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Leviticus Chapter Fifteen

 

Leviticus 15 Outlines

The Law Concerning Bodily Discharges

New King James Version (NKJV)

 

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 15

This chapter treats of uncleanness by issues in men and women; in men a running issue Leviticus 15:1 which defiles him and everything he touches or that touches him or them Leviticus 15:4; the cleansing from which is directed to Leviticus 15:13; and seed flowing from him Leviticus 15:16; in women their ordinary courses Leviticus 15:19; or extraordinary ones Leviticus 15:25; and the law for the cleansing of them Leviticus 15:28; and a recapitulation of the whole Leviticus 15:32.

 

Leviticus 15:1.  And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron saying

   YLT  1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto Aaron saying

And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron .... Aaron is spoken to as well Moses because some of these purifications after mentioned depended on the priest as the affair of profluvious men and women as Gersom observes:

saying;

as follows.

 

Leviticus 15:2.  2 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: ‘When any man has a discharge from his body his discharge is unclean.

   YLT  2`Speak unto the sons of Israel and ye have said unto them When there is an issue out of the flesh of any man [for] his issue he [is] unclean;

Speak unto the children of Israel .... From whence we learn says the above mentioned writer that these uncleannesses were only usual among the children of Israel not among the Gentiles; that is the laws respecting them were only binding on the one and not on the otherF19So Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Edaiot c. 5. sect. 1. :

and say unto them when any man; in the Hebrew text it is "a man a man" which the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases a young man and an old man:

hath a running issue out of his flesh; what physicians call a "gonorrhoea" and we as in the margin of our Bibles "the running of the reins":

because of his issue he is unclean; in a ceremonial sense though it arises from a natural cause; but if not from any criminal one from a debauch but from a strain or some such like thing the man was not defiled otherwise he was; the Targum of Jonathan is "if he sees it three times he is unclean;'so the MisnahF20Zabim c. 1. sect. 1. Maimon. & Bartenora in ib. .

 

Leviticus 15:3.  3 And this shall be his uncleanness in regard to his discharge—whether his body runs with his discharge or his body is stopped up by his discharge it is his uncleanness.

   YLT  3and this is his uncleanness in his issue -- his flesh hath run with his issue or his flesh hath stopped from his issue; it [is] his uncleanness.

And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue .... Or the sign of it by which it may be judged whether he is unclean by it or no:

whether his flesh run with his issue; or salivates or emits a flow of matter like a saliva or in the manner of spittle:

or his flesh be stopped from his issue; with it or because of it; because it is gross as Jarchi says it cannot come forth freely:

it is his uncleanness; whether it be one or the other he is reckoned on account of it an unclean person. This was an emblem of the corruption and vitiosity of nature and of all evil things that are in or flow out of the evil heart of man which are defiling to him; see Matthew 15:18.

 

Leviticus 15:4.  4 Every bed is unclean on which he who has the discharge lies and everything on which he sits shall be unclean.

   YLT  4`All the bed on which he lieth who hath the issue is unclean and all the vessel on which he sitteth is unclean;

Every bed whereon he lieth that hath the issue is unclean .... Which he constantly makes use of; so the Targum of Jonathan which is peculiar to him and appointed and appropriated for him to lie upon. Jarchi says every bed that is fit to lie upon thou is appropriated to another service; but he adds meaning is which he shall lie upon (or continue to lie upon); for it is not said which he hath laid upon but which he lieth upon and is used by him continually; according to the MisnahF21Zabim c. 2. sect. 4. a man that has an issue defiles a bed five ways so as to defile a man and to defile garments; standing sitting lying hanging and leaning:

and everything whereon he sitteth shall be unclean; which is appropriated to sit upon; and so the Targum as before what is his proper peculiar seat what he is used to sit upon and is fit for that purpose: and it is observed by some Jewish writersF23Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Niddah c. 6. sect. 3. that a vessel that is not fit to sit upon is excluded as if a man was to turn up a bushel or any other measure to sit upon it; see Titus 1:15.

 

Leviticus 15:5.  5 And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  5and any one who cometh against his bed doth wash his garments and hath bathed with water and been unclean till the evening.

