Leviticus 15:33

Translation
King James Version
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.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And of her that is sick H1739 of her flowers H5079, and of him that hath H2100 an issue H2101, of the man H2145, and of the woman H5347, and of him H376 that lieth H7901 with her that is unclean H2931.
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Complete Jewish Bible
for the woman in niddah during her menstrual period; for the person, man or woman, with a discharge; and for the man who has sexual relations with a woman who is unclean.
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Berean Standard Bible
of 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.’”
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American Standard Version
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.
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World English Bible Messianic
and of her who has her period, and of a man or woman who has a discharge, and of him who lies with her who is unclean.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Also of her that is sicke of her floures, and of him that hath a running issue, whether it bee man or woman, and of him that lyeth with her which is vncleane.
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Young's Literal Translation
and of her who is sick in her separation, and of him who hath an issue, the issue of a male or of a female, and of a man who lieth with an unclean woman.'
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See also
Leviticus 15:19Leviticus 20:18Leviticus 15:24Leviticus 15:25
In the KJVVerse 3,202 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Leviticus 15:33 serves as a comprehensive concluding summary for the intricate regulations detailed throughout Leviticus chapter 15. This verse encapsulates the various categories of ritual uncleanness arising from bodily discharges: a menstruating woman, a man or woman with an abnormal issue, and the transmission of uncleanness through intimate contact with an unclean person. It powerfully underscores the pervasive nature of ritual impurity within ancient Israel and the paramount necessity for the community to maintain a state of ceremonial purity in the presence of a holy God, especially in relation to the sanctity of the Tabernacle and its divine presence.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Leviticus 15:33 functions as the concluding verse of a chapter meticulously dedicated to laws concerning various bodily discharges and their profound implications for ritual purity within the Israelite community. The preceding verses (Leviticus 15:1-30) meticulously outline specific scenarios: a man's abnormal discharge (Leviticus 15:1-15), seminal emission (Leviticus 15:16-18), a woman's regular menstruation (Leviticus 15:19-24), and abnormal or prolonged discharges in women (Leviticus 15:25-30). Each section details the duration of uncleanness, the objects or persons that become unclean through contact, and the prescribed purification rituals, which often included washing and specific sacrifices. Verse 31 then provides the overarching theological rationale for these laws, emphasizing the critical need to keep the Israelites separate from their uncleanness "that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them." Thus, verse 33 acts as a final, concise summation, reiterating the primary categories of impurity covered in the chapter, ensuring the comprehensive application and understanding of these vital purity laws and reinforcing their purpose in safeguarding the holiness of God's dwelling place.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Israel, the concept of ritual purity was foundational to their covenant relationship with Yahweh and the maintenance of His sacred presence within the Tabernacle (and later, the Temple). Bodily discharges, while natural physiological processes, were categorized as sources of ritual uncleanness, distinct from moral impurity or sin. This crucial distinction meant that uncleanness resulted in a temporary inability to participate in communal worship or approach the holy things of God, but it did not imply moral guilt. This elaborate system served multiple purposes: it distinctly set Israel apart from surrounding pagan nations, whose religious practices often lacked such rigorous purity codes; it instilled a profound reverence for God's absolute holiness, emphasizing that His divine presence could not tolerate any form of defilement; and it provided a structured framework for maintaining order and, incidentally, health within the community, even if not explicitly for hygienic reasons. The meticulous nature of these laws, as seen throughout the book of Leviticus, constantly reminded the Israelites of God's transcendence and their unique status as His chosen, holy people, called to live in a manner reflecting His character.
  • Key Themes: Leviticus 15:33, as the culmination of the chapter, powerfully contributes to several key theological and narrative themes within the broader book of Leviticus. Foremost among these is the theme of Holiness, which is central to the entire book, encapsulated in the repeated command, "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (e.g., Leviticus 11:44). The purity laws define what it means for Israel to be holy in their daily lives, particularly in relation to the Presence of God in the Tabernacle. The meticulous regulations regarding uncleanness and purification underscore the absolute necessity of maintaining a clear distinction between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean, to protect the sanctity of God's dwelling place among His people (as highlighted in Leviticus 15:31). Furthermore, these laws subtly introduce the theme of Atonement and Cleansing, as many purification rituals required sacrifices, foreshadowing the ultimate need for a perfect sacrifice to cleanse humanity from the deeper defilement of sin. They also emphasize Community Responsibility, as the uncleanness of one individual could impact the entire congregation's ability to worship and interact with God.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Sick (Hebrew, dâveh', H1739): This word (H1739) comes from the root meaning "to be faint" or "to languish." In this context, dâveh refers specifically to a woman who is "sick" in the sense of being in her menstrual period. While menstruation is a natural physiological process, in the Levitical code, it rendered a woman ritually "sick" or "unwell" in terms of her ceremonial status, making her temporarily unable to participate in certain communal activities or approach the holy things due to her state of ritual impurity.
  • Issue (Hebrew, zôwb', H2101): The term zôwb (H2101) refers to a "flux" or "flow," specifically an abnormal or prolonged bodily discharge. This noun is derived from the verb zûwb (H2100), meaning "to flow freely." In Leviticus 15, it is applied to both men (e.g., Leviticus 15:2) and women (e.g., Leviticus 15:25) when their discharges are not part of regular, healthy physiological processes (like normal seminal emission or menstruation). It signifies a state of ritual impurity that requires specific purification rites, often involving a waiting period and a sacrifice, due to its unusual and persistent nature.
  • Unclean (Hebrew, ṭâmêʼ', H2931): The Hebrew word ṭâmêʼ (H2931) is a foundational term throughout the book of Leviticus, denoting a state of ritual impurity or defilement. It is a ceremonial status, not necessarily a moral one, meaning it did not imply sin or guilt. To be ṭâmêʼ meant one was temporarily separated from the holy things of God and from full participation in the community's worship. The laws of Leviticus 15 are entirely concerned with defining what makes a person or object ṭâmêʼ and the prescribed steps required to become ṭāhôr (clean) again, thereby allowing re-entry into the full life of the community and access to the Tabernacle.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And of her that is sick of her flowers": This phrase directly refers to a woman undergoing her regular menstrual period, as meticulously detailed in Leviticus 15:19-24. During this time, she was considered ritually unclean, and anything she touched or sat upon became unclean, requiring specific purification rituals for herself and for those who came into contact with her or her contaminated objects.
  • "and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman": This clause broadens the scope of uncleanness to include any individual, male or female, suffering from an abnormal, non-menstrual bodily discharge. This refers to the "issue" of a man (as described in Leviticus 15:1-15) and the "issue" of a woman that is not her regular period (as outlined in Leviticus 15:25-30). Both conditions rendered the individual and anything they touched or sat upon unclean, necessitating a specific purification process, often including a waiting period and sacrifices.
  • "and of him that lieth with her that is unclean": This final phrase addresses the transmission of uncleanness through intimate contact, specifically sexual intercourse. It refers to a man who lies with a woman who is in a state of ritual uncleanness, whether due to menstruation or an abnormal discharge. Such an act would transfer her uncleanness to him, making him ritually unclean as well, as explicitly described in Leviticus 15:24 concerning contact with a menstruating woman. This highlights the contagious nature of ritual impurity within the Levitical system.

