Chapter Fifteen

Verses 1–30. Several types of impurity related to sexual life: 1) painful discharge in a man (vv. 2–15); 2) seminal discharge in a man during nocturnal emission or coitus (vv. 16–18); 3) defilement of a woman during menstruation (vv. 19–24); 4) painful hemorrhages in a woman (vv. 25–30) and the religious and ritual cleansing of these impurities. Verses 31–33. General conclusion of the ordinance.

Leviticus 15:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: The general meaning of the cleansing ordinances Lev 15, and along with it of all the laws concerning clean and unclean (Lev 11-15), is expressed in the words of Leviticus 15 in this chapter: \”You shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling My dwelling place which is in the midst of them.\” In particular, the laws concerning the purity of sexual life, which undoubtedly had great educational value, \”were very fitting for the Israelites, as people extremely prone to lust and licentiousness\” (blessed Theodoret, question XXI on Leviticus).

Leviticus 15:2. Tell the people of Israel: When any man has a bodily discharge, his uncleanness due to the discharge is uncleanness. Leviticus 15:3. And this is the law of his uncleanness because of his discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge or whether his body is blocked by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. Leviticus 15:4. Every bed on which the one with discharge lies shall be unclean, and every object on which he sits shall be unclean. Leviticus 15:5. And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:6. And whoever sits on something on which the one with discharge sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:7. And whoever touches the body of the one with discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:8. If the one with discharge spits on one who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:9. And every carriage in which the one with discharge rides shall be unclean. Leviticus 15:10. And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such a thing shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:11. And whoever the one with discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:12. A clay vessel which the one with discharge touches must be broken, and every wooden vessel shall be rinsed with water. Leviticus 15:13. When the one with discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water, and he shall be clean. Leviticus 15:14. On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and give them to the priest. Leviticus 15:15. And the priest shall offer them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord for his discharge. The text is speaking of some disease of the male sexual organ (basar, flesh instead of pudenda, cf. Lev 15:19; Ezek 16:26), but not of seminal discharge (as in the Vulgate: qui patitur fluxum seminis). It is difficult to identify the disease in modern medical terms. According to Bähr (de hemorroidibus ех lege mosaica impuris, ad Levit. Comment, Lips. 1792), it is hemorrhoids, flowing and stationary or blind, but this contradicts the text’s indication of the sexual character of the disease. According to Michaelis, Rosenmüller, and others, it is the so-called gonorrhea virulenta or gonorrhea, but nothing confirms its knowledge among ancient Hebrews. It seems better to accept the opinion of Maimonides, that this disease consisted of extreme weakness of the male sexual parts, as a result of which purulent fluid flowed involuntarily (besides the influence of climate, unrestrained excess in sexual relations among the Hebrews could contribute to the origin of this disease). In such a sickly condition, a man was not only himself unclean of the first degree, but also transmitted uncleanness (of the second, lesser degree—for one day) to all other persons and to all things and objects which he touched in any way. However, the sick person was not subjected to any forced exclusion or even supervision from anyone; he himself had to know when he would be in a state to enter into communion with other members of society (cf. Deut 23:11-12). But his communion with the sanctuary required, first, a seven-day period of home purification (Lev 15:13), and, second, sacrificial cleansing of the recovered person, who had been excluded from the sanctuary because of illness; two doves or turtledoves were brought—as a sin offering and as a burnt offering.

Leviticus 15:16. If a man has a seminal emission, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:17. Every garment and every hide on which the seminal emission comes shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:18. If a man lies with a woman and there is a seminal emission, they shall both bathe themselves in water and be unclean until evening. Here are meant accidental, chiefly nocturnal defilements—nocturnal emissions (cf. Deut 23:11), as well as defilements during coitus. As nearly normal phenomena, they defiled a man to a lesser degree than the sickness mentioned above, and therefore were removed by simple washing, without sacrifice. The moral-educational meaning of this ordinance blessed Theodoret defines thus (question 20 on Leviticus): “the law calls unclean both him who has defilement in sleep, and him who lies with a wife according to the law of marriage (Lev 15:18), although God Himself established the law concerning marriage” … (Gen 2:24). “It is clear that by this He teaches moderation in married relations, and makes known that one enters into marriage for the sake of children, not for the sake of pleasure; therefore He calls those who lie together unclean; and commands the use of cleansing, so that the labor of cleansing might hinder frequent relations.” By causing each Israelite to be careful and attentive to the spiritual and bodily purity of himself, the law did not directly condemn polygamy and in general excessive service to carnal—sexual desires.

Leviticus 15:19. When a woman has a discharge of blood from her body, she shall be in a state of menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:20. Everything on which she lies during the time of her impurity shall be unclean, and everything on which she sits shall be unclean. Leviticus 15:21. Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:22. And whoever touches any object on which she has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:23. If anyone touches her bed or any object on which she has sat, he shall be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:24. If a man lies with her, and the impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean for seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean. The same purpose—the limitation of sexual relations—is served by the rule concerning the menstruating wife. Sacrificial cleansing was not required in this natural, normal phenomenon (only, according to the testimony of tradition, washing), as in the previous case (also normal). But sexual relations between a man and her at this time were absolutely forbidden (Lev 15:24).

Leviticus 15:25. If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days not at the time of her menstruation, or if her discharge continues beyond the time of her menstruation, all the days of the discharge of her uncleanness she shall be as in the days of her menstruation; she is unclean. Leviticus 15:26. Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her menstruation, and every object on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstruation. Leviticus 15:27. And whoever touches these things shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:28. But if she is cleansed of her discharge, then she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. Leviticus 15:29. On the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Leviticus 15:30. And the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for the discharge of her uncleanness. But if the hemorrhages in a woman were not the result of monthly purifications but were a sickly and prolonged condition (like the woman healed by the Lord, Matt 9:20 and following), then this condition was entirely equated in degree of uncleanness to the analogous sickly condition in a man (Lev 15:1-15). Just as in that case, after the disease ceased, a state of uncleanness lasting 7 days continued (cf. Lev 15:13); such sacrifices were required: a sin offering and a burnt offering (cf. Lev 15:14-15).

Leviticus 15:31. You shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness when they defile My dwelling place that is in their midst. Leviticus 15:32. This is the law for the one with a discharge and for him who has an emission of semen, making him unclean. Leviticus 15:33. And for the woman who is in her state of menstruation, and for anyone, man or woman, who has a discharge, and for the man who lies with a woman who is unclean. Lev 15 contains the mentioned indication of the purpose of the described ordinances regarding the sanctuary, and Lev 15:32-33 name four articles of the law set forth in Lev 15.