Deuteronomy 14:19 — Word Study
WLCוְכֹל֙ שֶׁ֣רֶץ הָע֔וֹף טָמֵ֥א ה֖וּא לָכֶ֑ם לֹ֖א יֵאָכֵֽלוּ׃
BSAAllkôl [every, including all types of] flyingʻôwph insectssherets [winged creeping things, swarming creatures] are uncleanṭâmêʼ [spiritually impure, defiled] they may notlôʼ [shall not, are not allowed to] be eatenʼâkal▸ [consumed, devoured]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְכֹל֙ | and every | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular construct |
| שֶׁ֣רֶץ | swarming thing of | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| הָע֔וֹף | the insect | Particle, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| טָמֵ֥א | [is] unclean | Adj |
| ה֖וּא | it | Pronoun |
| לָכֶ֑ם | to you | Preposition, suffix |
| לֹ֖א | not | Particle |
| יֵאָכֵֽלוּ׃ | they will be eaten | Verb, Niphal, imperfect third person masculine plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | All flying insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten. |
| KJV | And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. |
| ASV | And all winged creeping things are unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. |
| YLT | and every teeming thing which is flying, unclean it [is] to you; they are not eaten; |
| WEB | All winged creeping things are unclean to you. They shall not be eaten. |
| BBE | Every winged thing which goes flat on the earth is unclean to you and may not be used as food. |
Where they part company is טָמֵא — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of a main clause stating the unclean status of flying insects and a subordinate clause indicating the prohibition against eating them.


3 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
subjectהוּא
verbאָכַל
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Deuteronomy 14:19
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Dietary Laws in Deuteronomygenerated
Deuteronomy 14:19 is part of a larger section detailing the dietary laws for the Israelites, emphasizing what is clean and unclean. This verse specifically addresses flying insects, which are deemed unclean and thus not to be consumed. The surrounding verses provide additional examples of clean and unclean animals, reinforcing the importance of these laws in maintaining ritual purity among the people of Israel.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leviticus 11:20–23 | All flying insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. |
| 2 | Philippians 3:19 | Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — טָמֵא, ta.Me'generated
The word טָמֵא (tame') means 'unclean' and indicates a state of spiritual impurity. It is used in the context of dietary laws to signify what is permissible and what is not. The parsing as an adjective shows that it describes the state of the flying insects mentioned in the verse.
This concept of being unclean is significant in the context of Israelite law, as it relates to holiness and the requirements for maintaining a pure community. The term appears frequently in Leviticus and other texts, highlighting its relevance in discussions of ritual cleanliness.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause of the verse is structured around the finite verb טָמֵא, is unclean, which serves as the predicate. It is followed by the subject הוּא, it, and an adverbial negation לֹא, not, leading to the verb phrase יֵאָכֵֽלוּ, they will be eaten.
The sentence structure emphasizes the unclean status of flying insects, with the negation clearly indicating that they are not to be consumed. The straightforward arrangement of clauses reflects the clarity of the dietary law being presented.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew word טָמֵא is rendered as ἀκάθαρτα, which also means 'unclean' and carries the same connotation of ritual impurity. This choice reinforces the idea that the dietary laws are consistent across both Hebrew and Greek texts.
The Greek term ἀκάθαρτα emphasizes the spiritual implications of consuming unclean animals, aligning with the Hebrew understanding of טָמֵא.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Deuteronomy 14:19 states that all flying insects are unclean and should not be eaten. This is part of the dietary laws for the Israelites, which distinguish between clean and unclean animals. The verse emphasizes the importance of these laws in maintaining spiritual purity.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
An unclean insect is one that is considered spiritually impure, and thus not permissible for consumption according to the dietary laws given to the Israelites.
Dietary laws serve to maintain ritual purity among the Israelites and to set them apart as a holy people, as commanded by God.
The laws specify certain clean animals that can be eaten, but flying insects are universally deemed unclean without exception.
