Leviticus 15:31
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The verse emphasizes that the "uncleanness" isn't just about physical purity, but about avoiding any action that would lead to defiling God's dwelling place among them. This isn't just about avoiding illness, but about maintaining a deep respect for God's presence, so much so that impurity could bring about a death penalty by disqualifying them from God's sanctuary.
“Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
These verses conclude Leviticus 15, which details various types of bodily discharges and the ritual uncleanness they cause. The chapter meticulously outlines how these impurities affect individuals, objects, and places, and the purification rites required. This final verse serves as a summary, emphasizing the critical need to maintain separation from uncleanness to prevent defiling the sacred Tabernacle, God's dwelling place among the people.
Ever wondered why certain physical states led to ceremonial 'uncleanness' in the Old Testament? It wasn't just about being dirty.
More Than Just Cleanliness
The laws in Leviticus 15 describe various bodily discharges that made a person ceremonially unclean. This 'uncleanness' wasn't necessarily about moral sin, but about a state that separated individuals from the sacred space of the Tabernacle.
These regulations might seem harsh, but they reveal something profound about God's heart for His people.
A Distinct People
God didn't just set rules to keep people away from Him; He set them to teach His chosen people, Israel, about their unique identity and calling.
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Understand the original words
tum'ah · Hebrew Noun
State of being morally, ceremonially, or physically impure, often associated with sin, disease, or bodily functions. In the Levitical context, it denotes a state that prevents a person from approaching the holy presence of God.
tame' · Hebrew Verb
To make something ritually impure or profane; to render something unsuitable for sacred use or presence through contact with that which is unclean.
mishkan · Hebrew Noun
The literal dwelling place of God among His people in the Old Testament; a sacred space symbolizing God’s holy presence that requires purity from those who approach.
This passage echoes the same concern for purity before God, emphasizing the priests' duty to distinguish between the holy and the common, and the unclean and the clean, directly relating to the separation commanded in Leviticus.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20Paul's exhortation to flee sexual immorality and honor God with our bodies connects the Old Testament's physical purity laws to New Testament spiritual and moral purity, showing that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:19-22This passage speaks of the new covenant allowing us to enter God's presence with confidence because of Christ's sacrifice, contrasting with the Old Testament's strict separation due to uncleanness, and highlighting the importance of a pure heart.
Psalm 24:3-5This psalm describes who can ascend to the Lord's hill and stand in His holy place, emphasizing 'clean hands and a pure heart,' which aligns with the Levitical requirement for purity before approaching God's dwelling place.
1 Peter 1:15-16Peter calls believers to be holy because God is holy, directly referencing the Old Testament command, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy,' which underpins the entire system of purity laws in Leviticus.
bensonLeviticus 15:31: "Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them."
Leviticus 15:31 . When they defile my tabernacle — Both ceremonially, by coming into it in their uncleanness; and morally, by the contempt of God’s express command to cleanse themselves. This shows that one main design of these laws was to impress the minds of that carnal people with a high respect and veneration for…
gillLeviticus 15:31: "Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them."
Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness,.... Or because of it, and while they are in it, as from other persons, even their nearest relations, and from the house of God, as the next clause shows; or teach them, by observing the above laws and rules, to separate themselves, and that they be…
The verse emphasizes that the "uncleanness" isn't just about physical purity, but about avoiding any action that would lead to defiling God's dwelling place among them. This isn't just about avoiding illness, but about maintaining a deep respect for God's presence, so much so that impurity could bring about a death penalty by disqualifying them from God's sanctuary.
These verses conclude Leviticus 15, which details various types of bodily discharges and the ritual uncleanness they cause. The chapter meticulously outlines how these impurities affect individuals, objects, and places, and the purification rites required. This final verse serves as a summary, emphasizing the critical need to maintain separation from uncleanness to prevent defiling the sacred Tabernacle, God's dwelling place among the people.
These verses conclude Leviticus 15, which details various types of bodily discharges and the ritual uncleanness they cause. The chapter meticulously outlines how these impurities affect individuals, objects, and places, and the purification rites required. This final verse serves as a summary, emphasizing the critical need to maintain separation from uncleanness to prevent defiling the sacred Tabernacle, God's dwelling place among the people.
"“Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.”" — The verse emphasizes that the "uncleanness" isn't just about physical purity, but about avoiding any action that would lead to defiling God's dwelling place among them. This isn't just about avoiding…
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Last reviewed October 2026
