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Leviticus 15

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Uncleanness from Male Chronic Discharge 1–12

1
And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,
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Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running 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 lieth that hath the issue, is unclean: and every thing, 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 any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
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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 rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean.
10
And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
11
And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
12
And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. ​

Purification of the Male with Chronic Discharge 13–15

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 bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean. ​
14
And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 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 an atonement for him before the LORD for his issue. ​

Uncleanness from Seminal Emission 16–18

16
And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash 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 man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even. ​

Uncleanness from Menstruation 19–24

19
And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. ​
20
And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.
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And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
22
And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
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And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.
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And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean. ​

Uncleanness from Female Chronic Discharge 25–27

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And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. ​
26
Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation.
27
And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

Purification of the Woman with Chronic Discharge 28–30

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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 turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
30
And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness. ​

Summary and Purpose of Purity Laws 31–33

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 among them. ​
32
This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;
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And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Leviticus 15

Verse 2

a running issue — Zub is to flow; the man with a discharge is called a zab, and the same verb is used of the woman in vv.19 and 25. ‘Because of his issue he is unclean.’ Num 5:2 lists ‘every one that hath an issue’ among those put out of the camp with the leper, and Lev 22:4 bars such a priest from the holy things until clean.

Verse 3

his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped — The uncleanness holds whether the discharge flows or is stopped. A stoppage does not end it: the man is clean only after he has counted seven days for his cleansing (v.13).

Verse 4

Every bed, whereon he lieth — Uncleanness passes from the man to what bears him. Whoever touches the bed, sits where he sat, or touches his flesh ‘shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even’ (vv.5–7). Even a man with the issue who has not rinsed his hands passes it on by his touch (v.11).

Verse 12

the vessel of earth… shall be broken — Earthenware that the man touches is broken, wood is rinsed. The same rule applies to a clay pot defiled by a carcase: ‘ye shall break it’ (Lev 11:33); and to the earthen vessel in which the sin offering is sodden, which ‘shall be broken’ (Lev 6:28).

Verse 13

running water — Literally ‘living water’ (chai), the word also used in Lev 14:6. When the flow has ceased, the man ‘shall number to himself seven days’, washes his clothes, and bathes in it. A seven-day count also follows uncleanness from the dead (Num 19:11–12).

Verse 15

the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering — The two turtledoves or young pigeons are brought on the eighth day ‘unto the door of the tabernacle’ (v.14). The same pair is the provision for the poor leper (Lev 14:22) and the poor mother (Lev 12:8). Atonement is made ‘for his issue’, so that he may come again to the holy things.

Verse 16

seed of copulation — Literally ‘seed of lying down’ (shikbah). The uncleanness is slight: he washes ‘all his flesh in water’ and is unclean ‘until the even’. Deut 23:10–11 gives the camp rule: the man goes outside, and ‘when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water’ and may return at sundown.

Verse 18

they shall both bathe themselves in water — The law covers husband and wife alike, ‘unclean until the even’. No offering is required, unlike the long issues (v.15). At Sinai the people were told to be ready for the third day: ‘come not at your wives’ (Ex 19:15); David’s men were likewise kept from women when they ate the hallowed bread (1 Sam 21:4–5).

Verse 19

put apart seven days — Niddah, ‘separation’, the word also used in Lev 12:2. Whoever touches her ‘shall be unclean until the even’, and whatever she lies or sits on is unclean (v.20). Ezek 36:17 uses the figure of Israel’s sin: ‘their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman’.

Verse 24

her flowers be upon him — ‘Flowers’ is again niddah, the monthly separation. A man who lies with her while it is on her takes the whole seven days and his bed is unclean. Lev 18:19 forbids it outright, and Lev 20:18 adds: ‘both of them shall be cut off from among their people’.

Verse 25

many days out of the time of her separation — A flow outside its season falls under its own rule: ‘all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation’. The woman of Mark 5:25 had ‘an issue of blood twelve years’ and ‘straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up’ when she touched Christ (Mark 5:29).

Verse 28

number to herself seven days — The same count as the man’s in v.13, and the same verb, saphar, to number: seven days after the flow ceases. Only then is she clean, and on the eighth day she brings two turtles or two young pigeons to the priest (v.29).

Verse 30

atonement for her before the LORD — The offering is the pair of birds brought on the eighth day (v.29): one a sin offering and one a burnt offering, as for the man in v.15. The atonement is ‘for the issue of her uncleanness’, the state itself, so that she may return to the holy things.

Verse 31

Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness — Nazar, to hold apart. The reason follows: ‘that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them’. Num 19:13 states the penalty for the unpurified who defile the tabernacle: ‘that soul shall be cut off from Israel’.