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Leviticus 11:44

“For I am YHWH your Elohim; sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. And do not make yourselves unclean with any swarming thing that creeps on the earth.”

Leviticus 11:44 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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The call is repeated: be holy, for I am holyHoliness

With the Hebrew beneath

44

Quotation · 1 Peter 1:16

Go to 1 Peter 1:16

Peter quotes the sentence that Leviticus repeats (11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7).

Formula: διότι γέγραπται ὅτι “for it is written” (1 Peter 1:16)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: διότι γέγραπται ὅτι Ἅγιοι ἔσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ ἅγιος

Hebrew (Masoretic text): כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי וְלֹא תְטַמְּאוּ אֶת נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם בְּכָל הַשֶּׁרֶץ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל הָאָרֶץ כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה הַמַּעֲלֶה אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי

Septuagint (Leviticus 11:44 in the Septuagint numbering): ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν· καὶ ἁγιασθήσεσθε καὶ ἅγιοι ἔσεσθε, ὅτι ἅγιός εἰμι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν· καὶ οὐ μιανεῖτε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἑρπετοῖς τοῖς κινουμένοις ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 3 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Leviticus 11:44, word by word

am YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears
your Elohimאֱלֹהֵיelohe

Elohim

The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.

Where else “elohe” appears
sanctify yourselvesהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּםhitkadishtem

sanctify oneself

To prepare to come before God.

Where else “hitkadishtem” appears
and beהְיִיתֶםheyitem

be

To be: "I will be their Elohim".

Where else “heyitem” appears
holyקְדֹשִׁיםkedoshim

holy

Set apart for God, distinct from the common.

Where else “kedoshim” appears
make yourselves uncleanתְטַמְּאוּtetamu

be unclean

To become unclean, for example by touching the dead.

Where else “tetamu” appears
make yourselves uncleanנַפְשֹׁתֵיnafshote

person

Someone as a whole; "my soul" can simply mean me.

Where else “nafshote” appears
swarming thingשֶּׁרֶץsherets

swarming things

A swarm of small animals that move in great numbers: fish, insects, small reptiles.

Where else “sherets” appears
that creepsרֹמֵשׂromes

creep, move

Move along the ground or glide: creep, crawl. It is said of small land animals and also of those that move in the water.

Where else “romes” appears
the earthאָרֶץarets

earth

The whole world, everything under the sky.

Where else “arets” appears

Translation note

“Be holy, because I am holy”: Peter quotes it in 1 Peter 1:15-16. “Holy” means set apart for God and distinct from what is common.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · 1 Peter 1:16

Peter quotes the sentence that Leviticus repeats (11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7).

See them side by side

Leviticus 11:44

44For I am YHWH your Elohim; sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. And do not make yourselves unclean with any swarming thing that creeps on the earth.

1 Peter 1:16

16because it is written, You shall be holy, because I am holy.

The context

43Do not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and do not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean by them.

44 · This verse (above)

45For I am YHWH who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your Elohim; so you shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Read all of Leviticus 11

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