Literary Devices

Leviticus 15:33 masterfully employs several literary devices to serve its purpose as the concluding statement of the chapter. Primarily, it functions as a Summary, succinctly recapitulating the main categories of impurity discussed in the preceding verses (Leviticus 15:1-30). This serves to reinforce the detailed regulations and ensure that no primary source of uncleanness is overlooked in the community's understanding. The verse also utilizes clear Categorization by explicitly listing the different types of individuals and situations that lead to ritual uncleanness: the menstruating woman, the man with an issue, the woman with an issue, and the person who has intimate contact with an unclean woman. This precise categorization helps to organize and define the boundaries of impurity for the Israelite community. Furthermore, there is an element of Repetition of the overarching theme of uncleanness, which acts as a mnemonic device, embedding the critical importance of these purity laws in the minds of the Israelite community and emphasizing the pervasive nature of impurity that required constant vigilance and purification.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Leviticus 15:33, as a concise summary of the laws concerning bodily discharges, profoundly underscores God's absolute holiness and the non-negotiable necessity for His people to reflect that holiness in their daily lives. The meticulous distinctions between clean and unclean states, though ceremonial in nature, served as a powerful pedagogical tool for ancient Israel, teaching them about the inherent defilement of sin and the profound need for separation from anything that would mar their relationship with a perfect and holy God. These laws were not about judging the moral character of individuals but about maintaining the sanctity of the community and, most crucially, the Tabernacle—God's sacred dwelling place among His people. They prefigured a deeper, universal truth: that humanity, in its fallen state, is inherently unclean before a holy God, and therefore, a divine, perfect provision for cleansing is absolutely required.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

