaim, c. 2. sect. 1. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Every earthen vessel, into which (lit., into the midst of which) one of them fell, became unclean, together with the whole of its contents, and was to be broken, i.e., destroyed, because the uncleanness as absorbed by the vessel, and could not be entirely removed by washing (see at Leviticus 6:21). Of course the contents of such a vessel, supposing there were any, were not to be used.

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