Leviticus 11:37
New International Version
If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean.

New Living Translation
If the carcass falls on seed grain to be planted in the field, the seed will still be considered clean.

English Standard Version
And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed grain that is to be sown, it is clean,

Berean Standard Bible
If a carcass falls on any seed for sowing, the seed is clean;

King James Bible
And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.

New King James Version
And if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean.

New American Standard Bible
Now if a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean.

NASB 1995
‘If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean.

NASB 1977
‘And if a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean.

Legacy Standard Bible
And if a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean.

Amplified Bible
If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean;

Christian Standard Bible
If one of their carcasses falls on any seed that is to be sown, it is clean;

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If one of their carcasses falls on any seed that is to be sown, it is clean;

American Standard Version
And if aught of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.

Contemporary English Version
If the dead body of one of these animals is found lying on seeds that have been set aside for planting, the seeds remain clean.

English Revised Version
And if aught of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If their dead bodies fall on seed that is to be planted, the seed is clean.

Good News Translation
If one of them falls on seed that is going to be planted, the seed remains clean.

International Standard Version
If their carcass falls on a seed, which is for sowing, what is to be sown is clean.

Majority Standard Bible
If a carcass falls on any seed for sowing, the seed is clean;

NET Bible
Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean,

New Heart English Bible
If part of their carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.

Webster's Bible Translation
And if any part of their carcass shall fall upon any sowing-seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.

World English Bible
If part of their carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and when [any] of their carcass falls on any sown seed which is sown—it [is] clean;

Young's Literal Translation
and when any of their carcase falleth on any sown seed which is sown -- it is clean;

Smith's Literal Translation
And when from their carcass shall fall upon any seed of sowing which shall be sown, it is clean.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If it fall upon seed corn, it shall not defile it.

Catholic Public Domain Version
If it falls upon seed grain, it shall not defile it.

New American Bible
If any part of their carcasses falls on any sort of grain that is to be sown, it remains clean;

New Revised Standard Version
If any part of their carcass falls upon any seed set aside for sowing, it is clean;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And if any part of their carcasses falls upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if anything falls from their corpses on any generation of seed of the seed that is sown, it is pure.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And if aught of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if one of their carcases should fall upon any sowing seed which shall be sown, it shall be clean.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Clean and Unclean Animals
36Nevertheless, a spring or cistern containing water will remain clean, but one who touches a carcass in it will be unclean. 37If a carcass falls on any seed for sowing, the seed is clean; 38but if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.…

Cross References
Acts 10:14-15
“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” / The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

Mark 7:18-19
“Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, / because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)

Romans 14:14
I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

1 Timothy 4:4-5
For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, / because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Matthew 15:11
A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”

Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. / These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.

Hebrews 9:10
They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.

Genesis 1:29-30
Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. / And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Deuteronomy 14:3-21
You must not eat any detestable thing. / These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat, / the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. ...

Isaiah 66:17
“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 4:14
“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.”

Hosea 9:3
They will not remain in the land of the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.

Daniel 1:8
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself.

Acts 15:28-29
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond these essential requirements: / You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

1 Corinthians 8:8
But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.


Treasury of Scripture

And if any part of their carcass fall on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.

sowing seed

1 Corinthians 15:37
And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

1 Peter 1:23
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

1 John 3:9
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

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Leviticus 11
1. What animals may be eaten
4. and what may not be eaten
9. What fishes
13. What fowls
29. The creeping things which are unclean














If any carcass
The Hebrew word for "carcass" is "נְבֵלָה" (nevelah), which refers to the dead body of an animal. In the context of Leviticus, carcasses are often associated with impurity and defilement. The Israelites were given specific laws to distinguish between clean and unclean animals, and touching or consuming the carcass of an unclean animal rendered a person ceremonially unclean. This highlights the importance of purity and holiness in the daily lives of the Israelites, as they were called to be set apart for God.

falls on
The Hebrew verb "נָפַל" (naphal) means "to fall" or "to drop." This implies an accidental or natural occurrence, rather than an intentional act. The use of this verb suggests that the laws concerning purity were not just about intentional actions but also about how to handle unforeseen circumstances. It reflects God's understanding of human life and the need for practical guidelines to maintain holiness even in accidental situations.

any seed for sowing
The phrase "seed for sowing" refers to seeds that are intended to be planted in the ground to produce crops. In Hebrew, the word for "seed" is "זֶרַע" (zera). Seeds are symbolic of potential and future growth, representing the sustenance and provision that God provides. The mention of seeds in this context underscores the importance of agriculture in ancient Israelite society and the reliance on God's provision through the land.

it is clean
The declaration that the seed remains "clean" despite contact with a carcass is significant. The Hebrew word for "clean" is "טָהוֹר" (tahor), which denotes purity and suitability for use in worship and daily life. This provision indicates that the potential for life and growth inherent in the seed is not compromised by accidental contact with impurity. It reflects God's grace and the understanding that life and sustenance are ultimately under His sovereign control. This assurance of cleanliness despite contact with death can be seen as a metaphor for the redemptive power of God, who brings life from death and purity from impurity.

(37) And if any part of their carcase.--The principle which underlies the immunity from pollution of living water is also at the basis of the exception of living plants. Hence if the carcase or a portion of a dead reptile is found among grain destined for sowing, the quantity of wheat in which it is discovered does not become defiled, since the growing plant constantly derives new elements from below and fresh moisture from above, thus undergoing as many changes in its way as spring water. The law therefore which obtained during the second Temple was as follows :--"Whatever is fixed in the ground does not contract defilement. Plants are not defiled till they are gathered." Hence the ancient Chaldee version of Jonathan renders this verse: "If any part of their carcase falleth upon any seed that is sown in the manner in which it is commonly sown--that is, in its dry state--it is clean."



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
וְכִ֤י (wə·ḵî)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

a carcass
מִנִּבְלָתָ֔ם (min·niḇ·lā·ṯām)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5038: A flabby thing, a carcase, carrion, an idol

falls
יִפֹּל֙ (yip·pōl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

any
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

seed
זֶ֥רַע (ze·ra‘)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2233: Seed, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity

for sowing,
זֵר֖וּעַ (zê·rū·a‘)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2221: Something sown, a plant

[the seed]
הֽוּא׃ (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is clean;
טָה֖וֹר (ṭā·hō·wr)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2889: Clean, pure


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OT Law: Leviticus 11:37 If part of their carcass falls (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 11:36
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