And whosoever toucheth his bed .... Is unclean. According to the MisnahF24Zabim ut supra. (c. 2. sect. 4.) a bed defiles a man seven ways so as to defile garments; standing sitting lying hanging and leaning and by touching and by bearing:

shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; in forty seahs of water as the Targum of Jonathan:

and be unclean until the even; be unfit for conversation with other men till the even though both his body and clothes are washed.

 

Leviticus 15:6.  6 He who sits on anything on which he who has the discharge sat shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  6`And he who is sitting on the vessel on which he sitteth who hath the issue doth wash his garments and hath bathed with water and been unclean till the evening.

And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue .... Shall be unclean even though he does not touch it. Jarchi says though there should be as he adds ten things or vessels one upon another they all defile because of sitting and so by lying:

shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the even; as in the preceding case. See Gill on Leviticus 15:5.

 

Leviticus 15:7.  7 And he who touches the body of him who has the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  7`And he who is coming against the flesh of him who hath the issue doth wash his garments and hath bathed with water and hath been unclean till the evening.

And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue .... Shall also be unclean even any part of his flesh or member of his body: the Jewish canon isF25Zabim c. 5. sect. 1 7. he that toucheth one that has an issue or he that has an issue touches him or anyone moves him that has an issue or he moves him defiles food and drink and washing vessels by touching but not by bearing; and particularly touching the issue itself is instanced in and such a man's spittle &c. are defiled:

shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the even; as before. See Gill on Leviticus 15:5.

 

Leviticus 15:8.  8 If he who has the discharge spits on him who is clean then he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  8`And when he who hath the issue spitteth on him who is clean then he hath washed his garments and hath bathed with water and been unclean till the evening.

And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean .... Not purposely which is not usual for a man to do and whenever it is done nothing is more affronting; but accidentally when as Aben Ezra expresses it he spreads his spittle and it falls upon a clean person; and under this as Gersom observes is comprehended whatever is brought up by coughing as phlegm or flows from the nose or is pressed out of it; and so MaimonidesF26Hilchot Metame Mishcab c. 1. sect. 16. : and this may denote all corrupt communication which proceeds out of the mouth of evil men whether immoral or heretical which not only defiles the man himself but those he converses with; for evil communication corrupts good manners:

then he shall wash his clothes &c. as in the foregoing instances. See Gill on Leviticus 15:5.

 

Leviticus 15:9.  9 Any saddle on which he who has the discharge rides shall be unclean.

   YLT  9`And all the saddle on which he rideth who hath the issue is unclean;

And what saddle soever he sitteth upon that hath the issue .... When he rides upon any beast horse ass or camel whatever is put upon the creature and he sits upon it the saddle and whatever appertains to it the housing and girdle:

shall be unclean; and not fit for another to use but be defiling to him as follows.

 

Leviticus 15:10.  10 Whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until evening. He who carries any of those things shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  10and any one who is coming against anything which is under him is unclean till the evening and he who is bearing them doth wash his garments and hath bathed with water and been unclean till the evening.

And whosoever toucheth anything that was under him shall be unclean until the even .... Either when lying along or sitting or riding as in Leviticus 15:4; various are the traditions of the Jews concerning these things; if one that has an issue and a clean person sit together in a ship or on a beam or ride together on a beast though their garments do not touch they are unclean &c.F1Misn. Zabim c. 3. sect. 1. & c. 4. sect. 5 7. :

and he that beareth any of those things; that carries any of the above things from place to place as his bed his seat his saddle or anything on which he has lain sat or rode.

shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the even; See Gill on Leviticus 15:5.

 

Leviticus 15:11.  11 And whomever the one who has the discharge touches and has not rinsed his hands in water he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  11`And anyone against whom he cometh who hath the issue (and his hands hath not rinsed with water) hath even washed his garments and bathed with water and been unclean till the evening.

