The
pig, because he has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, he is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:7
Leviticus 11 [1.] Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud among the animals, that you may eat.
Leviticus 11 [4.] “‘Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because he chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you. The cony, because he chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you. The hare, because she chews the cud but doesn’t part the hoof, she is unclean to you. The pig, because he has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, he is unclean to you. Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.
Leviticus 11 [9.] “‘These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that you may eat. All that don’t have fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination to you, and you detest them. You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that is an abomination to you.
Meaning:
Leviticus 11 gives Israel God’s rules about which animals could be eaten. For land animals there were two signs: the animal must part the hoof and chew the cud. The camel, the cony and the hare chew the cud but lack the parted hoof. The pig is the opposite case: it has the split hoof but does not chew the cud. So God says, “he is unclean to you.” This short verse shaped Jewish life for centuries and forms an important background to several Gospel scenes.
- Clean and Unclean
“Unclean” in Leviticus is a ritual category, not a statement that the animal itself is evil. God made every creature, and at creation he “saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). The words “to you” matter: these rules marked out Israel as a distinct people in covenant with Yahweh. They were not eating rules for every nation, but a sign of Israel’s calling.
The chapter also forbade touching the carcass of such animals. Uncleanness was something that could spread by contact and that excluded a person from worship until it was dealt with. Israel learned, at every meal, that holiness touches ordinary life.
- Why the Pig?
Many reasons have been suggested. Pigs eat almost anything, including carrion, and undercooked pork can carry parasites, so the law may have protected health. Pigs were also closely associated with pagan worship among Israel’s neighbours; Isaiah condemns people “who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of abominable things” as part of idolatrous practice (Isaiah 65:4).
Yet Scripture itself gives the main reason in the same chapter: “be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). The food laws were a daily, visible reminder that Israel belonged to God and was to be different from the nations around it. Centuries later, when the Greek king Antiochus IV tried to force Jews to sacrifice and eat pork, many chose to die rather than break this command, and the pig became a symbol of pagan oppression.
- Pigs in the Gospel of Mark
This background explains why the herd of “about two thousand” pigs in Mark 5:13 signals that Jesus was in Gentile territory. To a Jewish reader the scene was full of uncleanness: tombs, an unclean spirit, and a vast herd of unclean animals. When the demons entered the pigs and rushed into the sea, the land was, in a vivid way, cleansed of what defiled it, while a man was restored to his right mind.
- Fulfilled in Christ
Jesus taught that it is not what goes into the stomach that defiles a person but what comes out of the heart, “thus purifying all foods” (Mark 7:19). The apostles came to see that in Christ, Jew and Gentile share one table. Paul therefore urged believers not to quarrel over food: “Don’t let him who eats despise him who doesn’t eat. Don’t let him who doesn’t eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him” (Romans 14:3).
The Significance of Leviticus 11:7
- Holiness Reaches the Dinner Table
Christians are free from the food laws, but not from their lesson. God cares about the ordinary things of life. Paul writes, “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Our meals, habits and spending can all express that we belong to him.
- Freedom That Serves Others
Because “God’s Kingdom is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17), believers should use their freedom lovingly. We should respect Jewish friends who keep these laws, avoid looking down on others over food, and remember that the true cleansing we need is the cleansing of the heart that Christ provides.
Cross-References:
Leviticus 11:44: "For I am Yahweh your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy." The purpose of the food laws was to mark Israel as God’s holy people.
Isaiah 65:4: "who sit among the graves, and spend nights in secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;" Eating pig’s flesh became linked with idolatry and rebellion.
Mark 7:19: "because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, thus purifying all foods?" Jesus taught that defilement comes from the heart.
Romans 14:17: "for God’s Kingdom is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." The Kingdom is about righteousness and peace, not diet.
Conclusion: Leviticus 11:7 may seem a small rule about one animal, but it carried a large truth: God’s people belong to him in every part of life. The pig became a symbol of all that was unclean and foreign to Israel, which makes it all the more striking that Jesus went into a land of pigs and tombs to rescue a tormented man. In Christ the outward food laws have been fulfilled, and the call to holiness now reaches the heart.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible