Leviticus 15

Leviticus 15:1-15

SEXUAL UNCLEANNESS 15:1-33 LAWS RELATING TO TWO CASES OF DISEASE AND Two OF NATURAL CAUSE THE FIRST CASE 15:1-15 TEXT 15:1-15

1

And Jehovah spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath an issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean.

3

And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness.

4

Every bed whereon he that hath the issue lieth shall be unclean; and everything whereon he sitteth shall be unclean.

5

And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

6

And he that sitteth on anything whereon he that hath the issue sat shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

7

And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

8

And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean, then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

9

And what saddle soever he that hath the issue rideth upon shall be unclean.

10

And whosoever toucheth anything that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

11

And whomsoever he that hath the issue toucheth, without having rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

12

And the earthen vessel, which he that hath the issue toucheth, shall be broken; and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

13

And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue, then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and he shall bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.

14

And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, and come before Jehovah unto the door of the tent of meeting, and give them unto the priest:

15

and the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah for his issue.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 15:1-15

Moses and Aaron are both addressed, as in the case of the disease of leprosy (Leviticus 13:1). Wherever there is only a law laid down, Moses alone hears the voice. God speaks only to the lawgiver. But, in pases where disease is prescribed for by special rules, Aaron is joined with Moses. Is this because a priesta high priestought to have much compassion, and might be more likely to learn compassion while hearing the tone of pity in which the Lord spoke of man’s misery?

Just what is being discussed in this text?

Is this an example of venereal disease in the time of Moses? Discuss.

Why consider the man yet unclean if his emission stops?

Is there some moral defilement transferred to his bed by his condition? Discuss.

Was there any hygienic value in the instructions given here?

List all the areas of activity in which the diseased man must count himself as unclean, Why was such a regulation given?

List all the areas of contact where such spells uncleanness to the one who makes contact. Why mention this?

How is this uncleanness removed from utensils? persons? the diseased?

PARAPHRASE 15:1-15

The Lord told Moses and Aaron to give the people of Israel these further instructions: Any man who has a genital discharge is ceremonially defiled. This applies not only while the discharge is active, but also for a time after it heals. Any bed he lies on and anything he sits on is contaminated; so anyone touching the man’s bed is ceremonially defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. Anyone sitting on a seat the man has sat upon while defiled is himself ceremonially unclean until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. The same instructions apply to anyone touching him. Anyone he spits on is ceremonially unclean until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. Any saddle he rides on is defiled. Anyone touching or carrying anything else that was beneath him shall be defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. If the defiled man touches anyone without first rinsing his hands, that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until evening. Any earthen pot touched by the defiled man must be broken, and every wooden utensil must be rinsed in water. When the discharge stops, he shall begin a seven-day cleansing ceremony by washing his clothes and bathing in running water. On the eighth day he shall take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and give them to the priest. The priest shall sacrifice them there, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; thus the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.

COMMENT 15:1-15

We are delighted to be able to offer the reader these splendid comments by Keil and Delitzsch. We could fain originality and the end product would be far less than what is here. We do believe we have some observations that approach originality in other areas of Leviticus, but in the fifteenth chapter we concede a deep indebtedness to these men:

Chapter 15. The Uncleanness of Secretions.These include (1) a running issue from a man (Leviticus 15:2-15); (2) involuntary emission of seed (Leviticus 15:16-17), and the emission of seed in sexual intercourse (Leviticus 15:18); (3) the monthly period of a woman (Leviticus 15:19-24); (4) a diseased issue of blood from a woman (Leviticus 15:25-30). They consist, therefore, of two diseased and two natural secretions from the organs of generation.

Leviticus 15:2-15 The running issue from a man is not described with sufficient clearness for us to be able to determine with certainty what disease is referred to: If a man becomes flowing out of his flesh, he is unclean in his flux. That even here the term flesh is not a euphemism for the organ of generation, as is frequently assumed, is evident from Leviticus 15:13, he shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in water, when compared with chapter Leviticus 16:23-24; Leviticus 16:28, etc., where flesh cannot possibly have any such meaning. The flesh is the body as in Leviticus 15:7, whoever touches the flesh of him that hath the issue, as compared with Leviticus 15:19, whosoever toucheth her. At the same time, the agreement between the law relating to the man with an issue and that concerning the woman with an issue (Leviticus 15:19, her issue in her flesh) points unmistakably to a secretion from the sexual organs. Only the seat of the disease is not more closely defined. The issue of the man is not a hemorrhoidal disease, for nothing is said about a flow of blood; still less is it a syphilitic suppuration (gonorrhoea virulenta), for the occurrence of this at all in antiquity is very questionable; but it is either a diseased flow of semen (gonorrhoea), i.e. an involuntary flow drop by drop arising from weakness of the organ, as Jerome and the Rabbins assume, or more probably, simply blenorrhoea urethroe, a discharge of mucus arising from a catarrhal affection of the mucous membrane of the urethra (urethritis). The participle is expressive of continued duration. In Leviticus 15:3 the uncleanness is still more closely defined: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh closes before his issue, i.e. whether the member lets the matter flow out or by closing retains it, it is his uncleanness, i.e. in the latter case as well as the former it is uncleanness to him, he is unclean. For the closing is only a temporary obstruction, brought about by some particular circumstance.Leviticus 15:4. Every bed upon which he lay, and everything upon which he sat, was defiled in consequence; also every one who touched his bed (Leviticus 15:5), or sat upon it (Leviticus 15:6), or touched his flesh, i.e. his body (Leviticus 15:7), was unclean, and had to bathe himself and wash his clothes in consequence.Leviticus 15:9-10. The conveyance in which such a man rode was also unclean, as well as everything under him; and whoever touched them was defiled till the evening, and the person who carried them was to wash his clothes and bathe himself.Leviticus 15:11. This also applied to every one whom the man with an issue might touch, without first rinsing his hands in water.Leviticus 15:12-13. Vessels that he had touched were to be broken to pieces if they were of earthenware, and rinsed with water if they were of wood, for the reasons explained in chapter Leviticus 11:33 and Leviticus 6:21.Leviticus 15:13-15. When he was cleansed, i.e. recovered from his issue, he was to wait seven days with regard to his purification, and then wash his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water, and be clean. On the eighth day he was to bring two turtle-doves or young pigeons, in order that the priest might prepare one as a sin-offering and the other as a burnt-offering, and make an atonement for him before the Lord for his issue.

FACT QUESTIONS 15:1-15

Can we be sure just what disease is described in the flowing out his flesh? Discuss.

What is meant by his flesh?

The issue of the man is not a -hemorrhoidal disease.-’ How do we know?

Is moral uncleanness involved here? Please show any indication of it in the text.

How was the uncleanness to be cleansed from one who had touched the unclean?

Show at least three ways this uncleanness could be spread.

The sacrifices of two turtledoves or pigeons indicate no severity in the uncleanness. Discuss.

Leviticus 15:16-18

INVOLUNTARY EMISSION OF SEED 15:16-18 TEXT 15:16-18

16

And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.

17

And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.

18

The woman also with whom a man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 15:16-18

What caused this loss of seed?

In what sense unclean? How to be cleansed?

What else could be made unclean? How cleansed?

Are we to understand from this text that the sex-act is here condemned? Discuss.

PARAPHRASE 15:16-18

Whenever a man’s semen goes out from him, he shall take a complete bath and be unclean until the evening. Any clothing or bedding the semen spills on must be washed and remain ceremonially defiled until evening. After sexual intercourse, the woman as well as the man must bathe, and they are ceremonially defiled until the next evening.

COMMENT 15:16-18

Leviticus 15:16-18* Involuntary emission of seed.*This defiled for the whole of the day, not only the man himself, but any garment or skin upon which any of it had come, and required for purification that the whole body should be bathed, and the polluted things washed.Leviticus 15:18. Sexual connection. If a man lie with a woman with the emission of seed, both shall be unclean till the evening, and bathe themselves in water. Consequently it was not the concubitus as such which defiled, as many erroneously suppose, but the emission of seed in the coitus. This explains the law and custom, of abstaining from conjugal intercourse during the preparation for acts of divine worship, or the performance of the same (Exodus 19:5; 1 Samuel 21:5-6; 2 Samuel 11:4), in which many other nations resembled the Israelites. (For proofs see Leyrer’s article in Herzog’S Cyclopedia, and Knobel in loco, though the latter is wrong in supposing that conjugal intercourse itself defiled.)

FACT QUESTIONS 15:16-18

No word of condemnation is here given, only a free admission of the physical impotence or weakness of man. Nonetheless cleansing must be made. Why?

There is nothing wrong in the sex-act per se or as such; the prohibition here helps explain Exodus 19:5; 1 Samuel 21:5-6; 2 Samuel 11:4. How so?

Leviticus 15:19-24

THE MENSTRUAL PERIOD OF WOMEN 15:19-24 TEXT 15:19-24

19

And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days: and whosover toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

20

And everything that she lieth upon in her impurity shall be unclean: everything also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.

21

And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

22

And whosoever toucheth anything that she sitteth upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

23

And if it be on the bed, or on anything whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.

24

And if any man lie with her, and her impurity be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 15:19-24

Was there some physical hygienic reason in the regulation of Lev 15:19?

Name three conditions of uncleanness and how they are cleansed.

Is sexual intercourse forbidden during this time? Discuss.

PARAPHRASE 15:19-24

Whenever a woman menstruates, she shall be in a state of ceremonial defilement for seven days afterwards, and during that time anyone touching her shall be defiled until evening. Anything she lies on or sits on during that time shall be defiled. Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits upon shall wash his clothes and bathe himself and be ceremonially defiled until evening. A man having sexual intercourse with her during this time is ceremonially defiled for seven days, and every bed he lies upon shall be defiled.

