Reference: Clean
Easton
The various forms of uncleanness according to the Mosaic law are enumerated in Le 11-15; Nu 19. The division of animals into clean and unclean was probably founded on the practice of sacrifice. It existed before the Flood (Ge 7:2). The regulations regarding such animals are recorded in Le 11 and De 14:1-21.
The Hebrews were prohibited from using as food certain animal substances, such as (1) blood; (2) the fat covering the intestines, termed the caul; (3) the fat on the intestines, called the mesentery; (4) the fat of the kidneys; and (5) the fat tail of certain sheep (Ex 29:13,22; Le 3:4-9; 9:19; 17:10; 19:26).
The chief design of these regulations seems to have been to establish a system of regimen which would distinguish the Jews from all other nations. Regarding the design and the abolition of these regulations the reader will find all the details in Le 20:24-26; Ac 10:9-16; 11:1-10; Heb 9:9-14.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
You are to take with you seven pairs, a male and its female, of all the clean animals, and two of the animals that are not clean, a male and its female,
Take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn [them] on the altar.
"Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a ram for ordination);
and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins; he will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys. Aaron's sons will burn it on the altar along with the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord. read more. "If his offering as a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord is from the flock, he must present a male or female without blemish. If he is presenting a lamb for his offering, he is to present it before the Lord. He must lay his hand on the head of his offering, then slaughter it before the tent of meeting. Aaron's sons will sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. He will then present part of the fellowship sacrifice as a fire offering to the Lord [consisting of] its fat and the entire fat tail, which he is to remove close to the backbone. He will also remove the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat on the entrails,
They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram-the fat tail, the [fat] surrounding [the entrails], the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver-
"Anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who live among them who eats any blood, I will turn against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people.
"You are not to eat [anything] with blood [in it]. You are not to practice divination or sorcery.
And I promised you: You will inherit their land, since I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God who set you apart from the peoples. Therefore you must distinguish the clean animal from the unclean one, and the unclean bird from the clean one. You are not to make yourselves detestable by any land animal, bird, or whatever crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you. read more. You are to be holy to Me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be Mine.
"You are sons of the Lord your God; do not cut yourselves or make a bald spot on your head on behalf of the dead, for you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be His special people out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. read more. "You must not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. You may eat any animal that has hooves divided in two and chews the cud. But among the ones that chew the cud or have divided hooves, you are not to eat these: the camel, the hare, and the hyrax, though they chew the cud, they do not have hooves- they are unclean for you; and the pig, though it has hooves, it does not [chew] the cud- it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses. "You may eat everything from the water that has fins and scales, but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales-it is unclean for you. "You may eat every clean bird, but these are the ones you may not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite, the various kinds of falcon, every kind of raven, the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the gull, the various kinds of hawk, the little owl, the long-eared owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, the various kinds of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. All winged insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten. But you may eat every clean flying creature. "You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to a resident alien within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
The next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the housetop at about noon. Then he became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something he went into a visionary state. read more. He saw heaven opened and an object coming down that resembled a large sheet being lowered to the earth by its four corners. In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. Then a voice said to him, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat!" "No, Lord!" Peter said. "For I have never eaten anything common and unclean!" Again, a second time, a voice said to him, "What God has made clean, you must not call common." This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into heaven.
The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God's message also. When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision argued with him, read more. saying, "You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them!" Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence, saying: "I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object coming down that resembled a large sheet being lowered from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me. When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. Then I also heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat!' " 'No, Lord!' I said. 'For nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!' But a voice answered from heaven a second time, 'What God has made clean, you must not call common.' "Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven.
This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper's conscience. They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of restoration. read more. Now the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), He entered the holy of holies once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?