And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue .... Not only he that touched him that had the issue but whomsoever and indeed whatsoever he touched as the Targum of Jonathan the Septuagint and Arabic versions were unclean; See Gill on Leviticus 15:4

and hath not rinsed his hands in water; which is to be understood not of the man that is touched but of him that toucheth; and is interpreted by the Jewish writers generally of bathing the whole body; according to Aben Ezra the simple sense is every clean person whom he that hath an issue touches and hath rinsed his hands he is indeed unclean but not his garments; and if his hands are not rinsed his garments are unclean and this is as he that touches all that is under him; wherefore it follows:

he shall wash his clothes &c. that is if a man is touched as the Targum of Jonathan and not a thing as directed and prescribed in the above cases instanced in; all which are designed to instruct men to abstain from conservation with impure persons in doctrine and practice.

 

Leviticus 15:12.  12 The vessel of earth that he who has the discharge touches shall be broken and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

   YLT  12`And the earthen vessel which he who hath the issue cometh against is broken; and every wooden vessel is rinsed with water.

And the vessel of earth that he toucheth which hath an issue shall be broken .... That it might not be made use of afterwards; which was ordered that they might be careful what they touched who were in such circumstances: according to Gersom an earthen vessel received no uncleanness but from the middle though he owns the law does not distinguish between the middle and the outside; wherefore Jarchi is of opinion that if the back or outside of it was touched it was unclean and to be broken:

and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water; and after that be used: what should be the reason why an earthen vessel defiled by touching should be broken and a wooden vessel defiled in the same way should not but be rinsed and cleansed when an earthen vessel might as well be rinsed and fit for use as that is not easy to say; it depended upon the will of the lawgiver: according to Ainsworth the one may signify the destruction of reprobate persons the other the cleansing of penitent sinners.

 

Leviticus 15:13.  13 ‘And when he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water; then he shall be clean.

   YLT  13`And when he who hath the issue is clean from his issue then he hath numbered to himself seven days for his cleansing and hath washed his garments and hath bathed his flesh with running water and been clean.

And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue .... That is it is ceased from him as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi explain it; for otherwise according to the ceremonial law he was not yet cleansed until he had done everything next prescribed; but when he perceived there was an entire stop put to his disorder:

then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing; by which time it would appear whether he was thoroughly rid of it or not; and these seven days as Jarchi observes must be seven pure days quite free from pollution and continued in a constant course without interruption; for as Gersom says if he saw any impurity in anyone of these days it did not come into the account: nay according to MaimonidesF2Hilchot Mechosre Capharah c. 3. sect. 1. he must begin to number again from the day of the last appearance:

and wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in running water; typical of the fountain opened in Christ to wash in for sin and uncleanness even the fountain of his blood which cleanses from all sin; and in which both the persons and garments of the saints are washed and made white:

and shall be clean; in a ceremonial sense; as all that are washed from their sins in the blood of Christ are clean in a spiritual and evangelical sense.

 

Leviticus 15:14.  14 On the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord to the door of the tabernacle of meeting and give them to the priest.

   YLT  14`And on the eighth day he taketh to himself two turtle-doves or two young pigeons and hath come in before Jehovah unto the opening of the tent of meeting and hath given them unto the priest;

And on the eighth day .... Having on the seventh done as before directed:

he shall take to him two turtledoves or two young pigeons; of his own or purchase them; this was the meanest offering that was brought and of the least expense and which in other cases the poorer sort were allowed to bring but here it was the offering of poor and rich:

and come before the Lord unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; not into the tabernacle where he was not admitted till the sacrifice was offered and atonement made; but he was to stand at the door of the tabernacle at the eastern gate; and so fronting the west where stood the holy of holies the place of the divine Majesty he is said to come before the Lord presenting himself to him to be cleansed:

and give them unto the priest; the two doves or pigeons to be offered for him according to the usual rites.

 

Leviticus 15:15.  15 Then the priest shall offer them the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord because of his discharge.

   YLT  15and the priest hath made them one a sin-offering and the one a burnt-offering; and the priest hath made atonement for him before Jehovah because of his issue.

And the priest shall offer them the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering .... As in the case of a new mother who is poor and of a poor leper Leviticus 12:8

and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord for his issue; which though not in itself sinful yet might be occasioned by sin for which the atonement was made: or however it was a ceremonial uncleanness and therefore a ceremonial expiation must he made for it typical of the atonement by the blood and sacrifice of Christ by which all kinds of sin is expiated and removed.

