20 And every thing that she lieth H7901 upon in her separation H5079 shall be unclean: H2930 every thing also that she sitteth H3427 upon shall be unclean. H2930
Every bed, H4904 whereon he lieth H7901 that hath the issue, H2100 is unclean: H2930 and every thing, H3627 whereon he sitteth, H3427 shall be unclean. H2930 And whosoever H376 toucheth H5060 his bed H4904 shall wash H3526 his clothes, H899 and bathe H7364 himself in water, H4325 and be unclean H2930 until the even. H6153 And he that sitteth H3427 on any thing H3627 whereon he sat H3427 that hath the issue H2100 shall wash H3526 his clothes, H899 and bathe H7364 himself in water, H4325 and be unclean H2930 until the even. H6153 And he that toucheth H5060 the flesh H1320 of him that hath the issue H2100 shall wash H3526 his clothes, H899 and bathe H7364 himself in water, H4325 and be unclean H2930 until the even. H6153 And if he that hath the issue H2100 spit H7556 upon him that is clean; H2889 then he shall wash H3526 his clothes, H899 and bathe H7364 himself in water, H4325 and be unclean H2930 until the even. H6153 And what saddle H4817 soever he rideth H7392 upon that hath the issue H2100 shall be unclean. H2930
To deliver H5337 thee from the strange H2114 woman, H802 even from the stranger H5237 which flattereth H2505 with her words; H561 Which forsaketh H5800 the guide H441 of her youth, H5271 and forgetteth H7911 the covenant H1285 of her God. H430 For her house H1004 inclineth H7743 unto death, H4194 and her paths H4570 unto the dead. H7496 None that go H935 unto her return again, H7725 neither take they hold H5381 of the paths H734 of life. H2416
For the lips H8193 of a strange woman H2114 drop H5197 as an honeycomb, H5317 and her mouth H2441 is smoother H2509 than oil: H8081 But her end H319 is bitter H4751 as wormwood, H3939 sharp H2299 as a twoedged H6310 sword. H2719 Her feet H7272 go down H3381 to death; H4194 her steps H6806 take hold H8551 on hell. H7585 Lest thou shouldest ponder H6424 the path H734 of life, H2416 her ways H4570 are moveable, H5128 that thou canst not know H3045 them. Hear H8085 me now therefore, O ye children, H1121 and depart H5493 not from the words H561 of my mouth. H6310 Remove H7368 thy way H1870 far H7368 from her, and come not nigh H7126 the door H6607 of her house: H1004 Lest thou give H5414 thine honour H1935 unto others, H312 and thy years H8141 unto the cruel: H394 Lest strangers H2114 be filled H7646 with thy wealth; H3581 and thy labours H6089 be in the house H1004 of a stranger; H5237 And thou mourn H5098 at the last, H319 when thy flesh H1320 and thy body H7607 are consumed, H3615 And say, H559 How have I hated H8130 instruction, H4148 and my heart H3820 despised H5006 reproof; H8433 And have not obeyed H8085 the voice H6963 of my teachers, H3384 nor inclined H5186 mine ear H241 to them that instructed H3925 me!
To keep H8104 thee from the evil H7451 woman, H802 from the flattery H2513 of the tongue H3956 of a strange woman. H5237
He will not regard H5375 H6440 any ransom; H3724 neither will he rest content, H14 though thou givest many H7235 gifts. H7810
And, behold, there met H7125 him a woman H802 with the attire H7897 of an harlot, H2181 and subtil H5341 of heart. H3820 (She is loud H1993 and stubborn; H5637 her feet H7272 abide H7931 not in her house: H1004 Now H6471 is she without, H2351 now H6471 in the streets, H7339 and lieth in wait H693 at H681 every corner.) H6438 So she caught H2388 him, and kissed H5401 him, and with an impudent H5810 face H6440 said H559 unto him, I have peace H8002 offerings H2077 with me; this day H3117 have I payed H7999 my vows. H5088 Therefore came I forth H3318 to meet H7125 thee, diligently to seek H7836 thy face, H6440 and I have found H4672 thee. I have decked H7234 my bed H6210 with coverings H4765 of tapestry, with carved H2405 works, with fine linen H330 of Egypt. H4714 I have perfumed H5130 my bed H4904 with myrrh, H4753 aloes, H174 and cinnamon. H7076 Come, H3212 let us take our fill H7301 of love H1730 until the morning: H1242 let us solace H5965 ourselves with loves. H159 For the goodman H376 is not at home, H1004 he is gone H1980 a long H7350 journey: H1870 He hath taken H3947 a bag H6872 of money H3701 with him, H3027 and will come H935 home H1004 at the day H3117 appointed. H3677 With her much H7230 fair speech H3948 she caused him to yield, H5186 with the flattering H2506 of her lips H8193 she forced H5080 him. He goeth H1980 after H310 her straightway, H6597 as an ox H7794 goeth H935 to the slaughter, H2874 or as a fool H191 to the correction H4148 of the stocks; H5914 Till a dart H2671 strike H6398 through his liver; H3516 as a bird H6833 hasteth H4116 to the snare, H6341 and knoweth H3045 not that it is for his life. H5315 Hearken H8085 unto me now therefore, O ye children, H1121 and attend H7181 to the words H561 of my mouth. H6310 Let not thine heart H3820 decline H7847 to her ways, H1870 go not astray H8582 in her paths. H5410 For she hath cast down H5307 many H7227 wounded: H2491 yea, many strong H6099 men have been slain H2026 by her. Her house H1004 is the way H1870 to hell, H7585 going down H3381 to the chambers H2315 of death. H4194
