Topical Bible: Carcase

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical terminology, the term "carcase" refers to the dead body of an animal or, in some contexts, a human. The concept of a carcase is significant in various passages of the Bible, often associated with themes of death, impurity, and divine judgment.

Old Testament References

The Hebrew word often translated as "carcase" is "פֶּגֶר" (peger), which appears in several Old Testament passages. In the Mosaic Law, the handling of a carcase is associated with ritual impurity. Leviticus 11:24-25 states, "By these animals you will become unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening." This regulation underscores the importance of ceremonial cleanliness and the separation from death, which is seen as a consequence of sin.

In Deuteronomy 28:26, the carcase is used metaphorically to describe the consequences of disobedience to God's commandments: "Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away." This imagery serves as a stark warning of the desolation and disgrace that accompany divine judgment.

Prophetic Imagery

The prophets frequently use the imagery of carcases to convey messages of judgment and desolation. In Isaiah 66:24, the fate of the wicked is vividly depicted: "As they go forth, they will see the corpses of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never be quenched, and they will be a horror to all mankind." This passage highlights the eternal consequences of rebellion against God and serves as a sobering reminder of divine justice.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the Greek word "πτῶμα" (ptōma) is used to refer to a carcase. Jesus employs this term in a prophetic context in Matthew 24:28: "Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." This statement, found within the Olivet Discourse, is often interpreted as a reference to the visible signs of the end times and the inevitability of divine judgment.

Symbolism and Theological Implications

The concept of a carcase in the Bible is rich with symbolic meaning. It often represents the physical manifestation of death, a consequence of the Fall and human sinfulness. The handling of carcases in the Old Testament law underscores the separation between life and death, purity and impurity. This separation is ultimately bridged by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who conquers death and offers eternal life to believers.

The imagery of carcases also serves as a powerful reminder of the reality of divine judgment. Throughout Scripture, the fate of the wicked is often depicted in terms of their bodies being left unburied, a sign of disgrace and abandonment by God. This serves as a warning to remain faithful and obedient to God's commandments.

In summary, the biblical concept of a carcase is multifaceted, encompassing themes of death, impurity, judgment, and redemption. It serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of sin and the hope of restoration through Christ.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Contact with a, made an Israelite ceremonially unclean, and made whatever he touched also unclean, according to the Mosaic law (Haggai 2:13; Comp. Numbers 19:16, 22; Leviticus 11:39).

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

(n.) See Carcass.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

CARCASS; CARCASE

kar'-kas: The dead body of a beast; used sometimes in a contemptuous way of the dead body of a human being. The use of the word as applied to a living body is not found in either Old Testament or New Testament.

(1) It occurs as a translation of the Hebrew pegher, in Genesis 15:11; this Hebrew word is also translated "dead body" in Numbers 14:29 1 Samuel 17:46; Isaiah 34:3; Isaiah 66:24 Ezekiel 6:5; Ezekiel 43:7:9, and "corpse" in Nahum 3:3.

(2) The Hebrew nebhelah, is also translated "carcass" in Leviticus 5:2; Leviticus 11:8, 11 Jeremiah 16:18, but as "dead body" in Deuteronomy 28:26 ("body," Joshua 8:29 1 Kings 13:22, 29 2 Kings 9:37); Isaiah 5:25 Jeremiah 7:33; Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 19:7.

(3) In Judges 14:8 the word mappelah, from naphal, "to incline" or "fall," is also translated "carcass."

(4) In Matthew 24:28 the word "carcase" (not "carcass") is used to render the Greek ptoma, the reference probably being here to the dead body of an animal For the body of a human being the Greek is translated "corpse" (Matthew 14:12 Mark 6:29; Mark 15:45), and "dead bodies" (Revelation 11:8, 9).

W. N. Stearns

Greek

4430. ptoma -- a fall, hence a misfortune, ruin
... dead body, carcass, corpse. From the alternate of pipto; a ruin, ie (specially),
lifeless body (corpse, carrion) -- dead body, carcase, corpse. see GREEK pipto. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4430.htm - 6k

2966. kolon -- a limb (of the body)
... a dead body, corpse. From the base of kolazo; a limb of the body (as if lopped) --
carcase. see GREEK kolazo. (kola) -- 1 Occurrence. 2965, 2966. kolon. 2967 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2966.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

6297. peger -- corpse, carcass
... carcass, corpse, dead body. From pagar; a carcase (as limp), whether of man or beast;
figuratively, an idolatrous image -- carcase, corpse, dead body. ...
/hebrew/6297.htm - 6k

5038. nebelah -- a carcass, corpse
... From nabel; a flabby thing, ie A carcase or carrion (human or bestial, often
collectively); figuratively, an idol -- (dead) body, (dead) carcase, dead of itself ...
/hebrew/5038.htm - 6k

4658. mappeleth -- carcass, ruin, an overthrow
... carcass, fall, ruin. From naphal; fall, ie Decadence; concretely, a ruin; specifically
a carcase -- carcase, fall, ruin. see HEBREW naphal. 4657, 4658. ...
/hebrew/4658.htm - 6k

