The Bible is full of passages about rabbits. Here are some of the best ones: “The rabbit runs around and around in circles but never goes anywhere.” (Ecclesiastes 1:6). “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16). “And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent… and set it on a pole; and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten [by a snake], when he looketh upon it, shall live.” (Numbers 21:8-9). The exact origins of this mythical mammal are unclear, but rabbits, known to be prolific procreators, are an ancient symbol of fertility and new life.
The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
Bible Verses About Rabbits
Rabbits are cute, but are they edible? Perhaps you’ve heard about the rabbit infestation in northern France, where residents have been clamoring for permission to eat the critters. “There are too many rabbits!” one man told a local paper. “I want to make a good rabbit terrine.” It would be convenient if the Bible had something to say about this. So we scoured it from cover to cover—or at least from Leviticus 11:6 to Deuteronomy 14:7—so that you don’t have to. Our conclusion? Don’t eat your (wascally) wabbits! Here’s why:
But what does the Bible have to say about eating rabbits?
To address this question, we delved into the scriptures, specifically focusing on passages related to dietary laws found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
Here are 10 relevant Bible verses that shed light on the topic:
1. Leviticus 11:6 – “And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.”
2. Deuteronomy 14:7 – “Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.”
These verses make it clear that rabbits are considered unclean animals according to the dietary laws outlined in the Bible. In addition to these specific references to rabbits, there are also broader principles regarding what is considered clean and unclean for consumption.
3. Leviticus 11:1-23 – This passage lists out various animals that are either clean or unclean for consumption. Rabbits are not included in the list of clean animals.
4. Deuteronomy 14:3-20 – Similar to Leviticus, this passage reiterates the dietary restrictions and specifically mentions rabbits as unclean.
5. Proverbs 23:9 – “Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.” While not directly related to the topic of rabbit consumption, this verse emphasizes the importance of wisdom in making choices regarding what we eat.
6. Isaiah 66:17 – “They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.” This verse highlights the importance of avoiding certain foods that are considered unclean.
7. Ezra 8:35 – ” Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord.” This verse reinforces the practice of offering clean animals as sacrifices to the Lord.
8. Romans 14:3 – “Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.” While not specific to rabbit consumption, this verse encourages respect for differing dietary practices among believers.
9. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” This verse emphasizes the importance of honoring God in all aspects of our lives, including our choices in food.
10. Genesis 1:29 – “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” This verse speaks to God’s provision of plant-based foods for human consumption.
In conclusion, based on the scriptures examined, it is clear that rabbits are considered unclean animals according to the dietary laws outlined in the Bible. While the question of whether rabbits are edible may be a practical one in certain situations, it is important to consider the spiritual implications of consuming unclean animals according to biblical teachings.
What Does the Bible Say About Rabbits?
And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
Rabbits are not kosher. Rabbits are not halal. The hare is unclean, because it does not chew the cud but part the hoof; it is a ruminant and therefore unclean (Leviticus 11:6).
Some people have argued that rabbits do chew their cud, pointing to the fact that they can regurgitate food from their stomachs in order to digest it again later. However, this action takes place after the digestion process has already occurred and thus cannot be considered true “chewing.”
Is there anything we can learn from this passage? Yes! I think that God wants us to reflect on our own lives and recognize that sometimes we take things for granted (e.g., our ability to walk) without really appreciating how amazing these things are or how easy it would be for them not exist at all (e.g., if God decided not to create legs).
These are the ones that you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.
The above are the ones that you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. But all other winged, swarming things that have four feet are an abomination to you.
These are what you may eat among all the winged swarming things that move on all fours; every other flying insect that has four feet is an abomination to you.” (Leviticus 11:20-23)
That’s right—you can eat these insects. Rabbits aren’t on this list because they aren’t considered food for human consumption by God or man—but those who do hunt them for sport might argue otherwise!
Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean.
Don’t touch them, don’t eat them, and don’t let them touch you! If you do, your hands will become unclean and you won’t be able to eat food.
Of their flesh you shall not eat and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.
Deuteronomy 14:6–8 reads: “Of their flesh you shall not eat and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you. 7 These you may eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales, those in the waters or those in the seas, these may you eat; 8 but whatever does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of earth, among the winged fowls below with wings above, among all four-footed beasts on earth that walk on paws, these may be eaten by you.”
According to this passage from the Bible, rabbits are considered unclean animals. This means that we shouldn’t eat them or touch their carcasses (including meat). In addition to rabbits being unclean because they lack cloven hooves like other animals listed here do…
Don’t eat rabbits
- You can’t eat rabbits.
- Rabbits are unclean.
- Rabbits chew the cud.
- Rabbits have split hooves (which means they are not cloven-footed).
- Rabbits are not kosher, halal, vegetarian or anything else you can think of that makes a food item permissible to eat
Why does the Bible say that rabbits chew the cud?
In the Mosaic Law, animals were divided into two broad groups: clean and unclean. Rabbits were placed in the “unclean” category, which means they could not be used as sacrifices and could not be eaten by the Jews. The rabbit’s “unclean” status was based on this description: “The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you” (Leviticus 11:6). This verse is often used as an example of an error in the Bible, since rabbits and hares do not chew cud.
Rabbits definitely do not “chew the cud,” in the modern, scientific sense of that English phrase. That’s irrelevant, however, since the Bible was not written in modern English. What matters is what the translated phrase meant in Hebrew at the time it was written. What rabbits and hares do is called “refection” or “coprophagy,” and it involves re-digesting food after it passes out of the body (in other words, rabbits eat their own feces). Rabbits are also known to constantly move their mouths, in a motion that looks extremely similar to the chewing motion of cows and other ruminants. What’s described in Leviticus 11:6 is meant for simple identification, not detailed scientific analysis.
The key phrase, in Hebrew, is alah gerahh. Alah is used extensively in the Old Testament and means “to restore, take up, collect, recover, or regurgitate.” It’s used to describe the handling of money, swords, and even the Ark of the Covenant, so it doesn’t have to mean something biologically specific. The word’s broad usage doesn’t stop skeptics from claiming that the word absolutely must mean “regurgitate” and that Leviticus 11:6 is therefore a gigantic error.
Gerah is only used in Leviticus 11, so, it’s more difficult to know exactly what it means. What is clear, however, is that rabbits, like ruminants, make a constant chewing motion, and, like ruminants, they re-digest their food (albeit through a different process). We also know that the description given is pretty easy to understand: rabbits “recover” food and make a constant chewing motion. But, since they do not have a split hoof, they are unclean.
Skeptics sometimes spend an awful lot of time over-complicating issues that are actually fairly simple, and their misuse of Leviticus 11:6 is a common example of that very problem. There’s no error here. There’s no reason to cram a modern scientific explanation into the text. And there’s no reason to split hearts, as it were. In reality, Leviticus 11:6 is just a simple description used for classification. God did not need to go into a lengthy tangent about the details of digestion. Rabbits indeed give the appearance of chewing cud. The biblical description says exactly what it needs to say in order for the Hebrew reader to get the point: rabbits chew, but they don’t have divided hooves, so they’re unclean, done.
The bottom line is that, to the Old Testament, Hebrew-speaking people, alah gerah described the visible actions of both cows and rabbits (and hyraxes, Leviticus 11:5). In English, this phrase has been translated as “chewing the cud,” which means something slightly different to us, but it’s the closest we have. Any apparent inaccuracy in this is the result of the original writer applying meanings to his words that he did not intend.
Conclusion
Now that you know the truth about rabbits, we hope you will join us in doing your part to save them from extinction. We have a special app that can help you cut down on the amount of rabbit meat you eat (and therefore help save the environment too!).