The Dietary Laws In the Biblical Family Part 2
What the Dietary Laws boil down to basically, is this: Every animal that is carnivorous, omnivorous, or lives off carrion is unclean, in other words, every animal that eats the blood of another animal or feeds on its carcass . Consequently, "beasts" which chew the cud and have a cloven hoof are clean animals (Lev 11:3-8). When it comes to fish, every bottom feeder is forbidden, whereas every fish with fins AND scales is labeled clean (Lev 11:9-12). Of the birds, again those birds that prey on other animals are forbidden (Lev 11:13-20).
Of the insects, only very few are considered clean, those that have wings AND leap, like the famous locust John the Baptist lived off, for example (Lev 11:21-23; Mk 1:6). In addition, every creeping thing is abominable (Lev 11:41-44). For these two groups, it seems that their diet is not the reason for deeming them unclean, for some of the leaping and flying insects seem to prey on other insects, too, and some creeping things live on leaves alone. If you have information as to what exactly makes creeping things and insects unclean, other than that they might have sat on some carcass somewhen during their mostly short life, please let us know.
Verses 23 to 41 mainly deal with the uncleanness of carcasses and how they defile almost everything that comes into contact with them, but they also mention than no animal that goes on its paws is considered food (Lev 11:27). Besides, a few more of the "creeping things" which are not to be eaten are listed by name, such as the weasel, the tortoise or the snail (Lev 11:29-30).
In short, for most animals mentioned, consuming blood, which is forbidden to the Israelites because in the blood is the life of every living being, makes animals unfit for food, too.
"Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man." (Gen 9:3-5)
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