1472. gviyah -- a body, corpse
... dead body, carcass, corpse Prolonged for gevah; a body, whether alive or dead --
(dead) body, carcase, corpse. see HEBREW gevah. 1471, 1472. gviyah. 1472a ...
/hebrew/1472.htm - 5k

Library

As Eagles are Drawn by the Scent of a Carcase
... THE FIRST CENTURY 57 As eagles are drawn by the scent of a carcase. As eagles
are drawn by the scent of a carcase, as children are ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/57 as eagles are drawn.htm

As My Body Without My Soul is a Carcase
... THE FIRST CENTURY 93 As my body without my Soul is a Carcase. As my body
without my Soul is a Carcase, so is any soul without Thy ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/93 as my body without.htm

The Carrion and the Vultures
... D.; ST. MATTHEW Chaps. XVIII to XXVIII THE CARRION AND THE VULTURES. 'Wheresoever
the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.'"Matthew 24:28. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the carrion and the vultures.htm

And Yet, by Reason of that Affection of the Human Heart...
... their bodies: so that we find in the Books of Kings, God by one prophet threatening
another prophet who had transgressed His word, that his carcase should not ...
/.../augustine/on care to be had for the dead /9 and yet by reason.htm

Epistle Lxxvii. The Reply of Nemesianus, Dativus, Felix, and ...
... on the one hand and on the other, with your words, so that snares were on all sides
laid for the enemy, and the severed sinews of the very carcase of the ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle lxxvii the reply of.htm

It is Wonderfully Astonishing, that You Men of Learning Seldom ...
... Whereas, in truth, all this is no better than the reading a lecture upon the use
of the heart, liver, and lungs, to a dead carcase: for the life of goodness ...
/.../law/the way to divine knowledge/way-1-39 it is wonderfully astonishing.htm

The Burnt Offering a Picture and a Prophecy
... The offerer then flays the reeking carcase, tossing the gory hide to the priest
as his perquisite, and cuts up the sacrifice according to a fixed method. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the burnt offering a picture.htm

Meditations of the Misery of a Man not Reconciled to God in Christ ...
... But, O corrupt carcase and loathsome carrion! how has the devil deluded us! ... And
must I needs be gone, thou filthy carcase? O filthy carcase! ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations of the misery of.htm

Matt. xxiv. 16-18.
... Son of Man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there shall the eagles be
gathered together." [2783]. Having finished what concerned ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily lxxvi matt xxiv 16-18.htm

Centuries of Meditations
... 57 As eagles are drawn by the scent of a carcase. 58 The Cross is the abyss
of wonders. ... 93 As my body without my Soul is a Carcase. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/traherne/centuries of meditations/

Thesaurus

Carcase (38 Occurrences)
... CARCASS; CARCASE. kar'-kas: The dead body of a beast; used sometimes in a contemptuous
way of the dead body of a human being. ...Carcase (38 Occurrences). ...
/c/carcase.htm - 21k

Carrieth (10 Occurrences)
... (KJV ASV WBS). Leviticus 11:25 And whoever carrieth ought of their carcase shall
wash his garments, and be unclean until the even. (DBY). ...
/c/carrieth.htm - 9k

Findeth (66 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 13:24 and he goeth, and a lion findeth him in the way, and putteth him to
death, and his carcase is cast in the way, and the ass is standing near it ...
/f/findeth.htm - 26k

Teeming (18 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 5:2 Or when a person cometh against any thing unclean, or against a carcase
of an unclean beast, or against a carcase of unclean cattle, or against a ...
/t/teeming.htm - 12k

Crawling (20 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 5:2 Or if any one touch any unclean thing, whether it be the carcase of
an unclean beast, or the carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of an ...
/c/crawling.htm - 12k

Lifting (157 Occurrences)
... (See NAS). Leviticus 11:25 and anyone who is lifting up 'aught' of their carcase
doth wash his garments, and hath been unclean till the evening: -- (YLT). ...
/l/lifting.htm - 36k

Placeth (28 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 13:29 And the prophet taketh up the carcase of the man of God, and placeth
it on the ass, and bringeth it back, and the old prophet cometh in unto the ...
/p/placeth.htm - 14k

Carcass (30 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CARCASS; CARCASE. kar'-kas: The dead body of a
beast; used sometimes in a contemptuous way of the dead body of a human being. ...
/c/carcass.htm - 18k

Garments (232 Occurrences)
... YLT). Leviticus 11:25 And whoever carrieth ought of their carcase shall wash
his garments, and be unclean until the even. (DBY YLT). ...
/g/garments.htm - 37k

Creature (73 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 5:2 Or when a person cometh against any thing unclean, or against a carcase
of an unclean beast, or against a carcase of unclean cattle, or against a ...
/c/creature.htm - 36k

Resources

Carcase: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Carcase (38 Occurrences)

Matthew 24:28
For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
(KJV ASV DBY YLT)

