“And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.”
Leviticus 11 contains instructions from God to the Israelites regarding clean and unclean animals. These dietary laws were given to the Israelites as part of the broader system of purity and holiness outlined in the book of Leviticus.
In Leviticus 11:7, the focus is on the pig, commonly referred to as the swine. God declares the swine as unclean, and therefore, it was prohibited for the Israelites to eat or consume its meat. This prohibition was based on two criteria: the swine did not chew the cud, and although it had divided hooves, it was still considered unclean.
“Though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted”: This part of the verse highlights the external appearance of the pig’s hooves. The pig does have a divided hoof, meaning its hoof is split into two parts. In the agricultural context, animals with divided hooves were generally considered clean.
“Yet he cheweth not the cud”: This phrase refers to the process of chewing cud, which involves an animal regurgitating its partially digested food from its stomach and then re-chewing it. Ruminant animals, such as cows, sheep, and goats, chew the cud. However, pigs do not have a digestive system that allows them to chew cud. They have a single-chambered stomach and digest their food differently.
The combination of not chewing the cud and having divided hooves marked the pig as unclean according to the dietary laws of the Old Testament. This meant that the Israelites were prohibited from consuming pork or any products derived from pigs.
It’s important to note that these dietary laws were specific to the Israelites under the Mosaic covenant and were part of their distinct religious and cultural practices at that time. These laws helped to set the Israelites apart as a holy nation. However, with the arrival of the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus Christ, the dietary laws were not upheld as mandatory for Christians (Mark 7:14-23, Acts 10:9-16).