While the specific ritual purity laws of Leviticus 15 are no longer binding on believers under the New Covenant, they offer profound spiritual lessons that transcend their original ceremonial context. The trajectory of biblical revelation clearly shows a shift from outward, physical purity to inward, spiritual purity as a central theme of the New Testament. Jesus taught that true defilement comes not from what enters a person, but from what comes out of their heart—evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander (as recorded in Matthew 15:18-20). This radical reorientation emphasizes that our greatest impurity is sin, which fundamentally separates us from a holy God. The Levitical laws, therefore, serve as a prophetic shadow, pointing to our desperate need for a perfect cleanser. As New Covenant believers, we are called to pursue holiness, not through ceremonial washings, but through a transformed heart and life, empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Our bodies, now recognized as temples of the Holy Spirit (as declared in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), are to be honored and used for God's glory, reflecting a spiritual purity that far surpasses the Old Covenant's ritual requirements. This pursuit involves cultivating righteousness, truth, and love, aligning our inner being with God's character.

Questions for Reflection

  • How do the Levitical laws of purity deepen our understanding of God's absolute holiness and His demand for separation from defilement?
  • In what specific ways has the New Covenant shifted our understanding of "uncleanness" from external physical states to internal spiritual conditions?
  • What practical steps can we take in our daily lives to pursue inner purity and holiness, reflecting the New Covenant's emphasis on a transformed heart?

FAQ

Are the ritual purity laws of Leviticus 15 still applicable to Christians today?

Answer: No, the specific ritual purity laws concerning bodily discharges in Leviticus 15 are not directly applicable to Christians today. These laws were an integral part of the Old Covenant's ceremonial code, meticulously designed for ancient Israel to maintain ritual purity in the presence of the Tabernacle and to distinguish them as God's holy people. With the coming of Jesus Christ, the New Covenant was established, which fulfills and transcends the Old Testament law. Jesus declared all foods clean (as noted in Mark 7:19) and profoundly taught that true defilement comes from the heart, not from external physical states (as articulated in Matthew 15:18-20). The early church, particularly through the Jerusalem Council (recorded in Acts 15), affirmed that Gentile believers were not required to observe the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. The focus for Christians has decisively shifted from outward ritual purity to inward spiritual purity, which is made possible solely through faith in Christ's atoning work.

What was the theological purpose behind these detailed purity laws in Leviticus?

Answer: The theological purpose of these detailed purity laws was profoundly multifaceted. Primarily, they underscored the absolute holiness of God and the non-negotiable necessity for His people to maintain a state of purity when in His immediate presence. The Tabernacle, as God's sacred dwelling place, could not be defiled by human impurity (a principle clearly stated in Leviticus 15:31). These laws also served to distinctly separate Israel from surrounding pagan nations, whose religious practices often involved ritual impurity without a clear, God-ordained system of purification. Furthermore, they were deeply pedagogical, teaching the Israelites about the pervasive nature of sin and the constant need for atonement and cleansing. Though these bodily conditions were natural, they symbolically represented anything that separated humanity from a holy God, pointing forward to the ultimate and spiritual need for cleansing from sin, which only Christ could perfectly provide (as explained in Hebrews 9:13-14).

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

The meticulous purity laws of Leviticus 15, so comprehensively summarized in verse 33, find their ultimate fulfillment and radical transformation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. These laws, which declared natural bodily functions as sources of ritual uncleanness, served as a powerful shadow, highlighting humanity's inherent inability to stand perfectly clean before a holy God. They vividly demonstrated that defilement was pervasive, requiring constant purification and separation, pointing to a deeper, spiritual problem. Christ, however, is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, providing a once-for-all cleansing that utterly transcends ceremonial washings. He did not merely touch the unclean and become unclean Himself; rather, His divine touch conveyed purity, making the unclean clean, as powerfully demonstrated in His healing of the leper (recorded in Matthew 8:2-3) and the woman with the issue of blood (narrated in Matthew 9:20-22). Through His perfect life, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection, Jesus became the true and final High Priest, entering the heavenly sanctuary not with the blood of animals, but with His own precious blood, securing eternal redemption for all who believe (as expounded in Hebrews 9:11-14). Under the New Covenant, the emphasis decisively shifts from external ritual purity to internal spiritual purity, made possible by Christ's indwelling Spirit. We are now called to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (as exhorted in Romans 12:1), purified not by water and blood in an earthly tabernacle, but by the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit (as taught in Titus 3:5), allowing us to draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith (as encouraged in Hebrews 10:22).

