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... [ Continue Reading ]
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.... [ Continue Reading ]
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 other s:
AND SAY UNTO THEM, WHE... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHOSOEVER TOUCHETH HIS BED,.... Is unclean. According to the
Misnah x, 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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 BA... [ Continue Reading ]
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 is y, 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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 Gerso... [ Continue Reading ]
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 def... [ Continue Reading ]
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 b... [ Continue Reading ]
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; Leviticus 15:4;
AND HATH NOT RINSED HIS HANDS IN WATER; which is to be... [ Continue Reading ]
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 mi... [ Continue Reading ]
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 enti... [ Continue Reading ]
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 br... [ Continue Reading ]
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, ye... [ Continue Reading ]
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 noctur... [ Continue Reading ]
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 ve... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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:
EVERYTHI... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHOSOEVER TOUCHETH HER BED,.... The same thing that is said of a
profluvious man, and so in Leviticus 15:22.... [ Continue Reading ]
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.... [ Continue Reading ]
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 tou... [ Continue Reading ]
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" k, her monthly
courses not being ceased:
HE SHALL BE UNCLEAN SEVEN DAYS... [ Continue Reading ]
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, whic... [ Continue Reading ]
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
Le... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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; Leviticus 15:15; there being a
legal uncleanness in their case, atonement must be made by sacrifice,
typical of the atone... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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.... [ Continue Reading ]
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 pain n,
as some render it here; and pains are reckoned among the signs of them
by the Misnic doctors... [ Continue Reading ]