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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Leviticus 15:1 - 15:18
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In the Case of Men
v. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,
v. 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, either a catarrhal affection of the urethra or a latent flowing of semen with a continuous discharge, because of his issue he is unclean, Levitically impure.
v. 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, that is, whether the matter flows without stopping, or whether it is sometimes temporarily retained, it is his uncleanness.
v. 4. Every bed whereon he lieth that hath the issue is unclean; and everything, every piece of furniture, whereon he sitteth shall be unclean.
v. 5. And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
v. 6. And he that sitteth on anything whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
v. 7. And he that toucheth the flesh, that is, the body,of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
v. 8. And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean, as might inadvertently happen,then he (the clean person)shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
v. 9. And what saddle soever, wagon or seat of a wagon,he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean.
v. 10. And whosoever toucheth anything that was under him, any garment, saddle, or vessel upon which the unclean person lay or sat, 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.
v. 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. The washing of the hands prevented the communication of the uncleanness on the part of the person suffering with the issue, for the uncleanness was of a symbolical character.
v. 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.
v. 13. And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue, when the flow has stopped, then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, to be sure that a recurrence of the trouble was excluded, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh, his body, in running water, and shall be clean.
v. 14. And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, offerings of the humblest kind indeed, but serving just the same for the purpose of upholding the relation between God and the sinner, and come before the Lord unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and give them unto the priest;
v. 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. On account of the uncleanness there had existed an estrangement between God and the afflicted person, and this was now removed by the sacrifice of faith.
v. 16. And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, inadvertently, during sleep, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
v. 17. And every garment and every skin whereon is the seed of copulation shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. The law seems to refer to involuntary emissions only, but its provisions naturally would serve to check the terrible sin of self-pollution.
v. 18. The woman also with whom man shall lie, in the chief relation peculiar to the marital estate, with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even. This law must have acted as a very effective check upon mere sensual passions. Cf Exo_19:15; 1Sa_21:5-6; 2Sa_11:4. "This defilement is connected with the general sinful condition of man, and did not pertain to his original state. "