Leviticus 15:1-15

Leviticus 15:1-15

[1] And the LORD  spake  unto Moses  and to Aaron,  saying,  [2] Speak  unto the children  of Israel,  and say  unto them, When any  hath a running issue  out of his flesh,  because of his issue  he is unclean.  [3] And this shall be his uncleanness  in his issue:  whether his flesh  run  with his issue,  or his flesh  be stopped  from his issue,  it is his uncleanness.  [4] Every bed,  whereon he lieth  that hath the issue,  is unclean:  and every thing,  whereon he sitteth,  shall be unclean.  [5] And whosoever  toucheth  his bed  shall wash  his clothes,  and bathe  himself in water,  and be unclean  until the even.  [6] And he that sitteth  on any thing  whereon he sat  that hath the issue  shall wash  his clothes,  and bathe  himself in water,  and be unclean  until the even.  [7] And he that toucheth  the flesh  of him that hath the issue  shall wash  his clothes,  and bathe  himself in water,  and be unclean  until the even.  [8] And if he that hath the issue  spit  upon him that is clean;  then he shall wash  his clothes,  and bathe  himself in water,  and be unclean  until the even.  [9] And what saddle  soever he rideth  upon that hath the issue  shall be unclean.  [10] And whosoever toucheth  any thing that was under him shall be unclean  until the even:  and he that beareth  any of those things shall wash  his clothes,  and bathe  himself in water,  and be unclean  until the even.  [11] And whomsoever he toucheth  that hath the issue,  and hath not rinsed  his hands  in water,  he shall wash  his clothes,  and bathe  himself in water,  and be unclean  until the even.  [12] And the vessel  of earth,  that he toucheth  which hath the issue,  shall be broken:  and every vessel  of wood  shall be rinsed  in water.  [13] And when he that hath an issue  is cleansed  of his issue;  then he shall number  to himself seven  days  for his cleansing,  and wash  his clothes,  and bathe  his flesh  in running  water,  and shall be clean.  [14] And on the eighth  day  he shall take  to him two  turtledoves,  or two  young  pigeons,  and come  before  the LORD  unto the door  of the tabernacle  of the congregation,  and give  them unto the priest:  [15] And the priest  shall offer  them, the one  for a sin offering,  and the other  for a burnt offering;  and the priest  shall make an atonement  for him before  the LORD  for his issue. 

What does Leviticus 15:1-15 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The first case is the secretion caused by some disease affecting a man"s sexual organs. The Hebrew word basar, translated "flesh" ( Leviticus 15:2, et al.) has a wide range of meanings. In this context it clearly refers to the woman"s vagina ( Leviticus 15:19) and so apparently to the man"s penis in Leviticus 15:2-3. The writer did not describe the physical problem in detail. The terms used seem to refer to either a diseased flow of semen (gonorrhea) or a discharge of pus from the urethra. [1] In either case this was a fairly lengthy ailment ( Leviticus 15:3).
Another possibility is that this first case describes some affliction that both men and women suffered, such as diarrhea. The Hebrew words translated "any man" ( Leviticus 15:2) permit this. However the structure of the chapter and the references to the sexual organs argue against this view.
Note that things that the man sat on during his defilement, those things under him (bed, chair, saddle), became unclean and a source of defilement themselves. Also any direct contact with an unclean man resulted in uncleanness for those who touched him ( Leviticus 15:7). Here basar evidently refers to any part of the man.
"It is the uncleanness of the man and its consequences that are the main concern of this section. The striking thing about the uncleanness associated with these discharges is that not only the affected person becomes unclean, but also people and objects that come in contact with him, and these in their turn can become secondary sources of uncleanness. In this regard the uncleanness described here is much more "infectious" than the uncleanness of skin diseases dealt with in chs13-14.... In this respect, then, gonorrhea in men and menstrual and other female discharges are viewed as much more potent sources of defilement than others." [2]
Nevertheless the uncleanness that these discharges caused was less serious ritually than those associated with skin disease. The man could live at home; he did not need to move outside the camp. He just had to wash and wait until evening ( Leviticus 15:16; Leviticus 15:18); he did not need to go through a more elaborate ritual. He also needed to offer only two inexpensive sacrifices ( Leviticus 15:14; cf. Leviticus 14:10-20).