Clean and Unclean Foods in the Bible (With Photos)

It’s no wonder why many people dedicate their entire lives to studying the stories of the Bible. In addition to it being the single source of truth to guide our Christian lives, it provides us with an incredible history lesson that connects the dots from the beginning days of creation and gives a future prophecy about the end of times. One area of interest, in particular for many scholars and everyday people, is learning about clean and unclean foods in the Bible, according to Old Testament law.

In this article, we will examine clean and unclean foods in the Old Testament Bible between the time of the Israelite exodus from Egypt and the arrival of Jesus Christ. Please keep in mind that this list only applies to the Old Testament covenant God made with the Israelites. During His ministry, Jesus declared that all foods were clean, which means that today, there are no dietary restrictions on Christians.

What does it mean to be clean or unclean in the Bible?

Throughout much of the Old Testament, Moses, who was the man chosen by God to lead the Israelite exodus out of Egyptian slavery, spent much of his time delivering instructions from God to His large caravan of followers. During this time in the wilderness, God provided many laws and regulations that governed how people were supposed to conduct themselves.

Being clean in the Old Testament refers to abstaining from acts that defile one’s body, causing them to be unholy in the sight of the Lord. Also, a key tenant of cleanliness was for the Israelites to distinguish themselves from every other ethnic nation by living to a higher standard. In the Book of Leviticus 20:24-26, God explains the future plans He has for the Israelites, but also why He has called for them to make a distinction between clean and unclean animals:

24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations. 25 “ ‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

It is important to note that God is perfect in every way, and thus, to be acceptable in His sight, the Jews were required to live righteous, holy, and resist the detestable practices of other nations. Let’s examine the foods that God classified as unclean under Hebrew law.

Clean and unclean foods in the Old Testament

When many people think about God today, often, it can be in the form of an all-encompassing, abstract, or undefinable concept. And while there are many aspects of God’s deity that cannot be understood by human-logic, in fact, throughout the Bible, God is incredibly specific on not only who He is but also what He expects from his people. During a conversation with Moses and his brother Aaron, God gave detailed criteria, with examples, of the types of foods that should be classified as unclean and shouldn’t be eaten. Below is a list of unclean food categories as defined in Leviticus 11:

Unclean animals that live on land

Land animals that are considered clean if they have a divided hoof and chews the cud. Thus, any land animal that doesn’t meet both of these criteria is ceremonially unclean, such as pigs. Below are the examples that God gave Moses about unclean land animals:

Animal	Chews Cud?	Divided Hoof?	Clean or Unclean
Camels	Yes	No	Unclean
Hyrax	Yes	No	Unclean
Rabbit	Yes	No	Unclean
Pig	No	Yes	Unclean

Also, the Jews should have refrained from even touching the dead carcasses of these animals, which could also make them unclean.

Clean animals that live on land

Below are some examples of clean land animals that would meet these criteria:

Animal	Chews Cud?	Divided Hoof?	Clean or Unclean
Beef	Yes	Yes	Clean
Goat	Yes	Yes	Clean
Lamb	Yes	Yes	Clean
Deer	Yes	Yes	Clean

Unclean creatures that live in water or sea

Creatures that live in the water have a different set of criteria that determine their suitability to be eaten. God defines water or sea creatures with fins and scales as being clean, and anything that doesn’t meet those criteria is ceremonially unclean. In this case, God doesn’t provide specific examples; however, below are some examples of unclean aquatic animals:

Sea Creature	Fins?	Scales?	Clean or Unclean
Crab	No	No	Unclean
Turtles	No	No	Unclean
Oysters	No	No	Unclean
Dolphins	Yes	No	Unclean

Clean creatures that live in water or sea

Below are some examples of clean sea creatures that would meet these criteria:

Sea Creature	Fins?	Scales?	Clean or Unclean
Tuna	Yes	Yes	Clean
Trout	Yes	Yes	Clean
Salmon	Yes	Yes	Clean
Catfish	Yes	Yes	Clean

Unclean birds

God tells Moses that a distinction also must be made between clean and unclean birds. Below are the specific examples God gives about unclean birds:

Bird	Clean or Unclean
Eagles	Unclean
Vultures	Unclean
Black Vultures	Unclean
Red Kites	Unclean
Black Kites	Unclean
Ravens	Unclean
Horned Owl	Unclean
Screech Owl	Unclean
Gulls	Unclean
Hawks	Unclean
Little Owls	Unclean
Cormorant	Unclean
Great Owls	Unclean
White Owl	Unclean
Desert Owl	Unclean
Osprey	Unclean
Stork	Unclean
Heron	Unclean
Hoopoe	Unclean
Bat	Unclean

Clean birds

Below are some examples of clean birds that are ok to eat because they are not called out specifically by God as being forbidden:

Bird	Clean or Unclean
Chicken	Clean
Turkey	Clean
Pheasant	Clean
Duck	Clean

Unclean insects

Insects are also not exempt from being placed into their own categories under the Hebrew law. In Leviticus 11:20, God says that “all flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you.” While there has been much recent scientific debate regarding whether or not insects have four legs, we know that the Bible is the ultimate source of truth. God doesn’t give specific names of unclean insects, however here are a few that would fall into this category.

Insects	Clean or Unclean
Dragon Flies	Unclean
Bees	Unclean
Moths	Unclean
Hornets	Unclean

Clean insects

While the vast majority of all insects are designated to be unclean, there are a few exceptions made in Leviticus 11:21-23. Below are the specific insects that are considered to be clean.

Insects	Clean or Unclean
Locust	Clean
Katydid	Clean
Cricket	Clean
Grasshoppers	Clean

Animals with four legs and paws

Leviticus 11:27 tells us that all animals that walk on all fours and those walking on their paws are ceremonially unclean. God doesn’t provide specific names here, however here are some examples that would fall under this category:

Animal	Four legs?	Has Paws?	Clean or Unclean
Bear	Yes	Yes	Unclean
Panther	Yes	Yes	Unclean
Lion	Yes	Yes	Unclean
Cheetah	Yes	Yes	Unclean

Unclean animals that move along the ground

In Leviticus 11:29, God highlights the specific animals and reptiles that were designated as being unclean. However, it is important to note that in Leviticus 41-42, God says that “Every creature that moves along the ground is to be regarded as unclean, and it is not to be eaten. You are not to eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is unclean.”

Animal	Clean or Unclean
Weasels	Unclean
Rats	Unclean
Great Lizards	Unclean
Geckos	Unclean
Monitor Lizard	Unclean
Wall Lizard	Unclean
Skink	Unclean
Chameleon	Unclean

Dead animals

Regardless of the species, The Old Testament bible declared that the eating of dead animals was strictly prohibited. Leviticus 22:8 says, “He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the Lord.” So much so that if the carcass of a dead animal were to touch other items such as cookware or seeds, those would also become unclean.