 

Leviticus 15:16.  16 ‘If any man has an emission of semen then he shall wash all his body in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  16`And when a man's seed of copulation goeth out from him then he hath bathed with water all his flesh and been unclean till the evening.

And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him .... Not in lawful cohabitation nor voluntarily but involuntarily as Aben Ezra observes; not through any disorder which came by an accident or in any criminal way but through a dream or any lustful imagination; what is commonly called nocturnal pollutionF3"----& noctem flumine purgas." Pers. Satyr. 2. :

then he shall wash all his flesh in water and be unclean until the even; and so the Egyptian priests when it happened that they were defiled by a dream they immediately purified themselves in a laverF4Chaeremon. apud Porphyr. de Abstinentia l. 4. c. 7. so the Jewish priests did when the like happened to them asleep in the templeF5Misn. Tamid. c. 1. sect. 1. ; see Deuteronomy 23:10.

 

Leviticus 15:17.  17 And any garment and any leather on which there is semen it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  17`And any garment or any skin on which there is seed of copulation hath also been washed with water and been unclean till the evening.

And every garment and every skin .... Or that is made of skin which a man wears or lies upon see Leviticus 13:48

whereon is the seed of copulation; or on any other for as Gersom says there is the same law concerning the rest of vessels seeing this is a principal uncleanness and defiles vessels; and perhaps the law makes mention of these because it is more apt to be found on them:

shall be washed with water and be unclean until the even; see Judges 1:23.

 

Leviticus 15:18.  18 Also when a woman lies with a man and there is an emission of semen they shall bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  18`And a woman with whom a man lieth with seed of copulation they also have bathed with water and been unclean till the evening.

The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation .... It seems to respect any congress of a man and woman whether in fornication or adultery or lawful marriage and particularly the latter; for though marriage is honourable and holy and carnal copulation in itself lawful yet such is the sinfulness of nature that as no act is performed without pollution so neither that of generation and by which the corruption of nature is propagated and therefore required a ceremonial cleansing:

they shall both bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the even; so HerodotusF6Clio sive l. 1. c. 198. reports that as often as a Babylonian man lay with his wife he had used to sit by consecrated incense and the woman did the same: and in the morning they were both washed and did not touch any vessel before they had washed themselves; and he says the Arabians did the like: and the same historian relatesF7Euterpe sive l. 2. c. 64. of the Egyptians that they never go into their temples from their wives unwashed; see Exodus 19:15.

 

Leviticus 15:19.  19 ‘If a woman has a discharge and the discharge from her body is blood she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.

   YLT  19`And when a woman hath an issue -- blood is her issue in her flesh -- seven days she is in her separation and any one who is coming against her is unclean till the evening.

And if a woman have an issue .... Having finished as Aben Ezra observes what was to be said of the male now the Scripture begins with the female whose issue of a different sort is thus described:

and her issue in her flesh be blood; or "blood be her issue in her flesh"; not in any part of her but in that which by an euphemism is so called in the same sense as the phrase is used of men Leviticus 15:2; and so it distinguishes it from any flow of blood elsewhere as a bleeding at the nose &c.

she shall be put apart seven days; not out of the camp nor out of the house but might not go into the house of God:

whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even; the same as one that had touched a man that had an issue Leviticus 15:7; the pollution of the one reached to the same things as that of the other; and so in the MisnahF8Zabim c. 5. sect. 6 7. they are put together and the same is ascribed to the touch of the one as of the other; it may be understood of everything as well as of every person.

 

Leviticus 15:20.  20 Everything that she lies on during her impurity shall be unclean; also everything that she sits on shall be unclean.

   YLT  20`And anything on which she lieth in her separation is unclean and anything on which she sitteth is unclean;

And everything that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean .... During her being apart from her husband with whom she might be and do all offices for him but not lie with him; and whatsoever she lay upon during this time bed or couch and the clothes upon them were unclean:

everything also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean; chair stool &c. as is the case of a man Leviticus 15:4.

 

Leviticus 15:21.  21 Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

  YLT  21and any one who is coming against her bed doth wash his garments and hath bathed with water and been unclean till the evening.

And whosoever toucheth her bed .... The same thing that is said of a profluvious man and so in Leviticus 15:22.

