The section of this book from chs. 11—27 concerns the living of God’s people, a living that is holy, clean, and full of rejoicing. See note Lev. 1:1¹.

To eat is to contact things outside of us and to receive them into us, with the result that they eventually become our inner constitution. In this chapter all the animals signify different kinds of people, and eating signifies our contacting of people (cf. Acts 10:9-14, 27-29). For God’s people to live a holy life as required by the holy God, they must be careful about the kind of people they contact (cf. vv. 46-47; 1 Cor. 15:33; 2 Cor. 6:14-18).

Lit., divides the hoof, that is, splits the split of its hoofs (cf. vv. 7, 26). Animals that divide the hoof and chew the cud (v. 3; cf. vv. 4-8, 26-28) signify persons who have discernment in their activities (Phil. 1:9-10) and who receive the word of God with much reconsideration (see note Psa. 119:15¹).

In the Bible the sea signifies the fallen, corrupted world (Dan. 7:3, 17; Rev. 17:15). Fins help fish to move, to act, in water according to their wishes, and scales protect the fish and keep those fish that live in the sea from being salted. Hence, aquatic animals that have fins and scales (vv. 9-12) signify persons who can move and act freely in the world and at the same time resist its influence.

Birds that have wings for flying and that eat seeds of life as their food supply signify persons who can live and move in a life that is away from and above the world and who take things of life as their life supply. The unclean birds mentioned in vv. 13-19, which do not feed on seeds but feed on carcasses, signify persons who feed on the things of death. See note Gen. 8:7¹.

Lit., winged swarming things. So also in v. 21 and v. 23.

Insects that have wings and have legs above their feet for leaping on the ground (vv. 21-22, cf. vv. 23-25) signify persons who can live and move in a life that is above the world and who can keep themselves from the world.

A person defiled by the carcass of an animal had to wash his clothes (vv. 25, 28, 40), signifying that our conduct in our daily life (signified by clothing — Isa. 64:6a) should be washed from the defilement of death.

Or, crawling things that crawl. So also in vv. 41-43 (cf. vv. 31, 44, 46). All the creatures that crawl on the earth were unclean (vv. 41-44). Creatures that go on their stomach or on all fours or have many feet (v. 42) signify Satan with all the evil spirits and demons, persons who are filled with Satan, who contact evil spirits and demons, and persons who live in the world and cleave to the world, being unable to sever themselves from the world (cf. Gen. 3:14; Rev. 12:9; Luke 10:19 and note Luke 10:19^2b).

In this chapter the word carcass (or carcasses) is used thirteen times, and dead (or dies) is used three times. All dead things are unclean (vv. 8, 11, 24, 27, 31-40). Uncleanness, therefore, is synonymous with death. The mentioning of death in relation to diet indicates that our diet, our eating, is a matter of life and death. Life is of the tree of life, and death is of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9, 17 and notes). Death is abominable to God. Therefore, in order to live a holy life, we need to abstain from death, i.e., spiritual death.

According to the Bible, death is more defiling and abominable than sin. Through the trespass offering any sin could be forgiven immediately (ch. 5), but a person who touched the carcass of any animal was unclean until the evening (vv. 24-25, 27-28, 31-32, 39-40). Our sins are forgiven by the Lord immediately after we confess them to Him (1 John 1:9), but a certain period of time must pass before we can be cleansed from the defilement of spiritual death. A person who touched the carcass of a man was unclean for seven days (Num. 19:11, 13), indicating that in the eyes of God, fallen human beings are the most defiling element (cf. Matt. 15:17-20).

Anything upon which the carcass of any animal fell was unclean and had to be put into water, signifying that the defilement of death should be washed away by the cleansing of the Spirit of life (signified here by water — John 7:38-39).

Lit., it. An earthen vessel signifies the natural, created man (Rom. 9:21, 23; 2 Cor. 4:7). The carcass of any animal falling into an earthen vessel or upon an oven or stove made it unclean, and that vessel or that oven or stove had to be broken (vv. 33, 35). This signifies that our natural man, our being, our self, that has been defiled in our daily life needs to be broken by the cross of Christ (cf. Luke 9:23).

Any food upon which water came from a vessel that had been defiled by a carcass, and any drink in such a vessel, were unclean, signifying that a person (signified by the food or the drink) who is touched by the earthly (worldly) flow or mixed with it in his daily life is easily affected by the defilement of death.

A spring or a cistern collecting water remained clean, signifying that anything that has the flow of living water, which washes away the defilement of death at any time, remains clean. The spring of living water signifies the Spirit (John 4:14; 7:38-39), and the cistern of living water signifies Christ, who holds the living water (John 4:10; 7:37). As long as we have the spring and the cistern, the Spirit and Christ, in our daily life, we shall remain clean.

The seed for sowing remained clean, signifying that anything that is living and possesses life that has the strength to resist defilement remains clean. The seed here typifies Christ as the seed of life (see note Mark 4:3¹).

The matter of eating involves cleanness, the reality of which is Christ, who is our content, life supply, and spiritual food (John 6:35, 57). All the clean living creatures are types of Christ. Only Christ is able to keep us holy, as God is holy (v. 45b). Only Christ and that which is out of Christ are clean for our food supply. This only is what we should contact, eat, and receive.