Old Testament Laws regarding Carcassses

The Carcasses of the Clean Animals

Leviticus 11:39-40

Also, if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

Thoughts on the Passage

Currently I am also reading a book about life in India many decades ago. It describes in great detail the various ceremonial rituals and traditions of the Hindu faith. As one reads these verses in Leviticus, one can see some relationship between them and what the Hindus practice about being unclean, although perhaps for different reasons.

In these verses, I note three types of ‘uncleanliness’.  First, one who touches a carcass of a perfectly clean animal that has died. Second, one who eats of the carcass. Third, one who picks up the carcass. They are all unclean until evening, but the latter two also have to wash their clothes.

David Guzik says, “these laws apply to the natural death of clean animals, not to their butchering for food or death for sacrifice. Those handling such carcasses were ceremonially unclean and needed to be cleansed by washing and a brief quarantine.”

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