Leviticus 11:17

The list of ceremonially unclean birds includes birds of prey and scavengers. These birds often touch dead animals and blood, making them unclean and unfit for eating and offerings. Bats fly but are not birds (Leviticus 11:19). So, they are "abnormal" and ceremonially unclean.

These chapters explain the rules about purity. Mixing different types of animals was forbidden (see Deuteronomy 22:9–11). This is because it opposed God's natural order. Creatures like fish without fins and scales, meat-eating animals, crawling insects, and animals without split hooves were considered "abnormal." They crossed the boundaries between "normal" types and were not suitable for food or offerings (see also Deuteronomy 14:1–21). The dietary laws intended to set Israel apart as a holy people from other nations (Leviticus 11:44–45).