In the Bible what foods are prohibited and what are allowed?

Answer 1

[Lev. 11 talks about "Clean" and "Unclean". What exactly does The Bible mean by "Clean" and "Unclean"?

(i) "Clean" and "Unclean" do not directly refer to "righteous" and "sinful". In ancient Israel, "uncleanness" (for any reason) prohibited the worshipper from entering God's Temple, so the prophets often use "uncleanness" as a symbol for sin.

(ii) Most categories of "Unclean" relate to coming into contact with blood, dead bodies, certain diseases and childbirth. Most of these parallel modern sanitation and quarantine precautions.

(iii) "Clean" and "Unclean" foods do not refer to "washed" and "dirty". The Bible assumes we would only want to eat things of good quality, properly prepared.

(iv) One particular area of "Unclean" relates to what foods we might think are edible (not obviously poisonous), but that God categorizes as "unclean" - unacceptable to the true worshippers of God.

Vegetables, herbs, grain, bread, etc. are "clean". So are coffee, tea, chocolate, beer, wine, spirits, tomato sauce and salza.

"Clean" animals include cows, sheep, goats, deer.

"Unclean" include pigs, horses, camels, rats, cats, dogs, snakes, raccoons, squirrels, most insects.

"Clean" birds include chicken, turkeys, geese, ducks, doves.

"Unclean" birds include eagles, sparrows, crows.

"Clean" sea-food includes salmon, trout, and those fish with fins and scales.

"Unclean" seafood includes catfish, sharks, scampi, octopus, squid, shellfish, whales.] ; You may eat any kind of animal.;

; Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you. -- Genesis 9:3

see also Mark 7:18-20, Luke 10:8, Acts 10:9-13, Romans 14;2,