Topical Bible: The Camel: Unclean

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, the camel is classified among the unclean animals according to the dietary laws given to the Israelites. The primary scriptural reference for this classification is found in the book of Leviticus, where God outlines the animals that may and may not be consumed by His people. Leviticus 11:4 states, "But of those that chew the cud or have a split hoof completely divided, you are not to eat the following: The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you."

The camel is mentioned again in Deuteronomy 14:7 , reinforcing its status as unclean: "But of those that chew the cud or have a split hoof completely divided, you are not to eat the following: The camel, the rabbit, and the rock badger, though they chew the cud, do not have a split hoof; they are unclean for you."

The distinction of the camel as unclean is based on its physical characteristics. While the camel chews the cud, a trait of clean animals, it lacks a completely divided hoof, which is a necessary criterion for an animal to be considered clean and fit for consumption under Mosaic Law. This classification underscores the importance of adhering to divine instructions and the symbolic separation between the holy and the common, as well as between Israel and the surrounding nations.

In the broader biblical narrative, camels are frequently mentioned as beasts of burden and symbols of wealth and trade. For instance, camels are part of the wealth of the patriarchs, as seen in Genesis 24:10 , where Abraham's servant takes ten camels to seek a wife for Isaac. Despite their utility and value in ancient Near Eastern society, their designation as unclean highlights the distinctiveness of Israel's covenantal relationship with God, which required obedience to specific dietary laws.

The camel's unclean status serves as a reminder of the broader principle of holiness that permeates the Levitical code. The Israelites were called to be a people set apart, and their dietary practices were a tangible expression of their unique identity and commitment to God's commandments.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 11:4
Nevertheless these shall you not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; he is unclean to you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 14:7
Nevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean to you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Argument. --And Thus Unclean Animals are not to be Reproached ...
... are approved in men; while those that are without scales are unclean; because trifling ...
law mean when it says, "Thou shalt not eat the camel?" [5320] "except ...
/.../novatian/on the jewish meats/chapter iii argument and thus unclean.htm

The Clean and the Unclean
... the faith within, but if you do not walk aright without, you belong to the unclean. ...
There was the camel that did chew the cud, but did not exactly divide the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 9 1863/the clean and the unclean.htm

In the Next Place, with Regard to the Declaration of Jesus against ...
... according to the law, is described as "unclean," having one element of acceptability ...
He would have inquired, moreover, how often the camel was adduced as an ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen against celsus/chapter xvi in the next.htm

The Shepherd of Pella
... There was silence. Momus made the camel kneel. ... "We are unclean," Laodice said with
effort. "We have come from a pestilential city and we have touched the dead. ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter iii the shepherd of.htm

Hail, the Galilean
... And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his ... And
there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out ...
/.../mark/jesus of nazareth a biography/chapter i hail the galilean.htm

On the Road to Jerusalem
... Out, lepers; be gone, ye unclean!". ... Momus, seeing only injury in attempting to enforce
hospitality, turned his camel and, swinging around the outermost limits ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the city of delight/chapter ii on the road.htm

Matt. xxiii. 14
... ought ye to have done;" but where He is speaking about clean and unclean, He no ... a
gnat," for they are small and nothing, but those other a camel, for they were ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily lxxiii matt xxiii 14.htm

On the Animals
... age or the deformation of the dead; in the gospel: it is easier for a camel to pass ...
The pigs are unclean sinners; in the epistle of Peter: the pig is washed by ...
/.../eucherius/the formulae of st eucherius of lyons/iv on the animals.htm

Letter Lxix. To Oceanus.
... scribes and pharisees we strain out the gnat and swallow the camel, we pay ... comes
it that, while your uncleanness is washed away, my cleanness is made unclean? ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lxix to oceanus.htm

Elijah --Passionate in Prayer
... to put my passions into my prayers,"I shall have to say to "Camel-knees," and ... But
we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy ...
/.../whyte/lord teach us to pray/vi elijahpassionate in prayer.htm