“Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.”
There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, and these you must not eat. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. The camel is the first of the four partially qualifying animals — animals that meet one criterion but not both. The camel chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof; it is therefore unclean. The fact that the camel was economically valuable and widely used in the ancient world does not qualify it for the Israelite table. The covenant's dietary standards operate independently of economic utility or cultural familiarity.
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