Leviticus 12:3 — Word Study
WLCוּבַיּ֖וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֑י יִמּ֖וֹל בְּשַׂ֥ר עָרְלָתֽוֹ׃
BSAAnd on the eighthshᵉmîynîy [eighth day of life, after birth] dayyôwm the fleshbâsâr [body, living being] of [the boy’s] foreskinʻorlâh [uncircumcised state, natural condition] is to be circumcisedmûwl▸ [shall be, must be, cut off, removed, to cut off the foreskin as a sign of covenant]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וּבַיּ֖וֹם | and on the day | Conjunction, preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| הַשְּׁמִינִ֑י | eighth | Particle |
| יִמּ֖וֹל | it will be circumcised | Verb, Niphal, imperfect third person masculine singular |
| בְּשַׂ֥ר | [the] flesh of | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| עָרְלָתֽוֹ׃ | foreskin his | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised. |
| KJV | And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. |
| ASV | And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. |
| YLT | and in the eighth day is the flesh of his foreskin circumcised; |
| WEB | In the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. |
| BBE | And on the eighth day let him be given circumcision. |
Where they part company is in how they phrase the command for circumcision — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is straightforward, presenting a clear command regarding the timing and action of circumcision.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbמוּל
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Leviticus 12:3
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Laws of Purification After Childbirthgenerated
Leviticus 12:3 gives specific instructions regarding the circumcision of male infants, which is to occur on the eighth day after birth. This practice is a sign of the covenant between God and His people, as established with Abraham in Genesis 17:10. The surrounding verses detail the purification process for women after childbirth, emphasizing the importance of ritual cleanliness in Israelite society.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 17:11–12 | You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. |
| 2 | Deuteronomy 30:6 | The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. |
| 3 | Luke 1:59 | On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah. |
| 4 | Luke 2:21 | When the eight days until His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived. |
| 5 | John 7:22–23 | But because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.) |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יִמּ֖וֹל, yi.Molgenerated
The verb מוּל (muwl) means to circumcise, indicating the act of cutting off the foreskin. It is in the Niphal form, which typically denotes a passive or reflexive action, implying that the boy is to be circumcised rather than performing the action himself.
This word carries significant theological weight, as circumcision is a physical sign of the covenant between God and His people, marking them as distinct and set apart. The command to circumcise on the eighth day highlights the importance of timing in fulfilling this covenantal obligation.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In this study, the verse is analyzed according to the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the phrase is to be circumcised.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the sentence is יִמּ֖וֹל, it will be circumcised, which serves as the focal point of the command. The structure emphasizes the timing and the subject of the circumcision, with the prepositional phrase וּבַיּ֖וֹם and on the day setting the context.
The phrase בְּשַׂ֥ר עָרְלָתֽוֹ the flesh of his foreskin functions as a noun phrase that specifies what is to be circumcised, linking the action directly to the physical body of the child.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יִמּ֖וֹל as περιτεμεῖ, which also means to circumcise. This choice reflects a direct correspondence to the Hebrew meaning while using a term familiar to Greek-speaking audiences.
The use of περιτεμεῖ indicates a focus on the act of circumcision itself, maintaining the covenantal significance inherent in the Hebrew term.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Leviticus 12:3 instructs that on the eighth day after a boy is born, his foreskin is to be circumcised. This act signifies the covenant between God and His people, marking the child as part of the community of Israel.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The eighth day is significant as it symbolizes the completion of a week and the beginning of a new cycle, reflecting themes of renewal and covenant.
Circumcision represents a physical sign of the covenant between God and His people, marking them as set apart for God's purposes.
While this verse focuses on the covenantal aspect, modern studies suggest potential health benefits, though these are not the primary concern of the biblical text.
In the New Testament, circumcision is discussed in the context of the early church's debates about the requirements for Gentile believers, as seen in Acts 15:1-29.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does the practice of circumcision teach us about the importance of covenant in our relationship with God?
- How can we understand the significance of the eighth day in the context of new beginnings?
- In what ways does this command reflect God's desire for His people to be distinct?
- How can we apply the principles of covenant and commitment in our own lives today?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early church fathers have commented on the significance of circumcision as a covenant sign, with references drawn from this verse to argue its theological implications.
It was certainly not for nothing that the commandment was given for the child “to be circumcised on the eighth day”; it can only have been because the rock, the stone with which we are circumcised, was Christ.Early Church Fathers on Leviticus 12 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Leviticus 12:3 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
Read John Gill on Leviticus 12 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Mankind are not only liable to defilement from without, but have internal causes of pollution lying deep in their nature.
Read Robert Jamieson on Leviticus 12 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWhich law is here repeated, because the woman’ s uncleanness lasting for seven days, was one, though not the only, reason why the child’ s circumcision was put off till the eighth day.