While the dietary laws were specifically for the Israelites, they can still offer insights into the concepts of purity and holiness in a broader spiritual context.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What significance do dietary laws hold in my understanding of spiritual purity?
- How can I apply the principles of cleanliness and holiness in my daily life?
- In what ways do I distinguish between what is acceptable and unacceptable in my own life?
- How do these ancient laws inform my understanding of God's character and His expectations for His people?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Deuteronomy 14:19 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd every creeping thing that flieth is unclean,.... Which the Targum of Jonathan thus paraphrases; "all flies and wasps (or hornets), and worms of lentiles and of beans, which are separated from
Read John Gill on Deuteronomy 14 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. Every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you.
Read Robert Jamieson on Deuteronomy 14 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges19. all winged creeping things are unclean] Lit. swarming things that fly, all winged insects. To this Leviticus 11:21 f. adds that go upon all fours and excepts from the rule such as have jointed legs above their feet to leap on the earth, i.e. various kinds of leaping locusts, as distinguished from the running locust (see Shipley and Cook, art. ‘Locust’ in E.B.). They come under the clean insects of the next v.
Read Cambridge on Deuteronomy 14 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
All flying insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten.
All winged creeping things are unclean to you. They shall not be eaten.
All flying insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten.
and any winged thing on the ground are impure to you – they may not be eaten.
Tyndale line
And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
And all winged creeping things are unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
And all winged creeping things are unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
And every creeping animal that flieth is unclean to you: they shall not be eaten.
And euery creeping thing that flieth, shall be vncleane vnto you: it shall not be eaten.
Strictly literal
And every winged crawling thing shall be unclean unto you; they shall not be eaten.
and every teeming thing which is flying, unclean it [is] to you; they are not eaten;
And every teeming thing which is flying—it [is] unclean to you; they are not eaten;
And every winged insect is unclean unto you: it shall not be eaten.
All winged, swarming things are unclean to you; they must not be eaten.
From the Latin
Every thing that creepeth, and hath little wings, shall be unclean, and shall not be eaten.
Simplified
All insects that fly are unclean to you; you must not eat them.
Every winged thing which goes flat on the earth is unclean to you and may not be used as food.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of the verse, with both texts identifying flying insects as unclean. However, the Samaritan Pentateuch differs slightly, using תאכלו (you shall eat) and מהם (from them), indicating a variation in the phrasing but not in the overall meaning.
וְכֹל֙ שֶׁ֣רֶץ הָע֔וֹף טָמֵ֥א ה֖וּא לָכֶ֑ם לֹ֖א יֵאָכֵֽלוּ׃
8 of the 8 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
כל שׁרץ העוף טמא הוא לכם לא תאכלו מהם
2 words differ from the Masoretic Text: תאכלו (eat), מהם (from)
[וכל] [שרץ] [העוף] [טמא] הוא ל׳כם לא תאוכל
3 words on the leather — 1 partly restored, 4 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Deuteronomy 14:19
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular constructHC/Ncmsc
שֶׁ֫רֶץ (sherets) refers to swarmers or swarming things, encompassing a variety of small creatures like insects, reptiles, and other animals. It is derived from a related term indicating a swarm or active mass of minute animals. The entries consistently describe it as a collective noun for these types of creatures.
שֶׁ֫רֶץ n.m. coll. swarmers, swarming things
base
H8318 שֶׁ֫רֶץ swarmers, swarming things
8318 sherets sheh'-rets
from 8317; a swarm, i.e. active mass of minute
animals:--creep(-ing thing), move(-ing creature).
see HEBREW for 08317
שֶׁ֫רֶץ (she.rets) — swarm.
1) teeming or swarming things, creepers, swarmers
1a) of insects, animals, small reptiles, quadrupeds
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
עוֹף (owph) refers to flying creatures, including birds and insects. It is derived from the root meaning to cover with wings, emphasizing the aspect of flight. The term encompasses various types of fowl and winged insects, and it is noted in the Aramaic as well. There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding its meaning.
