Leviticus 11:23

Summary

The verse states that every sheretz ("swarming thing", H8318) belonging to the category of of ("flying creature", H5775) which has four feet is sheqetz ("a detestable thing", H8263) for the addressees. It closes a set of rulings on flying creatures with legs, marking this class as unfit.

Key words

• Sheretz ("swarming thing", H8318) — masculine singular construct, forming a genitive chain with the next noun; it does not name a specific creature but a category of small moving/swarming beings.
• Of ("wing/flying creature", H5775) — masculine singular, the second term of the construct chain; together khol sheretz ha-of means "every swarming-thing of the flying-creature," i.e., every winged swarming creature.
• Asher ("which/that", H0834A) — relative particle introducing the defining clause about the number of feet; it links the creature to its physical trait rather than naming it directly.
• Arba raglayim ("four feet", H0702 + H7272) — raglayim is a feminine dual noun, inherently marking a pair-based count; combined with arba ("four") it specifies exactly four feet, distinguishing this group from other flying sheretz with different leg counts discussed elsewhere in the chapter.
• Sheqetz hu ("detestable thing, it", H8263 + H1931) — a nominal (verbless) predicate: noun plus independent pronoun hu ("it", H1931) stand in for a copula, directly equating the subject with the category "detestable."

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence has no finite verb of being; the predicate sheqetz hu lakhem ("detestable thing it [is] to you") is a nominal clause where the pronoun hu ("he/it", H1931) functions as the copula linking subject and predicate noun. The subject itself is a construct chain, khol sheretz ha-of ("every swarming-thing of the flying-creature"), followed by a relative clause introduced by asher ("which", H0834A) that narrows the category to those possessing arba raglayim ("four feet", H0702+H7272). The preposition with suffix lo ("to it", H9005+H9033) marks possession ("which belongs to it are four feet"), a common Hebrew way of expressing "has."

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the Hebrew construct sheretz ha-of ("swarming thing of the flying creature") as ἑρπετὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πετεινῶν ("creeping thing from among the birds/flying things"), using a prepositional phrase instead of the Hebrew genitive chain. The Vulgate's "ex volucribus quatuor tantum habet pedes" adds tantum ("only"), an emphasis not present as a separate lexical item in the Hebrew text. The BSB gloss "flying insects" introduces the specific category "insects," while the Hebrew sheretz ("swarming thing", H8318) is broader and does not itself specify insects.