Reflections on Leviticus 15

 

Leviticus 15 (Contemporary English Version)

1. The LORD told Moses and Aaron
   
2. to say to the community of Israel: Any man with an infected penis is unclean,
   
3. whether it is stopped up or keeps dripping.
   
4. Anything that he rests on or sits on is also unclean,
   
5. and if you touch either these or him, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.
   
6. (SEE 15:5)
   
7. (SEE 15:5)
   
8. If you are spit on by the man, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.
   
9. Any saddle or seat on which the man sits is unclean. And if you touch or carry either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.
   
10. (SEE 15:9)
    
11. If the man touches you without first washing his hands, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.
    
12. Any clay pot that he touches must be destroyed, and any wooden bowl that he touches must be washed.
    
13. Seven days after the man gets well, he will be considered clean, if he washes his clothes and takes a bath in spring water.
    
14. On the eighth day he must bring either two doves or two pigeons to the front of my sacred tent and give them to a priest.
    
15. The priest will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me, then I will consider the man completely clean.
    
16. Any man who has a flow of semen must take a bath, but he still remains unclean until evening.
    
17. If the semen touches anything made of cloth or leather, these must be washed, but they still remain unclean until evening.
    
18. After having sex, both the man and the woman must take a bath, but they still remain unclean until evening.
    
19. When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean for seven days, and if you touch her, you must take a bath, but you remain unclean until evening.
    
20. Anything that she rests on or sits on is also unclean, and if you touch either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.
    
21. (SEE 15:20)
    
22. (SEE 15:20)
    
23. (SEE 15:20)
    
24. Any man who has sex with her during this time becomes unclean for seven days, and anything he rests on is also unclean.
    
25. Any woman who has a flow of blood outside her regular monthly period is unclean until it stops, just as she is during her monthly period.
    
26. Anything that she rests on or sits on during this time is also unclean, just as it would be during her period.
    
27. If you touch either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.
    
28. Seven days after the woman gets well, she will be considered clean.
    
29. On the eighth day, she must bring either two doves or two pigeons to the front of my sacred tent and give them to a priest.
    
30. He will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me, then I will consider the woman completely clean.
    
31. When any of you are unclean, you must stay away from the rest of the community of Israel. Otherwise, my sacred tent will become unclean, and the whole nation will die.
    
32. These are the things you men must do if you become unclean because of an infected penis or if you have a flow of semen. And these are the things you women must do when you become unclean either because of your monthly period or an unusual flow of blood. This is also what you men must do if you have sex with a woman who is unclean.
    
33. (SEE 15:32)
    
    

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    Male and female discharges, both normal discharges and chronic conditions, are addressed in this chapter. The normal discharges - a man's discharge of semen or a woman's monthly period - made them unclean but required only the wash-and-wait procedure. That is, they were to wash themselves and their clothes and wait until evening to become clean. No offering was required. However, in the case of a chronic discharge the procedure was similar to an infectious skin disease though there was no quarantine. Once they were cured they were to wash and then wait for seven days. On the eighth day they were to offer a sacrifice. These were low-cost sacrifices of two birds. Either two turtledoves or two young pigeons. 

    
    

    The reason for these regulations is given in verse 31: "You must keep the Israelites from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle that is among them." Though we may not be able to fully explain why God considered these regulations necessary, we recognize that they gave the Israelites a reminder of their relationship with God in all parts of life. There was no compartmentalizing in which God was in certain parts of their lives and not in others. Their relationship with God involved every part of their lives.