Leviticus 15:2-3
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This isn't just about a physical ailment; the text emphasizes that the issue itself is unclean, not necessarily the person. This distinction highlights how even the remnants of bodily processes, when abnormal, could disrupt the purity required for Israel's covenant relationship with a holy God.
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage begins a detailed section in Leviticus dealing with various bodily discharges and their ceremonial impurity. It sets the stage for understanding how these natural, yet sometimes embarrassing or concerning, bodily functions impacted a person's ability to participate in Israelite community life and worship. The verses immediately following will elaborate on the specific rules and consequences for individuals experiencing these issues and for those who come into contact with them.
What does it mean for something to be 'unclean' in God's eyes? It's not quite the same as being unhygienic.
This passage from Leviticus deals with ritual uncleanness. It's crucial to understand that 'unclean' here isn't about germs or hygiene in the modern sense. Instead, it refers to a state that temporarily separates a person from worship and community life, particularly concerning the Tabernacle and its services.
A State of Separation:
Divine Order:
Why would natural bodily functions render someone ritually unclean? This touches on a deep theological point.
The laws in Leviticus concerning bodily discharges, while seemingly strange to us, served as powerful reminders about the sanctity of life and the body in relation to God's presence.
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Life's Exits:
Symbolism of Purity:
Understand the original words
zob · Hebrew Noun
An abnormal or pathological fluid emission, often associated with infectious disease or sexual dysfunction, which rendered a person ritually impure in the Levitical system.
tame · Hebrew Adjective
A state of ritual impurity that prevents a person from participating in the holy activities of the covenant community, such as approaching the tabernacle or consuming sacred offerings. It does not necessarily imply moral sin but acts as a physical boundary between the mundane and the holy.
torah · Hebrew Noun
The collection of divine instructions, teachings, and regulations given by God to Israel through Moses to govern their life, worship, and relationship with Him.
This passage echoes the Old Testament's emphasis on purity by calling believers to 'cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit,' highlighting a spiritual parallel to the physical cleansing required in Leviticus.
Psalm 24:3-4This psalm speaks to the 'clean hands and pure heart' required to ascend to the Lord, linking the physical purity demanded in Leviticus to the inner spiritual purity that God desires from His people.
Hebrews 9:13-14The author of Hebrews explains how the Old Testament purification rites, like those for bodily discharges, served as a symbol pointing towards the superior cleansing power of Christ's blood, which purifies our conscience from dead works.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20Paul's instruction to 'flee from sexual immorality' and recognize our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit connects the physical uncleanness regulations in Leviticus to the modern call for sexual purity and the sanctity of our bodies.
gillLeviticus 15:2: "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean."
Speak unto the children of Israel,.... From whence we learn, says the above mentioned writer, that these uncleannesses were only usual among the children of Israel, not among the Gentiles; that is, the laws respecting them were only binding on the one, and not on the other (s): and say unto them, when any man; in the Hebrew text it is, "…
clarkeLeviticus 15:2: "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean."
When any man hath a running issue - The cases of natural uncleanness, both of men and women, mentioned in this chapter, taken in a theological point of view, are not of such importance to us as to render a particular description necessary, the letter of the text being, in general, plain enough. The disease mentioned in the former part of…
This isn't just about a physical ailment; the text emphasizes that the issue itself is unclean, not necessarily the person. This distinction highlights how even the remnants of bodily processes, when abnormal, could disrupt the purity required for Israel's covenant relationship with a holy God.
This passage begins a detailed section in Leviticus dealing with various bodily discharges and their ceremonial impurity. It sets the stage for understanding how these natural, yet sometimes embarrassing or concerning, bodily functions impacted a person's ability to participate in Israelite community life and worship. The verses immediately following will elaborate on the specific rules and consequences for individuals experiencing these issues and for those who come into contact with them.
This passage begins a detailed section in Leviticus dealing with various bodily discharges and their ceremonial impurity. It sets the stage for understanding how these natural, yet sometimes embarrassing or concerning, bodily functions impacted a person's ability to participate in Israelite community life and worship. The verses immediately following will elaborate on the specific rules and consequences for individuals experiencing these issues and for those who come into contact with them.
"“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked…" — This isn't just about a physical ailment; the text emphasizes that the issue itself is unclean, not necessarily the person. This distinction highlights how even the remnants of bodily processes, wh…
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Last reviewed October 2026
