The Uncleanness of Men
The idea of normal and abnormal, along with...
The idea of normal and abnormal, along with the created order, helps interpret these rules (see “Clean, Unclean, and Holy” Theme Note). Bodily discharges, like infections (see study note on Leviticus 13:1–46), were not considered "normal" because they weakened a person's health. This made the person seem incomplete. Whether male (15:1–18) or female (15:19–33), such a person became unclean.
1And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2“Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. 3This uncleanness is from his discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness.
4Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits will be unclean. 5Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 6Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
7Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 8If the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
9Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean. 10Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
11If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 12Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.
The Cleansing of Men
Unlike the man with a skin disease, a...
Unlike the man with a skin disease, a man with a bodily discharge could stay at home (see Leviticus 13:46). He did not need the detailed cleansing ceremony described in chapter 14. He only had to wait seven days after the discharge stopped, wash (15:13), and offer two birds as sacrifices. One was a sin offering and the other was a whole burnt offering.
13When the man has been cleansed from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in fresh water,† and he shall be clean. 14On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. 15The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.
In the case of an emission of semen,...
In the case of an emission of semen, the discharge was not a sign of illness (see study note on Leviticus 15:1–33). But the same rule applied. The man had to wash and was ceremonially unclean until the next evening.
16When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 17Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. 18If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.
The Uncleanness of Women
A woman's menstrual period is natural and not...
A woman's menstrual period is natural and not a disease. But because it involved a bloody discharge, she became ceremonially unclean (see Leviticus 15:32–33). The rules were similar to those for a man with a bodily discharge (15:2–12). She could stay at home, but anything she sat on became unclean. Anyone who touched her had to wash, and she probably did the same after the seven-day quarantine. There was no animal sacrifice needed.
19When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20Anything on which she lies or sits during her menstruation will be unclean, 21and anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
22Whoever touches any furniture on which she was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 23And whether it is a bed or furniture on which she was sitting, whoever touches it will be unclean until evening.
24If a man lies with her and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will become unclean.
Normal menstruation did not require any offering from...
Normal menstruation did not require any offering from the woman (Leviticus 15:19–24). If a woman had a discharge of blood lasting more than seven days, she needed a cleansing ceremony. This was similar to the one for a man cleansed of a bodily discharge (15:13–15; see also Matthew 9:20–22).
25When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period, or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of her menstruation. 26Any bed on which she lies or any furniture on which she sits during the days of her discharge will be unclean, like her bed during her menstrual period. 27Anyone who touches these things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
The Cleansing of Women
28When a woman is cleansed of her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. 29On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 30The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge.
31You must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.
This is a summary of the principles in...
This is a summary of the principles in Leviticus 15:1–31. Bodily discharges made a person ceremonially unclean. This included pus, semen, menstrual fluid, or blood.
32This is the law of him who has a discharge, of the man who has an emission of semen whereby he is unclean, 33of a woman in her menstrual period, of any male or female who has a discharge, and of a man who lies with an unclean woman.’”