20 And everything on which she has been resting, while she is kept separate, will be unclean, and everything on which she has been seated will be unclean.
Every bed on which he has been resting will be unclean, and everything on which he has been seated will be unclean. And anyone touching his bed is to have his clothing washed and his body bathed in water and be unclean till evening. And he who has been seated on anything on which the unclean man has been seated is to have his clothing washed and his body bathed in water and be unclean till evening. And anyone touching the flesh of the unclean man is to have his clothing washed and his body bathed in water and be unclean till evening. And if liquid from the mouth of the unclean man comes on to him who is clean, then he is to have his clothing washed and his body bathed in water and be unclean till evening. And any leather seat on a horse on which the unclean man has been seated will be unclean.
To take you out of the power of the strange woman, who says smooth words with her tongue; Who is false to the husband of her early years, and does not keep the agreement of her God in mind: For her house is on the way down to death; her footsteps go down to the shades: Those who go to her do not come back again; their feet do not keep in the ways of life:
For honey is dropping from the lips of the strange woman, and her mouth is smoother than oil; But her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword; Her feet go down to death, and her steps to the underworld; She never keeps her mind on the road of life; her ways are uncertain, she has no knowledge. Give ear to me then, my sons, and do not put away my words from you. Go far away from her, do not come near the door of her house; For fear that you may give your honour to others, and your wealth to strange men: And strange men may be full of your wealth, and the fruit of your work go to the house of others; And you will be full of grief at the end of your life, when your flesh and your body are wasted; And you will say, How was teaching hated by me, and my heart put no value on training; I did not give attention to the voice of my teachers, my ear was not turned to those who were guiding me!
And the woman came out to him, in the dress of a loose woman, with a designing heart; She is full of noise and uncontrolled; her feet keep not in her house. Now she is in the street, now in the open spaces, waiting at every turning of the road. So she took him by his hand, kissing him, and without a sign of shame she said to him: I have a feast of peace-offerings, for today my oaths have been effected. So I came out in the hope of meeting you, looking for you with care, and now I have you. My bed is covered with cushions of needlework, with coloured cloths of the cotton thread of Egypt; I have made my bed sweet with perfumes and spices. Come, let us take our pleasure in love till the morning, having joy in love's delights. For the master of the house is away on a long journey: He has taken a bag of money with him; he is coming back at the full moon. With her fair words she overcame him, forcing him with her smooth lips. The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord; Like a bird falling into a net; with no thought that his life is in danger, till an arrow goes into his side. So now, my sons, give ear to me; give attention to the sayings of my mouth; Let not your heart be turned to her ways, do not go wandering in her footsteps. For those wounded and made low by her are great in number; and all those who have come to their death through her are a great army. Her house is the way to the underworld, going down to the rooms of death.
The foolish woman is full of noise; she has no sense at all. Seated at the door of her house, in the high places of the town, Crying out to those who go by, going straight on their way, she says: Whoever is simple, let him come in here: and to him who is without sense, she says: Drink taken without right is sweet, and food in secret is pleasing. But he does not see that the dead are there, that her guests are in the deep places of the underworld.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Leviticus 15
Commentary on Leviticus 15 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 15
Le 15:1-18. Uncleanness of Men.
2. When any man hath a running issue—This chapter describes other forms of uncleanness, the nature of which is sufficiently intelligible in the text without any explanatory comment. Being the effects of licentiousness, they properly come within the notice of the legislator, and the very stringent rules here prescribed, both for the separation of the person diseased and for avoiding contamination from anything connected with him, were well calculated not only to prevent contagion, but to discourage the excesses of licentious indulgence.
9. what saddle … he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean—(See on Ge 31:34).
12. the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken—It is thought that the pottery of the Israelites, like the earthenware jars in which the Egyptians kept their water, was unglazed and consequently porous, and that it was its porousness which, rendering it extremely liable to imbibe small particles of impure matter, was the reason why the vessel touched by an unclean person was ordered to be broken.
13, 14. then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing—Like a leprous person he underwent a week's probation, to make sure he was completely healed. Then with the sacrifices prescribed, the priest made an atonement for him, that is, offered the oblations necessary for the removal of his ceremonial defilement, as well as the typical pardon of his sins.
Le 15:19-33. Uncleanness of Women.
19. if a woman have an issue—Though this, like the leprosy, might be a natural affection, it was anciently considered contagious and entailed a ceremonial defilement which typified a moral impurity. This ceremonial defilement had to be removed by an appointed method of ceremonial expiation, and the neglect of it subjected any one to the guilt of defiling the tabernacle, and to death as the penalty of profane temerity.
31-33. Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness—The divine wisdom was manifested in inspiring the Israelites with a profound reverence for holy things; and nothing was more suited to this purpose than to debar from the tabernacle all who were polluted by any kind of uncleanness, ceremonial as well as natural, mental as well as physical. The better to mark out that people as His family, His servants and priests, dwelling in the camp as in a holy place, consecrated by His presence and His tabernacle, He required of them complete purity, and did not allow them to come before Him when defiled, even by involuntary or secret impurities, as a want of respect due to His majesty. And when we bear in mind that God was training a people to live in His presence in some measure as priests devoted to His service, we shall not consider these rules for the maintenance of personal purity either too stringent or too minute (1Th 4:4).