Leviticus 12:7

Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This [is] the law for her that hath born a male or a female.

Who shall offer {H7126} it before {H6440} the LORD {H3068}, and make an atonement {H3722} for her; and she shall be cleansed {H2891} from the issue {H4726} of her blood {H1818}. This is the law {H8451} for her that hath born {H3205} a male {H2145} or a female {H5347}.

He will offer it before ADONAI and make atonement for her; thus she will be purified from her discharge of blood. Such is the law for a woman who gives birth, whether to a boy or to a girl.

And the priest will present them before the LORD and make atonement for her; and she shall be ceremonially cleansed from her flow of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or to a female.

and he shall offer it before Jehovah, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. This is the law for her that beareth, whether a male or a female.

Commentary

Leviticus 12:7 KJV describes the culmination of the purification ritual for a woman after childbirth, detailing the priest's role in offering sacrifices to make atonement and declare her ritually clean.

Context

This verse concludes the specific instructions given in Leviticus chapter 12 regarding the laws of purification following the birth of a child, whether male or female. After a prescribed period of uncleanness (seven days for a male child, fourteen for a female, plus an additional period of waiting for purification), the woman was required to bring specific offerings to the tabernacle. Leviticus 12:6 specifies these as a lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Verse 7 then outlines the priest's essential function in presenting these sacrifices to the Lord, thereby completing the purification process and allowing the woman to re-engage fully in the community's spiritual life.

Key Themes

  • Atonement and Purification: The central message is the restoration of ritual purity through divinely appointed means. The offering "makes atonement" (Hebrew: kaphar), meaning to cover, purge, or reconcile, enabling the woman to re-enter the full communal worship life of Israel. This process highlights God's demand for holiness and the provision for cleansing from ceremonial defilement.
  • The Role of the Priesthood: The verse explicitly states, "Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her." This underscores the indispensable role of the Levitical priest as the mediator between God and the individual, responsible for performing the prescribed rituals and declaring the person clean.
  • God's Holiness and Order: The meticulous nature of these laws, including specific timeframes and sacrifices, reflects God's absolute holiness and His desire for His people to live in a state of ritual purity, maintaining the sanctity of the tabernacle and the community. Even natural processes like childbirth required a specific purification to approach a holy God.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "atonement" here is kaphar (Χ›ΦΈΦΌΧ€Φ·Χ¨), which fundamentally means "to cover over" or "to purge." In the Old Testament sacrificial system, it signifies a covering for sin or uncleanness, allowing for reconciliation and restoration of relationship with God. The word "cleansed" is from the Hebrew taher (Χ˜ΦΈΧ”Φ΅Χ¨), meaning to be clean, pure, or ceremonially purified. These terms emphasize the removal of defilement and the restoration to a state of ritual acceptance within the Mosaic Law.

Significance and Application

While these specific purification laws are part of the Old Covenant and are not directly binding on New Testament believers, they hold profound theological significance. They vividly illustrate the pervasive nature of sin and uncleanness in a fallen world and humanity's constant need for divine cleansing. The elaborate sacrificial system, including the offerings for childbirth, served as a temporary means of atonement and purification, ultimately pointing forward to the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As Hebrews 9:22 teaches, "without shedding of blood is no remission."

For Christians, our cleansing and atonement come through Christ's shed blood, which purifies us not just from ceremonial defilement but from the guilt and power of sin itself. The account of Mary and Joseph bringing offerings for Jesus' purification in Luke 2:22-24 demonstrates the faithful adherence to this very law by the Holy Family, even as they bore the Son of God, highlighting the importance of obedience within the covenant God had established.

This verse reminds us of God's meticulous care for His people's purity and His gracious provision for cleansing, a provision fully realized in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Cross-References

  • Hebrews 9:12

    Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us].

  • Hebrews 9:14

    How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

  • Job 14:4

    Who can bring a clean [thing] out of an unclean? not one.

  • Romans 3:26

    To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

  • Leviticus 4:31

    And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn [it] upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

  • Leviticus 4:20

    And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.

  • 1 Corinthians 7:14

    For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
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