עוֹף 70 n.m. coll. flying creatures, fowls, insects
fowl, birds
winged insects
base
H5775 עוֹף flying creatures, fowls, insects . fowl, birds
. winged insects
5775 `owph ofe
from 5774; a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as
covering with wings), often collectively:--bird, that flieth,
flying, fowl.
see HEBREW for 05774
עוֹף (oph) — bird.
1) flying creatures, fowl, insects, birds
1a) fowl, birds
1b) winged insects
Aramaic equivalent: oph (עוֹף "bird" H5776)
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ncmsa
טָמֵא (tame') means 'unclean' and is derived from a root that conveys a sense of defilement or pollution, particularly in a religious context. It covers ethical, religious, and ritual impurity, and can refer to both people and places.
טָמֵא adj. unclean
base
H2931 טָמֵא unclean
2931 tame' taw-may'
from 2930; foul in a relig. sense:--defiled, + infamous,
polluted(-tion), unclean.
see HEBREW for 02930
טָמֵא (ta.me) — unclean.
1) unclean, impure
1a) ethically and religiously
1b) ritually
1c) of places
Adj — AdjHAamsa
See CLEAN.
→ (Ceremonially speaking)
Creatures designated as such Le 11; De 14
→ See UNCLEANNESS
הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.
הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it
an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
It resumes the subj. with emph.
Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
As an emph. predicate, of God
In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
base
H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
. It resumes the subj. with emph.
. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
. As an emph. predicate, of God
. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
1931 huw' hoo
of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a
primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or
it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also
(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;
sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally
(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),
it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,
this, those, which (is), who.
הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.
pron 3p s
1) he, she, it
1a) himself (with emphasis)
1b) resuming subj with emphasis
1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)
1d) (anticipating subj)
1e) (emphasising predicate)
1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron
2) that (with article)
HPp3ms — PronounHPp3ms
כֶם (khem) — you.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 2nd person masculine plural
HRd/Sp2mp — Preposition · suffixHRd/Sp2mp
לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'
לֹא or לוֹא adv. not
base
H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not
3808 lo' lo
or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often
used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,
ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,
no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out
of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +
of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.
לֹא (lo) — not.
1) not, no
1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)
1b) not (with modifier-negation)
1c) nothing (subst)
1d) without (with particle)
1e) before (of time)
Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Part — ParticleHTn
אָכַל (akal) means 'to eat' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including literal consumption by humans and animals, as well as figurative uses like devouring by fire or destruction. It can describe actions such as feeding or causing to eat, and it also appears in contexts of oppression and destruction. The verb has various forms, indicating different subjects and nuances.
אָכַל 806 vb. eat
Qal
eat, human subject
of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour
fig. of fire, devour, consume
of sword, devour, slay
in genl., devour, consume, destroy
fig. of oppression, devour the poor
Niph.
be eaten by man
be devoured by fire, consumed
be wasted, destroyed, of flesh
Pu. be consumed
Hiph.
cause to eat, feed with
cause to devoure, obj. sword
base
H398 אָכַל eat .. eat, human subject
. of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour
. fig. of fire, devour, consume
. of sword, devour, slay
. in genl., devour, consume, destroy
. fig. of oppression, devour the poor
. . be eaten by man
. be devoured by fire, consumed
. be wasted, destroyed, of flesh
. be consumed
. . cause to eat, feed with
. cause to devoure, obj. sword
398 'akal aw-kal'
a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively):--X at
all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up),
feed (with), food, X freely, X in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay)
meat, X quite.
אָכַל (a.khal) — to eat.
1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to eat (human subject)
1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds)
1a3) to devour, consume (of fire)
1a4) to devour, slay (of sword)
1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought)
1a6) to devour (of oppression)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be eaten (by men)
1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire)
1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh)
1c) (Pual)
1c1) to cause to eat, feed with
1c2) to cause to devour
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to feed
1d2) to cause to eat
1e) (Piel)
1e1) consume
Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)
V-Niphal-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Niphal · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVNi3mp
