Leviticus 11:22 Meaning and Explanation
“Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The leaping exception now becomes concrete through four specifically permitted KJV names: locust, bald locust, beetle, and grasshopper, each one after its kind. Israel may eat these named creatures within the covenant food category carefully defined by the preceding verse's distinctive movement features.
Israel may eat the locust, bald locust, beetle, and grasshopper after their respective kinds under this specific covenant food law.
The Context of Leviticus 11:22
Verse 20 prohibits the broad group of flying creeping creatures described as going upon all four. Verse 21 then permits those within that category that have legs above their feet for leaping on the earth. Verse 22 names four examples after their kinds. Verse 23 excludes all other flying creeping things with four feet and closes the section. Deuteronomy 14 treats flying creeping things more briefly and does not repeat this four-name list. In the New Testament, John the Baptist eats locusts and wild honey while preaching repentance and preparing people for the mightier one to come. Leviticus itself locates the permission within Israel's larger practice of holiness and food distinction.
What Does Leviticus 11:22 Mean?
Even these of them ye may eat turns the physical exception of verse 21 into an explicit named permission. Each entry receives after his kind, so the list is broader than four individual specimens. The repeated phrase also gives the line a deliberate rhythm useful for teaching. Readers should keep the names inside the qualifying description that precedes them and the closing limitation that follows. The verse does not permit every insect or every creature loosely called a locust, beetle, or grasshopper in modern conversation.
Bald locust and beetle are traditional KJV terms whose exact correspondence with current animal names may be disputed. That uncertainty should be stated rather than hidden behind a confident picture or unsupported species label. The secure claims are the translated names, their repeated extension after each kind, and their permitted status for Israel within the leaping group. Detailed identification requires qualified linguistic and zoological evidence. Teachers should avoid invented claims about nutritional superiority, plague behavior, habitat, or anatomy as though the verse supplied those reasons.
Mark records John eating locusts and wild honey as he proclaims repentance and the coming of one mightier than himself. The food detail fits the world of Scripture and illustrates that the Levitical permission could be lived. Its spiritual center is not an unusual menu. John directs attention beyond himself toward the Lord who comes. Christian application should do the same: receive food with gratitude, repent of pride, and make room for others. No one should be pressured to imitate John's diet, and no culture should be mocked for eating or refusing insects.
Bible Verses Related to Leviticus 11:22
“All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:20-23
“And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. But of all clean fowls ye may eat.”
- Deuteronomy 14:19-20
“John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.”
- Mark 1:4-7
“For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.”
- Leviticus 11:44-47
Where Leviticus 11:22 Echoes in Scripture
Mark 1:6 records John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey while his preaching points toward the coming Lord. That later example fits the permission in Leviticus, yet John's diet remains a narrative detail within his ministry rather than a universal Christian command.
How to Apply Leviticus 11:22 Today
Use verses 21 through 23 to define the permitted group before attaching a modern animal photograph to one of these KJV names. Label uncertain identifications and obtain expert evidence for any species claim. Do not market insect food as biblically guaranteed medicine, superior holiness, or mandatory discipleship. Modern food safety, allergies, sourcing, and legality require current qualified advice. At gatherings, identify ingredients in ordinary language, obtain consent before serving unfamiliar foods, and provide comparable alternatives. Honor communities with insect-food traditions without exoticizing them, and honor those who abstain without questioning their courage or faith.
Reflection & Prayer
Does an unusual biblical food detail direct attention toward Christ or toward our own impressive performance? We might pray: 'Coming Lord, make us genuinely humble like your faithful witness, grateful for provision, honest about uncertainty, and consistently generous toward every conscience.'