A foolish H3687 woman H802 is clamorous: H1993 she is simple, H6615 and H1077 knoweth H3045 nothing. H4100 For she sitteth H3427 at the door H6607 of her house, H1004 on a seat H3678 in the high places H4791 of the city, H7176 To call H7121 passengers H5674 H1870 who go right H3474 on their ways: H734 Whoso is simple, H6612 let him turn in H5493 hither: and as for him that wanteth H2638 understanding, H3820 she saith H559 to him, Stolen H1589 waters H4325 are sweet, H4985 and bread H3899 eaten in secret H5643 is pleasant. H5276 But he knoweth H3045 not that the dead H7496 are there; and that her guests H7121 are in the depths H6012 of hell. H7585
If thou hast nothing to pay, H7999 why should he take away H3947 thy bed H4904 from under thee?
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Leviticus 15
Commentary on Leviticus 15 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
The Uncleanness of Secretions. - These include (1) a running issue from a man (Leviticus 15:2-15); (2) involuntary emission of seed (Leviticus 15:16, Leviticus 15:17), and the emission of seed in sexual intercourse (Leviticus 15:18); (3) the monthly period of a woman (Leviticus 15:19-24); (4) a diseased issue of blood from a woman (Leviticus 15:25-30). They consist, therefore, of two diseased and two natural secretions from the organs of generation.
The running issue from a man is not described with sufficient clearness for us to be able to determine with certainty what disease is referred to: “if a man becomes flowing out of his flesh, he is unclean in his flux.” That even here the term flesh is not a euphemism for the organ of generation, as is frequently assumed, is evident from Leviticus 15:13, “he shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in water,” when compared with Leviticus 16:23-24, Leviticus 16:28, etc., where flesh cannot possibly have any such meaning. The “flesh” is the body as in Leviticus 15:7, “whoever touches the flesh of him that hath the issue,” as compared with Leviticus 15:19, “whosoever toucheth her.” At the same time, the agreement between the law relating to the man with an issue and that concerning the woman with an issue (Leviticus 15:19, “her issue in her flesh”) points unmistakeably to a secretion from the sexual organs. Only the seat of the disease is not more closely defined. The issue of the man is not a hemorrhoidal disease, for nothing is said about a flow of blood; still less is it a syphilitic suppuration ( gonorrhaea virulenta ), for the occurrence of this at all in antiquity is very questionable; but it is either a diseased flow of semen ( gonorrhaea ), i.e., an involuntary flow drop by drop arising from weakness of the organ, as Jerome and the Rabbins assume, or more probably, simply blenorrhaea urethrae , a discharge of mucus arising from a catarrhal affection of the mucous membrane of the urethra ( urethritis ). The participle זב יהיה is expressive of continued duration. In Leviticus 15:3 the uncleanness is still more closely defined: “whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh closes before his issue,” i.e., whether the member lets the matter flow out or by closing retains it, “it is his uncleanness,” i.e., in the latter case as well as the former it is uncleanness to him, he is unclean. For the “closing” is only a temporary obstruction, brought about by some particular circumstance.
Every bed upon which he lay, and everything upon which he sat, was defiled in consequence; also every one who touched his bed (Leviticus 15:5), or sat upon it (Leviticus 15:6), or touched his flesh, i.e., his body (Leviticus 15:7), was unclean, and had to bathe himself and wash his clothes in consequence.
The conveyance in which such a man rode was also unclean, as well as everything under him; and whoever touched them was defiled till the evening, and the person who carried them was to wash his clothes and bathe himself.