Leviticus 5:2
Or if any one touch any unclean thing, whether it be the carcase of an unclean beast, or the carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of an unclean crawling thing, and it be hid from him, he also is unclean and guilty;
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 7:24
But the fat of a dead carcase, and the fat of that which is torn, may be used in any other use; but ye shall in no wise eat it.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:8
Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch: they shall be unclean unto you.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:11
They shall be even an abomination unto you: of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase ye shall have in abomination.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:24
And by these ye shall make yourselves unclean; whoever toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:25
And whoever carrieth ought of their carcase shall wash his garments, and be unclean until the even.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:27
And whatever goeth on its paws, among all manner of beasts that go upon all four, those are unclean unto you: whoever toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:28
And he that carrieth their carcase shall wash his garments, and be unclean until the even: they shall be unclean unto you.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:35
And everything where upon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; oven and hearth shall be broken down: they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:36
Nevertheless, a spring or a well, a quantity of water, shall be clean. But he that toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:37
And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing-seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean;
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:38
but if water have been put on the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:39
And if any beast which is to you for food die, he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 11:40
And he that eateth of its carcase shall wash his garments, and be unclean until the even: he also that carrieth its carcase shall wash his garments, and be unclean until the even.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 17:15
And every soul that eateth of a dead carcase, or of that which was torn, be it one home-born, or a stranger, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the even: then he shall be clean.
(DBY YLT)

Leviticus 22:8
Of a dead carcase and what is torn shall he not eat, to make himself unclean therewith: I am Jehovah.
(DBY YLT)

Deuteronomy 14:8
and the swine, for it hath cloven hoofs, yet cheweth not the cud it shall be unclean unto you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch.
(DBY YLT)

Deuteronomy 14:21
Ye shall eat of no carcase; thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eat it, or sell it unto a foreigner; for thou art a holy people to Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother's milk.
(DBY YLT)

Deuteronomy 28:26
And thy carcase shall be meat unto all the fowl of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no man to scare them away.
(DBY YLT)

Joshua 8:29
And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until the evening; and at the going down of the sun Joshua commanded, and they took his carcase down from the tree, and threw it down at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised upon it a great heap of stones, which remains to this day.
(DBY YLT)

Judges 14:8
and he turneth back after 'some' days to take her, and turneth aside to see the carcase of the lion, and lo, a company of bees 'are' in the body of the lion -- and honey.
(YLT)

1 Samuel 17:46
This day will Jehovah deliver thee up into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the camp of the Philistines this day to the fowl of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth. And all the earth shall know that Israel has a God;
(Root in DBY YLT)

1 Kings 13:22
but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to thee, Eat no bread and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come to the sepulchre of thy fathers.
(DBY YLT)

1 Kings 13:24
and he goeth, and a lion findeth him in the way, and putteth him to death, and his carcase is cast in the way, and the ass is standing near it, and the lion is standing near the carcase.
(YLT)

1 Kings 13:25
And lo, men are passing by, and see the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing near the carcase, and they come and speak 'of it' in the city in which the old prophet is dwelling.
(YLT)

1 Kings 13:28
And he goeth and findeth his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion are standing near the carcase -- the lion hath not eaten the carcase nor destroyed the ass.
(YLT)

1 Kings 13:29
And the prophet taketh up the carcase of the man of God, and placeth it on the ass, and bringeth it back, and the old prophet cometh in unto the city to mourn and to bury him,
(YLT)

1 Kings 13:30
and he placeth his carcase in his own grave, and they mourn for him, 'Oh, my brother!'
(YLT)

2 Kings 9:37
and the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the open field in the plot of Jizreel, so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.
(DBY YLT)

Jeremiah 7:33
And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.
(Root in KJV DBY YLT)

Jeremiah 9:22
Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
(Root in KJV DBY YLT)

Jeremiah 16:4
They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
(Root in KJV DBY YLT)

Jeremiah 16:18
And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.
(Root in KJV DBY YLT)

Jeremiah 34:20
them will I give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of them that seek their life; and their carcases shall be food for the fowl of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth.
(Root in DBY YLT)

Jeremiah 36:30
Therefore, thus said Jehovah, concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He hath none sitting on the throne of David, and his carcase is cast out to heat by day, and to cold by night;
(YLT)

Ezekiel 4:14
And I say, 'Ah, Lord Jehovah, lo, my soul is not defiled, and carcase, and torn thing, I have not eaten from my youth, even till now; nor come into my mouth hath abominable flesh.'
(YLT)

Ezekiel 44:31
Any carcase and torn thing, of the fowl, and of the beasts, the priests do not eat.
(YLT)

Subtopics

Carcase

Related Terms

Carcase (38 Occurrences)

Loathed (13 Occurrences)

Fowls (61 Occurrences)

Whoredom (58 Occurrences)

Fornication (52 Occurrences)

Destroyed (377 Occurrences)

Carcass (30 Occurrences)

Fowl (73 Occurrences)