These instructions specify that certain winged insects, including locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers, may be eaten.
Leviticus 11 continues the dietary guidelines the LORD prescribed to the Israelites under Moses’s leadership, around 1445-1400 BC, instructing them on which animals and insects were permissible to eat. In this context, the verse proclaims: “Even these of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, and the devastating locust in its kinds, and the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds” (v.22). This specification follows God’s command on various clean and unclean creatures, showing how certain insects were indeed sanctioned as food. Though it might seem unusual by our modern standards, these instructions highlight God’s attention to detail and care for His people’s sustenance. It underscores the fact that not all creatures were forbidden, indicating that God provided multiple options within the covenant community’s diet.
Furthermore, “the locust in its kinds” (v.22) represents a particularly interesting allowance, because locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers are grouped together as acceptable. This stands out since insects are generally classified as unclean elsewhere in the chapter, making these types of winged creatures an exception. The provision of specific insects among the clean foods could have served practical reasons for ancient Israel, many of whom likely traveled through regions where such insects were abundant. In the broader biblical narrative, John the Baptist—who stood at the threshold of Jesus’s ministry in the first century AD—famously ate locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4), which connected back to this allowance found in Leviticus.
This verse also reminds us that God’s law was precise to address the daily issues of life, ensuring that the Israelites would remain set apart in their eating habits. It shows that God’s desire for holiness, even in physical nourishment, intermingles with His provision for practical needs. Some have interpreted these dietary laws to foreshadow a deeper purification requirement, ultimately fulfilled when Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), redefining human purity in spiritual terms.
Set to dark mode
Leviticus 11:22 meaning
Leviticus 11 continues the dietary guidelines the LORD prescribed to the Israelites under Moses’s leadership, around 1445-1400 BC, instructing them on which animals and insects were permissible to eat. In this context, the verse proclaims: “Even these of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, and the devastating locust in its kinds, and the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds” (v.22). This specification follows God’s command on various clean and unclean creatures, showing how certain insects were indeed sanctioned as food. Though it might seem unusual by our modern standards, these instructions highlight God’s attention to detail and care for His people’s sustenance. It underscores the fact that not all creatures were forbidden, indicating that God provided multiple options within the covenant community’s diet.
Furthermore, “the locust in its kinds” (v.22) represents a particularly interesting allowance, because locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers are grouped together as acceptable. This stands out since insects are generally classified as unclean elsewhere in the chapter, making these types of winged creatures an exception. The provision of specific insects among the clean foods could have served practical reasons for ancient Israel, many of whom likely traveled through regions where such insects were abundant. In the broader biblical narrative, John the Baptist—who stood at the threshold of Jesus’s ministry in the first century AD—famously ate locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4), which connected back to this allowance found in Leviticus.
This verse also reminds us that God’s law was precise to address the daily issues of life, ensuring that the Israelites would remain set apart in their eating habits. It shows that God’s desire for holiness, even in physical nourishment, intermingles with His provision for practical needs. Some have interpreted these dietary laws to foreshadow a deeper purification requirement, ultimately fulfilled when Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), redefining human purity in spiritual terms.