Leviticus 15:1-15

SEXUAL UNCLEANNESS 15:1-33
LAWS RELATING TO TWO CASES OF DISEASE AND Two OF NATURAL CAUSE
THE FIRST CASE 15:1-15
TEXT 15:1-15

1

And Jehovah spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath an 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 that hath the issue lieth shall be unclean; and everything 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 anything whereon he that hath the issue sat 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 that hath the issue rideth upon shall be unclean.

10

And whosoever toucheth anything that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

11

And whomsoever he that hath the issue toucheth, without having rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

12

And the earthen vessel, which he that hath the issue toucheth, 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 he shall bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.

14

And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, and come before Jehovah unto the door of the tent of meeting, 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 atonement for him before Jehovah for his issue.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 15:1-15

312.

Moses and Aaron are both addressed, as in the case of the disease of leprosy (Leviticus 13:1). Wherever there is only a law laid down, Moses alone hears the voice. God speaks only to the lawgiver. But, in pases where disease is prescribed for by special rules, Aaron is joined with Moses. Is this because a priesta high priestought to have much compassion, and might be more likely to learn compassion while hearing the tone of pity in which the Lord spoke of man's misery?

313.

Just what is being discussed in this text?

314.

Is this an example of venereal disease in the time of Moses? Discuss.

315.

Why consider the man yet unclean if his emission stops?

316.

Is there some moral defilement transferred to his bed by his condition? Discuss.

317.

Was there any hygienic value in the instructions given here?

318.

List all the areas of activity in which the diseased man must count himself as unclean, Why was such a regulation given?

319.

List all the areas of contact where such spells uncleanness to the one who makes contact. Why mention this?

320.

How is this uncleanness removed from utensils? persons? the diseased?

PARAPHRASE 15:1-15

The Lord told Moses and Aaron to give the people of Israel these further instructions: Any man who has a genital discharge is ceremonially defiled. This applies not only while the discharge is active, but also for a time after it heals. Any bed he lies on and anything he sits on is contaminated; so anyone touching the man's bed is ceremonially defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. Anyone sitting on a seat the man has sat upon while defiled is himself ceremonially unclean until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. The same instructions apply to anyone touching him. Anyone he spits on is ceremonially unclean until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. Any saddle he rides on is defiled. Anyone touching or carrying anything else that was beneath him shall be defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. If the defiled man touches anyone without first rinsing his hands, that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until evening. Any earthen pot touched by the defiled man must be broken, and every wooden utensil must be rinsed in water. When the discharge stops, he shall begin a seven-day cleansing ceremony by washing his clothes and bathing in running water. On the eighth day he shall take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and give them to the priest. The priest shall sacrifice them there, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; thus the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.

COMMENT 15:1-15

We are delighted to be able to offer the reader these splendid comments by Keil and Delitzsch. We could fain originality and the end product would be far less than what is here. We do believe we have some observations that approach originality in other areas of Leviticus, but in the fifteenth chapter we concede a deep indebtedness to these men:

Chapter 15. The Uncleanness of Secretions.These include (1) a running issue from a man (Leviticus 15:2-15); (2) involuntary emission of seed (Leviticus 15:16-17), and the emission of seed in sexual intercourse (Leviticus 15:18); (3) the monthly period of a woman (Leviticus 15:19-24); (4) a diseased issue of blood from a woman (Leviticus 15:25-30). They consist, therefore, of two diseased and two natural secretions from the organs of generation.

Leviticus 15:2-15 The running issue from a man is not described with sufficient clearness for us to be able to determine with certainty what disease is referred to: If a man becomes flowing out of his flesh, he is unclean in his flux. That even here the term flesh is not a euphemism for the organ of generation, as is frequently assumed, is evident from Leviticus 15:13, he shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in water, when compared with chapter Leviticus 16:23-24; Leviticus 16:28, etc., where flesh cannot possibly have any such meaning. The flesh is the body as in Leviticus 15:7, whoever touches the flesh of him that hath the issue, as compared with Leviticus 15:19, whosoever toucheth her. At the same time, the agreement between the law relating to the man with an issue and that concerning the woman with an issue (Leviticus 15:19, her issue in her flesh) points unmistakably to a secretion from the sexual organs. Only the seat of the disease is not more closely defined. The issue of the man is not a hemorrhoidal disease, for nothing is said about a flow of blood; still less is it a syphilitic suppuration (gonorrhoea virulenta), for the occurrence of this at all in antiquity is very questionable; but it is either a diseased flow of semen (gonorrhoea), i.e. an involuntary flow drop by drop arising from weakness of the organ, as Jerome and the Rabbins assume, or more probably, simply blenorrhoea urethroe, a discharge of mucus arising from a catarrhal affection of the mucous membrane of the urethra (urethritis). The participle is expressive of continued duration. In Leviticus 15:3 the uncleanness is still more closely defined: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh closes before his issue, i.e. whether the member lets the matter flow out or by closing retains it, it is his uncleanness, i.e. in the latter case as well as the former it is uncleanness to him, he is unclean. For the closing is only a temporary obstruction, brought about by some particular circumstance.Leviticus 15:4. Every bed upon which he lay, and everything upon which he sat, was defiled in consequence; also every one who touched his bed (Leviticus 15:5), or sat upon it (Leviticus 15:6), or touched his flesh, i.e. his body (Leviticus 15:7), was unclean, and had to bathe himself and wash his clothes in consequence.Leviticus 15:9-10. The conveyance in which such a man rode was also unclean, as well as everything under him; and whoever touched them was defiled till the evening, and the person who carried them was to wash his clothes and bathe himself.Leviticus 15:11. This also applied to every one whom the man with an issue might touch, without first rinsing his hands in water.Leviticus 15:12-13. Vessels that he had touched were to be broken to pieces if they were of earthenware, and rinsed with water if they were of wood, for the reasons explained in chapter Leviticus 11:33 and Leviticus 6:21.Leviticus 15:13-15. When he was cleansed, i.e. recovered from his issue, he was to wait seven days with regard to his purification, and then wash his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water, and be clean. On the eighth day he was to bring two turtle-doves or young pigeons, in order that the priest might prepare one as a sin-offering and the other as a burnt-offering, and make an atonement for him before the Lord for his issue.

FACT QUESTIONS 15:1-15

340.

Can we be sure just what disease is described in the flowing out his flesh? Discuss.

341.

What is meant by his flesh?

342.

The issue of the man is not a -hemorrhoidal disease.-' How do we know?

343.

Is moral uncleanness involved here? Please show any indication of it in the text.

344.

How was the uncleanness to be cleansed from one who had touched the unclean?

345.

Show at least three ways this uncleanness could be spread.

346.

The sacrifices of two turtledoves or pigeons indicate no severity in the uncleanness. Discuss.