Leviticus 11:38
New International Version
But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

New Living Translation
But if the seed is wet when the carcass falls on it, the seed will be defiled.

English Standard Version
but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Berean Standard Bible
but if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

King James Bible
But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.

New King James Version
But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean to you.

New American Standard Bible
But if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

NASB 1995
‘Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

NASB 1977
‘Though if water is put on the seed, and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Legacy Standard Bible
Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Amplified Bible
but if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Christian Standard Bible
but if water has been put on the seed and one of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean for you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
but if water has been put on the seed and one of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean for you.”

American Standard Version
But if water be put upon the seed, and aught of their carcass fall thereon, it is unclean unto you.

Contemporary English Version
But seeds that are soaking in water become unclean, if the dead animal is found in the water.

English Revised Version
But if water be put upon the seed, and aught of their carcase fall thereon, it is unclean unto you.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But if water is poured on the seed and their dead bodies fall on it, the seed is unclean for you.

Good News Translation
But if the seed is soaking in water and one of them falls on it, the seed is unclean.

International Standard Version
But if water is put on the seed and part of their carcass falls on it, then it has become unclean for you.

Majority Standard Bible
but if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

NET Bible
but if water is put on the seed and such a carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

New Heart English Bible
But if water is put on the seed, and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Webster's Bible Translation
But if any water shall be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcass shall fall on it, it shall be unclean to you.

World English Bible
But if water is put on the seed, and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and when water is put on the seed, and [any] of its carcass has fallen on it—it [is] unclean to you.

Young's Literal Translation
and when water is put on the seed, and any of its carcase hath fallen on it -- unclean it is to you.

Smith's Literal Translation
And when water shall be given upon the seed and from their carcass fall upon it it is unclean to you.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But if any man pour water upon the seed, and afterwards it be touched by the carcasses, it shall be forthwith defiled.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But if anyone has poured water upon the seed grain, and afterwards it was touched by the carcasses, it shall be immediately defiled.

New American Bible
but if the grain has become moistened, it becomes unclean to you when any part of their carcasses falls on it.

New Revised Standard Version
but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But if any water be put upon the seed and any part of their carcasses falls on it, it shall be unclean to you.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if waters have fallen on a generation of the seed and they fell from their corpses upon it, it is defiled to you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But if water be put upon the seed, and aught of their carcass fall thereon, it is unclean unto you.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But if water be poured on any seed, and one of their dead bodies fall upon it, it is unclean to you.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Clean and Unclean Animals
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. 39If an animal that you may eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean until evening.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 14:22-23
You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the produce brought forth each year from your fields. / And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.

Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

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.)

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.”

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.

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.

Genesis 9:3-4
Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things. / But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.

Isaiah 61:11
For as the earth brings forth its growth, and as a garden enables seed to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Ezekiel 4:9
But take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single container and make them into bread for yourself. This is what you are to eat during the 390 days you lie on your side.

Hosea 2:21-22
“On that day I will respond—” declares the LORD—“I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth. / And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.

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

Luke 11:41
But give as alms the things that are within you, and behold, everything will be clean for you.

1 Corinthians 10:25-26
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, / for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”

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.


Treasury of Scripture

But if any water be put on the seed, and any part of their carcass fall thereon, it shall be unclean to you.

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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














but if water has been put on the seed
This phrase highlights the condition under which the seed becomes susceptible to impurity. In the Hebrew context, water often symbolizes life and purification. However, in this instance, the water makes the seed vulnerable to becoming unclean. The Hebrew word for "water" is "מַיִם" (mayim), which is a fundamental element in Jewish ritual purity. The act of water being put on the seed suggests a transition from a dormant state to one of potential growth, symbolizing readiness and openness. This readiness, however, also opens the seed to contamination, illustrating the delicate balance between life and impurity in the ancient Israelite understanding.

and a carcass falls on it
The term "carcass" refers to the dead body of an animal, which in Levitical law is a source of impurity. The Hebrew word for "carcass" is "נְבֵלָה" (nevelah), which denotes something that is lifeless and thus ritually impure. The imagery of a carcass falling on the seed conveys a sudden and unintentional defilement. Historically, this reflects the Israelites' need to maintain ritual purity in their daily lives, as contact with death was seen as a disruption of the divine order. The falling of the carcass signifies an external force of impurity that can affect one's spiritual and communal standing.

it is unclean for you
The declaration of uncleanness is a significant aspect of Levitical law, emphasizing the separation between the holy and the profane. The Hebrew word for "unclean" is "טָמֵא" (tamei), which indicates a state of impurity that requires purification rituals to restore holiness. This phrase underscores the importance of vigilance and awareness in maintaining purity. For the Israelites, being "unclean" meant a temporary exclusion from communal worship and activities, highlighting the communal and spiritual implications of personal actions. The phrase serves as a reminder of the constant need for discernment and the pursuit of holiness in the believer's life, reflecting a broader theological principle of separation from sin and dedication to God.

(38) But if any water be put upon the seed.--The case, however, is different when the grain is moistened, because the fluid softens the corn, and thus enables the defilement of the carcase to penetrate into its very fibres. The wet corn therefore is regarded in the same light as porous clay vessels which become saturated with defilement, and must be broken. (Comp. Leviticus 6:28.) By water, according to the rule which obtained during the second Temple, the seven liquids mentioned in Leviticus 11:34 are meant.



Parallel Commentaries ...


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

water
מַ֙יִם֙ (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

has been put
יֻתַּן־ (yut·tan-)
Verb - QalPass - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

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

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

and a carcass
מִנִּבְלָתָ֖ם (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
וְנָפַ֥ל (wə·nā·p̄al)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

on it,
עָלָ֑יו (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

it
ה֖וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is unclean
טָמֵ֥א (ṭā·mê)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2931: Unclean

for you.
לָכֶֽם׃ (lā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Law: Leviticus 11:38 But if water is put (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 11:37
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