Read Matthew Poole on Leviticus 12 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLeviticus 12:3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.Ver. 3. And in the eighth day.]
Read John Trapp on Leviticus 12 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(3) And in the eighth day.—When the seven days had passed by during which the mother remained un clean, the boy is to be circumcised, since on the eighth day the first period of her extreme state of impurity ceases, and she no more imparts defilement to whomsoever or to whatsoever she touches. For the rite of circumcision, see Genesis 17:10; Genesis 17:13.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Leviticus 12 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 3. And in the eighth day] Before this time the child could scarcely be considered as having strength sufficient to bear the operation; after this time it was not necessary to delay it, as the child was not considered to be in covenant with God, and consequently not under the especial protection of the Divine providence and grace, till this rite had been performed. On circumcision See Clarke on Genesis 17:10. Circumcision was to every man a constant, evident sign of the covenant into which he had entered with God, and of the moral obligations under which he was thereby laid. It was also a means of purity, and was especially necessary among a people naturally incontinent, and in a…
Read AdamClarke on Leviticus 12 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible3. Foreskin… circumcised — The sign of the covenant (Genesis 17:11) in the excision of a portion of the genitals, expresses with painful emphasis the fact that impurity presides over the very
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Leviticus 12 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.
In the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.
On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin must be circumcised.
Tyndale line
And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
(And in the eight day, the foreskin of the childes flesh shalbe circumcised)
Strictly literal
And on the eighth day shall the flesh of his foreskin be circumcised.
and in the eighth day is the flesh of his foreskin circumcised;
and in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin is circumcised;
And on the eighth day shall the flesh of his foreskin be circumcised.
On the eighth day the flesh of a baby boy's foreskin must be circumcised.
From the Latin
And on the eighth day the infant shall be circumcised:
Simplified
The boy's foreskin must be circumcised on the eighth day.
And on the eighth day let him be given circumcision.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all five words matched. However, the Samaritan Pentateuch includes the word את (et), which serves as an object marker, differing slightly from the Masoretic Text.
וּבַיּ֖וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֑י יִמּ֖וֹל בְּשַׂ֥ר עָרְלָתֽוֹ׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
וביום השׁמיני ימול את בשׂר ערלתו
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: את (
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Leviticus 12:3
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
יוֹם (yowm) means 'day' and refers to a division of time, contrasting with night. It can denote a literal 24-hour period, a general time span, or even a year. The term is used in various contexts, including the 'day of Yahweh,' which signifies a time of divine judgment. It also appears in phrases indicating temporal references like today, yesterday, and tomorrow.
יוֹם 2285 n.m. day
day, opp. night
Day as division of time
יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous
Pl. days of anyone
Days
יוֹם = time
Phrases
base
H3117 יוֹם day . day, opp. night
. Day as division of time
. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous
. Pl. days of anyone
. Days
. יוֹם = time
. Phrases
3117 yowm yome
from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm
hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one
sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by
an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, +
chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to)
day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, +
(for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as
(... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,
presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space,
then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble,
weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole
(+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.
יוֹם (yom) — day.
: day/when/time/period
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
יוֹם (yom) — day: old.
: old/(full/many)[days]
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
יוֹם (yom) — day: year.
: year[of_days]
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
Conj | Prep | N-ms — Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Rd/Ncmsa
da (yom; hemera): This common word has caused some trouble to plain readers, because they have not noticed that the word is used in several different senses in the English Bible. When the different uses of the word are understood the difficulty of interpretation vanishes. We note several different uses of the word:
(1) It sometimes means the time from daylight till dark. This popular meaning is easily discovered by the context, e. g. Ge 1:5; 8:22, etc. The marked periods of this daytime were morning, noon and night, as with us. See Ps 55:17. The early hours were sometimes called "the cool of the day" (Ge 3:8). After the exile the day. or daytime was divided into twelve hours and the night into twelve (see
Day
The Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset (Lev. 23:32). It was originally divided into three parts (Ps. 55:17). “The heat of the day” (1 Sam. 11:11; Neh. 7:3) was at our nine o’clock, and “the cool of the day” just before sunset (Gen. 3:8). Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (1) from sunset to midnight (Lam. 2:19); (2) from midnight till the cock-crowing (Judg. 7:19); and (3) from the cock-crowing till sunrise (Ex.…
The variable length of the natural day at different seasons led in the very earliest times to the adoption of the civil day (or one revolution of the sun) as a standard of time. The Hebrews reckoned the day from evening to evening, (Leviticus 23:32) deriving it from (Genesis 1:5) "the evening and the morning were the first day." The Jews are supposed, like the modern Arabs, to have adopted from an early period minute specifications of the parts of the natural day. Roughly, indeed, they were content to divide it into "morning, evening and noonday," (Psalms 55:17) but when they wished for greater accuracy they pointed to six unequal parts, each of which was again subdivided. These are held to have been -- "the dawn." "Sunrise."…
The day is distinguished into natural, civil, and artificial. The natural day is one revolution of the earth on its axis. The civil day is that, the beginning and the end of which are determined by the custom of any nation. The Hebrews began their day in the evening, Le 23:32; the Babylonians at sunrise; and we begin at midnight. The artificial day is the time of the sun’s continuance above the horizon, which is unequal according to different seasons, on account of the obliquity of the equator. The sacred writers generally divide the day into twelve hours. The sixth hour always ends at noon throughout the year; and the twelfth hour is the last hour before sunset. But in summer, all the hours of the day were longer than in winter, while those of night were shorter. See HOURS, and THREE.
