20 And everything that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean; and everything that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.
Every bed whereon he lieth that hath the flux shall be unclean; and every object on which he sitteth shall be unclean. And whoever toucheth his bed shall wash his garments, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the even. And he that sitteth on any object whereon he sat that hath the flux shall wash his garments, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the even. And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the flux shall wash his garments, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the even. And if he that hath the flux spit upon him that is clean, then he shall wash his garments, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the even. And what carriage soever he rideth upon that hath the flux shall be unclean.
To deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words; who forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God; -- for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead; none that go unto her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:
For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol. Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither]. And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel; lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger; and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed; and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof! and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me;
And behold, there met him a woman in the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart. She is clamorous and unmanageable; her feet abide not in her house: now without, now in the broadways, -- and she lieth in wait at every corner. And she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows: therefore came I forth to meet thee, to seek earnestly thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with tapestry coverlets of variegated linen from Egypt; I have perfumed my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us revel in love until the morning, let us delight ourselves with loves. For the husband is not at home, he is gone a long journey; he hath taken the money-bag with him, he will come home on the day of the full moon. With her much enticement she beguiled him; with the smoothness of her lips she constrained him. He went after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as stocks [serve] for the correction of the fool; till an arrow strike through his liver: as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for its life. And now, ye sons, hearken unto me, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths: for she hath cast down many wounded, and all slain by her were strong. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.
The foolish woman is clamorous; she is stupid, and knoweth nothing. And she sitteth at the entry of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, to call passers-by who go right on their ways: Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither. And to him that is void of understanding she saith, Stolen waters are sweet, and the bread of secrecy is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; [that] her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
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).