Leviticus 15:1
XV. (1) AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES AND TO AARON. — This chapter, which lays down the laws of uncleanness arising from issues, discusses two diseased and three natural secretions.... [ Continue Reading ]
XV. (1) AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES AND TO AARON. — This chapter, which lays down the laws of uncleanness arising from issues, discusses two diseased and three natural secretions.... [ Continue Reading ]
A RUNNING ISSUE OUT OF HIS FLESH. — Flesh, as is frequently the case, euphemistically denotes private parts. (See Genesis 6:10; Genesis 7:13; Leviticus 6:3; Leviticus 16:4; Ezekiel 16:26; Ezekiel 23:20, &c.) BECAUSE OF HIS ISSUE HE IS UNCLEAN. — Better, _his issue is unclean._ Hence, any one coming... [ Continue Reading ]
WHETHER HIS FLESH RUN. — This verse defines more minutely the statement in the preceding verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY BED, WHEREON HE LIETH. — So severely did the canonical law deal with these cases that they interpreted the defilement communicated to the bed, and hence also to his seat and saddle, by the patient in five different ways: by standing, sitting, lying, hanging, or leaning on it. The patient’s pol... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHOSOEVER TOUCHETH HIS BED. — The defiling power of the patient was so great that the bed, seat, or saddle which he rendered unclean by any of the above-named five acts polluted again any one who came in contact with these articles in seven different ways: by standing, sitting, lying, hanging, l... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE THAT TOUCHETH THE FLESH. — With such intense loathing was the person regarded who had contracted this infirmity, that even the medical man who had professionally to examine him became defiled for the rest of the day. He had to wash his clothes and immerse the whole of his body in water before... [ Continue Reading ]
IF HE... SPIT UPON HIM. — Spitting in the face of a person was, and still is, commonly resorted to among Oriental nations as an expression of insult and contempt (Numbers 12:14; Deuteronomy 25:9; Isaiah 1:6; Job 30:10; Matthew 26:67, &c.). Suffering from the disease here discussed, the patient would... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHAT SADDLE SOEVER. — Better, _and any carriage._ The word here translated “saddle” only occurs twice more: viz., 1 Kings 5:6 in Hebrew, or Leviticus 4:26 in English, where it is rendered “chariot” in the Authorised Version, and in Song of Solomon 3:10, where it is translated “covering” but wher... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHOSOEVER TOUCHETH ANY THING THAT WAS UNDER HIM. — That is, the seat in the palanquin on which the passenger sits. If touched by any one after the man with the issue has sat on it, he contracts defilement till sundown. AND HE THAT BEARETH ANY OF THOSE THINGS. — Better, _And he that beareth them... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HATH NOT RINSED HIS HANDS IN WATER. — IF the patient happens to touch any one with his hands without having first washed his hands, the man who has thus been touched by the unwashen hands of the defiled invalid contracts pollution till sundown of the day on which he has been touched. He has to w... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE VESSEL OF EARTH... SHALL BE BROKEN. — For the reason why vessels of a porous clay must be destroyed when contaminated by defilement, see Leviticus 6:28; Leviticus 11:33. This, however, is the only instance where an earthen vessel touched on the outside was defiled, thus again showing the int... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE... IS CLEANSED OF HIS ISSUE. — That is, recovered or healed of his infirmity (see Leviticus 15:28), as the real purification was not accomplished till he had performed the ritual prescribed in this and in the two following verses. He is, however, not to perform these rites as soon as he... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ON THE EIGHTH DAY HE SHALL TAKE TO HIM. — If after the bathing on the eve of the seventh day no sign of the infirmity is seen, he is to bring on the eighth day the appointed sacrifices. It is very striking that whilst in other cases it was only the poor who, out of consideration, were allowed tw... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PRIEST SHALL MAKE AN ATONEMENT. — That is, for the sinful act which has brought about the infirmity. The severity with which people were treated who had contracted this disease may further be seen from the fact that they had to remain without the camp (Numbers 5:1). During the second Temple... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IF ANY MAN’S SEED. — The second case, discussed in this and the following verses, is that of an involuntary emission, as in Deuteronomy 23:10. The man who sustained it had simply to immerse his whole body in water the following morning, and remain unclean till sundown. Similar rites were perform... [ Continue Reading ]
AND EVERY SKIN. — That is, everything which a man wears or lies upon made of skin, in contradistinction to the ordinary garments made of stuffs (see Leviticus 13:48) with which it is associated. Any one of these thus defiled was cleansed by washing. It is from this circumstance that the apostle borr... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WOMAN ALSO WITH WHOM MAN SHALL LIE. — Better, _And if a man lie with a woman,_ that is, even when what is specified in Leviticus 15:16 takes place in intercourse between man and woman lawfully married, it pollutes both the husband and the wife. They have accordingly both to immerse their whole b... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IF A WOMAN HAVE AN ISSUE. — Having legislated for cases in connection with man — as well as for one case in which both the husband and the wife are concerned, the Law now lays down directions for two cases affecting the woman. AND HER ISSUE IN HER FLESH BE BLOOD. — Better, _if her issue,_ &c. T... [ Continue Reading ]
(21-22) AND WHOSOEVER TOUCHETH HER BED. — The regulations in these three verses are the same as those laid down in Leviticus 15:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IF IT BE ON HER BED. — Better, _and if any object be on her bed,_ that is, if anything happen to lie on her bed. WHEN HE TOUCHETH IT. — Rather, _if he toucheth it._ Whilst the former two verses declare that if any one touches the bed itself, or the thing on which she sat, he contracts such a de... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IF ANY MAN LIE WITH HER. — For committing this gross act presumptuously, both parties to it were visited with death. (See Leviticus 18:19; Leviticus 20:18.)... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE AN ISSUE... MANY DAYS. — The last case is that of a chronic issue, arising from a derangement in the constitution. This is the kind of complaint from which the woman suffered who came to Christ (Matthew 9:20; Luke 8:44). As long as she suffered from it, which lasted sometimes for many years, sh... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY BED WHEREON SHE LIETH. — The rules here laid down about her defilement and defiling are the same as those in Leviticus 15:20.... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT IF SHE BE CLEANSED. — That is, cured or healed of her infirmity. The expression “cleansed” is used both here and in Leviticus 15:13 for the disappearance of the complaint. From the time of its cessation she is to count seven days, during which no trace of the complaint must be observable, just a... [ Continue Reading ]
SHE SHALL TAKE UNTO HER... — On the eighth day she is to bring the same sacrifices which are prescribed for the man who is cured of an issue (see Leviticus 15:14), only that in the latter case the man had to be bathed in living water, because he brought the illness upon himself.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PRIEST SHALL OFFER. — Exactly in the same manner as described in Leviticus 15:15.... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS SHALL YE SEPARATE. — That is, according to the regulations laid down in this chapter. “Ye” — _i.e.,_ Moses and Aaron, to whom they were conjointly addressed (see Leviticus 15:1) — are to restrain the children of Israel, lest they be punished with death when they approach the Lord in a defiled s... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS THE LAW. — These two verses give a summary of the contents of the chapter. In the recapitulation, however, as we have already seen, the order of the enactments is not strictly adhered to.... [ Continue Reading ]