Levítico 15
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Levítico 15
NJB (MT versing) Cleansing Unhealthiness The Law Concerning Bodily Discharges Bodily Discharges Unclean Bodily Discharges Sexual Impurity a. of men 15:1-12 15:1-12 15:1-2a 15:1-12 15:1 15:2a 15:2b-12 15:2b-3a 15:3b 15:4 15:5 15:6 15:7 15:8 15:9 15:10a 15:10b 15:11 15:12 15:13-15 15:13-15 15:13-15 15:13-15 15:13-15 15:16-18 15:16-18 15:16-18 15:16-18 15:16-18 b. of women 15:19-24 15:19-24 15:19-24 15:19-24 15:19a 15:19b 15:20 15:21 15:22-23 15:24 15:25-30 15:25-27 15:25-30 15:25-30 15:25-27 15:28-30 15:28-30 Conclusion 15:31-33 15:31 15:31 15:31 15:31 15:32-33 15:32-33 15:32-33 15:32-33 Etc. CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS Israel's guidelines about ceremonial uncleanness (see NIDOTTE, vol. 2, pp. 365-375; and vol. 4, pp. 479-486) is confusing to moderns. The key verse is Lev. 15:31. Israel was uniquely YHWH's covenant people. YHWH was pure and holy, so must His people be. To approach YHWH (i.e., the Tabernacle) in an unclean condition could cause death. YHWH gave Israel the Tabernacle (i.e., the sacrificial system) to allow unclean humans to approach Him and maintain fellowship, but there were rigid procedures involved to clearly demonstrate the holiness of Israel's Deity. His character involved holiness purity but also compassion mercy See SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT). This chapter may be outlined as Lev. 15:1-18 deals with male discharges and how they make others unclean disease (Lev. 15:2-15) sexual activity (Lev. 15:16-18; see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1198-1211) Lev. 15:19-30 deals with female discharges disease sexual activity and birthing (for "menstruate" see NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 925-928) Lev. 15:31-33 is a summary Please remember these are OT guidelines which do not relate to new covenant Gentile or Jewish believers in Christ. Please read Jeremiah 31:31-34, described in Ezek. 36:22-36 Jesus changing the OT law (i.e., Matt. 5:27-32; Mark 7:19) the acceptance of Cornelius in Acts 10 the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 Paul's discussion of the purpose of the Mosaic Law in Galatians 3 (see SPECIAL TOPIC: PAUL'S VIEWS OF THE MOSAIC LAW)
Levítico 15:1-12
15:2 "any man" Literally the MT has "adam adam," which was an idiom for "any man" or "every man who. . ." (i.e., Lev. 17:3; 22:18) of the covenant people. ▣ "a discharge from his body" Remember that this chapter is divided into two categories between (1) male and female and (2) a discharge that lasts for a brief period and one that lasts for a long period. It must be remembered that any kind of bodily emission caused one to be ceremonially unclean. This initially goes back to the reverence that the Jews had for the blood (cf. Lev. 17:11). 15:3 "or whether his body obstructs its discharge" This verse is referring to some type of venereal disease. The TEV (Lev. 15:2-3) expresses the thought, "When any man had a discharge from his penis, the discharge is unclean, whether the penis runs with it or is stopped up by it." This is also the understanding of the LXX. 15:4 Physical contact with an unclean person or anything that has come into contact with them (bed, clothes, spit, cookware, saddles, etc.) becomes unclean. 15:5 There is a set procedure (cf. Lev. 15:5,6,7,8,10,11,21,22,27) for the transferred uncleanness. wash clothes wash body be unclean until evening (i.e., the next day) For the unclean person there is a similar procedure (Lev. 15:13), but also a sacrifice (Lev. 15:14-15). 15:12 The "earthenware" would refer to any pot that contained a liquid or dried weight. It could be for preparing food working with animals related to ones daily work It must be destroyed (cf. Lev. 6:28; 11:33,35). The "wooden" could refer to a tool a weapon a bowl The MT has BDB 479, which could be translated "article," "utensil," "vessel," or "pouch" (cf Lev. 11:32).
Levítico 15:13-15
15:13-15 These verses describe the sacrifice for the cleansing of a male discharge. 15:13 "running water" See note at Lev. 14:5.
Levítico 15:16-18
15:16-18 "seminal emission" Sexual intercourse made one ceremonially unclean. This has nothing to do with the idea that sex was sin. It was God's idea that men and women reproduce themselves by sexual union (cf. Gen. 1:28; 9:1,7). It was God's command that we be fruitful and multiply. It was God's will that a man leave father and mother and cleave only to his wife (cf. Gen. 2:24). The sex act itself, within God's bounds (i.e., one man, one woman for life), can be sin but because it involves the exchange of bodily fluids it made one ceremonially unclean. 15:18 "unclean until evening" This may have been done in Hebrew society to separate the sexual act from worship, which was so common in the pagan world. Therefore, after sexual contact, a person remained unclean until evening. This seemed to separate the time between the worship event and the sexual event.
Levítico 15:19-24
15:24 "actually lies with her" This is the intensified grammatical form of an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 1011, KB 1486).
Levítico 15:25-30
15:25 This refers to an issue of blood not related to a woman's normal monthly period. This was the problem of the woman mentioned in Matt. 9:20; Mark 5:25; Luke 8:43. 15:28-30 This describes the sacrifices for a female to be cleansed from discharges.
Levítico 15:31-33
15:31-33 This is a summary of chapter 15. Notice that it is the cleanliness of the Tabernacle that is significant. YHWH dwelt with His people but His people had to remain clean in order for Him to remain. His people were not clean, so He provided a way whereby they could be clean and He could remain in their midst (i.e., the Tabernacle, priesthood, and sacrificial system). 15:31 As the food laws separated Israel from their pagan neighbors' feasts, the separation of sexual activity from the Tabernacle also emphasized Israel's distinction from her fertility worshiping neighbors. As the purpose of the food laws is missed by moderns, so too, the purpose of these bodily emission laws.