This also applied to every one whom the man with an issue might touch, without first rinsing his hands in water.
Vessels that he had touched were to be broken to pieces if they were of earthenware, and rinsed with water if they were of wood, for the reasons explained in Leviticus 11:33 and Leviticus 6:21.
When he was cleansed, i.e., recovered from his issue, he was to wait seven days with regard to his purification, and then wash his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water, and be clean. On the eighth day he was to bring two turtle-doves or young pigeons, in order that the priest might prepare one as a sin-offering and the other as a burnt-offering, and make an atonement for him before the Lord for his issue.
Involuntary emission of seed . - This defiled for the whole of the day, not only the man himself, but any garment or skin upon which any of it had come, and required for purification that the whole body should be bathed, and the polluted things washed.
Sexual connection . “If a man lie with a woman with the emission of seed, both shall be unclean till the evening, and bathe themselves in water.” Consequently it was not the concubitus as such which defiled, as many erroneously suppose, but the emission of seed in the coitus . This explains the law and custom, of abstaining from conjugal intercourse during the preparation for acts of divine worship, or the performance of the same (Exodus 19:5; 1 Samuel 21:5-6; 2 Samuel 11:4), in which many other nations resembled the Israelites. (For proofs see Leyrer's article in Herzog's Cyclopaedia, and Knobel in loco , though the latter is wrong in supposing that conjugal intercourse itself defiled.)
The menses of a woman . - “If a woman have an issue, (if) blood is her issue in her flesh, she shall be seven days in her uncleanness.” As the discharge does not last as a rule more than four or five days, the period of seven days was fixed on account of the significance of the number seven. In this condition she rendered every one who touched her unclean (Leviticus 15:19), everything upon which she lay or sat (Leviticus 15:20), every one who touched her bed or whatever she sat upon (Leviticus 15:21, Leviticus 15:22), also any one who touched the blood upon her bed or seat (Leviticus 15:23, where הוּא and בּו are to be referred to דּם ); and they remained unclean till the evening, when they had to wash their clothes and bathe themselves.
If a man lay with her and her uncleanness came upon him, he became unclean for seven days, and the bed upon which he lay became unclean as well. The meaning cannot be merely if he lie upon the same bed with her, but if he have conjugal intercourse, as is evident from Leviticus 20:18 and Numbers 5:13 (cf. Genesis 26:10; Genesis 34:2; Genesis 35:22; 1 Samuel 2:22). It cannot be adduced as an objection to this explanation, which is the only admissible one, that according to Leviticus 18:19 and Leviticus 20:18 intercourse with a woman during her menses was an accursed crime, to be punished by extermination. For the law in Leviticus 20:18 refers partly to conjugal intercourse during the hemorrhage of a woman after child-birth, as the similarity of the words in Leviticus 20:18 and Leviticus 12:7 ( דּמיה מקור ) clearly proves, and to the case of a man attempting cohabitation with a woman during her menstruation. The verse before us, on the contrary, refers simply to the possibility of menstruation commencing during the act of conjugal intercourse, when the man would be involuntarily defiled through the unexpected uncleanness of the woman.
Diseased issue from a woman . - If an issue of blood in a woman flowed many days away from (not in) the time of her monthly uncleanness, or if it flowed beyond her monthly uncleanness, she was to be unclean as long as her unclean issue continued, just as in the days of her monthly uncleanness, and she defiled her couch as well as everything upon which she sat, as in the other case, also every one who touched either her or these things.
After the issue had ceased, she was to purify herself like the man with an issue, as described in Leviticus 15:13-15. - Obedience to these commands is urged in Leviticus 15:31 : “Cause that the children of Israel free themselves from their uncleanness, that they die not through their uncleanness, by defiling My dwelling in the midst of them.” הזּיר , Hiphil , to cause that a person keeps aloof from anything, or loosens himself from it, from נזר , Niphal to separate one's self, signifies here deliverance from the state of uncleanness, purification from it. Continuance in it was followed by death, not merely in the particular instance in which an unclean man ventured to enter the sanctuary, but as a general fact, because uncleanness as irreconcilable with the calling of Israel to be a holy nation, in the midst of which Jehovah the Holy One had His dwelling-place (Leviticus 11:44), and continuance in uncleanness without the prescribed purification was a disregard of the holiness of Jehovah, and involved rebellion against Him and His ordinances of grace.
Concluding formula . The words, “ him that lieth with her that is unclean, ” are more general than the expression, “lie with her,” in Leviticus 15:24, and involve not only intercourse with an unclean woman, but lying by her side upon one and the same bed.