COMMENT 15:19-24

Leviticus 15:19-24 The *menses of a woman.*If a woman have an issue, (if) blood is her issue in her flesh, she shall be seven days in her uncleanness. As the discharge does not last as a rule more than four or five days, the period of seven days was fixed on account of the significance of the number seven. In this condition she rendered every one who touched her unclean (Leviticus 15:19), everything upon which she lay or sat (Leviticus 15:20), every one who touched her bed or whatever she sat upon (Leviticus 15:21-22), also any one who touched the blood upon her bed or seat; and they remained unclean till the evening, when they had to wash their clothes and bathe themselves.Leviticus 15:24. If a man lay with her and her uncleanness came upon him, he became unclean for seven days, and the bed upon which he lay became unclean as well. The meaning cannot be merely if he lie upon the same bed with her, but if he have conjugal intercourse, as is evident from chapter Leviticus 20:18 and Numbers 5:13 (Cf. Genesis 26:10; Genesis 34:2; Genesis 35:22; 1 Samuel 2:22). It cannot be adduced as an objection to this explanation, which is the only admissible one, that according to chapter Leviticus 18:19 and Leviticus 20:18 intercourse with a woman during her menses was an accursed crime, to be punished by extermination. For the law in chapter Leviticus 20:18 refers partly to conjugal intercourse during the hemorrhage of a woman after child-birth, as the similarity of the words in chapter Leviticus 20:18 and Leviticus 12:7 clearly proves, and the case of a man attempting cohabitation with a woman during her menstruation. The verse before us, on the contrary, refers simply to the possibility of menstruation commencing during the act of conjugal intercourse, when the man would be involuntarily defiled through the unexpected uncleanness of the woman.

FACT QUESTIONS 15:19-24

Why seven days involved in this purifying?

Do you suppose there was any embarrassment involved in the uncleanness and the purifying?

Some felt that intercourse with a woman during her period was an accursed crime, to be punished by extermination. This is not right. Why not? Discuss.

Leviticus 15:25-33

DISEASED ISSUE FROM A WOMAN 15:25-33 TEXT 15:25-33

25

And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days not in the time of her impurity, or if she have an issue beyond the time of her impurity; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness she shall be as in the days of her impurity: she is unclean.

26

Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her impurity: and everything whereon she sitteth shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity.

27

And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bath himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

28

But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.

29

And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting.

30

And the priest shall offer the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before Jehovah for the issue of her uncleanness.

31

Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is in the midst of them.

32

This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed of copulation goeth from him, so that he is unclean thereby;

33

and of her that is sick with her impurity, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 15:25-33

Read Matthew 9:20 for a woman who had the problem here described.

How was healing to be effected in the days of Mosesor is there any thought of such here? Discuss.

PARAPHRASE 15:25-33

If the menstrual flow continues after the normal time, or at some irregular time during the month, the same rules apply as indicated above, so that anything she lies upon during that time is defiled, just as it would be during her normal menstrual period, and everything she sits on is in a similar state of defilement. Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits on shall be defiled, and shall wash his clothes and bathe and be defiled until evening. Seven days after the menstruating stops, she is no longer ceremonially defiled. On the eighth day, she shall take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for her before the Lord, for her menstrual defilement. In this way you shall cleanse the people of Israel from their defilement, lest they die because of defiling My Tabernacle that is among them. This, then, is the law for the man who is defiled by a genital disease or by a seminal emission; and for a woman’s menstrual period; and for anyone who has sexual intercourse with her while she is in her period of defilement afterwards.

COMMENT 15:25-33

Leviticus 15:25-33* Diseased issue from a woman.*If an issue of blood in a woman flowed many days away from (not in) the time of her monthly uncleanness, or if it flowed beyond her monthly uncleanness, she was to be unclean as long as her unclean issue continued, just as in the days of her monthly uncleanness, and she defiled her couch as well as everything upon which she sat, as in the other case, also every one who touched either her or these things.Leviticus 15:28-30. After the issue had ceased, she was to purify herself like the man with an issue, as described in Leviticus 15:13-15.Obedience to these commands is urged in Leviticus 15:31: Cause that the children of Israel free themselves from their uncleanness, that they die not through their uncleanness, by defiling My dwelling in the midst of them. Hiphil, to cause that a person keeps aloof from anything, or loosens himself from it, from Niphal to separate one’s self, signifies here deliverance from the state of uncleanness, purification from it. Continuance in it was followed by death, not merely in the particular instance in which an unclean man ventured to enter the sanctuary, but as a general fact, because uncleanness was irreconcilable with the calling of Israel to be a holy nation, in the midst of which Jehovah the Holy One had His dwelling-place (chapter Leviticus 11:44), and continuance in uncleanness without the prescribed purification was a disregard of the holiness of Jehovah, and involved rebellion against Him and His ordinances of grace.Leviticus 15:32-33. Concluding formula. The words, him that lieth with her that is unclean, are more general than the expression, lie with her, in Leviticus 15:24, and involve not only intercourse with an unclean woman, but lying by her side upon one and the same bed.

FACT QUESTIONS 15:25-33

Why mention this possible contingency as related to an issue of blood?

Was it really very important that these regulations be observed? Discuss. 354, What one permanent moral lesson could we learn from this chapter?