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Commentary on Leviticus 15 verses 19–33

This is concerning the ceremonial uncleanness which women lay under from their issues, both those that were regular and healthful, and according to the course of nature (Lev 15:19-24), and those that were unseasonable, excessive, and the disease of the body; such was the bloody issue of that poor woman who was suddenly cured by touching the hem of Christ's garment, after she had lain twelve years under her distemper, and had spent her estate upon physicians and physic in vain. This made the woman that was afflicted with it unclean (Lev 15:25) and every thing she touched unclean, Lev 15:26, Lev 15:27. And if she was cured, and found by seven days' trial that she was perfectly free from her issue of blood, she was to be cleansed by the offering of two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, to make an atonement for her, Lev 15:28, Lev 15:29. All wicked courses, particularly idolatries, are compared to the uncleanness of a removed woman (Eze 36:17), and, in allusion to this, it is said of Jerusalem (Lam 1:9), Her filthiness is in her skirts, so that (as it follows, Lev 15:17) she was shunned as a menstruous woman.

I. The reasons given for all these laws (which we are ready to think might very well have been spared) we have, Lev 15:31. 1. Thus shall you separate the children of Israel (for to them only and their servants and proselytes these laws pertained) from their uncleanness; that is, (1.) By these laws they were taught their privilege and honour, that they were purified unto God a peculiar people, and were intended by the holy God for a kingdom of priests, a holy nation; for that was a defilement to them which was not so to others. (2.) They were also taught their duty, which was to preserve the honour of their purity, and to keep themselves from all sinful pollutions. It was easy for them to argue that if those pollutions which were natural, unavoidable, involuntary, their affliction and not their sin, rendered them for the time so odious that they were not fit for communion either with God or man, much more abominable and filthy were they if they sinned against the light and law of nature, by drunkenness, adultery, fraud, and the like sins, which defile the very mind and conscience. And, if these ceremonial pollutions could not be done away but by sacrifice and offering, something greater and much more valuable must be expected and depended upon for the purifying of the soul from the uncleanness of sin. 2. Thus their dying in their uncleanness by the hand of God's justice, if while they were under any of these defilements they should come near the sanctuary, would be prevented. Note, It is a dangerous thing to die in our uncleanness; and it is our own fault if we do, since we have not only fair warning given us, by God's law, against those things that will defile us, but also such gracious provision made by his gospel for our cleansing if at any time we be defiled. 3. In all these laws there seems to be a special regard had to the honour of the tabernacle, to which none must approach in their uncleanness, that they defile not my tabernacle. Infinite Wisdom took this course to preserve in the minds of that careless people a continual dread of, and veneration for, the manifestations of God's glory and presence among them in his sanctuary. Now that the tabernacle of God was with men familiarity would be apt to breed contempt, and therefore the law made so many things of frequent incidence to be ceremonial pollutions, and to involve an incapacity of drawing near to the sanctuary (making death the penalty), that so they might not approach without great caution, and reverence, and serious preparation, and fear of being found unfit. Thus they were taught never to draw near to God but with an awful humble sense of their distance and danger, and an exact observance of every thing that was required in order to their safety and acceptance.

II. And what duty must we learn from all this? 1. Let us bless God that we are not under the yoke of these carnal ordinances, that, as nothing can destroy us, so nothing can defile us, but sin. Those may now partake of the Lord's supper who durst not then eat of the peace-offerings. And the defilement we contract by our sins of daily infirmity we may be cleansed from in secret by the renewed acts of repentance and faith, without bathing in water or bringing an offering to the door of the tabernacle. 2. Let us carefully abstain from all sin, as defiling to the conscience, and particularly from all fleshly lusts, possessing our vessel in sanctification and honour, and not in the lusts of uncleanness, which not only pollute the soul, but war against it, and threaten its ruin. 3. Let us all see how indispensably necessary real holiness is to our future happiness, and get our hearts purified by faith, that we may see God. Perhaps it is in allusion to these laws which forbade the unclean to approach the sanctuary that when it is asked, Who shall stand in God's holy place? it is answered, He that hath clean hands and a pure heart (Psa 24:3, Psa 24:4); for without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 19–33. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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