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

Ritual Purity and the Law

The Mosaic Law contains specific instructions regarding the handling of carcasses, particularly in the context of maintaining ritual purity. In Leviticus 11, the Israelites are given detailed dietary laws, which include prohibitions against touching the carcasses of certain unclean animals. 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." These laws underscore the importance of holiness and separation from impurity in the life of the Israelite community.

Divine Judgment

Carcasses are also used as symbols of divine judgment and desolation. In prophetic literature, the imagery of carcasses often conveys the consequences of disobedience to God. For instance, in Jeremiah 7:33 , the prophet declares, "The carcasses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away." This vivid imagery serves as a warning of the dire outcomes that await those who turn away from God's commandments.

Prophetic Imagery

The use of carcasses in prophetic visions further illustrates the severity of God's judgment. In Ezekiel 39:17-20 , the prophet describes a great sacrificial feast where the birds and beasts are invited to consume the flesh of mighty warriors: "As for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Tell every kind of bird and every beast of the field: Assemble and come, gather from all around to My sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel, and you will eat flesh and drink blood.'" This passage highlights the totality of God's victory over His enemies and the ultimate triumph of His justice.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, the term "carcass" appears in the context of eschatological teachings. Jesus uses the imagery of a carcass to describe the inevitability of divine judgment. In Matthew 24:28 , He states, "Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." This saying emphasizes the certainty and inescapability of the end times, where judgment will be executed swiftly and unmistakably.

Symbolism and Theological Implications

Throughout the Bible, the concept of a carcass serves as a powerful symbol of the consequences of sin and the reality of divine judgment. It reminds believers of the importance of living in accordance with God's laws and the seriousness of spiritual purity. The imagery of carcasses also points to the ultimate victory of God over evil and the establishment of His righteous kingdom.

In summary, the biblical references to carcasses encompass themes of ritual purity, divine judgment, and prophetic fulfillment, each contributing to a deeper understanding of God's holiness and justice as revealed in Scripture.1. (n.) A dead body, whether of man or beast; a corpse; now commonly the dead body of a beast.

2. (n.) The living body; -- now commonly used in contempt or ridicule.

3. (n.) The abandoned and decaying remains of some bulky and once comely thing, as a ship; the skeleton, or the uncovered or unfinished frame, of a thing.

4. (n.) A hollow case or shell, filled with combustibles, to be thrown from a mortar or howitzer, to set fire to buildings, ships, etc.

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

4430. ptoma -- a fall, hence a misfortune, ruin
... fall, hence a misfortune, ruin. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: ptoma
Phonetic Spelling: (pto'-mah) Short Definition: a carcass, corpse Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4430.htm - 6k

2966. kolon -- a limb (of the body)
... Noun, Neuter Transliteration: kolon Phonetic Spelling: (ko'-lon) Short Definition:
a limb, bodies Definition: a limb, member of a body; fig: a corpse, carcass. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2966.htm - 6k

5038. nebelah -- a carcass, corpse
... 5037, 5038. nebelah. 5039 . a carcass, corpse. Transliteration: nebelah
Phonetic Spelling: (neb-ay-law') Short Definition: body. ...
/hebrew/5038.htm - 6k

4658. mappeleth -- carcass, ruin, an overthrow
... mappeleth. 4659 . carcass, ruin, an overthrow. Transliteration: mappeleth Phonetic
Spelling: (map-peh'-leth) Short Definition: fall. ... carcass, fall, ruin. ...
/hebrew/4658.htm - 6k

6297. peger -- corpse, carcass
... 6296, 6297. peger. 6298 . corpse, carcass. Transliteration: peger Phonetic
Spelling: (peh'gher) Short Definition: corpses. ... carcass, corpse, dead body. ...
/hebrew/6297.htm - 6k

5409. nethach -- a piece (of a divided carcass)
... 5408, 5409. nethach. 5410 . a piece (of a divided carcass). Transliteration:
nethach Phonetic Spelling: (nay'-thakh) Short Definition: pieces. ...
/hebrew/5409.htm - 6k

1472. gviyah -- a body, corpse
... 1471, 1472. gviyah. 1472a . a body, corpse. Transliteration: gviyah Phonetic
Spelling: (ghev-ee-yaw') Short Definition: body. dead body, carcass, corpse ...
/hebrew/1472.htm - 5k

The Carcass and the Eagles
... AMOS THE CARCASS AND THE EAGLES. 'Woe to them that are at ease in Zion,
and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the carcass and the eagles.htm

A Bible-Riddle
... a young lion rushed out at him from behind some bushes, and Samson, being a very
strong man, broke its jaws and killed it, and left its carcass behind some ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/a bible-riddle.htm

Meeting the Lions
... him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid." Some time later he was passing
that way and found that a swarm of bees had entered the dried carcass of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/talk six meeting the lions.htm

Jeroboam
... thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers." Verses 18-22. ... And,
behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, . . . ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 7 jeroboam.htm

Samson who did to Others as they did to Him
... When he returned after a while to marry her, he turned aside to see what was left
of the lion, and there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/samson who did to others.htm

It was Friday Night, and Diamond, Like the Rest of the Household.. ...
... Pray where would your carcass be if it weren't for him?". ... There you are with
your huge carcass crushing down your poor legs all night long. ...
/.../macdonald/at the back of the north wind/chapter 32 it was friday.htm

Salt Without Savour
... And, Christ says by implication here, what He says plainly more than once in other
places:"'Human society, without My influence, is a carcass that is rotting ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/salt without savour.htm

The Career of the Antichrist
... God's people are the salt of the earth, and their presence here stays the corruption
of the "carcass" (Matt.24:28 " The "Carcass" is the antithesis of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/the career of the antichrist.htm

Temptations.
... I have sent you here enclosed a drop of that honey that I have taken out of the
carcass of a lion. I have eaten thereof myself, and am much refreshed thereby. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xv temptations.htm

Sorrowful, yet Always Rejoicing
... White ants will pick a carcass clean as soon as a lion will, and there is quite
as much wear and tear of Christian gladness arising from the small frictions of ...
/.../sorrowful yet always rejoicing.htm

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

Touches (55 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 5:2 "'Or if anyone touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass
of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of ...
/t/touches.htm - 22k

Carcasses (30 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) Plural of Carcass. Multi-Version Concordance Carcasses
(30 Occurrences). Hebrews 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? ...
/c/carcasses.htm - 15k

Carcase (38 Occurrences)
... Numbers 19:16, 22; Leviticus 11:39). Noah Webster's Dictionary. (n.) See
Carcass. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CARCASS; CARCASE. ...
/c/carcase.htm - 21k

Toucheth (45 Occurrences)
... (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). Leviticus 11:24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever
toucheth the carcass of them shall be unclean until the even. ...
/t/toucheth.htm - 20k

Picks (7 Occurrences)
... Picks (7 Occurrences). Leviticus 11:25 Whoever carries any part of their carcass
shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. (See NAS NIV). ...
/p/picks.htm - 8k

Carries (27 Occurrences)
... (WEB WEY DBY NAS RSV). Leviticus 11:25 Whoever carries any part of their carcass
shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. (WEB RSV). ...
/c/carries.htm - 14k

Unaware (16 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 5:2 "'Or if anyone touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass
of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of ...
/u/unaware.htm - 11k

Ceremonially (38 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 5:2 "'Or if anyone touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass
of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of ...
/c/ceremonially.htm - 18k

Swarming (19 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 5:2 Or if any one touch any unclean thing, whether it be the carcass of
an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean ...
/s/swarming.htm - 12k

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