Leviticus 15
Leviticus 15 addresses the laws concerning bodily discharges, both from men and women. The chapter outlines different types of discharges, their implications for ritual purity, and the procedures for cleansing. These laws are rooted in the understanding of purity in relation to God's presence and the communal worship of Israel. Physical cleanliness was closely tied to spiritual cleanliness, and these laws aimed to keep the community pure before God, who dwelled among them. The chapter emphasizes the importance of physical and ritual cleanliness, not only for individual health but also for communal sanctity.
Leviticus 15:1-3 (NKJV)
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.
3 And this shall be his uncleanness in regard to his discharge—whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is stopped up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness.'"
These verses introduce the topic of bodily discharges and their relation to uncleanness. It begins with God instructing Moses and Aaron to convey these laws to the Israelites. The discharge mentioned could be a reference to any abnormal secretion from a man's body, which would render him ritually impure. The focus is not on the moral aspect but on ritual impurity. Whether the discharge is flowing or stopped, the person is considered unclean, requiring certain purification steps before rejoining the community in worship.
Leviticus 15:4-6 (NKJV)
4 "Every bed is unclean on which he who has the discharge lies, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean.
5 And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
6 He who sits on anything on which he who has the discharge sat shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening."
Anything the man touches or uses becomes unclean, including his bed and chair. This uncleanness can transfer to others who touch the contaminated items, even indirectly. To remedy this, the individual who becomes unclean must wash their clothes, bathe, and wait until evening to be considered clean again. This underscores the far-reaching nature of ritual impurity and the need for careful attention to purification practices in daily life.
Leviticus 15:7-8 (NKJV)
7 "And he who touches the body of him who has the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
8 If he who has the discharge spits on him who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening."
Direct contact with a person who has a discharge, even in cases like touching or spitting, renders another person unclean. The ritual for cleansing is consistent: washing clothes, bathing, and waiting until evening. This emphasizes the care that needed to be taken to avoid contamination, showing that purity in the community was a matter of both personal and communal responsibility.
Leviticus 15:9-11 (NKJV)
9 "Any saddle on which he who has the discharge rides shall be unclean.
10 Whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until evening. He who carries any of those things shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
11 And whomever the one who has the discharge touches, and has not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening."
Even objects like saddles become unclean when used by a person with a discharge. This rule extends to anything touched by the individual, and anyone who interacts with these items also becomes unclean. Washing clothes, bathing, and waiting until evening again serve as the required purification steps. This continues to reinforce the principle that uncleanness can spread through contact, requiring constant vigilance in maintaining purity.
Leviticus 15:12-15 (NKJV)
12 "The vessel of earth that he who has the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.
13 And when he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in running water; then he shall be clean.
14 On the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and give them to the priest.
15 Then the priest shall offer them, the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord because of his discharge."
Clay vessels that come into contact with the unclean person must be broken, while wooden ones can be rinsed. Once the discharge has stopped, the man must wait seven days, wash thoroughly, and then on the eighth day bring two birds as offerings. The priest will offer them as a sin and burnt offering, making atonement on his behalf. The discharge, though a physical issue, still required atonement, symbolizing the need for purification from impurity before rejoining communal worship.
Leviticus 15:16-18 (NKJV)
16 "If any man has an emission of semen, then he shall wash all his body in water, and be unclean until evening.
17 And any garment and any leather on which there is semen, it shall be washed with water, and be unclean until evening.
18 Also, when a woman lies with a man, and there is an emission of semen, they shall bathe in water, and be unclean until evening."
These verses address the impurity that results from the emission of semen, whether during normal sexual relations or otherwise. Both the man and woman involved must bathe and will remain unclean until evening. Even garments that come into contact with the emission must be washed. This underscores that even normal bodily functions require a period of ritual cleansing before participating in religious life.
Leviticus 15:19-24 (NKJV)
19 "If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.
20 Everything that she lies on during her impurity shall be unclean; also everything that she sits on shall be unclean.
21 Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
22 And whoever touches anything that she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
23 If anything is on her bed or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening.
24 And if any man lies with her at all, so that her impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean."
The law now turns to women and their natural discharges, specifically menstruation. During her period, a woman is considered ritually unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her or anything she has used becomes unclean until evening. The law also specifies that if a man engages in sexual relations with her during this time, he is also unclean for seven days. These regulations reflect the importance of maintaining ritual purity during natural processes and ensure care and respect for the woman's condition during this period.
Leviticus 15:25-30 (NKJV)
25 "If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean.
26 Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity.
27 Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
28 But if she is cleansed of her discharge, then she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.
29 And on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
30 Then the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for the discharge of her uncleanness."
In the case of abnormal bleeding outside the regular menstrual cycle, the woman remains unclean for the entire duration of the discharge. Similar to the regulations for men, anything she touches becomes unclean. After the discharge ends, she must count seven days and then bring offerings to the priest to complete the purification process. The sin and burnt offerings indicate that the discharge, though a natural condition, still required atonement for the impurity associated with it.
Leviticus 15:31-33 (NKJV)
31 "Thus you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness when they defile My tabernacle that is among them.
32 This is the law for one who has a discharge, and for him who emits semen and is unclean thereby,
33 and for her who is indisposed because of her customary impurity, and for one who has a discharge, either man or woman, and for him who lies with her who is unclean."
The final verses summarize the purpose of these laws: to prevent the Israelites from becoming ritually unclean and inadvertently defiling God's tabernacle, where He dwells among them. These laws cover all forms of discharge, for both men and women, emphasizing the seriousness of maintaining purity. The emphasis is on preserving the sanctity of the community and the holy space where God is present, reinforcing the connection between physical and spiritual cleanliness in Israelite worship.