Leviticus 15:10-11
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
It's easy to see these rules as simply about physical "cleanliness," but the text is highlighting something deeper. The emphasis on touching "anything that was under him" or carrying such items shows that uncleanness wasn't just about direct contact, but about the spread of impurity through proximity and indirect contact, reminding us how sin can subtly permeate and spread.
And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. Anyone whom the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a larger section in Leviticus detailing various bodily discharges and skin diseases that render individuals ritually unclean. The preceding verses (Leviticus 15:1-9) discuss uncleanness from running issues, and this verse extends those principles to anything touched or carried by someone with such an issue, emphasizing the pervasive nature of ritual impurity. The subsequent verses continue to outline specific rules for contact with unclean objects and people, ultimately leading to instructions on purification.
Think about how easily germs can spread from person to person. In ancient Israel, spiritual 'uncleanness' worked in a similar, yet distinct, way.
Leviticus 15 lays out strict rules for dealing with bodily discharges, which were considered sources of uncleanness. Our verse, Leviticus 15:10, highlights two ways uncleanness could spread beyond the person directly affected:
The Reach of a Touch
Anyone who touched something that had been under a person with an issue became unclean. This emphasizes that the impurity wasn't just on the person, but could transfer through contact with their belongings or even the space they occupied.
The Burden of Carrying
Even more so, someone carrying such an item or person became unclean. This implies a greater responsibility and a more direct involvement in transporting the impurity. The act of carrying made the person a conduit for uncleanness, requiring a more thorough cleansing.
These detailed purity laws might seem strange, but they pointed to something far greater. What were they trying to teach the Israelites about God?
The laws of uncleanness in Leviticus weren't just about hygiene; they were deeply symbolic. They served as a constant reminder of God's absolute holiness and the purity required to be in His presence.
Ask a follow-up
A Holy God Demands Holiness
God is utterly pure and set apart. The Israelites, living in a fallen world, were constantly reminded that they were not. The discharges and their resulting uncleanness symbolized the pervasive nature of sin and its separation from God.
Maintaining Access to God
The rituals of washing and waiting until evening were designed to impress upon the people the seriousness of impurity. It meant they were temporarily barred from approaching God's tabernacle. This underscored that access to a holy God is a gift, requiring a state of purity, both ceremonial and eventually, moral and spiritual.
Understand the original words
zob · Hebrew Noun
In the context of the Levitical law, this term refers to a bodily flux or emission, often associated with impurity, requiring ritual purification to restore access to the holy community.
tame · Hebrew Adjective
A state of ceremonial defilement that excludes a person from the presence of God in the sanctuary and from communal interaction until proper purification rituals are completed. It is not necessarily synonymous with personal sin but signifies the impact of death, disease, or human frailty in a fallen world.
rachats · Hebrew Verb
A ritual act of symbolic purification using water to remove ceremonial defilement and restore a person or object to a state of ritual purity.
This passage warns against 'a root of bitterness' springing up, echoing the Levitical laws' emphasis on preventing spiritual contagion and contamination, even if in a new covenant context.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20Paul calls believers to flee sexual immorality and honor God with their bodies, connecting the physical uncleanness laws in Leviticus to the spiritual purity required of Christians.
Psalm 51:7David's prayer for cleansing from sin, 'Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow,' directly parallels the cleansing rituals described in Leviticus, showing a spiritual longing for purity.
2 Corinthians 7:1This verse urges believers to 'cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God,' highlighting the deeper spiritual implication behind the physical laws of purity in Leviticus.
calvinLeviticus 15:1-33: "And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,"
And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
Atque omnis qui tetigerit omne quitquid fuerit subter eum, immundus erit usque ad vesperam et qui portaverit ea, lavabit vestimenta sua, posteaquam laverit sese aqua: eritque immundus usque ad vesperam.
A…
ellicottLeviticus 15:10: "And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even."
(10) And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him. —That is, the seat in the palanquin on which the passenger sits. If touched by any one after the man with the issue has sat on it, he contracts defilement till sundown. And he that beareth any of those things.—Bett…
It's easy to see these rules as simply about physical "cleanliness," but the text is highlighting something deeper. The emphasis on touching "anything that was under him" or carrying such items shows that uncleanness wasn't just about direct contact, but about the spread of impurity through proximity and indirect contact, reminding us how sin can subtly permeate and spread.
This passage is part of a larger section in Leviticus detailing various bodily discharges and skin diseases that render individuals ritually unclean. The preceding verses (Leviticus 15:1-9) discuss uncleanness from running issues, and this verse extends those principles to anything touched or carried by someone with such an issue, emphasizing the pervasive nature of ritual impurity. The subsequent verses continue to outline specific rules for contact with unclean objects and people, ultimately leading to instructions on purification.
This passage is part of a larger section in Leviticus detailing various bodily discharges and skin diseases that render individuals ritually unclean. The preceding verses (Leviticus 15:1-9) discuss uncleanness from running issues, and this verse extends those principles to anything touched or carried by someone with such an issue, emphasizing the pervasive nature of ritual impurity. The subsequent verses continue to outline specific rules for contact with unclean objects and people, ultimately leading to instructions on purification.
"And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. Anyone whom the one with the discharge…" — It's easy to see these rules as simply about physical "cleanliness," but the text is highlighting something deeper. The emphasis on touching "anything that was under him" or carrying such items show…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