שְׁמִינִי (shmiyniy) means 'eighth' and is an ordinal number. It is derived from the root word for 'eight' (שְׁמוֹנָה, H8083). The entries consistently define it as an adjective used to denote the ordinal position in a sequence.
שְׁמִינִי, שְׁמִינִית 31 adj. num. eighth
base
H8066 שְׁמִינִי, שְׁמִינִית eighth
8066 shmiyniy shem-ee-nee'
from 8083; eight:--eight.
see HEBREW for 08083
שְׁמִינִי (she.mi.ni) — eighth.
eighth (ordinal number)
Art | Adj — ParticleHTd/Aomsa
מוּל (muwl) is a Hebrew verb meaning to circumcise, with various forms indicating different grammatical aspects, such as being circumcised or causing circumcision. It also carries connotations of cutting off or destruction. The entries note its use in contexts like Joshua 5:2 and Genesis 17:11, where it specifically refers to the act of circumcision.
H4135a מוּל circumcise H4135b מָלַל circumcise
4135 muwl mool
a primitive root; to cut short, i.e. curtail (specifically
the prepuce, i.e. to circumcise); by implication, to blunt;
figuratively, to destroy:--circumcise(-ing), selves), cut
down (in pieces), destroy, X must needs.
מוּל (mul) — to circumcise.
1) to circumcise, let oneself be circumcised, cut, be cut off
1a) (Qal) to circumcise
1b) (Niphal) to be circumcised, circumcise oneself
1c) (Hiphil) to cause to be circumcised
1c1) of destruction (fig.)
1d) (Hithpolel) to be cut off
1e) (Polel) cut down
מָלַל (ma.lal) — to circumcise.
1) to circumcise
1a) (Qal)
1b) (Niphal)
2) (Hithpolel) to be cut off
Also means: mul (מוּל "to circumcise" H4135A)
V-Niphal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Niphal · imperfect third person masculine singularHVNi3ms
בָּשָׂר (basar) means 'flesh' and encompasses various meanings, including the physical body, kinship, and a euphemism for male genitalia. It can refer to humans, animals, and all living things, highlighting the frailty of man in relation to God. The entries consistently emphasize its bodily and relational aspects.
בָּשָׂר 266 n.m. flesh
of the body
flesh for the body itself
male organ of generation (euphemism)
flesh for kindred, blood-relations
man over against God as frail or erring
base
H1320 בָּשָׂר flesh . of the body
. flesh for the body itself
. male organ of generation (euphemism)
. flesh for kindred, blood-relations
. man over against God as frail or erring
1320 basar baw-sawr'
from 1319; flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body,
person; also (by euphem.) the pudenda of a man:--body, (fat,
lean) flesh(-ed), kin, (man-)kind, + nakedness, self, skin.
see HEBREW for 01319
בָּשָׂר (ba.sar) — flesh.
1) flesh
1a) of the body
1a1) of humans
1a2) of animals
1b) the body itself
1c) male organ of generation (euphemism)
1d) kindred, blood-relations
1e) flesh as frail or erring (man against God)
1f) all living things
1g) animals
1h) mankind
Aramaic equivalent: be.shar (בְּשַׁר "flesh" H1321)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
עָרְלָה (orlah) refers to the foreskin or the state of being uncircumcised. It is a feminine noun derived from the root word for foreskin. The term appears in contexts related to circumcision, particularly in the Old Testament.
עָרְלָה 16 n.f. foreskin
base
H6190 עָרְלָה foreskin
6190 `orlah or-law'
feminine of 6189; the prepuce:--foreskin, + uncircumcised.
see HEBREW for 06189
עׇרְלָה (or.lah) — (Gilgal)-haaraloth.
Combined with gil.gal (גִּלְגָּל "Gilgal" H1537)
§ foreskin, uncircumcised
עׇרְלָה (or.lah) — foreskin.
foreskin, uncircumcised
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp3ms