 

Leviticus 15:22.  22 And whoever touches anything that she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  22`And any one who is coming against any vessel on which she sitteth doth wash his garments and hath washed with water and been unclean till the evening.

And whosoever toucheth anything that she sat upon .... Which was appropriated to her to sit upon as the Targum of Jonathan which was her proper and peculiar seat what she usually sat upon; such were obliged to wash their clothes and bathe as in all the above cases. See Leviticus 15:5.

 

Leviticus 15:23.  23 If anything is on her bed or on anything on which she sits when he touches it he shall be unclean until evening.

   YLT  23`And if it [is] on the bed or on the vessel on which she is sitting in his coming against it he is unclean till the evening.

And if it be on her bed or on anything whereon she sitteth .... That is if any person or thing should be upon her bed or seat; a vessel on her bed or a vessel upon a vessel as Aben Ezra expresses it:

when he toucheth it; that person or thing that should be on her bed or seat as well as touch her bed or seat:

shall be unclean until the even; in a ceremonial sense; so defiling was a woman in such circumstances and to whom the Scriptures often compare unclean persons and things: and PlinyF9Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 15. speaks of menstrues as very infectious or worse to various creatures and things in a natural way.

 

Leviticus 15:24.  24 And if any man lies with her at all so that her impurity is on him he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

   YLT  24`And if a man really lie with her and her separation is on him then he hath been unclean seven days and all the bed on which he lieth is unclean.

And if any man lie with her at all .... Not presumptuously but ignorantly as Aben Ezra observes; for he was guilty of cutting off that lay with her wilfully Leviticus 20:18

and her flowers be upon her; or "her separation"F11נדתה "menstruum ejus" Pagninus Montanus; "separatio ejus" Drusius. her monthly courses not being ceased:

he shall be unclean seven days; and be excluded from all conversation civil and religious:

and all the bed whereon she lieth shall be unclean; that and every thing upon it; and this uncleanness also lasted seven days as Aben Ezra notes and defiled others though it is not written.

 

Leviticus 15:25.  25 ‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days other than at the time of her customary impurity or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean.

   YLT  25`And when a woman's issue of blood floweth many days within the time of her separation or when it floweth over her separation -- all the days of the issue of her uncleanness are as the days of her separation; she [is] unclean.

And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation .... Not an ordinary but an extraordinary one not within that time but out of it and which continued three days at least; so the Targum of Jonathan and sometimes many years; as the poor woman Christ cured which she had had twelve years; see Gill on Matthew 9:20

or if it run beyond the time of her separation; beyond the seven days of her separation and so out of the usual way and time of it; whereby it appears to be somewhat extraordinary and unusual:

all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: all the while it was upon her be it ever so many days or years she was kept apart from her husband and in all respects in the same condition and circumstances as in the seven days of her separation because of her monthly courses:

she shall be unclean; as long as it is upon her and neither be admitted to her husband's bed nor to the house of God which made her condition a very deplorable one.

 

Leviticus 15:26.  26 Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean as the uncleanness of her impurity.

   YLT  26`All the bed on which she lieth all the days of her issue is as the bed of her separation to her and all the vessel on which she sitteth is unclean as the uncleanness of her separation;

Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation .... As defiled and as defiling as that Leviticus 15:20

and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean as the uncleanness of her separation; as such were when she was in that condition see Leviticus 15:20.

 

Leviticus 15:27.  27 Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

   YLT  27and any one who is coming against them is unclean and hath washed his garments and hath bathed with water and been unclean till the evening.

And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean .... Her bed and seat; the Septuagint version is "that toucheth her" see Leviticus 15:19

and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the even; let it be observed that in all the above passages where it is said "he shall bathe himself in water" the Targum of Jonathan adds in forty seahs or pecks of water; for this was done by dipping the body all over.

 

Leviticus 15:28.  28 ‘But if she is cleansed of her discharge then she shall count for herself seven days and after that she shall be clean.

   YLT  28`And if she hath been clean from her issue then she hath numbered to herself seven days and afterwards she is clean;

But if she be cleansed of her issue .... The disease is healed or a stop is put to it; there are no signs of it remaining:

then she shall number to herself seven days; from the time she observed it to cease:

and after that she shall be clean; having bathed herself according to the usual manner of unclean persons for their cleansing; when she would be fit to be admitted to her husband though not as yet into the tabernacle until she had offered her offering next directed to.

