My FamilyDevotion
Menu

Leviticus 15:1-33

The Day of Cleansing

Read the passage

1And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

2“Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean.

3This uncleanness is from his discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness.

4Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits will be unclean.

5Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

6Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

7Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

8If the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

9Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean.

10Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

11If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

12Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.

13When the man has been cleansed from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in fresh water, and he shall be clean.

14On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest.

15The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.

16When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

17Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening.

18If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.

19When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening.

20Anything on which she lies or sits during her menstruation will be unclean,

21and anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

22Whoever touches any furniture on which she was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

23And whether it is a bed or furniture on which she was sitting, whoever touches it will be unclean until evening.

24If a man lies with her and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will become unclean.

25When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period, or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of her menstruation.

26Any bed on which she lies or any furniture on which she sits during the days of her discharge will be unclean, like her bed during her menstrual period.

27Anyone who touches these things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

28When a woman is cleansed of her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean.

29On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

30The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge.

31You must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.

32This is the law of him who has a discharge, of the man who has an emission of semen whereby he is unclean,

33of a woman in her menstrual period, of any male or female who has a discharge, and of a man who lies with an unclean woman.’”

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

God gives Moses and Aaron instructions about bodily discharges. A man's discharge can make his bed, seat, and other objects unclean. Different kinds of contact require washing, bathing, or waiting until evening. When the discharge has ended, he counts seven days, washes, and bathes. On the eighth day he brings two birds for the priest to offer.

An emission of semen has a different rule: bathing and uncleanness until evening. Clothes affected by it must be washed. When this happens during intercourse, both the man and woman bathe and remain unclean until evening.

A woman's menstrual period brings seven days of uncleanness, with rules for contact with her and the things on which she lies or sits. Prolonged bleeding outside the ordinary period is treated separately. After it stops, she counts seven days and brings two birds on the eighth day. The chapter does not require these offerings after every ordinary menstrual period.

God states the reason for these distinctions: Israel must not defile His tabernacle in their midst. His dwelling among them is holy. These ceremonial conditions require a response, but the chapter does not say that ordinary bodily functions are themselves moral failures.

How We Know

Matthew 9:20–22 describes a woman who has been bleeding for twelve years. She touches Jesus' garment, and He addresses her as daughter and tells her that her faith has healed her. Leviticus explains the ceremonial significance of a prolonged flow; Matthew records Jesus receiving and healing a woman with such a condition. It does not promise that every illness will end immediately.

Questions

1 What happened after someone touched an unclean bed or seat?

AnswerThe person washed clothes, bathed, and remained unclean until evening. God specified a response rather than leaving the condition undefined.

2 When did the man bring two birds after his discharge ended?

AnswerAfter counting seven days for cleansing and washing and bathing, he brought the birds on the eighth day. One was a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.

3 Did every menstrual period require the offerings described here?

AnswerNo. The seven-day wait after the bleeding stops and the eighth-day offerings follow the instructions about prolonged bleeding. Ordinary menstruation has its own instructions earlier in the chapter.

4 Why did Israel need to observe these distinctions?

AnswerGod dwelt among them. He warned them against defiling His tabernacle by disregarding their uncleanness.

What This Means for Us

Jesus calls the suffering woman daughter. Her condition does not make her invisible to Him or unworthy of His attention. His care gives us a better way to respond to people whose physical difficulties are private or embarrassing.

Keep another person's confidence. Offer help without demanding details, and do not make someone explain an illness to earn your kindness. We can respect privacy while making it clear that a person does not have to face suffering alone.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for receiving people with tenderness. Make us trustworthy with private struggles and patient with suffering that continues. Help us offer kindness without prying or making promises we cannot keep. Amen.

Your reading

Keep your place.

Save this passage to your private reading history.