 

Leviticus 15:29.  29 And on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

   YLT  29and on the eighth day she taketh to herself two turtle-doves or two young pigeons and hath brought them in unto the priest unto the opening of the tent of meeting;

And on the eighth day .... From the cessation of her issue and the healing of it at least from the time she began to number for her cleansing:

she shall take unto her two turtles or two young pigeons; the same as the man that had an issue was obliged to bring. Now this is to be understood not of a woman that had an ordinary issue or her monthly courses; for this would have been both troublesome and expensive to have brought every month but of a woman that had laboured under an extraordinary one; though some think every menstruous woman was obliged to this offering:

and bring them unto the priest to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; whither the man that had an issue brought his; See Gill on Leviticus 15:14.

 

Leviticus 15:30.  30 Then the priest shall offer the 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.

   YLT  30and the priest hath made the one a sin-offering and the one a burnt-offering and the priest hath made atonement for her before Jehovah because of the issue of her uncleanness.

And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering .... As in the case of a man that had an issue the offerings of one and the other were the same and for the same purpose; See Gill on Leviticus 15:15; there being a legal uncleanness in their case atonement must be made by sacrifice typical of the atonement of Christ who by himself has purged our sins. The design of these several laws concerning uncleanness by issues was to set forth the filthiness of sin arising from the corruption of human nature; particularly the pollution of fleshly lusts and the necessity of purification from them by the grace of God and blood of Christ and of holiness of heart and life in order to a near approach to God particularly in public worship as the next words suggest.

 

Leviticus 15:31.  31 ‘Thus you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness lest they die in their uncleanness when they defile My tabernacle that is among them.

   YLT  31`And ye have separated the sons of Israel from their uncleanness and they die not in their uncleanness in their defiling My tabernacle which [is] in their midst.

Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness .... Or because of it and while they are in it as from other persons even their nearest relations and from the house of God as the next clause shows; or teach them by observing the above laws and rules to separate themselves and that they be careful and cautions to keep themselves apart while in such impurities; and the children of Israel are only made mention of because these laws are only binding upon them with their proselytes and servants free or not freeF12Misn. Zabim c. 2. sect. 1. but not upon Gentiles; See Gill on Leviticus 15:2

that they die not in their uncleanness when they defile my tabernacle that is among them; from whence it appears that men and women in the above circumstances might not go into the tabernacle; and it was chiefly to prevent their access to it that these laws were given for the greater reverence and honour of it; and that for such persons to enter there was a pollution of it and the punishment was cutting off or death; and for one to die in his impurity without purification and sacrifice was a dreadful thing and to be deprecated and to be guarded against by an observance of the above laws. But the Jews now sayF13Leo Modena's History of Rites Customs &c. of the present Jews par. 1. c. 8. that forasmuch as the reason of these precepts was because such persons were forbidden to enter into the temple that being destroyed all these precepts of uncleanness are ceased also.

 

Leviticus 15:32.  32 This is the law for one who has a discharge and for him who emits semen and is unclean thereby

   YLT  32`This [is] the law of him who hath an issue and of him whose seed of copulation goeth out from him for uncleanness thereby

This is the law of him that hath an issue .... In Leviticus 15:32 is a recapitulation of the several laws in this chapter as of a man that has a "gonorrhoea":

and of him whose seed goeth from him and is defiled therewith; involuntarily that suffers a nocturnal pollution.

 

Leviticus 15:33.  33 and for her who is indisposed because of her customary impurity and for one who has a discharge either man or woman and for him who lies with her who is unclean.’”

   YLT  33and 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.'

And of her that is sick of her flowers .... Her monthly courses for these are a sickness Leviticus 20:18; and make a woman languid and faint as the word is rendered Lamentations 1:13; or to be in painF14והדוה "et dolentis" Montanus. as some render it here; and pains are reckoned among the signs of them by the Misnic doctorsF15Misn. Niddah c. 9. sect. 8. :

and of him that hath an issue of the man and of the woman; of both whether the one or the other:

and of him that lieth with her that is unclean; though her own husband.

 

──John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible